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

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