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! 

May 2, 2012

{Making it Pretty}


When Christine contacted me a few weeks ago, she had a couple of little projects for me to do for her. One of them was a free bookcase she had found online.

I was a little hesitant with this piece as the surface is a laminate. It can be a bit tricky to paint, but I am willing to try anything (and Christine was totally game!) so I went for it!


I repaired the edging and the broken leg and gave it a really thorough sanding to rough up the finish to help the paint adhere better. For something like this, it is really important to use a high quality primer first. I really LOVE  Stix Primer, it is far superior to anything else I have tried. It is more expensive, but worth it for a project where you want a beautiful finish.


I think that this turned out beautifully!

I painted it black, and added some pretty wallpaper along the back to make it pop a little more.

I very lightly distressed the edges and gave the whole piece a polish with Minwax Furniture Paste. This was truly a diamond in the rough! I love it!


The other piece Christine had brought to me was an old dresser. I think she may have found this on good old Kijiji as well. It has great lines and was absolutely solid, it was just a bit beat up and needed some extra tlc to make it shine.

This was intended for her young daughter's room so she wanted it pretty, but fairly neutral so that it could grow with her.

I painted it Decorator's White from Ben Moore and distressed the edges and some of the more "lived-in" areas.

I have some really pretty and bold wallpaper that I lined each drawer with. I like to be surprised with a little extra pretty on the inside too.

I found some inexpensive drawer pulls at Michael's of all places. They are just acrylic, but actually look very pretty and have a little sparkle too.

We mixed some clear and pink knobs on the drawers as we couldn't round up enough of either to finish the dresser with one colour... Sometimes you just have to work with what you have!


When Christine came to pick these up, she brought me an old lamp. I hope that I will be able to do something fabulous with it! It is my favourite kind of project. Really ugly and she has trusted me to do whatever I want....  Hmmmmm.

LONG WEEKEND!

{SALE}

This is a chair that I did a few weeks ago. It started as an old office chair that I found at a thrift store. I wanted to buff up my upholstery skills and I thought that this was the perfect project. I used some fun fabric and tried to "frame" the lavender crow. I love the little bird house and wood grain in the fabric as well.

The chair is a dark grey/brown that coordinates nicely with the fabric. I am offering it at a reduced rate of $20. I am not listing it on Kijiji, but just for the blog readers.


I also have a shelf that has not sold yet that I would like to clear out!

*SOLD*

This is available for $20 as well. It has been repurposed with clips for hanging artwork or photos or whatever strikes you as pretty.

If you are interested in either of these, please email me. I have scored a few things this week that I look forward to sharing in the upcoming weeks!

A Series of Smalls ~ Part 3

I think that this is my last smaller item to post for a little bit. I am working on some larger pieces that should be ready in the next few days as well as a commission or two.


{Gallery Shelf}

$25

I found this shelf at a thrift store a few months ago ~ I liked the shape, but it needed to be re-purposed a little bit. It had a row of tea-cup hooks on the underside and was a dated brown colour.

I flipped it around and mounted some buffalo clips on it above the pretty scalloped edge and I think it turned out alright. I know I am often challenged when my kids bring art home from school. With a stainless fridge, the time-honoured tradition of slapping it on the front of the fridge with a magnet doesn't really work anymore.

I just used the string to hang it for the picture ~ it does have hardware on the back for invisible hanging. It is a nice way of displaying temporary artwork or fabric samples or pictures or whatever you would like. The clips are pretty heavy-duty so they hold things quite firmly.

This shelf is
31.25 inches long
10 inches high
4.75 inches deep


Please email me or go here to purchase.

{Beach Weather(ed) Shelf}

$30

A big thanks to Lindsey who just picked up the pretty blue cabinet this morning. I am so happy it has found a good home!

I am comforted to know that I am not the only one who is digging (I'm that cool...) this tropical blue colour right now. It has been so popular and just the perfect pop of contemporary colour in a small space. I have done up another little shelf to add to my blue collection.

It is a pretty simple little shelf, but again would be great in a bathroom or guest room or any wall that just needs a little something extra.

I was up in Edmonton last weekend with my family visiting some of our awesome friends and family that we just don't get to see enough. My sister in law and I were able to get some time on Saturday afternoon to do some serious thrifting. We managed to hit three different stores in Edmonton and brought home quite a few diamonds in the rough. I can understand why someone would want to get this out of the house ~

Now I think we can all admit to having something stencilled in the house during the stencilling hey-dey of the 90's. Yes, it is very dated and sort of ugly, but the shelf itself is adorable! 

I took all the little wood buttons off that were covering the screw holes and filled them in with wood filler. I then primed and painted the whole thing with my favourite spring blue. The shaker hooks were in good shape so I was able to reuse them after re-gluing them back into place. I sanded and distressed the edges and I really like the way some of the darker stain shows through a little bit as well as the white.

The measurements are:

20 inches wide

7.5 inches tall

5.25 inches deep

If you can not live with out this little charmer, click here to purchase.

True Blue

{Weathered Blue Shelf}

*SOLD*

It is starting to feel like spring here in the shadow of the Rockies ~ not time to break out the flip flops, but at least the grass is starting to poke through the melting snow. I am thinking about my tulip bulbs sleeping away in the frozen ground and wondering when they will start to wake up. In Alberta, it will probably be June...

Anyway, this beautiful turquoise colour is everywhere right now and I really love it. It would be a big commitment in a large space, but as a little pop here and there, it feels so fresh and trendy while giving a nod to the 50s.

I found this sweet shelf last week in a thrift store in a very small town into which I dragged my poor 10 with me. I was ready to leave it there but he talked me into it and now I am so glad he did. It came home with us looking like this:

Not bad, but it lacked the whimsical note that I love so much. I removed the wooden hooks and gave it a stern sanding. The original paint was oil based and very glossy so I wanted to take that shine down. I gave it a few coats of Benjamin Moore's Tropicana Cabana (how can you resist a name like that?) and then a serious distressing using my trusty sanding sponge. It still looked a little vibrant for me ~ I wanted a more beachy and aged feel. I rubbed a coat of walnut stain over the whole piece, leaving it a little heavy in the nooks and crannies. I replaced the wood hooks with pretty little glass knobs and gave the whole unit a rub down with a layer of wax and polished her up. I am so pleased with the results...

The exposed wood picks up the stain so well.

Pretty glass knobs!

I think this would look so cute in a bathroom or a little nook in a bedroom. The new hardware would hold necklaces or a purse very nicely.

It is 23 1/2"L x 5 1/4"D x 8"H.

If you are interested in this little cutie, you can pick it up HERE.