In the Beginning

In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth.

In the beginning, I created nothing. I copied.

I consider myself to be a slightly crafty, slightly handy, slightly buildy (probably not a word) girl. I am a bad cook, a good mom and a copycat.

On April 1, 2011, I discovered blogs. Miss Mustard Seed to be exact. Hook. Line. Sinker. And just like that, I was in love with furniture painting!

On approximately April 2nd, my husband and I had a "discussion" about our household budget. Ever had one of those? Not pleasant, but necessary from time to time. Unfortunately, on April 1, I had already found some furniture on Craigslist that needed me to attempt not to destroy it. A Drexel dresser, mirror and chest for $150! Curvy, yummy.

I remembered Miss MS saying that she had investors, and asked my husband if I had a investor, would he mind if I started painting furniture. I think he might have laughed at me, but he said fine. My "investor" lives down the hall, he's 13, miserly, and a 20% return sounded good to him! Woo hoo! I was in business!

Inspired by (doesn't that sound better than saying "I copied"?)  this dresser from Miss Mustard Seed, I started painting using ASCP. I learned a lot painting this dresser. Like, why using a belt sander to strip the top of a veneer piece is a very bad idea.

 *Professional tip 101. An ice scraper is not the same as a putty knife.

Live and learn. It turned out ok. Not amazing, but alright.

I learned from this. And grew a little. And copied some more.

And then... I started playing a little more and listening to myself and learning what my own style of painting and decorating is. I am still figuring that out and... Loving. Every. Minute.

Linking to these parties:

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays

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Is your Mom a Stripper?

I overhear the greatest things when I work in my garage!

Through a half open garage door, my boys forget that I still have ears.

I had been on the phone with a friend talking about different brands of strippers, and their benefits. When  I overheard this conversation between my youngest and the very knowledgeable boy down the street.

"Dude! Is your Mom a stripper?" My still sweet boy's response? "You mean, like on tables and stuff? Ya, I guess so." (I sooo love that he doesn't get it yet). I had to break in! I was afraid of where this was all headed! So I invited the two of them into the garage to "watch me strip". Whew! Crisis averted, they were pretty quickly bored and left to ride scooters.

The top was stripped with Citristrip (which I love) and stained with General Finishes Gel Stain in Java and finished with 3 coats of poly.

The body was painted with two ASCP colors. Old Ochre as the base and Old White as the top color. I love to layer colors, when distressed there is such depth and texture. This one is pretty distressed. It makes me happy!

I took this to my brand spankin new booth at As Time Goes By in Greenwood, MO. I am pretty excited about this new space, and a little nervous too. Getting things together for my space has taken the better part of  the week, but I have finished 5 new pieces of furniture and lots of other goodies.

Now I need a nap.

Joining these fabulous parties~

Restored it Wednesday

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays

Primitive and Proper Piece of Work Wednesdays Pin It

Nate Berkus is My Sugar Daddy

Let me preface this by saying, I used to think Nate Berkus was my boyfriend. I was wrong. Nate Berkus is my Sugar Daddy.

In July, on a day that was hotter than the Hot Place none of us wants to end up in, my friend Kim and I went to an estate auction. Outside. In Kansas. It was approximately 425 degrees outside and miserable.

But the furniture was so cheeeeep that I thought that it may be worth the possibility of my children being raised by a single father if I didn't make it out alive. It's ok, he's a good Dad.

While I was waiting for the auctioneer to auction off the mile long table of glass and other things I unfortunately know nothing about, I met Mildred, she was 74 and sweet. We sat on a broken couch and talked about nothing and Nate Berkus. In Nate, we had common ground and a mutual love. She loves his fashion and bargain hunting tips and I love his furniture makeovers.

I also love that he provides for me. I can't tell you how many jobs I have done that have begun with the words "On the Nate Berkus Show...." I just kind of love him.

I told Mildred that Nate was my boyfriend, that he comes over 5 times a week for an hour. She kindly explained to me that he was not my boyfriend, he was my Sugar Daddy. If he was my boyfriend, I could see him anytime and call him whenever I wished.  A Sugar Daddy comes over much less often and provides for you financially.

 Being a nice Christian girl, a Pastor's Daughter no less, I have never had a Sugar Daddy before. I think I like it. Thanks Mildred.

It was at this relationship defining auction that I bought this table for $5.00. Five Dollars! See why I stayed? The coolest thing about this table is that the center section SPINS!

The least cool thing about this table is that it weighs at least a million pounds. It took 4 of us to load it into the back of my van. I think I might take it apart, there may be gold bricks inside.

My husband decided that we should keep this one, it spins, it is dude furniture. Since I knew it was staying, I decided to play a little more than I might if I was selling it. The look I was going for was Grungy French "Found-in-an-old-French-barn-after-a-fire".

The best choice I have ever made, (aka My Husband), chose the Annie Sloan colors Olive and Arles. I have had an unopened can of Arles sitting on my shelf for a few months waiting for the right piece, today was the big day. I opened it and it looked like, well, it looked like snot.

Something was seriously wrong with this paint, I shook it up and even stirred it with a shim (my favorite stirring stick) and it was still watery. In a flash of brilliance, I thought maybe I could speed up the thickening process by microwaving it, in a microwave safe bowl of course! Not really brilliant after all. It was just hot and drippy.

I wiped it off and started again with ASCP Cream. A little tame, but it could work.

Because it was a little lighter than I was going for, I dry brushed a little of the watery Arles over it and squirted it with a water bottle and rubbed and blotted it until it was aged looking and darker.

Most of the time, I hand sand because it is a finer finish to me, but for this one, I busted out my palm sander with a 220 grit sanding pad. When I am working with an electric sander, it definitely takes more of the paint off, exposing the wood underneath.

Because I don't always follow Annie Sloan's rules and use wax, I used a water based urethane to finish it and then glazed it with Valspar's Asphaultum glaze and re-coated with urethane twice because I know where this piece will live. It will thank me later!

 So here she is in all of her "Found-in-an-old-French-barn-after-a-fire" glory. A little crazy looking, but she fits in here.

And here are the socks my son stashed on the other side. Just keepin it real.

And thank you Nate Berkus, for being my Sugar Daddy and not my boyfriend. I think this could work.


I am linking to these parties:

Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

Primitive and Proper

Perfectly Imperfect

Nifty Thrifty Thursdays

Restored it Wednesday

Beneath My Heart

Funky Junk Interiors SNS

Between naps on the porch

Friday Redoux

Wow Us Wednesdays Pin It

Frenchy Hutch

Dear Sweet Frenchy Hutch,

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Well, I just do. I do love her!

This hutch was the second piece of furniture I bought with the intention of painting and reselling. It was $75.00. Six months ago. Since then I have been unable to bring myself to paint her. She just sat in my garage patiently waiting her turn. Tucked away, behind several other pieces and broken bikes. A LOT of broken bikes.

The problem? I loved and wanted to keep her. The bigger problem? I didn't need another hutch and really, it didn't work with the table and chairs I had, and the table was a definite keeper. I built it myself when my husband said we needed to "teach these boys manners". He went out of town and I built "The Manners Table". I love The Manners Table. It doesn't work (for bestowing manners anyway), but I love it. Here is the table with the old hutch and chairs.

Besides, the hutch I had was fine. I had just redone it when I built The Manners Table, for crying out loud! But, this one? We had a connection! So, I did nothing. For six months. Until, on my birthday, like a sign from Heaven (que the angels), these chairs popped up on Craigslist. Here was the bridge between my table and the new hutch! They had a sweet little carved basket design, just like my hutch!! Happy Birthday to meeee!

Once I finished up some custom work, it was finally my turn. And wouldn't you know it? I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted to do with it. I knew I wanted two colors and something different on the back. I bought some wallpaper thinking that I could pull colors from that. Not so much. Finally, I settled on Chalk Paint in Old White and Coco. Coco seemed just frenchy enough, and I love, love and want to marry Old White.

The first thing I did was pop the back off of the hutch part. Did you know you could do that? Just tap it out with a rubber mallet. It makes painting the inside so much easier, plus, I knew I was doing something to the back, I just didn't know what that was yet.

I decided on Old White for the body and Coco for the moving parts and the top trim. Once it was painted, I did some pretty heavy sanding and distressing. I have always been a fan of seriously distressed. We buy scratch and dent furniture. Things in my house end up distressed one way or another. I would rather do that intentionally and not freak out when someone bumps into it with a skateboard or lands on it while going for a "record breaking catch". We definitely "live" in our house.

After the painting, distressing and waxing was done, I was still a little stuck for what to do on the back. All of the wallpaper I had was too fussy. I thought about stenciling it. Nah, still not right. I tried a few fabrics from my stash when I remembered this one. I am not even sure what I bought it for in the first place, but I was feeling the love! I took it outside and sprayed the back with adhesive spray and smoothed it into place. Easy Peasy! I didn't remove the staples when I pulled the back off so I just lined them up with their original holes and tapped them back into place. Done and done.

I have decided that my style is "Grungy French". A little girly with plenty of boy mixed in.

The rest of the room is definitely in progress, but not close to done. I'd show you, but what a mess!



I will be partying here this week;


Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday

Three Boys Chalk Paint Party

Primitive and Proper

Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

 Alchemy Fine Living ~ From Trash to Treasure

Friday Redoux

Kammy's Korner Trash 2 Treasure Tuesdays

Savvy Southern Style  Pin It