What I've been up to

So I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. I have been going in a few different directions but having fun all the same!

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

Love Romeo and Juliet.

Ok, not so much the theatrics of double suicide, but William Shakespeare had a way with words.... 

Anyways, I tend to disagree with Juliet. I think somethings need names. Somethings just ARE a Steve or William or Henry. Hard to say Shakespeare's sonnets would have been taken as serious had the man gone by "Bill Shakespeare", but I diverge.

I personally enjoy thinking up creative names for things that once were discarded or left to sit unloved and often ugly. I mean who can stare at anything and not see it take on its own persona? So after working on Carla this morning with my three year old apprentice, I realized she isn't a Carla, I'm not sure what she is, she is definitely more a Joan than Carla, but I'm leaving her name be, and focusing on her gorgeous dovetailed drawers that are getting stained Dark Walnut by Minwax. So now I ask.....

 Who wants to name furniture with me?!

Trial and error and trial again

So I have this love of all things rusty and chippy and antique and it's all gorgeous in my eyes. But I am learning as I continue to paint, "Not all things are created equal". 

Not all pieces are solid wood with gorgeous dovetail details on the drawers. Not all pieces have gorgeous turned legs or will be from the Queen Ann or Baroque era. Some as I know are much later dated pieces and thus exhibit a much different style. These modern century pieces are like the younger siblings, who may not be the first born, but still in their own right garner just as much attention. 

But back to case in point. I have been working on a Cavalier Stow Away chest/desk. And by working I mean I have stripped the teal paint job (where I then discovered a coat of polyurethane). I have sanded it with 80 grit followed by 220 grit (which unknowingly closed the pores of the wood). I have stained it (my go to Minwax Dark Walnut). And as of recent, I have painted it Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint in Linen.

Which brings me back to my original post title which is trial and error. This piece... This 1940's Stowaway chest with her (she's a she. I named her Carla) sharp straight lines, and brass square drawer pulls is not a chippy, milk paint kinda girl. She is meant to shine new, shine bold. She is an attention grabber who is meant to have a great smooth coat of paint that does not show her age, but rather allows her to shine. 

So as I write this post, I am sitting in my garage waiting for the stripper to set so I can peel her back down to wood and start over again. With Benjamin Moores Advance paint in a high gloss white. Wish us girls luck. We will endeavor on. Eventually she will be gorgeous again

Chalkboard menu board for under $10

It's no secret that I adore all things farm and farm animal related. Everyone is pretty aware of my pig obsession. So when the family and I were browsing the local thrift store a few weeks back, you can image the look on my face when I came across this guy. 

After I finished squealing with delight, I took it up to the register as fast as I could and bought him for a whopping $4.50

I continued to profess my love of "PIG" the entire drive home as my loving husband and kids rolled their eyes and let me. (Sweet family).

While I tried to set aside time to transform PIG, sadly he sat in his poor state of mint chipped latex paint. I knew from the moment I saw him he was destined to be my dinner menu pig. I had grand visions of him wearing a beautiful chalkboard paint coat. Chalkboard paint whould allow me to change my menu, thus avoiding any "what's for dinner" nagging.

A few weeks went by, but I finally found the time to transform PIG (sadly in my excitement I forgot to take progress shots.. Boo :-/ ). I ended up sanding down the latex around the edges with 80 grit sandpaper as the last owners of PIG who painted him mint let the paint pool and form drips around his edges. Once the drips were smoothed out (it wasn't necessary to strip the paint completely off)I re-sanded PIG with 220 grit sandpaper and wiped him down with a damp lint free cloth. This is where the project became super easy. I had picked up a can of Rustoleum's chalkboard spray paint a few weeks back and decided to use it on PIG.  

(I'm not compensated by Rustoleum nor am I affiliated with them, I simply love this product and these are my opinions).

Anywho... Here is pig now in all his glory. 

 After I chalkboard spray painted him, I waited the allotted amount of drying time and then seasoned the chalkboard. (Rubbed the side of a piece of chalk over entire board then wiped with a rag). I hung him in my kitchen, where he looks very handsome, although he still isn't sporting my menu. I plan on making a stencil to spell out MENU across the top. 

Ill be sure to update when I get around to it. In the mean time I simply stare at PIG in all his glory.

I am linking up to Beyond the picket Fence's weekly under $100 linky party

http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/2014/01/under-100-link-party_29.html?m=1

Update

So it's been a little quite on this blog lately. I can tell you it isn't from a lack of projects and painting!

Now that our family has settled into the new house and the holidays are over I half way expected for things to quiet down. That has not been the case. There is always something that we are doing or tinkering on or to be painted. I have worked up a number of original signs in the past few weeks so I thought I would share those.

I can say that if Blogger was more user friendly, or maybe if I were more technologically savey, I would be better at this whole blogging thing. I will strive to learn more about this new platform of social media, and I also will attempt to update more than once a month.

Until next time, you can follow me on my Facebook page  Here as I'm far better at updating that then blogging.

Thanks for visiting!

Off to Market

Over the weekend I decided to try my hand at hand painted signs. I had picked up some cedar shakes at the Habitat for Humanity Restore a few weeks back. It was a learning curve, but I did manage two different styles. The first one I painted with a flat latex paint in a green and stenciled the words on with a white acrylic. After the paint dried I distressed it with 120 grit sandpaper and sealed It.

The second sign I left natural and again hand stenciled the letters with white acrylic, distressed it with course sand paper and sealed it. I see more sign making in my future!

Thanks for reading. 

-S

 

Officially a "blogger"

Hello everyone!
Today marks a big day in my life as today is the day I join blog land.
I can't begin to list off the blogs I stalk and read and skim inspiration from but today I join the world wide Internet in an attempt to widen my horizons, grow my fan base and hopefully inspire others.
I'm not attempting to reinvent the wheel, or become Martha Stewart, but if I inspire even one person, then I will have succeeded.
So follow me here for updates, painted pieces, awesome finds and all things refurbished.
Til next time, do what you love.

-S