Rocking Chair Makeover
Have I mentioned before that I dislike painting chairs? I think I have, but if not I’ll tell you why… they take FOR-EV-ER! All those little spindles to paint, distress, wax and buff… very time consuming. I haven’t painted any chairs in a while but I have a TON coming up, 2 dining sets worth! Before I get to those chairs though I had a client of mine bring me this really nice Windsor style rocking chair to update for her baby’s room. So here we go…
BEFORE
Lucky for me she fell in love with and purchased the chest below which will coordinate with her vintage walnut bed that will be in the bedroom eventually.
She wanted the rocking chair to be finished the same as the drawers on the chest. So first I sprayed the chair with a white primer, not because I needed to but because we wanted a secondary color to show through when the chair was distressed. The top coat formula is a 50/50 mix of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Provence and Florence, such a pretty color!
This is what the color looks like after I distressed and oiled it with Watco Rejuvenating Oil.
Here is the same arm after an application of Briwax dark wax, it changes the color to a very pretty soft green-blue. You can clearly see the difference when compared to the seat.
WOW! I just think this rocking chair is a stunner now!
All these great lines accentuated with the distressing!
This chair has the look of a much used and loved antique now!
Even though this rocking chair is going in the baby’s room it would look great anywhere… even in my Sunroom 
Hopefully this chair will get to enjoy lots of rocking time with the baby!
Hope you enjoyed this makeover!
Sometimes You Just Never Know
Sometimes I never know how a piece will turn out until I start on it… ok, if I’m really being honest I frequently have no idea how it will turn out, but I love the process of finding out!
This was a beautiful chest of drawers, but it had drawer front veneer issues which didn’t allow me to just refinish the whole piece, I needed to paint it, trust me on this one…
BEFORE
It came with a mirror too!
Here it is a Lucketts! The top I sanded down and stained Dark Walnut. I also added a couple of coats of Watco Danish Oil in Dark Walnut to put moisture back into the surface. I finished it off with a coat of dark wax… it truly came out GORGEOUS!
See what I mean about the top? Look at that shine!
The cabinet I painted with a product I LOVE called Cabinet Coat, I painted my kitchen cabinets in it over 4 years ago and they’re still in great shape. My favorite paint store, Virginia Paint, carries it and tinted it for me in Stonington Gray. Yes, I know it may look white but it’s not… it’s just the lightest of gray… FYI the only “downside” to Cabinet Coat is that they can only tint it in light colors 
I just have to show you a close up of the knobs… they are by far my favorite! I soaked them overnight in a solution of ammonia and water (4:1), brushed them with a soft bristle brush and rinsed them off. I think they are pewter… I’m a sucker for great hardware I know!
A soon-to-be Mom bought this chest at Lucketts, but she didn’t want the mirror because she was going to be using it as a changing table / dresser. So now I have the mirror left over if anyone needs one, it’s painted the same Stonington Gray, let me know if you are interested!
Thanks as always for stopping by!
Linking up to these parties!
Between Naps on the Porch, The Dedicated House, A Stroll Thru Life, Elizabeth and Co., Savvy Southern Style, Domestically Speaking, From My Front Porch To Yours, French Country Cottage, My Romantic Home, Redoux Interiors, Miss Mustard Seed
A Quick Recap… the Lost Files
Ugh.. well it’s muggy and hot here in Virginia, which is so much fun when you are trying to paint outside! On a personal note my youngest daughter just graduated from 5th grade! As I was sitting in the audience I heard a lady tell her hubby how glad she was brought her tissues… I thought “what a sap”… I had no idea that I would get so emotional and have to work hard to hold back those tears! Seriously you just never know what is going to get to you I guess! Last day of school for her is today… YAY!
Well I think I might have mentioned that I had finished some pieces before Lucketts but I hadn’t had time to write a post on them yet… well here they are! I only had maybe one photo of each piece because I was rushing around like a mad woman and forgetting things too!
I had this set of French armchairs, I had already recovered 2 of them (you can check them out here)…
I cannot begin to tell you how much I LOVED these chairs! Very feminine and hip, the color looks fuchsia because it is a crappy cell phone pick, it was really more hot pink!!
And the FABULOUS coordinating back! I hope the young lady who bought these didn’t upset her fiancé too much 
This was an awesome buffet with a quartz top… super heavy… SO didn’t want to have to bring this home!
We painted it up in Dustin Gulf Green CeCe Caldwell paint. No picture of the inside but I painted the drawer fronts Old White and added label holders to them… they were very cute! The lady who bought this was jumping up and down with her mom when they spotted it, I’m guessing it was perfect for her?!
This used to be our buffet, I loved it for about 12 years and then I wanted needed something “new”…
This is the best picture I could find! I painted it in Pittsburg Gray CeCe Caldwell paint… yummy! The couple who bought it were so happy it would fit in their car so they could take it home! I’m glad it will find a new home to be loved in!
These are nice right? Well… cane was in excellent condition, they had nice lines and it was a pair…
I spray primed them white then sprayed them Rustoleum Heirloom White. Made new covers for the seats… BAM! instant update!
Great vintage washstand, crappy old shelf liner…
One coat of Old White, heavy distressing, top coated it with Watco Danish Oil in Dark Walnut and got this result… I will definitely try that process again! The lady who bought this had the CUTEST baby… I hope she will love this for many years to come!
Cute little bookcase, quick update with French Linen and Old White Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I just loved the details on this piece… I really wanted to keep it!
New construction table, painted with some Oops paint in grey, used Valspar black for the stencil. This was going to be used as a desk for some lucky kid! I think he must have a lot of homework 
Last but not least the birdcage chandelier… basically I bought a birdcage and chandelier at auction (separately), sprayed the brass chandelier black, the birdcage silver, drilled holes in the chandelier and added some bling… done! A cute couple bought it for their foyer, how fun is that!
Hope you enjoyed my random pieces!
Until next time!
Updating An Art Deco Buffet
This Art Deco style buffet is a doozy isn’t it? Would you have bought it… even if it was a “good” price… it looks quite beat-up?
BEFORE
Check out the damage that the top had suffered! I wasn’t sure if I could repair it or not…
But I tried & I was very happy that with some sanding, stain and oil it came out looking great!
I tried to pay homage to the time period, while also updating it. I thought that the Provence Annie Sloan chalk paint was the perfect blue for this piece! A light distressing and a coat of clear wax finishes up the painted sections.
After sanding the top I stained it Dark Walnut and then oiled it with Watco Danish Oil in dark walnut finishing up with a coat of wax for all of the stained parts.
Didn’t think the top would turn out this nicely did you?
I refinished and reused the original handles, which I really glad I did… they’re just perfect for this piece!
Whether you’re a fan of Art Deco or not I hope you like this little update! It’s amazing what a little know-how and some sandpaper will do to revive a piece that looks like it is on its last legs!
Thanks as always for stopping by!
Until next time!
100 Mile Yard Sale!
I know… what is this craziness?!! Have you heard of this HUGE yard sale getting ready to take place July 6th? I hadn’t either but now that I have I’m thinking I might just have to check it out!
Here are the details…
They were even kind enough to provide a map of the route…
I’m not sure if 100 miles of yard sales will be overwhelming for me or I will love it… What about you? Have you been to any yard sale events like this? If so any advice for me?
Thanks for stopping by, until next time!
Zebra Stripes, Butterflies, Secretaries, Oh My!
A new client of mine brought me this pretty vintage secretary to refinish for her. It was in very good shape, she just wanted to bring a pop of color to her room…
BEFORE
The front had a small amount of veneer loss and some puckering. I filled the missing veneer with wood filler and sanded down the puckered areas.
Here it is after a couple of coats of Provence Annie Sloan Chalk Paint… remember my client wanted a pop of color right!
She wanted very little distressing so I just focused on a few “key” areas, waxed and buffed the piece. I also sprayed the handles with Rustoleum chrome spray paint.
I just love claw feet don’t you?
Now for the “surprise” part… she wanted the inside painted Cream Annie Sloan Chalk Paint which paired beautifully with the Provence. I sprayed the area first with Rustoleum Heirloom White to help get the best coverage for the Cream. Painting inside of these little cubbies is pretty brutal!
Oh, did you notice the zebra stripes? I thought you might… I freehand painted those (pretty proud of myself too) leaving the original wood as the background stripe, they really are just cool!
My client had a special request to create a small butterfly inside of the secretary, the butterfly reminds her of her Grandmother who has since passed on. So I cut the butterfly out of some floral paper and used spray adhesive to attach it to the wood, I think it’s a very sweet touch…
This is the 3rd secretary I have painted in the last 6 months! They really are fabulous and great for storage as well! I wish I could find a narrow one for my foyer!
I hope you dig this project as much as I did! I was not too sure about the zebra stripes when she requested them, but obviously she knew what she was talking about as I just think they’re perfect!
And now totally off the subject… recently I have been noticing that when I am painting I’m standing with my left hand on my hip… like I’m getting ready to start clogging or something… what’s up with that?! I think sometimes I’m loosing it 
As always thanks for stopping by…
Until next time!
Linking up to these parties!
The Dedicated House, Between Naps on the Porch, A Stroll Thru Life, Between Naps on the Porch, Elizabeth and Co., Savvy Southern Style, Domestically Speaking, From My Front Porch to Yours, French Country Cottage, My Romantic Home, Redoux Interiors, Rain on a Tin Roof
The Evolving Chest of Drawers
I’m pretty sure I have mentioned before how much I hate repainting pieces I have already painted… well I did it again (clearly I’m not very bright)! This time it was partly my “fault” and partly Mother Nature’s fault.
You may remember I started off with this…
Did a quick update to this…
Took it to Lucketts Spring Market and the super hot direct sunlight heated up the original paint and it bubbled like it was cooking… WHAT?!!!
So of course I had to fix it and since I never seem to be able to sell pink I decided to change it up entirely…
This is the beauty that it is now…
I striped the top with my heat gun and sanded it down starting with 100 grit paper working my way to the final sand with 220. This process took about 45 minutes, I know there are a few of you who may like to use strippers… try a heat gun it works like a charm! For the staining process I first applied a coat of dark walnut stain and let it sit for about 15 minutes. After I wiped the stain off I coated the chest with Watco Dark Walnut Oil, I use this to replace the lost oils in the wood keeping it moisturized, I did two coats following the directions on the can. I finished it up with a coat of Briwax Dark Wax.
The top has some small pits in it with leftover paint, but it still looks great!
For the drawer fronts I first removed the wax coating with 00 steel wool and Mineral Spirits, wiping it off with paper towels after I scrubbed it. I let everything dry and then applied two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, this shade is a custom 50/50 mix of Provence & Florence. After the paint dried I applied a coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax and then immediately applied a coat of Briwax Dark Wax.
I think the chest looks so great! I am actively trying to find a piece in the house to replace with this one I love it so much!
Even though I hate redoing pieces, I am thrilled that this one turned out the way that it did! I guess I won’t be painting anymore pink for a while… but I certainly will be using this color again!
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time…
Linking up to these parties!
Between Naps on the Porch, The Dedicated House, A Stroll Thru Life, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Elizabeth & Co., Savvy Southern Style, Domestically Speaking. From My Front Porch To Yours, French Country Cottage, My Romantic Home, Redoux Interiors
The Growing Room
I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! I haven’t done much since I came back from Lucketts, but I did manage to finally take some pictures and write this post…
Ok, so maybe the room isn’t really growing but that is the term we use when we say we want the room to “grow” with her? So this is the “Growing Room”. When we first built this house all of the walls were the standard “Builders White”, which was wonderfully refreshing for a couple of months and then I couldn’t handle it anymore… in with the color!
This was our youngest daughters bedroom, she and our eldest daughter shared a Jack and Jill bathroom… which means they each have a separate vanity area off of their rooms but share a connecting bath and toilet off the vanity area… it’s a lot of doors but a great setup!
This is what it looked like just after we moved in, so sad!
This is what we updated it to… she was 6 and loved pink what can I say! The harlequin pattern on the walls was meticulously taped off by my Super Awesome Hubby (now you see why I call him that?) We all loved this bedroom for about 3 1/2 years then it was time to “grow”…
Our eldest daughter now has her own (shared) apartment at Radford University, with her being gone most of the year we felt that it didn’t make sense to hold her room for her… she had the biggest bedroom of course! So we switched the oldest and the youngest around and now our eldest is in the “pink” bedroom shown above… don’t you worry we are going to fix it up super nice for her!
After we sanded down the Razzle Dazzle stripes… yes, I said sand… I could feel the transition from the wall color to the stripe so I knew that it would show through the new paint color… what a pain in the arse!
After sanding all of the stripes we painted the room the same Farrow & Ball Pavilion Gray that we painted Brie’s room. I’m totally smitten with the color and am very tempted to paint just about every room in the house this color, but I’m not… well maybe just the foyer too, but don’t tell my Hubby I’m thinking this… it’s a 2 story foyer and requires some serious maneuvering to paint it…
My fabulous Aunt and I made the HUGE headboard below from a picture frame I found at Class & Trash, it barely fit into my Yukon! It needs a little something else on it (no not tufting) but I haven’t quite decided what yet, it’s on the list… so is the Before & After tutorial.
The very tall mirror in the corner I found at TJ Max, it was perfect just the way it was and I think a good deal at $99!
The artwork in the room was created by Sierra sometime in elementary school. The school framed it and had it displayed at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens for quite a while. I thought she would enjoy having it back in her room.
The tiled area is her vanity part of the shared bathroom, the walls are painted the same color as the bedroom as it coordinates perfectly with the vintage black and white mosaic tile floor.
I love this little chest that I refinished, it really is a tad too small for all of her clothes but it’s perfect for when guests come to visit. I replaced the pulls with ones I bought from an Etsy dealer in France, they are vintage and fabulous and only cost me $36 for all of them with shipping! Have you ever thought to look on Etsy for knobs? Try it, you might be surprised at the great options available!
Of course the lights are the ones we made from Target metal orbs, we all love them! I bought the Queen sized bedding set from Joss & Main for under $100, it is very soft and feminine.
The pendant light we bought at West Elm a long time ago (they still carry it), it’s Capiz and very pretty, but doesn’t do much for the lighting in the room. I put her shoes and purses in a vintage bookcase that was rescued from an old courthouse, she is not thrilled with that but it really is great storage.
Lastly I added a plant in a vintage enameled washstand, I did seal the rust on the feet with poly so it didn’t damage the floor.
So Sierra’s room is all done, it feels very spa like and relaxing. I still have a couple of things to finish in Brie’s room and then I can share that with you too… well after I have her clean it up that is!
As always thanks for stopping by…
Until next time!
Linking up to these parties!
Domestically Speaking
The Day After the Lucketts Spring Market
I am POOPED! I have NO idea how the vendors who do this kind of show all the time do it! It is a TON of work and I have such respect for all of the work that goes into making a space look great… having said that though even my fingers hurt as I type this… it’s time to get back to the gym I think… but first some R&R!
I’ll share with you some pictures of my setup… I brought WAY to much stuff, which would have been ok except for the rain…
There’s my Supper Awesome Hubby (SAH) on the left helping “stage”!
Below is my eldest, Sierra, who is almost 20… I know she doesn’t looked thrilled but she volunteered to help again this year… I think the “pain” of the show is a little like childbirth… you forget the pain and only remember the good stuff 
and yes she walked around barefoot for quite some time, you know the old saying… you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl!!!
It rained late afternoon on Saturday and we scrambled to get everything covered then uncovered then covered for close… but Sunday was a big surprise, no rain and a great crowd of shoppers. While I didn’t sell everything I sold a lot of pieces I REALLY didn’t want to have to bring home and I sold more than last year and last year’s show had perfect weather!
I’m so sorry I didn’t bring my camera in on Sunday, the forecast was calling for scattered thunderstorms and I didn’t want to take the chance, so I can’t show you other booths, but let me tell you there was lots to ooh and ah about! If you didn’t make it this year (you know who you are), please do what you can to make it next year!
I did get lucky and found time to chat with some blogging friends, Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co., Martha @ Martha Leone Design, Deb @ Confessions of a Craigslist Junkie, Christen @ Blue Egg Brown Nest, Marian @ Miss Mustard Seed, Natalie @ Monday Morning Press but I know I missed so many more… well there’s always next year…
I’m going to grab a glass of wine and relax on the sofa and peruse the HUGE Restoration Hardware look book I just got… now if my SAH will massage my feet I will be pretty darn happy!
Good night…
The Road to Lucketts Spring Market 2013
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and Mother’s Day! We enjoyed a wonderful, relaxing sunny afternoon lunch at my mother’s house on the river, I couldn’t have asked for a better break!
Getting back to work though… it seems like the road to Lucketts Spring Market is a long one… I start preparing for the show a couple of month’s in advance and my house is crazy packed with furniture for that timeframe… no visitors for me please 
I feel totally embarrassed for my kids when they have friends over… Oh, they do explain it, but it’s still feels a little like they should report me to Hoarders Anonymous! Can you imagine having to explain this?
or this?
or even this?
I’m starting to feel a little claustrophobic!
I want to give a great big shout out to my Hubby who has helped me so much this year by working with me to get pieces finished and also for putting up with our house looking C-R-A-Z-Y! I’m so happy that both he and my oldest daughter Sierra will be helping me at the show too! We are all very excited as we had such a great time last year… yes, it’s hard work but the time flies by so fast and the excitement of it all is fabulous!
I have not had anywhere near enough time to show you all of the goodies we have prepared for the show, but if you happen to been in my neighborhood Thursday morning we will have everything staged in the driveway!
DON’T forget the show is this weekend May 18th & 19th from 10AM to 5PM!!
Just a reminder we will be in the Field of Gold again this year… come by and say “Hi” if you get a chance! I’ll be posting pictures throughout the day on my Instagram & Twitter account so if you are interested in seeing them the links to my accounts are below!
Links to accounts: Twitter & Instagram
Thanks to everyone for their support, encouragement and kindness, without which I couldn’t do all of this!!
Until after the show!
