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

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.