Something about September

So, we had the big sale in July.  Which is earlier than we normally do, but we are excited to be offering the Prairie Market Holiday sale in November.  Woot, woot!  Normally I fall out of a rhythm of posting in the Fall, this time it happened in the Summer.  I'm trying to get back on my game people (if any of you are still here).

So, last night I had a workshop.  We had so much fun making the spinning caddy that was a pinterest inspired project.  Great group of women, great project, and great results.  Can't beat that!  Thanks to the Ladies, Laurie, Julie, Darcy, Kay & Deanna for all the laughs.  We all stayed on task and you gals really rocked this project!  Can't wait for the next one!

A Whirlwind

There was quite the whirlwind around here, as there always is right before the sale.  It takes a lot of work to create enough to stock our big events.  We had a wonderful time, even though the heat was very oppressive!  We appreciated each and every customer that took the time and were willing to wilt a bit while browsing our things.  Not sure if we will choose July again for a sale though!

I finished several pieces that I didn't even have time to blog about.  I thought I would tell you a bit about them now that things are moving a bit slower.

Last year when I did Junkstock I bought a table from a fellow vendor.  She had stripped it down and refinished it.  It's a lovely solid and very wide table with beautiful lines.  This gal was not able to sand down past some of the wear and tear, but I never mind most of that once it is re-stained.  It's the character and story of that piece, just like the lines and scars we all have.  She did a beautiful job, so I left the top alone and only painted the legs and apron.  Then I found some chairs that matched her style and viola`, she was ready to go.  And she was looked over a lot!  Sadly she didn't leave the barn, so she's still available if you are near Omaha, NE!!!

The table base is painted in DIY Paint, Prairie Gray, the chairs in Mermaid Tail.  The seats are recovered in a fabric that matches both colors perfectly.  This table measures 45 inches wide x 54 inches long.  That's wide enough to put two smaller sized chairs on the end for a large gathering.  The large gathering is possible because there are three leaves that are 12 inches each.  She makes into a BIG table!

Look at that beautiful wood.  Solid wood.  Hard to find at a reasonable price these days.  It's stunning and if I could talk my husband into moving the piano downstairs I would probably just keep this one myself.  But, it's a piano, and you know how that goes.

This fabric is just perfect with the 2 colors.  I really debated about going bold with the chairs.  You know though, life is too short to always take the safe route and these chairs are fun, flirty, and say that whoever owns them is not afraid to laugh out loud and enjoy life!  Ok, I made that last part up, but you know what I mean.  Live it up, have fun and here's the dining set to help you do it! ;-)

Let me know if you have the perfect spot for these!  And have a great week with, thankfully, much more pleasant weather for us!
Deb

I 'Heart' You

And I do!!  We are in the big push to get everything set up for the Prairie Market Sale this Friday and Saturday, whew!

At any rate this rare gal will be there waiting for someone to find her.  And she's wearing her heart on her sleeve/chest.  At least that's the way I see it.

My hubby 'picked' this one for me.  I just can't get over how these handles were positioned...and their lovely curvy nature.

I mean, really, look at these!

These blond oak pieces sit ignored often.  But I will tell you, they are solid and store a ton!!!  Do you see the heart?  Sweet!

Here's the 411 on her:

Debi's Design Diary DIY Paint in 'Hey Sailor', triangles in Cowgirl Coral, Weathered Wood, Fancy Farmgirl.  Crystal Clear Chandelier Liquid Patina to seal.  Love that stuff!  At the barn sale you will find a couple of pieces painted that coordinate well with her.  Come check this sweet gal, and all her friends, out!

July 17 & 18, Friday, 10-7, Saturday 10-3, 11722 S. 216th St., Gretna, NE

In addition to Restyled Furniture and Home Decor we have a local honey vendor who has also created some lovely, lovely Succulent planters this year, and some new granite oil candles for this year!

Have a super weekend!
Deb

Mahogany Desk

This Mahogany desk came by way of one of our Prairie Market customers that was having a garage sale and thought someone might want it as a project.  That is so sweet!  I wish I had a before of it.  The top had a huge stain on it and some of the delicate carved fretwork was missing, and the finish had a lot of texture.  Many times I've found some of these pieces were stored somewhere in extreme heat and they end up with a bubbly/alligator like finish.  That doesn't always bother me though as some texture can be fun to work with on an antique piece.  At any rate, I went with Black Velvet for a color.  Hello, mahogany you famous bleeders!  The top sanded down beautifully.  And I was able to scab together enough of the detailed fretwork to leave it on the front legs.

 I am so pleased with how it turned out.  The top is now refinished and shows that amazing mahogany.

The hardware is original and matches exactly the fretwork that runs down the inset in the legs.  This desk is finished on all 4 sides so it can be "floating" in the middle of a room with chairs on both sides.
I guess you could even use it as a small kitchen table.  It is on pretty metal casters also.

See how lovely the top turned out?  I just love this piece and would keep it in a heartbeat if I had one inch of extra space in my home.  So it is headed out to the Prairie Market which starts on Friday! Squeal!

The details on this piece:  The stain is Minwax, Jacobean, Finish is Minwax, Antique Oil
Paint:  is DIY Paint, Black Velvet (Do you all have to sing the song whenever you say this name?  I do.)  Finish is DIY Paint, Crystal Clear Chandelier Liquid Patina.  An awesome wipe on water based finish!
The paint products are available in my booth at The Brass Armadillo, Omaha booth 43.  or from the Affiliate link button in the upper right hand corner of the blog, or you can connect here:
http://heirloomtraditionspaint.com/?affiliates=199

Hope to see you all on Friday!
Deb

Bohemian Blue Buffet

The Bohemian Blue Buffet, B3 for short, was a fun gal to repair and restyle.  She did have a lot of veneer damage on both sides at the bottom.  It seems so many of these pieces, as they are moved through the generations, show some damage.  I imagine it is where people grabbed them to lift, and loose veneer doesn't need much encouragement to come off completely than a touch.  And once they start tearing off watch out!

One of the few that I grabbed a snapshot of for a blurry before photo.  We secured a piece of trim board on the bottom of both sides as they were ragged and sawtoothed from all the missing wood.  There was also damage to the corners of many of the drawers and on the lower front piece of trim.  The top here has already had all the water rings sanded off and is restrained and finished.  Hey, it was almost a true before photo.

But she cleaned up nice didn't she?  Don't you just love that original hardware??  Oh my gosh, I get so excited when I can keep the original hardware, and this stuff though the brass was worn and peeling in spots was so cool.

I added some copper mica powders to Aqua Clear Top Coat (an Heirloom Traditions Paint product) that I carry.  Brushed on a couple of coats and the hardware is nice and shiny again.

The top was a worn out mess, but turned out beautiful!  That dark wood top looks gorgeous with the teal like Bohemian Blue from my DIY Paint line.  Debi Beard knew what she was doing when she created this color!  It is so soothing and subtle and will work well on so many different types of furniture.  I just love the classic lines from this Art Deco period piece.  

And look, those damaged sides ended up looking pretty darn good thanks to that little trim board that covers up and resupports that broken and thin edge.  Sweet!

So, how about you, what fantastic redo's are you working on this weekend?  Happy Friday everyone!

Deb

To purchase the DIY Paint:  Bohemian Blue or the Aqua Clear Top Coat visit my booth at the Brass Armadillo, Omaha #43 or use the Affiliate Link shopping button in the upper right hand corner of my website.  Thank you!

Bar/Kitchen Cart

This is the last of the Sorority house desks!  I know, I'm sad too.  This last one just had to be a bit different from the rest right.  Let's see, we made restyled a couple as...desks...a few as nightstands...one as our check out counter...how about a Bar/Kitchen Cart next!  And so we did.

The Mr. added 2 handy pull out shelves for me, wheels and a couple of handle/towel hangers and a trimmed out Oak Top.
Sweet huh?!  Love him!

Because this desk had over 60 years of heavy duty use I decided to make my paint very texturey (technical term of course).  This would only add to and enhance the rougher spots and make it very fun to distress back and show off this pretty color...Old '57, from DIY Paint.

This cart comes complete with some vintage barware and a Bamboo Owl cutting board.  I lined the drawers with some great old maps that I had.

The shelves will pull out part way from either the front or the back.  The color on top is Faded Linen and I used the Dark & Decrepit Liquid Patina as my finish coat.  The oak top is stained and protected with Antique Oil.  It is water resistant and wipeable and can be reapplied every couple of years for added protection.

Here's a nice blurry before of where I started after the construction and staining the top.   I can't believe this is the only before I took, but there you have it.

The inspiration for this came out of an old Better Homes and Garden magazine I had.  Don't know which issue as I often just tear out a page when I see something I like.  I wish I knew who to credit the original design to.  If you know, let me know, ya know?!

Hope you had a great 4th of July, now get out there and enjoy the rest of the month because it is going to fly by!  This piece will be available at the Prairie Market Sale, which is in less than 2 weeks!!

The DIY Paint and finishes can be purchased in Booth 43 at the Brass Armadillo or from my affiliate link posted in the upper right hand corner of my blog or by following this link and shopping from both DIY Paint and Heirloom Traditions Paint and products.  Have fun being creative!
Deb

Posh Vanity

Now this is a fun and easy process, but it does require some patience or a night when you are going to be up until 2:00 A.M. anyway so you might as well be removing paper from a vanity.  Good thing I had one of those nights!

I'd say it was worth staying up late for this result wouldn't you?  DIY Paint's Crystal Clear Liquid Patina is a wonderful Transfer Medium in addition to being a sealant.  I practiced on a much smaller piece first and when I achieved success had my poster of fancy ladies all ready to go.  Here are the details:  1.  Paint your piece first, mine is painted in Vintage Linen over Prairie Gray.  2.  Distress and seal your entire piece in Liquid Patina.  (You may seal the main body in wax or the Dark and Decrepit  Liquid Patina if you are wanting a more aged appearance, but the surface for the transfer should be sealed in the clear patina.)  3.  Once dry, measure and cut out your poster/paper.  Give it a generous coat of Liquid Patina ON THE PRINTED SIDE.  Immediately lay this coated side down on your surface and with a brayer smooth it out, removing all bubbles.  You may need to wipe up any patina that squirts out from under so check the edges once you are finished smoothing it.  Then walk away from it.  Really.  Don't get in a hurry to remove the paper.

4.  I gave mine a good 12 hours to dry and set itself before I started removing the paper backing.  To do this have a spray water bottle handy.  Spritz and gently rub your fingers over the wet area until the paper begins to roll up.  Then rub and rub and rub until you get all the paper off.  It will take some time or patience so good music or a nice long movie is helpful.   5.  When it first dries it may have quite a haze.  That is either more paper or more likely the dried on liquid patina.  So keep spritzing, rubbing off the patina (you can feel it on your ultra sensitive fingertips)until you feel the super smooth finish.  I kept a soft rag handy to wipe off the patina as it softened and balled up.  This last part takes some time.  6.  Once you have removed, gently, all the patina and paper residue let it dry.  It might not be crystal clear, but it is not super hazy any longer.  There may be some parts that no matter how gentle you might have been did not transfer.  I lost one of the ladies' hat.  If you have painted your piece in a color that will blend into the background this helps hide those spots.  It also helps that my poster print was of a Monet style painting where details were not sharp and clear to begin with.  More forgiving.  7.  Once your piece is dried seal it.  I sealed with the Clear Patina.   I actually did 4 very thin coats and I changed direction, horizontal to vertical, to create a linen or canvas effect.  For a more durable water resistant finish I topped it all off with 2 coats of Aqua Clear, the Heirloom Traditions top coat that I am LOVING!

I chose to line the drawer with some fun paper, added a new fashion forward knob on the drawer and covered the bench seat in a fabric that I found that mimicked the colors in the poster.  TaDa!  A fun transformation!
In the upper right hand corner is a Shop DIY Paint with a red 'affiliate link' button under it.  This will take you to my online shop within Heirloom Traditions.  You can find the Paints and Crystal Clear Liquid Patina within the shop.  And better yet, they have packaged a product for those who are only looking for a Transfer Medium under the "Sealers & Additives" section called 1 Gel Instant Transfer Medium & Decopauge!  There are also other great products that might interest you creatively!

Have a super week!

Linking this up to these parties:

To Learn Something New

It always seems like a good idea.  You know, learning something new for my business, until it comes down to crunch time anyway.  I have two chairs, and no before photo so use your imaginations please, with rush seats.  The seats were a bit worse for wear if you know what I mean, but otherwise the chairs were in perfect condition.  Sometimes I feel the need for explaining why I would even buy some of what I buy.  Anyhow, with preps madly under way for Prairie Market (mark your calendars now!), I just kept pushing them back because I knew what dealing with them meant.  Yup, tackling something I had never done before.  And sometimes you just have to decide, do I really WANT to learn something new this week or not.  Obviously I chose not to tackle this right now.  No Thank You!  I will someday, but not this time around.  So then what to do with 2 chairs with less than desirable seats?  Make a bench of course!

And with the Mr.'s help that's just what we did.  I think I like it more than I would have with 2 new chairs.

It is so sturdy with those nice big bolts anchoring it down.  Wouldn't it be cute in a mud room, or for a pop of color on a grand front porch?

It is finished in a color called Peacock and a product from Heirloom Traditions called Aqua Clear.  Heirloom Traditions is the parent company and manufacturer for Debi's Design Diary DIY Paint that I retail.  I can not tell you how much respect and love I have for Paula at HT and Debi at DIY Paint.  They are both so forward thinking and kind and respectful and I could go on forever.  I am able to retail some HT products in my booth and I will be adding Aqua Clear for sure with my next order.  I wanted to work with it before I offered it to you so I could help you with your projects.  I LOVE it a lot.  It is a water resistant finish, not water proof (so don't go putting my bench out in the middle of your rose bed in the rain).  But a covered porch should be just great!

So here is another lovely offering for the Prairie Market sale on July 17 & 18 in Gretna at the Big Red Barn by the Middle school.  We are all working feverishly to finish up some great products for you.  I tell you, we are really going outside the box with some creative endeavors this year.  You need to mark your calendars.  While you are at it, you can follow me on Facebook by pushing that handy little "F" button on the sidebar.  And though there is no button for it (because I never thought I would join) you can also follow me on Instagram (TWICENICEFURNITURE), and Prairie Market is also on Facebook with lots of pre-sale photos (Prairie Market Gals) and you should follow that too!  I will stop because I am starting to sound bossy again.

Have a super weekend!  It's almost here so hang on!
Deb

Inspiration

Inspiration comes from many places, and sometimes out of the blue.  I got a really good deal on a nice, clean mid-century modern blond oak dresser.  They don't seem terribly popular, go figure.
Here it is in it's before glory.

A little rough and a lot plain jane.  It would have worked for another subway dresser I told myself.  I could try some really fun transfer graphic on it I thought.  I just could not get going though.  A cold start and just no get up and go when it came to this piece.  I was not inspired to do much of anything with it, and nearly took it off to re-donate.  So I worked on other projects and shoved it in the corner.
Then it hit me.....

This rather funky (and off-season) oil cloth that I use for a drop cloth on my work table caught my imagination.  Houndstooth.  I even had a houndstooth stencil.  And so the rather plain mid-century dresser got 'all dressed up' and is ready for an official release.

She's classic, she's clean, she's still got a bit of that 50's sass because she's sporting some snappy houndstooth.  You know, in their bland blond state these dressers are so unappealing.  But if you put some color on them, shazam!  They are great canvas' for some pretty creative moments.  The storage is fabulous in this piece.  The drawers are solid, dove-tailed, clean and deep.

Dizzy, I'm so dizzy my head is spinning'... It really does make you dizzy.  And if I'm honest I was extremely happy when I painted that last row.  Just keepin' it real...

And just so I don't cause any permanent eye damage I kept it solid on the sides and top.  You are welcome!

All DIY Paint products:  Black Velvet and Beadboard, paints.  I did not prime, but I tested for tannin bleed through and decided to clear seal the wood prior to painting to avoid the wood tannins from seeping up.  I used Heirloom Traditions Aqua Clear in Satin to seal.  This was a new to me product, but man I do believe I am going to love this.

Have a wonderful week friends!
Deb

You can find DIY Paint in my booth #43, at The Brass Armadillo in Omaha, or shop online from my affiliate link.