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

Another Petite and Sweet

How about two in a row that are sweet and petite?  Of course you can handle it!

I forgot the before photo of this one.  But it was just the shell of a small side table/bookshelf in battered brown.  Almost all of my pieces are battered.  The Mr. calls the workshop the shelter for abused furniture.  It was missing it's only shelf too, but not to worry. Viola`.

We made it a new shelf out of one I found floating around the thrift store.  There was nothing wrong with the back of this piece, but I thought it might need a bit of pizazz.  Since I follow Sweet Pickins blog and have watched Shauna's tutorial I gave it my own shot on some cedar boards I had around.

Paper napkins modge lodged on the boards.  Since the boards were new to begin with I lightly sanded off the roughness and gave them a wash of paint in Weathered Wood, one of the new DIY Paint line paints.  Love that color btw!

Is it considered an addiction if I confess that I have since gone out and bought 18 more packages of pretty napkins?  I kid you not.  I just love seeing the wood peek through them.

The colors used for this little sweetie are Vintage Linen and Petticoat Pink.  DIY Paint line of course.
One of my partners in the Prairie Market just finished creating a beautiful dresser in these very same colors for the sale.  Look for both pieces sitting together at the sale.  You could make some young lady very, very happy!!

Happy Hump Day!
Deb

Petite Sweet

There are some pieces that are frequently requested by the ladies who shop our sales, my booth, and the store where I consign some furniture.  Here are some of the descriptors they use, "storage, narrow, petite, versatile, not too wide, smallish, and fun".  They are wanting something for the landing spot in their home, be it near the front door or the back door drop zone, everyone needs something that is non-intrusive to set the keys, purse, or mail on, and to store a few items in.  I am always on the lookout for those types of pieces, which don't seem to grow on trees!

Meet Petite Sweet.

She meets most, if not all, of the descriptors above.  This cute little cabinet was a very lucky find.  She had dings, but was sound and clean.

I love any piece that allows me to store some items out of sight, but within arms reach.  This is narrow enough to serve as a side table between a couple of chairs, or in a small entry hall as a great place to put your purse, add a basket for all the car keys, set the mail down, well you get the idea.  What would you use her for?

Love the pretty lines and details on her.  This color is Gypsy Green, a new DIY Paint color.  I'd say Debi Beard nailed this color perfectly!  Love it!

Why I can't keep all these pieces is beyond me, but the Mr. moved it to the "getting ready for the Prairie Market pile" and told me to slap a price tag on it.  So that's where it will go.  Bummer for me, bonus for you all!

Hope you are having a fun filled Summer!

Deb

We've MOVED!

Well the booth has moved anyway.  The Twice Nice booth at the Brass Armadillo has moved to Utah Avenue, booth 43.  It's where you will find the American Paint Company paints/finishes, and some furniture pieces, and some other cool things I find along the way.  All I have are lousy cell phone photos, but what the hey, I'll show you anyway.

We started with dingy brown walls first thing this morning.  2 hours later we had this.

A nice start.  We placed 2 large book page panels on both ends.  That was a fun project.

Bleh picture!  We made it this far before we decided to call it quits for the day.  Here are some equally awful pictures for you to look at our progress.

Admit it, I make you feel better about your photography skills.  Is it the iPhone or is it me?  I'll need a new phone to know won't I?

Anyway, lots more things to take down for the walls, and a desk to float in the middle and fun, fun, fun!  Stop by and see the booth local folks!  Pick up some paint and find your future project right there in the mall.  Wouldn't the legs on the Gate leg table look great painted?!

If it seems quiet over here, find the Facebook button on my sidebar and visit me there.  I'm getting the hang of it and posting there more frequently.  I can also be found on Instagram.  I KNOW, shocking huh?  Just started over there and I hope to remember to use it frequently ;-).

Have a great weekend!
Deb

It's that time of year again...

  That time when I disappear for weeks at a time as I frantically try to finish some projects for our upcoming Prairie Market Sale!  It is a crazy, fun, mad dash to the finish line.  I never have much time for posting this time of year, but on the upside I will eventually get all these painted finishes out here for you to see.

Here's a quick little post and some eye candy for you to enjoy.

This ginormous chest of drawers was painted in American Paint Colors, Born on the 4th of July, Peacock and Desert Cactus, blended to give it some movement.  The stencil and pulls are straight Born no the 4th of July.

I can not say enough good things about the rich pigmentation of APC's paints.  They are so rich and have so much depth.  I sealed with clear wax, but I think it would have been cool to have added another color mixed in the clear wax to add another layer.  Soon I will have to try that!

Very light distressing this time.

Some pieces are just so easy to do and easy to love.  This was one of those lucky ones that matched exactly what I saw in my mind before I began.

Wishing you that kind of luck this week with your projects!
Deb

A little Boho

Getting things photographed when you are working at warp speed presents a challenge, but I am super excited to show you this next piece.  I've been loving me some stencils lately.  I've also been having some fun mixing paints to make some new colors.

Meet the Bohemian Side Table which isn't quite this orange in person.  I think I amped up the saturation a bit in Pic Monkey.  Anyhoo, this is a sweet Thomasville side table that was worn out and needed some oomph!

I mixed some of American Paint Co.'s Orange Grove with A-Maize-Ing and a little bit of Shining Seas and a drop or two of Fireworks Red and ended up with a color I call Marigold.  It is bright and cheery without being neon.

My stencil color is a pretty Pumpkin mix another APC retailer came up with by mixing Orange Grove with a bit of Saddle.  Brilliant!  I had been wanting to mix a Pumpkin color and I love what she came up with.

Don't you think the stencil and color gives this piece a definite Bohemian vibe!  I love it and wish I could talk one of my kids into a Boho Inspired room!  Maybe one of you will need this for yours?

Have a great weekend!
Deb

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