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!

Sweet accent tables

As hot as it's already been lately, I haven't felt much like stripping, sanding, or painting anything outside. So what do you do when you don't want to go outside and sweat with grit and grime all over you? 

You bring the smallest things you can find into the house and work on them in the kitchen! I still had to do a little prep-work outside on these babies but nothing that took more than 20 minutes or so. That's enough to render one's morning-shower completely obsolete. Ugh

Anyway. Here we go! 

Table No. 1 was a random find at a local trade-days event. Totally unexpected. So what did I do? I bought it and wandered around with the three kiddos for another 40 minutes. ha ha. 

$40

Isn't it sweet? I would love to see this on a landing with ivy trailing from the top and this little birdy peeking out. :)

 I don't know exactly what you call Table No. 2. Is it an accent table? An occasional? What is it?? It folds over to one side to make it easy to move out of the way but I don't know what that makes it. Oh well. It was too pretty to pass up so I bought it and sanded the HECK out of the top of it to get off the old super-dark stain/varnish. It wasn't its most attractive quality. 

Once I got it down to bare wood on the top, I thought about re-staining it with something already on hand but then I remembered this lovely idea: Vinegar Stain

I neglected to remember to use apple cider vinegar but I think it turned out really neat anyway. Also, I don't know off hand what the difference is between white vinegar and apple cider vinegar. They both smell equally gross. Thank goodness the smell doesn't linger in the wood for this process. 

$40

So, thoughts, anyone?

Magazine table - Tiffany

My friend Sunny picked this up for me on her way home one day. It wasn't much to look at right then but a fresh couple of coats of Duck's Egg makes all the difference in the world, I think. I haven't found a replacement lamp for it but I don't guess it's totally necessary. I suppose I could use a hole cutting bit and just cut a plug for it... hrm. Anyway. It's cute now!

$50

 Gently distressed on its 'knees' and 'ribs'. The first coat was actually something called "Cavern" from Behr, I think. I liked it but thought it should show thru rather than be the dominant color. What do you think?

Any fun finds lately, blog-land?

Leaving the nest...

So, the whole point of buying these pieces and refinishing them was to SELL them but now that it comes down to it, I hate to see them go! Hopefully, they'll serve their new owner well and be a source of pride for many years to come. 

Molly and Eleanor have something to show you

The last couple of days have been fairly productive, as the following pictures will attest. Molly is extremely cheerful and ready for spring. Eleanor is quaintly displaying her vintage charms. 

Color co-ordination is accidental but perfect. 

 Eleanor seemed to be missing something once I took the leather inlay off the top. I toyed with the idea of tiling the upper shelf but it just didn't seem to 'fit'. During a trip to Michael's, I spotted some fun scrap-book paper that was 40% off. I can't resist things that are pretty AND on sale, can I? I think these papers worked perfectly with the cream paint and the peacock motif somehow suits the general feel of the table. Don't you think?

Pardon the messy setting, I just couldn't wait for everything to dry to stage a better picture. 

Primed and ready!

What do you name a magazine/lamp table that's both elegant and sturdy? Ooh... I know. 

Eleanor

 I haven't quite decided on a color for this one. I suppose I need to figure out if it will be for sale or for keeping, first. I think she could look quite fetching in a coat of "Banner Red" with some dark glazing to catch the details on her skirt and legs. But since I've removed the leather inlay on the top and am contemplating tile there, red might not work. I don't know. Suggestions, dear readers?


This next table is just... brilliant. It's so chunky and bold and fun, I'm beside myself. Is it masculine or feminine? Maybe Molly is a good name... after the Unsinkable Molly Brown.