Rosebud Part 3

On Friday last week I took another drive east out to Rosebud to add some more merchandise to my little corner in the mercantile.

I know that I say it every time I drive that way, but as the seasons change, the views change and remain spectacular. Going west is so beautiful with the Rockies in view, but there is something about the prairies on the way to the Badlands. I really love the vistas with the canola blooming right now.

I may have overdone it with the photos.... :)

The road into Rosebud:

Here is my "Summer Collection" on display:

If you follow me on Facebook, I do have a few more individual pictures of the items I added this last trip. If you have any questions, please contact me and I can do my best to get you the information on what you are interested in.

Enjoy your day!

Rosebud Mercantile Delivery Day!

How many Timbits can a person eat in an hour while driving? The answer is that you DO NOT WANT TO KNOW. Just know that it is probably far, far too many.... ugh.


The hour25 selection was a bit light at Rosebud so it was time to take another trip out east to re-stock. It was a beautiful morning today and nice to drive while it was still cool. I just wanted to share a few of the pieces that I added with you...

This is a great dresser that I painted the popular turquoise. I did the drawers in a patchy style with some pretty scraps which I think turned out quite nicely.

The leaner ladder is new and I did up a few more BookPage Wreaths.

Lemony Snicket BookPage Wallflower

This is a more traditional wreath using sacred choral music and a little leftover (non-pasted) wallpaper.

I used the bookcover for the base of these "Wallflowers" and stacked the "petals" to cover it so it ends up looking a little like a flower. This one is pretty large ~ I used a vintage book called Yearbook of Agriculture 1949. There are a few cool illustrations peeking through that I like.

This is an old window frame which had glass in very nice condition. I added chalkboard paint to the centre so that the background would still show through. It is large and will make an interesting statement in a kitchen or entryway. I love this piece!

I did up a few little side tables and some small wooden bowls and some small chalkboards too. The midcentury style table is painted the same coral colour as the dresser I sold this week. It is really pretty! I am looking for another piece to use it on!


I like the little 6-sided table with the caning on the bottom too. The legs are very pretty and interesting with all the details distressed.

I made up a few more wire frames and added little clothespins with vintage bookpages on them to fancy them up a bit. I will definitely do more of those ~ they are so charming and cute!

Speaking of charming and cute, my daughter came along today and I paid her in Timbits (the ones I didn't eat...). She is very helpful with setting things out and holding doors. 


I am excited to have these pieces installed and ready for purchase! Let me know what you think if you are in the area ~ I love feedback!

Friday Catch-up

If you follow me on Facebook, you will know that I made a little trip out to the Rosebud Mercantile this week to add a few pieces to the dwindling inventory I have there. I just thought I would share a few photos of what I left behind....


I didn't realize that the light was so bad until I downloaded the pictures when I got home. Naturally, I was in a hurry and attention to detail sort of slips away. I'm sure that this does not happen to anyone else!

This is a fabulous chippy little desk ~ it looks rough, but it is cleaned up and smooth and funky. I love the way the layers of paint show through. This look is not for everyone, but it can look great if you have that hipster/boho look going on. I added some pretty vintage hardware and some wallpaper to the drawers for some glam detail.

I also did up a few small wooden bowls that had lived a hard life previously.

These are a fun little pop of seasonal colour and I love doing them!

I can't believe I didn't take a better picture of this coat rack, because I think it was my favourite thing! You can see glimpses of it in the other pictures, but seriously! I love this so much!

This is a sweet little shabby shelf painted a ballet pink with vintage hardware for hanging jewelry or other pretty things.


There are a few other little tables and wreaths too.

This place is such a treasure. I encourage Albertans to check it out! This summer Anne of Green Gables is playing and will be worth the trip. The Mercantile and other little galleries are open from Wednesday - Thursday 12-8 during the summer. It is a small (teeny, tiny) little town, but the artists installed in the galleries are amazing. Even if you are traveling to Drumheller to see the Royal Tyrrell Museum, this is on your way. We are so fortunate to have this great arts community in a beautiful spot!


Coming up on Monday I will have a couple of fun things for sale. If you love that turquoise-y blue and need a dresser, you might want to check back! 

April 11, 2012

{Getting it ALL together!}


This post is about a bigger sort of project I just finished last week. It is a perfect demonstration of how a collection of odds and ends can come together and with a little imagination look really great! Krystal had inherited several different pieces from different relatives and although it was all working well for her family, she was ready to have it look a bit more intentional and have it spruced up.


After deciding to convert the old brown stain to blacks and grays, I went to work on the china hutch first. This is where it started (I only remembered to take a picture after I had sanded it!).

Bottom 

Top

I painted the entire piece with a black latex and just gave it the barest of distressing to showcase some of the awesome details.

I added a pretty wallpaper in gray and cream to the interior of the top hutch to lighten it up a little bit.

Next up was the table and 4 chairs....

The table is a sweet pedestal with 2 leaves and the chairs have amazing shape ~ gorgeous details!

I painted the chairs a creamy grey to match the grey in the wallpaper and we chose black for the pedestal table.

I love the way paint pulled all of this together. It is not matchy, but it is coordinated and I think it made a big difference in this sweet space while still acknowledging its history.

I am so happy that this worked out for Krystal and her family and that she trusted me with all of these great pieces!

February 23, 2012

{Chevron Striped Bistro Table}


A few weeks ago Kristin, the creative owner of ReFind Clothing in Olds contacted me about a bistro table project for her amazing store. She had a small space which she wanted available to customers to sit and have a cup of tea or wait for a friend in the fitting room. The budget was fairly modest (my specialty) and so I started a Kijiji search. This was what I found ~ dirt cheap and in perfect condition, but completely lacking in any personality.

Kristin shared the colours she envisioned, but left the rest up to me. I have been seeing chevron stripes everywhere and was dying to try some. This seemed like a great opportunity! 


I wanted them to be even so I made a template out of cardboard to trace so that each stripe would be the same. After painting each piece the base colour, I taped off the stripes using Frogtape (of course!). In order to give it a little more character I aggressively distressed each piece letting the layers of colour and a bit of the wood show through.

I love the sunny and slightly beachy, vintage feel the colours gave to this previously sedate little set.

I used Benjamin Moore Bedside Yellow and Florida Keys Blue for the colour combo. The Florida Keys Blue is a perfect vintage turquoise.

I delivered it yesterday to the store and Kristin sent me a picture of it ready to receive her tea drinking customers....

Be sure to stop by the store and try it out!