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!
Cute Side Table Set
I hope you all had a great weekend! Hubby and I took our youngest and her friend to Arts in the Park, which is a wonderful outdoor festival at Dogwood Dell here in Richmond, Va. They have hundreds of vendors selling original art pieces of all kinds… paintings, photography, pottery, jewelry etc. It was so inspiring to see all of that creativity in one space and it is one of my favorite festivals of the year!
But getting back to work… Ok, these table’s aren’t vintage, but I really liked their shape and the glass fronts. They are the perfect petite size for using just about anywhere!
BEFORE
I painted them a reddish coral color by mixing two Annie Sloan Chalk Paints… 1 part Emperor’s Silk to 3 parts Barcelona Orange.
I very lightly distressed them and sealed them with Annie Sloan clear wax. I removed the knobs and sprayed them with Krylon’s Gold spray.
I contemplated painting the inside, but in the end just left it as is… which of course you cannot see because of the reflection of our patio in the glass 
Don’t these little cuties have a great shape to them? They are such a fabulous color now too!
As always thanks so much for stopping by!
I’m Doing the Happy Dance
Why? Umm… well because I made two of these AWESOME pendant lights that’s why!!!
They are now hanging proudly in my oldest daughter’s room… she’s at college most of the year so I’m basically doing what I like with the room… however I do think she will love them too!
Want to know how I made them? Well it was pretty easy, the hardest part was figuring out what pieces I needed then finding them or coming up with an alternate solution for things I couldn’t find…
I started out with two of these AWESOME galvanized globes from Target’s new Threshold Collection
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a light bulb socket & lamp wire
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plug end
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braided jute
I carefully drilled a center hole in the galvanized globe then threaded the electrical wire through the hole. I then attached the light socket and plug to the wire… pretty straight forward one you take the pieces apart.
I also threaded the jute through the hole and tied a double knot in it to keep it from being pulled through.
I used my hot glue gun to run a small bead of glue along one side of the wire and then I wrapped the jute around… I will not lie this took some time and a little patience.
Hubby helped me drill holes for the hanger…
We use plant iron plant hangers to hold the pendants.
As I was wrapping and gluing the jute to the wire I tied a loop in the jute at the height I wanted the pendant to hang and then kept on wrapping. I wrapped about a foot and a half, the rest of the wire is hidden behind her headboard,
I have them hanging on either side of her headboard and they are plugged into the socket that the switch will turn on… also we used the vintage looking Edison bulbs in the pendants which give them a great industrial look!
I’m almost finished with her room… I’ll show you how they look with the finished product! I couldn’t wait to show you this project though… I foresee more pendant making in my future! I’m sooo excited!!!
Until next time!
Linking to these parties…
Remodelaholic, Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, The Dedicated House
Cheery Yellow Rattan Chairs
Oh yay, it’s the first of May! To help celebrate Spring I thought I’d share with you these chairs I just finished… When I first saw these balloon back rattan chairs I knew I wanted to try to update them, give them some perkiness or something!
BEFORE
First I spray primed them, then I sprayed them with Rustoleum’s Summer Squash in a Satin finish. It took almost 4 cans to spray these suckers! Here they are after a little spray paint love…
I love this fabric! I bought the fabric first and then found just the right yellow paint to coordinate with it!
I bought new foam and made the box cushion covers, with zippers too! It took me FOR-EV-ER to make these covers, but I got it done and I love them!
Even though I have these staged outdoors they are not outdoor chairs. They are VERY comfortable and I absolutely loved them setting in my blue and white sunroom… my Hubby doesn’t care for them though 
I’m guessing he doesn’t like yellow…
Hope you dig them as much as I do!
Thanks for stopping by!
Linking up to these parties:
The Masculine Coffee Table
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I didn’t work very much, but enjoyed the nice weather instead… it was pretty awesome! I did want to share with you this coffee table I just finished on Friday, it is in perfect structural shape, but it needed a little TLC. I “won” it at auction and almost got it for free! After I got it home I found a plastic bag of British coins in one of the drawers! I gave them to my youngest girls as they seem to have a love for everything British… so they were thrilled!
Here is the sad coffee table before…
The brass cross bars have rust (or something) on them…
WOW! Check it out now! I think it has a lot more years left to give!
I primed and painted the base black using Valspar satin paint. I chose not to remove or replace the leather top, while it is not in perfect condition it is in good condition and I just love the way it looks on this table.
I sanded down the burled wood edging and stained it with Watco Dark Walnut stain… It was just to pretty to paint don’t you agree? I sealed it with Annie Sloan clear wax after the stain had dried.
After cleaning and priming the cross braces and wheel caps I sprayed them with Krylon gold paint… FABULOUS!
I also sanded, stained and waxed the drawer fronts to match the top of the table. I replaced the Victorian looking pulls with these Lion’s Head pulls… which I think really helps the overall look of the table!
I hope someone else likes the table too… It’s heading up the road with me to Lucketts!
As always thanks for stopping by… until next time!
Linking up to these parties!
Between Naps on the Porch, The Dedicated House, Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, One More Time To Celebrate, Elizabeth & Co., Savvy Southern Style, Domestically Speaking, From My Front Porch to Yours, Miss Mustard Seed, Bargain Hoot Living
Making a Hypertufta Trough to Divert Rainwater
This is a post I have been wanting to write for some time, but I just kept forgetting! Hope it helps just one person 
Here’s the scoop… four years ago I spent HOURS UPON HOURS looking for an “acceptable” solution to diverting rainwater from the house. When our house was built they installed those black plastic ribbed hoses on the downspout’s in order to divert the water away from the foundation. These 4” black hoses snaked through our front boarders, sunning themselves on top of the mulch! So some of you may be thinking “so what?” and I hear you, but for me I hated looking at those things… they drove me CRAZY (which may have been a short trip)! Like I said, I looked for several month’s for a solution, I thought that there was no way I was the only one that was bothered by this… well apparently I was (which I did’t understand)… I guess I’ll just have to make something work!
During one of my numerous searches I ran across a tutorial for Hypertufta troughs, as I was searching “troughs” at this point, now the trough that they were referring to was for plants, but same concept right? Well the Hubby and I made two of them and I am happy to say that over 4 years later they still work perfectly!
Here is one…
We had an azalea on the right originally, but it bit the dust last year which is why the newly planted Heather is so small. The picture below is of the Sweet Woodruff we have planted in the back, it can get about 3′” tall and does spread, but slowly… it has very pretty petite white flowers on it in the spring. I’m going to plant some along the sides of the trough which will help disguise it as well.
Won’t the Sweet Woodruff look pretty in this space?
There are quite a few recipes and tutorials out there to make the planter versions of what we made… same concept you just need a mold. So if you are interested this is how we did ours.
Hypertufta recipe:
1 part vermiculite
1 part sphagnum peat moss
1 part Portland cement
1 part water (roughly)
1 Sheet of plastic or plastic bag to cover the trough
Bricks or something to weigh down the plastic
Our process…
We scoped out the mulch and dirt in a 8-10” wide 3-4” deep trough making sure to slope the trough away from the house… very important! We ensured that all of the remaining dirt was compacted tightly, using our hands and then we started to make the Hypertufta mix. You will need to work rather quickly with the mix, it dries fast…
Combine the dry materials in a large container (we used our wheelbarrow) and mix thoroughly. Add the water in small increments and mix until the material is the consistency of thick oatmeal.
Use rubber gloves and a shovel to press the mixture into the trough, again ensuring that the trough slopes away from the house. Take the plastic sheeting or bag and place it over the trough, weighting it down, this will allow the trough to dry slowly which will result in a stronger finished product.
Wait at least 24 hours before you remove the plastic. You should now have a ready to use trough!
We did experience some mild chipping of the edges, but that was because we installed the mixture too thin there. Additionally, we added black concrete colorant to our mix, that HAS faded over the years, so it is up to you if you want to add color. You could also press rocks, marbles etc. along the edges to jazz it up a bit, but we just wanted ours to be camouflaged 
The trough near the front door is far less noticeable as the plants have matured around it…
Yes, some mulch gets in the troughs, but I just blow them out with the blower when I blow off the sidewalks… no big deal.
Making these troughs really was SUPER easy, and took very little time once we gathered all of the ingredients together… maybe an hour max… I know I totally could have cleaned the troughs out to give you better pictures, but I’m just keepin’ it real ya’ll!
OK, now I have to go back to work on furniture…
Until next time!
Making a Table
You may be wondering what I was thinking when bought this table… well it had 2 things going for it…
1-it had great legs
2-it was cheap
I’m not really the kind of DIY’er that buys junky furniture in order to create something new… I WISH I had that skill set, but alas I do not and I truly envy people who do… So this makeover will not be a big “WOW! What a change” but it may spark an idea for you… think about it, I got a great table base for less than half the cost of a 1 new table leg!
The top of the table is Formica and looked out of place on the base, I knew I wanted something else…
BEFORE
Oh so much better after!
My Super Awesome Hubby attached three pine planks together with the biscuit joiner and then routered the edges of the top. I spray primed the legs and then painted them with some leftover custom mix Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I sanded down the top (220 grit paper) and stained it with dark walnut stain.
I just think the square pine plank top looks so much better than the round top on this table. I waxed the top with Annie Sloan Dark Wax, then clear wax, buffed and shined it up!
I lightly distressed the base and sealed the paint with a coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax.
I’m taking this table to Lucketts… I think it will look so cute with my owl print chairs! This table would make a great game table or it’s just the perfect size for a small kitchen.
Thanks as always for stopping by!
Linking to these parties!
The Dedicated House, Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, Elizabeth & Co., Savvy Southern Style, From My Front Porch to Yours, Domestically Speaking,
A Buffet Makeover
Well this admission is slightly embarrassing… but I’ve had this buffet chillin’ out in my garage for almost a year! I bought it last year at the Lucketts Spring Market and I was SOOO excited to get it! This buffet was just what I was looking for to replace my current dining room buffet. As with most pieces that are for “me” it sat for quite a while, all forlorn and sad, until I got around to stripping the top… then it sat for another 8 months or so until I picked up where I left off! One of the reasons it sat dejected for so long is that I had found a buffet that looks VERY similar to this one. The “new” buffet has a cabinet in the center instead of drawers, which worked out much better for my storage needs. SO this beauty just sat around patiently until I started back on it last week… you know I was going to take it back to Lucketts!
This buffet is HEAVY, very HEAVY, in great shape, vintage and all that yumminess…
BEFORE
Here is my paint removal setup…
I was removing the paint off the top in hopes that the wood underneath was in good shape! I “love” my heat gun and prefer to remove paint with it instead of chemicals, but it was a slow process… heat up paint, scrape it off, deposit paint scrap into cardboard box… REPEAT a hundred times… but I was determined!
I removed about 90% of the paint and the rest I removed with my orbital sander. Starting with 150 grit and finishing with 220 grit.
TA DA! Thank goodness the top was in FABULOUS shape! I would have really freaked out been ticked if I had gone through all of that trouble only to discover it was not!
Rather than repaint the buffet I decided to distress the paint that was there. I really liked the color, sort of an Old Ochre with a touch of green, and it distressed wonderfully. I did decide to paint the side display shelves and for that I chose Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Florence. I thought it would add a great pop of color to the piece!
I stained the top in Dark Walnut, conditioned it with Watco Oil and finished it off with a layer of Annie Sloan Clear Wax. It was just stunning!
I left the original pulls, but I cleaned them up really good.
I also waxed the cabinet part of the buffet to bring back the shine that the sanding removed, the final finish is smooth feeling but distressed looking!
I had every intention of loading this bad boy onto a truck and taking it to the Lucketts Market this year, but as fate would have it I sold it 2 days after I finished it. I was meeting a new client for a consultation and when she saw the buffet she just loved it! I was sad to see it go, but oh so happy that it went to a great home… and just a LOT little happy that I never had to lift it again!
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time…
The Making Of A Bench Or Two
If you happen to have read my post a couple of weeks ago you’ll know my Hubby and I were making benches, well really it was just him but I cheered him on! A few weeks ago I had purchased an antique 3/4 walnut bed and decided to convert the bed into two benches. We were able to make two benches instead of one because we used the original wood side rails as the sides of the bench instead of the footboard, it worked like a charm!
Bench in process…
Here Hubby has setup the boards to determine spacing and length.
After the benches were all put together and painted this is what they look like now!
I painted them with some fabulous Valspar paint & primer in one, this stuff had great coverage. I don’t know the color because it was an “oops” paint, but I’m calling it Coastal Blue!
I painted the accent pieces in Nantucket Spray by CeCe Caldwell, it’s a super light blue/green color and a great accent color for the blue.
Here is the footboard bench…
We didn’t want to go through the trouble of either moving around the wood onlay or changing the setup of the base, so the back is the more decorative of the two sides, which would work great if it is not used up against a wall.
This wasn’t too difficult of a project, we just had to spend some time thinking about how we wanted it all to come together. Also, we made them nice and deep so they would work perfectly with pillows on the back, which of course I seemed to have NONE that I could use to stage these shots!
As always thanks so much for stopping by!
Until next time!
Linking up to these parties!
TwelveOEight, French Country Cottage, My Romantic Home, Redoux Interiors, Miss Mustard Seed
Pretty Red Oak Chest Update
I actually thought this chest was in good shape when I got it… it looks pretty good doesn’t it? Nice shape, curved drawers, oak, well-built… So what if the top drawers are missing veneer… it’s all good I promise!
BEFORE
This is a view from the front of the dresser (drawers have been removed)… there is part of the back and the bottom missing, not a big deal, just need to get the wood and the jigsaw!
While I was getting wood for the back and bottom I also picked up some wood to replace one of the drawer bottoms as well…
Next came the REALLY hard part… what color to paint it? Well I went with Annie Sloan Emperor’s Silk… a very pretty true red which I happen to love on oak… not sure why I just do!
Here it is after 2 coats, nothing much to look at now is it?
SHAZAM!!!
Add a little CeCe Caldwell’s clear wax and some elbow grease and you get this stunner!
Look at those drawers now!
Lovely curves too!
Here’s it’s impression of Angelina Jolie… can you see it? 
Not to mention the drop dead gorgeous original pulls, just cleaned them with ammonia!
This little lucky chest did have a lot of repairs, but nothing too difficult , I think it was well worth the final results!
I hope you like the chest… of course think I it’s a stunner now! Wouldn’t it be a great piece for the foyer or maybe an eat in kitchen?
Luckily I had a TON of help from my awesome hubby this weekend, not to mention my aunt came over and “apprenticed” with me a day so I’m REALLY getting a lot done for the Lucketts Market! I’m putting off my sewing pieces I need to get done as I really prefer to do something else, but eventually I need to get on it! However, this weekend was so lovely here in RVA and I did take some time to soak up the sun… which for me means a little burn and a few more freckles 
oh well at least I got a healthy dose of Vitamin D!
Until next time!
Linking up to these parties!
Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, The Dedicated House, Savvy Southern Style, Elizabeth & Co., Rain on A Tin Roof
