May updates

I'm gone, then back, then gone, then back...  I find it harder and harder to keep up with all the social media sites like I should.  If I do what I should to promote my business I don't find enough time to do my business.  Then there's the needed improvements I SHOULD make to staging my finished pieces. The improvements I SHOULD make to my photography skills.  The improvements I SHOULD make to the blog.  (The blog I ignore too often.)  The list goes on and on and I'm a one woman operation, with an occasional assist from the Mr. and one or two of the minions.  I've toyed with closing down the blog and just concentrating on FB, Pinterest, and Instagram.  What to do, what to do?  So if it goes quiet here check the FB and Pinterest button on the blog for a link.  You can also look me up on FB, Pinterest, and IG as "Twice Nice Furniture and Home Decor and/or Twice Nice Furniture & Home Decor".  Or for that matter, even when it is not quiet here check in on me there.  I promise I am  much more prolific over there right now.

But I am here today and will update some recent finishes for you to see that I am still in business!

These sweet little pieces were just a plain golden oak when I began.  Very 80's, if you know what I mean.

I painted her in a nice Taupe brown called 'Mocha' by Heirloom Traditions Paint.  To add some depth I based it in 'Barkcloth' a Vintiques color by Heirloom Traditions Paint.  Richened it up a bit I think!

The drawer fronts are covered with some pretty paper napkins I found and used our Heirloom Traditions product '1 Gel' to decoupage and seal.  Easy peasy, you just separate the printed sheet from the 1 or 2 layers of white tissue sheets, then gently lay it over a nice thin layer of 1 Gel.  I should do a quick video for you soon!

I kept this hardware because a.) it was a good, heavy quality handle  b.) the color blended nicely with the golds in the tissue.  and c.) because brass is coming back baby!

Classic meets a bit of bold on these pieces and I do hope someone will love them as much as I do!

BONUS REVEAL!

Because I am so bad about posting here regularly I will give you a twofer reveal tonight!

This was a combined effort by myself and my right hand man the Mr.  I had a tray that belonged in a trunk that I sold minus the tray because I couldn't find it at the time, and that's rather embarrassing to admit.  But sometimes stuff happens right?

Anyway, the tray was fun and rustic and just required some fun little dry brushing to spiff it up a bit.  Fun colors huh?  Naval and Shabby Gray on these 2 sides, A La Mode inside the tray (Heirloom Traditions Paint)

Some Luau Green on this end.  (FUN color)

Some Copper Piping attached and you have a unique side table, sofa table, or entry table.  Super cute, somewhat industrial looking and very functional!  BOOM!  The Mr. and I make a pretty good team.  Next time I will have to show you some of his 'lighting solutions'.  He's so cute and talented!


AND...
Just to let you know I update a long ago post Gaga Sighting to include the plans and list of products we used to create ours.  It is a very popular post for those looking to create their own Gaga Pit, and we get many requests for our building plan.  There are many ways to go about this and we researched online and made our own up.  We are happy to share our thought process, but make no claims to being engineers or that this is an exact measurement of the original Gaga Pits.  It works for us and we are simple DIYer's happy to share with you so that you can create your own backyard fun!  Enjoy!

Have a creative week!  And Happy Memorial Day where we Celebrate and Honor those who serve and sacrifice for Our Country so that we can live Free.  Never forget
Deb

Fast Finish

I'm telling you now this isn't about running a race.  I WISH I liked running, really do.  It's furniture though, and that's ok too.  I have plenty of pieces that take a bit of time to fine tune the look I am going for.  Lots of others that are simple and to the point.  Once in a while though I like to just do a 'quick and done' piece.  Though as I'm writing this, I just realized that it did take my husband a few extra hours to remove the tumbled rock mosaic tiles that were on the top.  Oops.  Ok, but the painting was a fast finish!

This cedar chest was handmade.  And by that I mean well made, quality workmanship, probably with lots of love and attention to detail.  Then time passed and someone decided to put their own spin on it.  I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo of it, but we started demo as soon as we got her home.

There must have been a sale on backsplash or shower tiles at the big box store.  The entire top had mastic adhesively applied tiles laid on in 12 inch sheets.  Fortunately they never really got around to properly grouting.  It looked hideous, and it was a bear to remove.  I'm not sure if some of the gouges were there prior to the tile job, or as a result of removal.  Regardless, if a storage box has dings then I will definitely use them to my advantage to make a primitive piece.  Because I like primitives, and I LOVE trunks.  If I didn't already have 9 or 10 around the house I'd keep this one.  I'm still debating.  I have college kids who will eventually need coffee tables or bedroom trunks after all.

This color is 'Ball Jar Blue' a custom made color by Allison from Refunk My Junk that Heirloom Tradition Paints.  It could be my new favorite.  Lots of wet distressing and a bit of sanding too to get this old worn look.

It was a fast finish for me.  Everyone needs some instant gratification once in a while!
Have a great weekend!
Deb

Introducing some New Products

One of the reasons I am so pleased to have found Heirloom Traditions Paint Company is their forward thinking.  They are always looking to be ahead of the game in formulating new products that our customers who create want and need.  I honestly don't know when they sleep they are always working on not only products, but focused on making it easier for their retailers to best reach out.
So before I forget, I would like to remind you that you can not only get 10% off your online orders by using my coupon code:  TWICENICE every time you order, but for a limited time you will receive a free paint brush (value, $39) if your order is over $75! Sweet deal!

My booth has been totally restocked and I've not only brought in newly released products but also 2 new colors that have been custom created by either another retailer or one of our product ambassadors.  Many of those colors are not on the normal color charts, but are available online for you to purchase and available with retailers who choose to add them to their stores.  

First up, a Drop Dead Gorgeous Blue by Lori of Thee Velvet Glove, Graceland Blue.

I absolutely can not wait to try this color out!  And yes, she said her inspiration for this color came from the Velvet Curtains at Elvis' Graceland.  Isn't it stunning?

Next, fellow retailer Susan, from Extending Grace, has created a must have in your stash color called Olive You.

Not only is Susan a gifted painter, but she definitely has an eye for colors that will appeal to all of us. I just love this chest!

I also added these newer products to my booth to help serve my customers better, and I am very excited about them.

These are our new Metallic Top Coats.  Metallic Masters Top Coats add sheer metallics that still allow your paint color to show through.  You might remember that I used them on my little black side tables.

I mottled mine intentionally, but it is just as gorgeous in a smooth brushed on finish.  It is formulated to go over fully cured wax surfaces for added durability.  I am stocked in these colors:  Champagne Shimmer, Copper Penny, and Tarnished Silver.  

Finally, let me show you something that is truly a game changer!  Re-Luv.  Re-Luv is formulated to help you recolor your worn leather furniture, but it would also work on your leather briefcase, leather purse, or that leather pad on your desk.  Endless possibilities!  Here is an example by my friend Julia of Shangri~La Lane

Isn't that amazing?!  You can bet I am looking for a piece of leather furniture to try this out!

It comes in 3 colors now, Mahogany, Ebony, and Chestnut.  I am stocked in Chestnut, but will be ordering more colors soon.  I believe they also plan to develop a lighter color at a later date.

I think this will be a great addition to our already wonderful line of products.  I invite you to go to www.heirlooomtraditions.com to watch the video tutorials on any and all of these great products!

Of course I also invite you to contact me with questions too!

Have a fantastic and creative week friends!

Deb

Metallic Top Coats

I spent some time playing with some of Heirloom Traditions Paint new products over the break.  One of them is the Metallic Top Coat.  It's fabulous, and I'm so happy I'll be able to offer it up for my paint customers.  Here is the before of the two side tables I completed.

Sorry, blurry cell phone photo...but at least I remembered.  The finish wasn't bad, it just didn't do anything for me.  So I painted them first in Black Bean.  A true black by Heirloom Traditions Paint, that is fast becoming a best seller for me.  Over the black I brushed on the Champagne Metallic Top Coat working in small sections because I wanted to go back and quickly rag off, or smudge, the top coat to mimic the look on the Mercury Glass hardware.  See the smudging here...

I like how it also lets more of the black bean color show through too.  The Metallic Top Coats are really nice and opaque.  The trick is to keep stirring your top coat to help keep the metallic fully suspended.

It was so hard to get a good photo of the mercury glass knobs, but aren't they just the cutest little bars?  Found these at Hobby Lobby if you want some too.

I love how each of these tables has the drawer placement in a different place, one up, one down.

These are a great size and a little on the taller end of side tables.   Great bedside tables I would think. And now they have a touch of elegance about them.  

And the side by side before and after:

I'm putting in an order for several of the Metallic Top Coats.  Let me know if you want one!  If you don't live nearby no worries, I offer a 10% discount for online orders through www.heirloomtraditionspaint.com, Coupon Code:  TWICENICE
You can always find information about shopping at the top of my page.  Have a fabulous weekend!
Deb

New Shopping Link

I am absolutely thrilled to be able to offer those of you who don't live close enough to shop my booth an opportunity to take advantage of a 10% discount and the ease of ordering online!  Heirloom Traditions Paint has given us the ability to give you a discount that will help to cover your shipping charges as our gift to you!

Here's how it works.  Shop here and use the Coupon Code:  TWICENICE at checkout.
To make it even easier for you I have 2 places for you to find it on the blog page.  The upper right hand corner where it says 'Affiliate Link' will take you there.  I also have this permanently on my Pages Bar at the top of the blog.  You can also find my business page on FaceBook using either the FB button my blog designer added for you, or here at Twice Nice Furniture & Home Decor.  I have a 'Shop Now' button on my header for your convenience.   Like my page and you can keep up with the latest products and news.

I hope some of you will check out the awesome products we offer.  Some of my favorites are the Spray Waxes, 13 colors of Soft Waxes, Venetian Texture Medium, Metallic Top Coats, and Reluv, our groundbreaking new product to refresh Leather furniture.  Between the 2 lines of paint you will find over 80 beautiful colors of Chalk-Type paint for your projects!  Have questions, give me a shout out!  

2016

Not doing a resolution this year, but I do pledge to try and do better by this lonesome blog!  It seems that more and more I find people interacting on Face book and Instagram than they do on the blogs.  We are an instant gratification society anymore I am sad to say.  While I still enjoy many long blog posts with lots of pictures, or descriptions on how a technique was achieved I fell into the fast track habit too.  It takes time to edit photos that don't come off of my phone.  It takes time to write a blog post too.  Sometimes I'm not really feeling 'wordy' but I try to fill you in on what I am doing.  But the comments and feedback are so few and far between that you begin to wonder if anyone is reading what you put on here anymore.  Well, except for that person in Bulgaria or Finland that I see in the stats pages.  I love imagining what they think of all this stuff.  At any rate, I am not quite ready to give it up and I will try to do better at posting some content and photos, and maybe even some class listings.  Do comment if you need more information.  As always you can find me on FB, and Pinterest by following the buttons.  You can always shop my paint store by clicking on the 'affiliate link' in the top right hand corner.  I answer email and respond to comments generally.  I am here for you Friends!

Let's get on with the show.  Here is a recent finish that is for sale.

And as you can see by the photo it has a spinning top!  I'm kind of thinking this might be the coolest puzzle table that ever lived!  It was a beat up, bedraggled, drab brown, with some heavy scratches on the top.  I don't even want to know what it went through...  This paint color is Peppery and reads pretty bright in the photo due to the warm winter sun shining on it. May I get an Amen for sunshine in the winter?!

I did not spend any time at all knocking down the scratched top because I knew I wanted to add some texture on there.  I had some great napkins that I thought would work well.  Napkins have typically 3 layers or ply.  You have to remove the bottom 2 white layers to get to just the printed top napkin layer to carry off this project.  But if you gently remove it (and honestly I didn't care if mine ripped a little as I wanted some of those peek-a-boo holes and even wrinkles) you can decoupage using our 1 Gel product.  1 Gel is also for an image transfer technique, but that's for another day.  You simply brush on the 1 Gel and quickly lay your napkin down.  I used a dry brush to smooth out the top of the napkin.  I also tore around the edges to eliminate HARD edges on my table.  If I found wrinkles I left them baby!

Once the top was dry I gently sanded it.  Yes, even over those wrinkles.  If it was a bit loose I sanded off the excess tissue to let the paint show through.  The napkin also tends to take on the paint color since it is so transparent with only 1 layer.  Shown are some of the products I used on the table.  I forgot to bring the 1 Gel outside.  I used the Dark Umber Spray Wax to give the top an antiqued look, I followed with a very light coat of clear wax to remove some of the areas that I thought took too much of the dark wax and looked muddy.  After letting that cure for over 24 hours I put 2 coats of Aqua Clear our water based sealant that will provide a bit more protection to the top.  The legs and base were sealed with clear and dark wax and buffed.

And if you are like me you'd like to see what this looks like up close, so here you go!  Thanks for stopping by.  Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments section, or shoot me an email.  If there are specific techniques you would like me to show you let me know.  All products used are Heirloom Traditions Paints.  I retail HTP and their boutique line Vintiques at the Brass Armadillo, Booth #43 for those of you local.  If you are not from the Omaha, NE area you can shop for these products by using my 'affiliate link' in the shop now section.
Have a great week!
Deb