Patina Desk

You may remember that this was actually one of the first pieces I picked up when I started all this slapping-on of paint. I probably spent more on it than I should have but I thought it was a great deal at the time. Anywhoo. It is finished!

I'm not entirely convinced that this 'patina look' process is as simple as it sounds on some blogs but it was certainly fun and I like the finished product for sure. You?

Sharing over at: French Country Cottage

My house smells delicious!

Thanks to Country Cottage Primitives, one lovely bunch of dried lavender is making my whole house smell calm and peaceful. I should have taken pictures as I unpacked the goods because they really did a great job of ensuring that everything got here in great shape. And cute! Anyway. If you need lavender sachets, dried lavender bunches for display, or anything of the sort, I highly recommend you check 'em out.

I may need some of these:

Cute, aren't they?

Disclaimer: I wasn't asked to do any kind of review for this site. I'm just super pleased with my purchase and thought someone else might like to know about this little cottage business.

In other news, L'Shana Tovah! Happy New Year and may it be a sweet one.

Feeling bold and feisty

There are days when I feel as if I can do no (painting) wrong. Apparently, I had a couple of those days this week. Which probably means that the rest of the month is going to be crazy. ha ha

While I LOVE the look of white/grey/muted greens/blues, I have also been experimenting a bit with the other end of the palette. The end that lives near the sea somewhere on the Mediterranean and says 'Come on, live a little!'

You've already seen this charming fellow (I'm calling him Phillip) mid-process but now you can see him with his wax buffed and his hardware freshly painted.

Milk paint self-distresses and looks fantastic, I think. After reading on a few blogs about how you have to be willing to just let it do its 'thing', I figured it was time to have a little faith. All I did on this piece was sand it lightly with 150 grit and hope for the best. It chipped in places I wouldn't have anticipated but I think it looks so much more natural than I would have accomplished on my own. 

This little table came to me in a very 'blah' condition. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't ugly. It was just a table. But now, he is Maurice! He is bold! He is exciting! He is waiting for a good time with YOU, non? Please do not disappoint him. ;)

Linking up over at 

Whoop! Whoop!

This is a sound that has been occurring in our house a lot lately. Because we're so excited, you ask? No... because the girls and I have all had Whooping Cough this past month. Yep, for a MONTH! I knew it was bad but then I came across the CDC article that said the Chinese name is "100 day cough". Ugh. It's been awful hearing the girls hacking and whooping away and it's definitely made it hard to get anything creative done. Throw in some excruciating pulled/torn muscles from the coughing and you've got this dearth of blogging. 

There IS light at the end of the tunnel, tho. I've managed to sell a few things and make room for working on others so there should be plenty to blog about soon. 

In the meantime, check this out: 

I'm attempting a patina effect on this old secretary desk. You might remember what it originally looked like but in case you don't, here you go.

I'm thinking I might do another wash of the light grey over everything but otherwise, it's ready to be waxed/distressed. 

This one's been a work in progress for the last 3 years and I assume that she will continue to be fun to work with for another 20. ;) 

Below is my first foray into milk paint. I'm considering making my own if I can get over my fear of using the wrong pigments. They have to stand up to the hydrated lime used in most milk paint recipes. If you're interested, check out these links for more info on making your own: Martha Stewart's recipe or RealMilkPaint.com. 

I'm using Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Mustard on this table:

It's a very rough finish right now and it dries much slower than chalk paint. But I'm hopeful that it will sand down to a smooth finish and wax easily. If not, then I have just painted a Henredon table  with a rough Mustard yellow and decreased its value exponentially. Ha Ha!