The Dump

Sometimes I have wondered if I should just set up a little stand right outside the dump where I could look over the contents of trucks entering and save a few old beauties before they finish their last ride. The Mr. and I were at a local thrift store a while back and found, and walked away from, a vintage dresser many times.  It seemed a bit over priced considering the top was totally warped and separated from the frame a good inch in both the front and the back.  Now replacing a top does not always throw us off, but this was a Waterfall style.  Rebuilding that kind of curve could take some time and skills.  It didn't help that the mirror obviously didn't go with it and the veneer was covered, interestingly enough, in a sheet of cork glued down.  But as I looked more closely at the body of this baby it wasn't too bad, a few chips out of drawer veneers, normal scratches for it's age, pretty carved wood detailing, and all original hardware intact.  The manager saw us and told us it had been there for a while and she was about ready to send it on to the dump.  We made an offer, and she countered with a lower offer when we said we'd give her the mirror to sell separately.  And we left determined to figure out what to do with that top!

Here is what it looked like after stripping off the cork and two layers of veneer.

Nice concave top huh?!  The Mr., who must be a frustrated engineer deep inside, decided he would tackle this problem and totally ignored my brilliant ideas.   But that's OK, by adding some cleats and drawing the curved ends downward by screwing them in from underneath he made it almost level again.  Want to know why almost?  Because when the front and the back came down then all the pressure to "change" moved to the center.  Do you know what old wood sounds like when it finally gives up to the pressure to move?  A loud gunshot is what!  Scared the crud out of me, and hello new crack down the middle of the dresser top.  At this point we could have purchased some new veneer and attached it, but that old wood was never going to be perfectly flat on the top so we opted to sand off any splinters from the split (ha!) and go with the rustic look.  Now my fun begins!

I opted to use a technique my friend Deb from Lake Girl Paints has shown in tutorials on her blog.  Deb is a brilliant, and generous, artist who has used this technique on a lot of her pieces and shows step by step the process she uses.  Please go visit her site and check out her projects where she shows you exactly how to use this on your own projects.  Deb Hrabik is AMAZING!

I forgot to take a photo after the red first coat, but as you can see I decided to partially disguise the flaws in this piece by creating layer upon layer of paint.  I didn't use a brush until the end.  Want to see what I was using?

Folded card stock and a process that Deb describes as dip and drag.  Can you see those cracks in the top?  We are celebrating those baby!

Here is the 3rd coat drying.  I might have over covered a bit with this coat, but that's OK.  This is a very freeing project where there aren't many rules...just lots of coats!  So far I have used Fireworks Red, Born on the 4th of July, and Smoke Signal.  My final coat was Waistcoat, a retired APC color that I just love.

After a combination of sanded and wet distressing you can see some of all the old colors I layers on peeking through.  It looks old and rustic and added over time.

Dark wax really tones down the intensity of Waistcoat.

See the pretty little Art Deco trim.

And this hardware, oh my.  This photo really shows the texture you can create with the dip and drag technique.

I'm pleased with how this one turned out.  The Mr. even asked if I really wanted to throw a price tag on this piece.  We'll see...

Have a super week everyone!
Deb

Belated Christmas Wish & a Peek into 2015

Merry Christmas friends (if any of you are still around)!  I hope you had a time of creating beautiful memories with those you love!

I would apologize for the long break in posts, but honestly it was just what I needed at the time.  Some of you may have jumped over to Facebook to find out what I was up to, and if you haven't you need to find the link in the sidebar and visit and like away!  I'm also learning to use Instagram with the help of my teenage 'assistants'.  Technology and I are determined to be friends at some point.  

Twice Nice Furniture had a marvelous 2014 with the annual Prairie Market Sale in October, quickly followed by Junk Stock two weeks later.  That was a busy, but rewarding month.  November and December were devoted to my family and friends.  A couple years ago my word of the year was "Balance" and I really do need to keep that one up on my bulletin board permanently.  It is easy to get lost in a lot of this as you try to build a business and/or brand.  Not that I'm aiming for the top of that ladder like some of the super successful  DIY Ladies out there...Salute!, just make my mark in my tiny little part of the world.  

Selling the APC paint line and teaching classes has been so very rewarding.  I now carry a line of brushes, Vintiquities, which are fabulous with Clay/Chalk/Mineral based paints.  The wax brushes are fabulous too!  My booth at the Brass Armadillo, Omaha continues to do well as a place for people to find my paints.   We continue to explore our options and growth will most likely be in baby steps, but you never know what new opportunities may present themselves.  

I hope to have more news and some photos of some finished products back up here again soon.  I promise it won't be 2 months before my next post.  I feel recharged and ready to get back into this world of Blogs and Facebook, and Instagram (heaven help me)!  Join me in all or any of these places, it should be a fun ride!

Enjoy your family, count your blessings, and dream big for the upcoming year!

Deb

Twice Nice Paint Store is Open!!

It still needs more fluffing and more beautifying, but the Twice Nice booth at the Brass Armadillo with the American Paint Company paints is officially stocked and open! Woo!

A few more colors are being shipped so the complete line will be here by the end of the week.  I've also got a few of the limited edition Ellis Collection is on it's way also.  I absolutely love the Ellis Collection colors and am hoping some of them will find their way to the permanent line.  They will be in pint containers perfect for smaller projects.  

Thanks to my entire family for trooping in last night and helping with the move and unpacking to get me set up and ready to go!  Love you guys!

I feel incredibly blessed with this opportunity, and I can not wait to start hosting some workshops and introducing this paint line to those who love DIY as much as I do.  Be watching for a posting with class descriptions and dates soon.

Some of the colors you see in this photo are (left to right) Desert Cactus over Waistcoat on far left table, Rushmore with stripes of Limoges, Crushed Tea, Waistcoat and Peacock on the dresser.  On top of the dresser a small file box with Liberty and Dark wax, a red tote box with Fireworks Red over Desert Cactus, the large cabinet is Amber Waves of Grain with Freedom Road on the inside, the pedestal bowl is Nana's cupboard, the mirror is Coral Reef, and then a custom mix of Blue Jeans and Navajo White over Navajo White on the dresser to the right.  

Please let me know if I can help you with any of your paint product needs!  Thanks for the support!

Deb

Oldies but Goodies

I think this title could also be referring to the different "Throw Back Thursday" Music groups I heard on talk shows today while I painted.  I mean Hall and Oats and REO Speedwagon all in one day!  At first when I heard them I was too busy painting to look up, and then when I did I was almost sorry.  They don't look like they used to, of course I don't look like I did when I used to listen to them either.  I just don't need the reminder if you know  what I mean.

Now let's transition right on over to another oldie but goodie.  I scored a nice sturdy fairly plain oak dresser not long ago.  It had such simple lines that it kind of begged for some form of embellishment.
Graphics? Stencil? Subway Art? In the end I honored the simplicity with some simple stripes in some gorgeous colors.

This entire pallet of paint colors is from American Paint Company line of paints.  The main body color is Rushmore.  I love this warm gray/taupe color.  This color goes with nearly everything.

The outside light color is Limoges,  part of APC's limited edition Ellis Island collection.  I love so many of these I hope to see them added to the main line!  The green is Waistcoat, a gorgeous chartreuse green.  The thin line is Tea Leaves and the large center stripe is Peacock, my favorite.  It is the most spectacular rich color!

The top was full of water stains which fortunately we were able to sand down.  A little dark stain and some antique oil and this baby is looking pretty again.

Don't these pretty little wood tone  knobs look sweet with this dresser?  With this close up you can see why I like these colors so much.

I think I definitely like simple pieces once in a while.  They are so very satisfying.

I'm knee deep in a large custom hutch right now.  It's coming along beautifully and I'll hopefully snag some photos before it goes back to its home when finished.

Have a great end of the week!

Deb

Linking to:

Senior Year & stencil fun!

My oldest is a Senior in High School this year.  And yes, I am slightly freaked out by that!  It is both an exciting time in their lives and a nostalgic time in their parents lives.  Anyhow, just so you know I am a bit scattered right now with all those "last" this' and thats' for her, while also enjoying the last quarter of the 10th, and 2nd graders' year also with my other 2 kiddos.  Here is a little Prom moment. to share.  I'm definitely biased, but she is just so lovely.

I am so proud of this young woman!  She is just a joy to have around, and I just can't believe how fast the years have flown by.   Next time I'll pick on another child to plop up here in a post.  Love them all!  There are just lots of programs, parties to plan and attend, graduation, and other obligations so if I'm absent a bit for the next couple of months you'll know why.

 I am continuing to work on projects, though not as many and most are client projects that I often have a hard time photographing before they leave.  I do have 2 pieces that have been finished for a while and just waiting for a spare moment to get their 15 minutes of fame on the blog.  This piece has been done for a while and was so much fun to work on.

It's early life was steeped in golden oak, with great lines, and eventually some water damage that caused it to be abandoned at a thrift store.  I'm there for you baby.  I brought her home and worked to level out the raised areas left by the the water damage.  This piece was just for pure fun and I do wish I had taken more close up photos, but it was bitterly cold out at the time.  Don't let that Nebraska sun fool you!  I chose to work with some of the American Paint Company Limited Ellis Island Collection.  There is a haphazard layering of 'Crushed Tea' and 'Peacock' over the entire body.  I finished with a coat of 'Limoge'.  Sanded down a bit to knock off any paint strokes a bit, then wet distressed.  I love how this clay and chalk based paint distresses so easily, and the colors in both the regular line and special collection are fabulous.  I wish you could see the Peacock peeking through the top coat.  

If it hadn't been such a wickedly cold winter I might have tried to get a few more photos.

I broke out one of my new stencils and used the Crushed Tea color to stencil a hounds tooth pattern on top.  I distressed again as I liked that contrast of the more formal styled table taking on a bit of a shabby/rustic style.  3 coats of APC's no odor clear wax finished it all up.  It's finished and ready for someone fun and hip that needs it!

Have a super week!
Deb