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!

Racing toward the Finish Line!!!

Well you didn't think I'd left you hanging here for no good reason did you?!  In addition to nursing a sinus infection for the entire month of September, I have been diligently working in the workshop.  Like an elf, or Rumpelstiltskin, or something along those lines.  All of us have self-imposed expectations of what we wanted to have ready to go.  We'll get there, and the world will continue to spin if that last table doesn't get painted or wreath doesn't get glued up.  But I will say that, from what I have heard from the ladies, THE PRAIRIE MARKET, is going to be packed to the gills with goodies.  Do stop by!

Here are some recent finishes of mine.  Just not sure I can part with that buffet...But if I can't then there will be another one for sale instead.  There that will make someone happy!

See anything you might like?  Don't forget, October 12 & 13th.  The info. is on the side bar and up on the top buttons.

And for some more immediate fun, NJ & Co. is hosting another Ladies Night Out with food and beverages on Thursday.  They will be open until 8:00 for shopping.  I just put some new pieces in up there, and the other ladies are getting in a ton of new Fall items!  There is some seriously gorgeous stuff in the shop right now!  Tell them Debbie sent you!

Hope you all are enjoying the gorgeous Fall weather!
Deb

Some Zinc on the side

Earlier this summer I saw a piece at The Salvage Collection that very much appealed to me.  Amy is a very creative soul and I love following her blog and seeing how she transforms her pieces.  In other words, "she's a GENIOUS"!  You definitely need to hop over there for a visit if you have never been before.  In addition to being very creative, she is an extremely witty writer.  In the link above she created a "faux Zinc" technique on a pretty chest.  I fell in love with the idea of trying it out.  And with her blessing, and following her tutorial I finally found a piece to try it out on.

 

 

TA DA!

 

It is a very simple process really.  And that's what I like...simple process, big results.

I'll let you check out Amy's blog for the steps, but I will say that Annie Sloan's Graphite works beautifully for your base coat.

I just love that subtle shimmer.

 

 

My Zinc attempt is not quite as bright and light as Amy's but I am overall very pleased with the results.  I may or may not go back over it again to lighten it up.  I also love that any flaws in the finish only add to the texture of the process.

I finished my side table off with some square mercury glass knobs, which I have been dying to use on the right piece.

 

I definitely would love to make another Zinc piece like this for my home.  Thank you so much Amy for sharing your talents with us!

 

A huge Thank you to Crafty in Canada for nominating me for a "One Lovely Blog" award!!

I've been remiss in passing on the award, but know that I am truly grateful and feel blessed to have been chosen.  I can give you the 7 things about me though!

 

1.  Being married to a retired Army officer leaves me still feeling the itch to move every couple of years.

2.  I'm the oldest, I can get bossy really fast.

3.  I'm more of a "get er done" gal than a stop and ponder gal.

4.  I make up crazy songs at the drop of a hat.  It now embarrases my teenagers, and makes tasks easier for my almost 7 year old.  Either way it makes me smile more.

5.  I'm a "phase" cooker.  Sometimes I have a LOVE it phase and other times...not so much!

6.  I can not seriously remember a time in my life that I wasn't busy doing something creatively. 

7.  I am quite the "Pollyanna", always have been/always will be.  If you know what that means then you know my age.  If not, then you'll have to check Wikipedia to see what it means. 

 

Have a super week!

Deb

 

Linking to these FANTASTIC parties!:

 







http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2012/09/poww-104-furniture-link-party.html

 

http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/2012/09/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-35.html



Frick & Frack

Are you ready for a pair, a couple, a duo, for Frick & Frack?  They were part of a set that included the 2 dressers and a desk.  I really wanted the desk for Dear Daughter #2.  DD#2 did not need the dressers.  Here is the only "before" photo I can find that I took.  I am really bad about "before" photos. 

To make up for it I try to take lots and lots of "After" photos.

These were nice solid, dove tailed backs of the drawers, clean, pine dressers.  I painted them with Annie Sloan's Versailles Chalk Paint.  Distressed the edges and applied a finish of paste wax.  I am very pleased with the way they turned out, and hope they find a lovely new home. 

Sorry about the photos on the furniture pallets, but I couldn't be patient enough to wait for the Mr. to get home from work.  My wonderful Mr. built these so that I could move the larger pieces of furniture about the workroom by myself.  Isn't he just a genius?!  And all mine, lucky me!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Deb

Mixing it up with Versailles!

Hope everyone had a perfect 4th of July!  Grandparents pried all 3 kiddos (who were blessedly unscheduled for a change) off of our pant legs for a nice long weekend visit.  They all returned for BBQ and fireworks on Monday.  Everyone had a wonderful time!

It's amazing what you can get accomplished without having to stop and fix a meal, taxi someone somewhere, solve a problem, referee a disagreement, etc. You know what I mean if you still have shelf shifters at home!  I spent a lot of time out in my workshop working with the Mr. who was lending me his amazing "I can make that drawer close properly" skills.  Then he'd take me out to dinner!  Perfect and Even Better!

One of the pieces that I tackled this weekend was a cute little desk/side table.  Sorry, I spaced out taking a before.  It was in pretty decent shape, but it looked like it had been dipped in polycrylic.  LOTS of sanding people! I had pulled out my Versailles Chalk paint and decided that I wanted to brighten it up just a little bit.  I was planning on doing a lot of drybrushing over some dark stain for a super chippy kind of look.  I poured off a bit of the Versailles and added in a few dollops of duck egg blue.  Here's the end result.

I really like the color and think I  need to play around with mixing more of the chalk paint colors to expand that pallet.  The Mr. is less fond of the "prim" look of this piece than I am.  I look hard to find pieces like this when I go antiquing!  It's not for everyone, but there's a secret part of me that would love a really old primitive cabin  somewhere to decorate.  Hopefully someone else will love it and need it to complete their home!  The top was revived with a fresh coat of Dark Walnut and protected with Minwax Antique Oil Finish.  Gives it a nice hard, hand rubbed finish.

Isn't it rustic?  Do you like to mix styles and throw in some primitive looking pieces with your more traditional or modern ones? 

So, how about it, have you been mixing chalk paint colors to create varying shades or brand new colors?  I'd love to hear about your experiences with it if you have!

I'm linking up with Primitive & Proper's http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2011/07/piece-of-work-wednesday-furniture-link.html    

Hope to see your projects there too!

Have a super day!

Deb

Madam Blueberry

Some people name their furniture, I sing to mine.  Anyone recognize an old Veggie Tales song?  It's weird, I know, sorry.

Anyway, I scored a great deal on Monday at Goodwill with my friend Kirstin.  Shhhh...she took me to her super secret special Goodwill.  It was a crazy good day and good for lots of laughs too!  Thanks Kirstin.  At any rate I found a chair, FINALLY, that looked like something I could reupholster for myself.  The guy said "The wheel falls off, you want it?"  Um, yep, I can work with that.  Off I go with my shopping cart full of my kind of goodies towing a 3 wheeled chair behind me.  And you want to know what I paid for my slightly gimpy chair?  $1.97.  How cool is that?!  I almost forgot to take a before photo, but my wanna-be photographer middle daughter reminded me 1/2 way through a 1st coat.  So here she is minus all her wheels for now!

This first coat is a special mix of Versailles chalk paint with a tiny dab or duck egg thrown in to brighten it up a bit that I had left over from another project, which by the way I did not sing to.  And if you wonder why I called her Madam Blueberry, it's because my Aubusson chalk paint arrived yesterday and was immediately opened up and applied as a 2nd coat over the versailles mix.  I know, layering paints, it's not something I've done much of on a big project before. It works well though and I may just do a lot more of it!  Here she is

Madam Blueberry....I'm so blue ue ue ue ue ue.....

Some parts were distressed down to bare wood, some down just enough to show the versaille underneath.  I actually had a more traditional fabric I was leaning toward, but that crazy photo shooting child of mine convinced me to go with the "fun" light fabric, and I actually did what she suggested.  Which she would tell you almost NEVER happens.  I love it.  Madam Blueberry is going to live with us I believe.  She may or may not get new wheels. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing this piece, and will come back to see many more of my projects, most of which are looking for new homes!  I'm linking up to Miss Mustard Seed's Friday Furniture Features.  I may or may not be able to grab her button to show that, but you can find her link on my blog list so please do visit her.  She does marvelous things!

http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2011/06/furniture-feature-friday-favoritse-link.html

and  Perfectly Imperfect, one of my other very, very favorites for all things furniture!http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/2011/06/all-things-furniture-features-linky-party-2.html

Happy 4th everyone!

Deb

Whistle while you work

Isn't that just about the corniest title you've ever heard?!  Sorry, just having some brain freezing moments today and couldn't do any better than that.  But, if I do say so myself, this desk would quite possibly be worth a whistle or two. 

She has nice legs after all. 

Storage possibilities...

and more storage possibilities.

A gorgeous newly stained top on a beautiful vintage meets new desk! 

Sorry for the poorly staged, well really not staged at all photos.  I've been sick and I ran out of room inside to get a great staged shot.  I'll have to work on that.  The desk is painted in Duck Egg Chalk paint, then dry brushed with Old White.  It's been distressed and waxed and buffed to create a lovely effect.  The top has two coats of poly for some added protection. 

Hope you like it.  I think it turned out well and will serve as a beautiful work station for some lucky person.  It is for sale in the greater Omaha area.  Contact me if you are interested!

I'm going to attempt to link this up a Miss Mustard Seed's Friday Furniture Party!

Have a great weekend!

Deb

****My Post below, "Yee Haw" was featured on Primitive & Proper!!  Wow, I am so honored!  Thanks Cassie!  Cassie does some amazing work, and is kind enough to host a weekly link party that is chuck full of inspiration.

http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2011/06/poww-faves-and-shabby-apple-giveaway.html

A Little Sweet

Some great things come in small packages.  This sweet little nightstand/end table is not old, but it was very well constructed and a wonderful size for any room in the house.  I also really, really needed something to try my Old White Chalk Paint on.  Here is the before picture.

Not a single thing really wrong with it.  Pretty, hefty hardware, nice solid oak, 3 working felt lined drawers. Here she is after 2 coats of Old White, a bit of distressing, and a coat of clear wax.  

Here's the close up view.

I think what I love the most about chalk paint is the way it feels after sanding between coats and distressing. It's just like BUTTA baby!  So soft and velvety  to the touch.  A good wax will protect her from the normal uses and traumas of everyday life.  I would love to keep this one, sigh, I really do have an issue with becoming too attached.  However, she will be looking for her new home .  If you live near Omaha shoot me an email and I'll be happy to send you all the particulars on this piece or any of the above posted pieces.  Thanks for visiting today and have a super fun weekend!

Deb