Charlie Brown Dresser

Yep...Charlie Brown...bet you can guess why! Even though that's not exactly what I was thinking when I was working on this dresser; those ARE the first words out of my hubby's mouth when he saw the finished project.

This was my first experience with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint. I chose to buy...what else...Mustard Seed Yellow color. It took me a while to get a good feel for the paint; mostly because this paint comes in powder form that you mix with water. And then you stir...and stir...and then stir some more until most of the powder has dissolved. A few small clumps will remain but those brush right out when painting. The grey is ASCP graphite mixed with old white to make a medium grey.

I loved how the milk paint crackled and flaked! It was so much fun not knowing what to expect and when it did distress it looked absolutely authentic.

And so here's where Charlie Brown comes in. This summer the hubs and I were out at some local garage sales when we came upon this dresser. He was checking it out to see how sound the construction was and ripped off a HUGE piece of veneer. Now of course we had to buy it and thank goodness it was pretty cheap anyway.

So I stripped the drawer of the remaining veneer. But now I had two different textures on the drawer fronts and the paint reacted completely differently on the non-veneered drawer. Basically it didn't crackle or chip at all...hmmmm what to do what to do??? 

Finally, I came up with the idea to add some chevron to the drawer. Did I mention this dresser was going into my living room and I LOVE me some chevron!!! Perfect solution if I do say so myself :-)

Oh...and I still need some drawer pulls but that will come with time. I'm really excited to try other MMS Milk Paint colors soon. Have a great weekend everyone!

I'm linking up to:

Just Sitting Around...

I have, in our basement, what my husband lovingly refers to as the "chair graveyard." Well, sometimes its lovingly and other times its in an exasperated tone. The exasperation usually comes when he's trying to get to something on the "other side" of the mountain.

So...for the sake of my happy home I thought it was a good time to tackle a few chairs and get them out of the basement.

I really like this color combo. I'm so into grey right now. And the number 15??? Well, my 9 year old liked it :-) I love it when my kids give me art direction!

Old rocking chairs make me smile. We had a chair very similar to this one growing up. I can still remember mom rocking my baby sister in it.

I am so happy with how this one distressed. It was originally black. I wasn't sure how the blue and black would work together but I think it turned out nice.

Truth be told, I didn't make much of a dent in the "mountain of chairs." But tomorrow's another day!

And thank goodness my husband is patient with me! ;-)

I'm linking up to:

What happened to the last 4 months?

Has it really been that long since my last post? Yep it sure has...where did the time go? All I can say is that time flies when you are having fun! 

I just re-read a post from this time last year where I picked GROW as my Word of the Year. After looking back on 2012,  I must say I'm pretty darn proud of myself! My family is "growing" up happy, healthy and so far pretty well-adjusted :-) And my business has grown throughout 2012 with lots more potential for 2013! The future is bright!

Let me get you caught up with the last 4 months.

In August I participated in a flea market/vintage show that is always a ton of fun and pretty successful. This years event was even better because I met a most wonderful gal. She was preparing to open a new store in Springfield, IL and asked if I would like to add my furniture. THIS was exactly the opportunity I was wanting to pursue so I immediately jumped at the chance.

Cassandra opened her store, Urban Sassafras, in September.

I have tell you she has been the best surprise of the year! Cassie is such a wonderfully kind, warm, and inviting person and on top of all that, she's super talented. She can paint, craft, sew, construct and her photography is to die for!! I never know what she will come up with next but it's sure to be super cool.

I work in the store twice a month and always look forward to spending the day in such a creative environment. It's also nice to dip my feet in the retail world again.

If you live in the area make sure to plan a visit to Urban Sassafras. You won't be disappointed! Things change daily...and I do mean daily. I'm sure you will be hearing a lot about the store in this blog over the next year. It's become a big part of my business...thanks Cassie!!!

I love all this color!!!

Also, I guess it's time to think of a "Word of the Year" for 2013.
2012's worked out beautifully. I'll keep you posted :-)

Thanks Britta!

I'm always amazed that someone likes what I do. I often ask my husbands' opinion and being the smart man that he is; I forever receive positive feedback. But when someone I don't even know...yet :-) e-mails me out of the blue and asks if she can feature MY work on HER blog; I'm totally surprised and completely honored.

So, I'd like to send out a big "tHanK yoU!!!" to Britta over at The Handmade House because today on her blog is a little story about The Painted Turtle. And I'm doing a happy dance!!!

Thanks again Britta...you've made my day!

What A Great Weekend!

Hello blog world!!! I have been MIA but once you see these pics hopefully it will make a bit of sense.

I have been busy, busy, busy...painting, sanding, waxing etc...all for my annual show at the Lincoln Art and Balloon festival in my hometown.

And what a weekend it was! I love this show because so many great friends and family stop by to visit. Each year I meet tons of wonderful people and invariably make new friends as well.

It's also so fun to see how everything comes together in one place. Once everything was set-up I thought...WOW! I have a look!!! It really turned out better than I planned.

Check out my for sale page later this week. I plan to list all the items still available.

Finally, a big shout-out to my muscle for the weekend. Thanks so much for all your help guys! I couldn't do it without you!!!

How May I Help You?

Well, shoot!

OK, so it's no secret I have a hard time writing these posts. I am not a writer. It doesn't flow easily. I began writing this post several days ago and came back to finish it up this morning...only to find that it hadn't been saved!!! Oh the frustration :-)

Here's what I'm thinking...keep is short and simple.

I painted this desk with the it's final destination in mind. My friend, Melanie, is opening a new office here in town and asked that I help her decorate the space. A blank slate...how exciting!!!

 

She had picked out an inspiration photo, which helped define the color palette.

These colors work so well together. I like bright, vibrant colors and Mel really needed a more subdued look for her office...gotta keep it professional :-) The cream and charcoal keep it neutral and the blue adds that subtle "pop".

This is the third desk I've painted in the past year. The color-combo possibilities are endless and so much fun!

Rope detail...yummy!!!

What would a project be without a little distressing? It always adds character and interest.

Congrats to my friend Melanie. It's so exciting to watch your professional career blossom! I hope to have pics of her finished office space soon. It's coming together very nicely.

On a side note: my camera finally died. It's been a long, slow death. I'm looking for any suggestions you might have for a new digital SLR.

Have a great week...keep cool!

I'll be linking up to a few parties. Check them out!

Going Green

As I've sat on the couch in my living room and looked into the dining room a few things just didn't {sit} well with me...pardon the pun :-) My dining room bugged me and had for a while. Finally, one day I got it...my dining room was decorated in a way that I thought dining rooms "should look" not necessarily the way I wanted it decorated. 

I like color...I think I've mentioned that before...and this room needed COLOR!!! Everything I saw was brown. The floors, woodwork and dining table were all...yep you guessed it...brown. However, those three things were not changing. I will NOT paint my floors, beautiful woodwork or 100 year old gorgeous table. Soooo the color had to come in other forms.

 

I started with my buffet. I had painted it black many years ago so it was an easy choice for an update. Green is my favorite color and I love putting a pop of color on large pieces in my rooms. Also, the tapestry we picked up in Belgium 15 years ago had to be put away in storage. I would never get rid of it but WOW...15 years...it was time for a change!!!

Here's a before pic of the buffet. My grandparents gave this to us about 18 years ago when they moved to a new home and no longer had room for it. They bought it shortly after getting married so it's now close to 70 years old; and still an awesome piece

I decided to paint a harlequin pattern on the top to add a bit more interest. 

First I painted the whole piece green and then added the pattern on top. This allows for some of the green to peek through the gray. When distressing it's always important to think about what will show underneath. You have to think in layers.

Annie Sloan's Antibes Green is a bright green. Too green for even my tastes so I toned it down using brown wax.

 

I found these awesome knobs at Hobby Lobby. Aren't they great? Pardon the folded piece of paper that keeps the door closed...did I mention it's 70 years old :-)

 

Yummy distressing!!!

 

Now whenever I look into my dining room I smile :-) I love the added brightness and color!

I'm linking up to a few parties. Check out the awesome inspiration!