Making it all worthwhile

I have the most wonderful customers! My store on etsy.com has been busy! In the last several days I have shipped the following:

And I sweat bullets hoping A: It arrives safely and B: the customer is happy. Like I said, I have the most wonderful customers! I received emails telling me how much they loved the furniture and one customer said my work makes her happy. Yay! The nice woman who purchased my advertising trunk actually called me to say how much she and her husband love the trunk! Talk about Make My Day! Happy Dance Happy Dance

That's what it's all about - creating things for people to love. Makes me a happy girl.

What to do between Super Bowl commercials

When I got home with this carriage not a word was said, not good, bad or indifferent. Clearly my Honey thought I'd lost my mind. But I had a vision and Google. Google helped me figure out how to proceed and the vision kept me going. The carriage sat for months, then on Super Bowl Sunday I sat and worked on it during the game stopping to watch the commercials.

Just a little ratty, wouldn't you say? And the Killer Attack Spider living in it is a whole separate story.

 

Good thing the Super Bowl lasts for hours. I sat the whole time reweaving. There are a couple holes I can't fix because the reed or rattan or whatever isn't available in my small town. BUT. It still turned out better than I ever thought!

And now it is doing its intended job of holding my current fabrics where I can see them, and it is looking adorable while doing it. Diving into something without a clue might not be for everybody but it seems to work for me.

I still intend to fix the loose cane at the bottom and the little holes here and there, but eh. Maybe during the Super Bowl.

More passion! Chalk paint and milk paint!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Real Milk Paint are my big paint passions right now. (Until I perfect my own concoction. But that is another story entirely.) When i first tried these paints I had only sample sizes in random colors. I had a table to paint and I decided to use what I had. 

I had no idea what would happen layering milk paint over chalk paint and vise versa. This was before I decided to make my own paint and had that white chair adventure. But for those of you that haven't used the two types of paint together Here are some photos of what to expect.

When layered, the Milk Paint and Chalk Paint craze and crackle on their own. We had a house guest when I painted this and we sat and watched the paint split and crack. He called it "The most amazing process", and it was! There is no way crackle glaze can compete with this.

I sanded just a little bit on some edges but for the most part all the distressing on this table was done without any help from me. When the paint was dry and set I rubbed in some dark wax to accent the crazing. And I love the result.

The finished table is really pretty. The patina is amazing. The colors are rich and old. Speaking of colors, I used Real Milk Paint Tavern Green, Pumpkin and Light Cream with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Old White, Paris Grey and Duck Egg Blue.

I reluctantly listed the table on etsy. sigh. I can't keep everything. I hope whoever purchases this treasure loves it as much as I do. 

Linking to:  

http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/

Up and coming

There is a movement to get my Honey a t-shirt that says Poor Michael.

Poor Michael. I was out running an errand when my car suddenly took a sharp right at a garage sale sign. I swear! And that's how I ended up coming home with a clunky prairie style desk and a heavy topless dresser stuffed into my car.

Exhibit A and B:

The dresser was $2. Notice the bin pulls. It has $30 worth of bin pulls. And it was my Honey, not ME, that decided this battered old thing should be restored.

A couple days before I dragged those specimens home, I ran across this treasure on the way to an appointment. A REAL treasure! 1920s waterfall cedar chest with wooden hinges. With some help I got it stuffed into my car.

Exhibit C:

A couple weeks ago I came home with this nifty chest. Wait 'till you see what I have planned for it!

Exhibit D:

There is one more piece - a big FREE prairie dresser. I have a great idea for it. I can hardly wait!

Exhibit E:

So this is what is up and coming in the next several weeks. As soon as the bathroom is done....... meanwhile these big pieces of furniture and more are crammed into the garage. Poor Michael.

Laboring

Happy Labor Day!

We labored all weekend redoing our master bath. New fixtures, paint (tedious wallpaper removal) and new flooring. yay  It will be done by the end of the week.

While stuff was drying in the bathroom I did this little fun project:

Before: a super outdated, homely jewelry box. I had it in the closet, didn't use it, but I kept it for 40 years because it was a gift.

 The wonders of spray paint! Notice the spindles are gone. The jewelry box looks younger already!

The extra added wonders of ASCP Duck Egg Blue and a bit of glaze.

Add some screen and WOW! Cute jewelry box. It looks like my big hutch had a baby.

Dramatic update. Just to refresh: BEFORE and AFTER:

I'm tempted to list it on etsy..... we'll see. Meanwhile, check out some of the painted pieces at Domestically Speaking's Power of Paint:

http://www.domestically-speaking.com/2011/09/90th-power-of-paint-party-tips.html

Passion and Denial

I'm not going to dwell, but my reality is I deal with cancer day in and day out. HOW I deal with it is what matters. I deal with it with a good attitude and what my doctor calls Functional Denial. What that means is I ignore being sick and just get on with my life. Which is painting furniture and ..... JUNKING!


Having a passion for something enriches anyone's life, but when going through life's less-fun moments, your passion and attitude is what will make or break you. So far I have defied all the doctors' expectations and have left them scratching their heads. My test results say I should be in chemo but the reality is I'm doing great and my doctors have chosen to not treat me until further notice. PASSION, people. And a healthy dose of functional denial. And a strong sense of just get on with it. And garage sales.


And now for the real post about passion:

My crazy passion and obsession - the Union Jack

I can't help it. I have Union Jack sweaters, t shirts, pillows, jewelry and even furniture. Which brings me to my Union Jack dresser. It's everything I love - olive green and the Union Jack, together on a vintage dresser. What else could a girl want?

I saw this dresser on the way to work one morning and skidded to a stop. A garage sale was being set up and my timing was right. I quickly checked the dresser out - dove tail drawers, Basset, cool hardware. MINE! I called my Honey and asked him to pick it up for me.

A few hours later my Honey calls and asks me if I knew the dresser was made of particle board. Say WHAT? That wasn't all. In short it is the crappiest dresser Basset ever made and no way could I ever paint and sell it.

So I painted it for ME. I used my favorite colors and stylized the Union Jack in the manner of Vivienne Westwood or AllSaints (meaning, yes I know the stripes are incorrect) and what I now have is a uniquely me piece of furniture.

I used acrylic paints over an oops-paint white. Then finished the bottom and sides with glaze. Finally the whole dresser was coated with clear wax.

Hail Britannia!

Linking to:

http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com 
http://verymerryvintagestyle.blogspot.com/ 
http://restoreinteriors.blogspot.com/