All-Star Table

I just can't seem to leave the top of a table alone. For me it's like a blank canvas that I just have to do something with. I didn't even realize I was doing it until I took a look back on other projects. Maybe it's becoming my "signature" look :-) Anyway this is the newest one. The ALL-STAR table.

What's really a bit creepy is that I rarely have to think very long about what I'm going to paint on the top. It's like the furniture "talks" to me.

Don't be too scared...furniture pieces are the only inanimate objects that I hear :-)

Here's a before pic of the table...kinda brown, kinda stained, kinda boring.

I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in aubusson blue on the table. I really wanted the top to look like a worn pair of jeans when finished. To achieve this, I heavily distressed the top then waxed and buffed it. I repeated the process again and distressed one last time to rough up the wax. One last buffing gave me a smooth but worn looking finish.

I have to admit I'm having some trouble with photographing my pieces indoors. Until the last few projects I was able to take all my pictures outside. Natural lighting and green grass as a background is so much easier. I'm still looking for the perfect place in my home for photo shoots.

It's been so fun getting back into the swing of things. I just love furniture, painting and making something that's old look new again.

Have a great weekend and try to stay warm. It sure is cold in Illinois! I will be linking up to a few other blogs. Take a look at what's new this week in blogland.

Oh the places we will go!

Here is another project I've completed recently for our home and I couldn't be more happy with it. I knew the moment I found this trunk that I wanted to use it in our toy room. We really needed a place to put all the pillows and blankets that gather in this room. I was constantly folding blankets and putting them back on the futon...ugh! Problem solved!!!!

Here's a before shot. It's not too bad black but I love me some color so of course it was gonna get painted!

The really nice thing about this project is that it was quick. No muss no fuss. It did take me a little time trying to figure out which fabulous color to use. As you can see there is already a lot of color going on in this room...but...it is a toy room so let's just go for it!

I knew this piece would be sat on, stood on and even drawn on...chalk board paint to the rescue. It's not too often kids hear their parents say "sure, draw all over the top of that trunk!" Their friends really like it too and it's amazing some of the things they draw. **idea moment** take pics of all the great drawings for memories and maybe another project down the line :-)

I used Annie Sloan chalk paint again in Antibes Green...my personal fave color. This is probably why the last two projects I've done for our home has been in green :-) I distressed the sides and again this works great for the toy room. If it gets (or when) more distressed it will only add to the character. Basically, it's kid proof :-)

Oh, and the cat C.C. would like to go wherever we might be going. She has to check everything out and wholeheartedly approves...how do I know??? She sleeps on top of the trunk most afternoons.

I just had to show you this picture. My camera is always laying around the house and so whenever I download pictures I never really know what I might find. This one cracked me up. I'm guessing from the point of view that it had to be taken by my 4 year old. What young child takes a picture of a can of paint??? My kid!!! I'm so proud!

I'll be linking up to several parties this week. Click on the buttons below to see what's going happening on those blogs.

A Full Circle

The desk is done!!! Whoooohoooo!

This desk has been a personal project for my daughter's room. I believe I started this around Halloween and it's finally done and in place. Ali is so happy and excited.

Here's a quick before shot. As usual I started it and then thought of taking a pic. This desk used to be my father-in-laws workbench in his basement. I was talking to my husband the other night and said "this had to be used as something else at another time." He thought about it for a bit and realized it was in he and his brothers bedroom when they were kids. Talk about a full circle!

I used Annie Sloan green chalk paint on the desk. I decided to use a little dark wax on it to tone down the green a little.

Using chalk board paint on the top of the desk means Ali can write all over the top of her desk and mom can leave reminder notes as well. Like...Ali, clean your room :-)

To "season" the chalk board paint you need to rub chalk all over the surface and then wipe it clean. This will ensure that whatever you write on the surface won't "burn in" forever.

The inside of the drawers were pretty rough. One of my favorite treatments is to decoupage the bottom of the drawer. I had these scraps of paper already laying around that worked great.

My little assistant who's always around to lend a helping hand!

A little distressing just makes the color pop even more. Also, Ali tends to be hard on furniture so I kinda figure I'm just working ahead :-)

Completing this project has me soooooo excited again to paint more furniture. I've got a lot of projects in the hopper so stay tuned.....

Back in the Saddle Again

Do you ever have the feeling that you just can’t get anything done? It’s been over two months since I’ve posted and really it’s been because I haven’t had the time to complete a single project.

Yes, I’ve started plenty but the final push just hasn’t been coming though. It seems like life has gotten in the way a lot lately and the blog is the thing that has had to fall away.

I’m going to make my new years resolution early and commit to posting at least two times a week. For me that might be a bit much but I really want to build this blog and my painting business. It takes time but it has to be a priority. I guess something else will just have to fall away...how about cooking dinner every night :-)

So this post is to show you all that I have not been sitting around eating bon bons. I’ll call it a sneak peek of future finished work...now that’s a glass half full statement :-)

This little puppy has given me some fits. I’m still trying to figure out how to pull it together.

I’m also working on this desk for my daughters room

Getting close. Just some waxing and buffing left to do.

This headboard is for my nephew. I've got a great idea for it and then ran out of paint. One step forward and two steps back :-)

I’m real excited about this one. It’s going into the toy room and I plan on using chalk board paint on the top so the kids can draw on it. The storage will be great for all the blankets that are always laying all over the place.

I think my unfinished work is contagious. My great hubby started this tree house for the kids early in the summer. And then it turned so hot for so long that he couldn’t work on it. Bless his heart he finally got the roof on it last weekend. I love that man for the way he loves our kids!!!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving Day to enjoy family and friends. I've been blessed with many great people in my life...that's what I'm most thankful for!!!

Toy Room Buffet

WOW! I've been MIA this month. Once I finished my show I was spent and had to take some time to clean my house! It had been completely neglected for about a month and was trashed!!!

I've been wanting to paint the T.V. buffet in our toy room for quite a while but was too busy getting ready for my show and had to produce products to sell. So I knew this would be the first project on my list of things for the house. I LOVE decorating my home. It's truly my passion.

I pondered what color to use for quite some time. The room is orange. I mean REALLY, REALLY orange. Not every color goes with orange. Of course I was going to use an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. So I considered Old White but this buffet gets used a lot...with kids. The art supplies are housed in here as well as many other toys. Something darker would work best. I had Aubusson Blue on hand and I went with it. I loved this color on the dresser I finished right before my show.

This is not the best before pic ever. I went through all my photos and this was the only one I had. I think my son was doing one of his newest dance moves...sorry buddy. But if you can look behind that fabulous stance you can see what the buffet looked like before.

I did a little distressing to this piece as usual. I figured it would probably get a little more distressing the natural way so I kept it light. I also decided to use the original hardware; frugal as always. My husband is a lucky man :-)

When I purchased the buffet to use for the new T.V., I knew right away that I wanted a large shelf above it. This shelf is 7 feet long and made by my "other" hubby, Tom. He's a fantastic woodworker and is always willing to indulge me in all my "great" ideas. He custom made it to my specs and I think it's just perfect for the wall. On top of the shelf is one of my newest collections...globes!!! I'm loving this collection and still have plenty of room for more! I'd really like to find a black one. One thing I'm learning with collecting is that it takes a great deal of patience.

I just couldn't resist putting this pic in. Gosh...he's so darn cute and growing up way to fast!!! I love you T. Finn and my other babies too! Now make sure to keep the toy room clean :-)

I'll be linking to some great parties this week. Check them out!

The Longest Project EVER!

This was the project that would never end! And although I'm happy to be done; I'm also a bit sad. The Red Robin got sold last weekend and now I kinda miss her.

I picked her up late last winter in a small town thrift store. She was the very first purchase when starting my new adventure into furniture painting. And I actually remembered to take a before pic! She had good bones but needed some work. The drawers were solid wood but two of them needed to be reinforced with some wood glue and another had to be completely rebuilt with a new bottom and more glue...thanks hubby :-)

If you look closely at the veneer on the bottom of the dresser you can see where it was bubbling up terribly. It was truly beyond repair. So I did what I've done so many times before...I searched other blogs for help. I found instructions on how to remove the veneer with a moist towel, a very hot steamy iron and a paint scrapper. It worked like a charm! And since I was painting her anyway you could never tell!!!

I painted her using Annie Sloan chalk paint in Emperor's Silk. When the paint first goes on it has a pink hue. I was a little nervous that it would stay too pink but as always I'm never disappointed with this paint. And when I added the protective wax the red color became even more rich.

I went to Hobby Lobby to find some new drawer knobs. As you can see from the before pic she was missing some pulls when I got her. For those of you who may not be aware, Hobby Lobby is a great resource for drawer knobs and pulls. They have a huge selection and some really unique items. Also, they tend to go on sale for 1/2 price every three weeks or so.

Here is Miss Red Robin in her finished state and ready for the taking. I was so happy to be done with this one. But along the way she started to feel like a girlfriend sitting in the corner of the workshop just watching all the other projects come and go. I'm glad she's off to a new home where hopefully she will enjoy her new life!

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