Awww Shucks!

Nikki at A Kreative Knack gifted me with a very fine award today.  Nikki's blog is chock full of wonderful projects.  I'm rather partial to her zebra dresser, but I also really appreciate her awesome upholstery pieces!  Go check her out.


The word Liebster is a german word meaning "favorite" and the award is designed to recognize and promote blogs that have less than 200 followers, aaaaaaaand there's 5 rules that go along with it:
1 Thank the person that gave it to you. Thanks a Buch Nikki!
2 Link back to their blog
3 Put the award in your blog
4 Present the award to 3-5 blogs with less than 200 followers
5 Leave a comment to let those blogs know that you've recognized their awesomeness!
Here are a few blogs I am enjoying right now, and I feel deserve this award...Check em out and show some love!
These ladies are some of my hometown buddies and business partners.  They are awesomely talented ladies and dear friends.  Enjoy!
Kathleen athttp://karymade.blogspot.com/
Suzanne athttp://www.srobinsnest.com/
Tammy at http://theprairiepixie.blogspot.com/
(I'm hoping we can entice Tammy into posting again soon, so fill up her comment box with some encouragment!! ;-) )

Enjoying an early Spring day, hope you are too!
Deb

Double the Fun

Do you know how many "double" title ideas I went through?  A bunch I tell you, but for some reason I kept coming up with a way that they could have been taken wrong and I don't want THAT kind of traffic coming to my blog expecting something very different!  This is what I do have, two side tables, finished. 

I stumbled across a set of side tables and a matching coffee table.  The coffee table is still in process, but I thought I'd show you these cottagey cuties.

These are solid oak and have a certain rustic feel with the paneled type top.  Actually I first thought "Beachy", but let's face reality here.  I live in a totally land locked state smack dab in the center of the country.  And while we do have some lakes and lake houses (lucky ducks!), there just isn't normally much demand for true beach themed furniture.  Sad, but true.  However, we do have cottages, and decorated with a cottage theme is definitely here too.  Voila`, a nice rustic side table with a french graphic in the center.

At 26 inches diameter these are a perfect lamp table, but would also work nicely in a bedroom as a nightstand, or even in the center of an entry hall as a drop zone table.  They ar painted in AS Old White, lightly distressed, and the graphic is a lovely bee with an oak and tulip garland wrapped up nicely with a bow. 

Graphics from The Graphic Fairy, and the pattern was applied with the pencil transfer method and then finished with a permanent fine, .05 and .01, marker.  One thing I would always recommend is to test ahead of time your marker on a scrap piece of painted wood to make sure that it will not smear when you are applying whatever finish you desire.  I found that my paint pens smeared, a sharpie did not and my Perma pens did not, but always, always test yours first independent of my tests.  I applied 3 coats of Minwax furniture paste wax to the top and the rest of the table was also given 2 coats. 

If you look closely you can see that the oak grain definitely shows through on these tables.  I'm totally down with that.  I think it gives it a great deal of character.  I should have the coffee table up for a quick post later in the week, and then I'm off to find something I can use some color on!!  I'm feeling the need for a break from the neutrals for a bit. 

Have a super week!
Deb
linking to:
http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2012/03/piece-of-work-wednesday-furniture-link.html

Classic

Good Monday everyone!  Hope your weekend was blessed with wonderful people, pleasant weather, and fun activities. 

I have a fun finish from the weekend to share today.  This piece served as a desk for us for a time, and just never really fit in after we moved.  I finally decided it was time to freshen it up and let it move away...well at least I can hope it will find a new home. 

The Harlequin pattern isn't something new.  You can find it all over blog land and Pinterest.  While this desk has a lot going for it already, this large top needed something special.

I love the effect this pattern gives on the desk top.  It just says classic to me.  I will say it is not exactly simple, but I found several really good tutorials and tools out there to help you figure out your measurements.  I did look them over and knew they were there, and then just threw caution to the wind and winged it.  Wonder where I got that from?  (Mom!)

Lucky for me it mostly turned out!  The desk is painted in Annie Sloan French Linen.  The harlequin design was painted on with a metallic silver leaf paint.  I did pretty heavily distress it because I didn't want it to be in your face silver.  I wanted almost a tone on tone appearance, but with a bit of shimmer.

The desk had pretty details like these corner rosettes.

Gratuitous leg shot!

While I love the color of French Linen I thought it needed a little pop of color somewhere.  I had these turquoise knobs on hand and decided they would be a perfect addition.  What do you think?  I also was really drooling to run to Anthropologie and pick up the Mercury glass knobs.  Hmmm.  I'll ponder this for a bit I think.  For now, I'm happy.

Here she is ready for that laptop or iPad.  The perfect size for a living room office or sofa table.  She'd also be perfect in an entry hall with a gorgeous piece of art or mirror behind her and place to set the mail and drop the keys.

Boy do I love pieces that are so versatile!  The sun is shining so that's a bonus and we're off to a great start to the week!  Have a good one!

Deb
Linking to:
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/2012/02/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-8.html
http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2012/02/piece-of-work-wednesday-furniture-link_28.html
http://chattychics.com/2012/02/28/need-inspiration-wild-wednesday-5/
http://missmustardseed.com/2012/03/furniture-feature-friday-a-link-party-2/

When Your Number Is Up...

In my previous post I talked about my thing for furniture legs.  It nearly always starts with the legs.  Like a Siren's call...  Sorry, about the before picture, but at least there is one!  I had already started to work on this when I remembered.  Imagine it upright with a piece of glass where you see the cutout.

I am so thankful legs don't speak to everyone.  That way they are still there for me to get my greedy little hands on!  This is another thrifty find.  A playful puppy had it's way with a corner.  There were some scratches and dings.  Interesting thing, I also kind of like dings and scratches.  They give a piece some character.  This one had character in abundance.  Just look...

Sorry, I was losing my light for these pictures so I may have to redo some soon. The paint color is Annie Sloan's Old Ochre and finished with light wax only after some light distressing.   I could hardly wait for this reveal.  You see, when your number is up it's up!

How many times have I passed up on a coffee table because of the glass top and I wanted all wood, yadda, yadda, yadda?  Well, no more!  I loved those legs so much that the glass top was kind of an afterthought.  The glass was in pretty good shape though, only some light wear and tear, no chips, no huge imperfections.  My plan was to immulate those great "numbered" coffee tables/desk tops I've seen out there.  Only mine would be achieved with the help of some etching creme.  This is a during photo.  I wish I had thought to take a true tutorial photo shoot on this one.  I used my Silhouette to create some vinyl numbers in a variety of sizes and fonts.  Adhered them to the glass and 5 minutes under the etching creme, a good rinse,  and voila'!  And if I were to do it over I would have reversed the numbers on my vinyl and used the etching creme on the underside.  Duhhhh moment!

After peeling off all the numbers this is what I was left with.  I have to say that I am so very, very pleased with this coffee table.  It will be a nice conversation piece in a family room somewhere.  I believe in my previous post I also alluded to the seperation anxiety I feel when some of my furniture leaves me.  This will be a tuffy!

It might even push me over the top.

Come back again soon!
Deb
Linking up to: 
http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2012/02/piece-of-work-wednesday-furniture-link_21.html
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/2012/02/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-7.html
http://missmustardseed.com/2012/02/furniture-feature-friday-a-feature-a-link-party/

Odds and Ends

Just a quick update post on a new finish and end table that will be listed for sale right away.
We found this nice sized End Table at a local Thrift Store and loved the details on it.  Here is the "before" photo that I actually remember to take.  Yeah me!

Confession time...I have a weird obsession with furniture legs.  I love all styles, but chunky, turned legs catch my attention all the time.  It's usually the first thing I notice about furniture.  Then there is the cool basket weave detail on the leg tops and drawer front.  Mmmmmhmmmm.

I am really enjoying AS's chalk paint in French Linen, but for some reason I feel the need to pair it with something else.  This time I used Duck Egg as my base coat and then dry brushed on the French Linen.  I finished it off with light and dark wax used pretty heavy handed and also distressed it quite a bit.    Here are photos of the finished product.



This table top measures 26x27 and is a great height.  That's the way I like my lamp tables, and my rule for buying furniture is that I have to really like it, because if it never sells it will be finding a place in my home somewhere!  Unfortunately that can lead to some serious seperation anxiety from time to time.

I used the same fabric I had purchased for the chess table in this piece.  I was able to reuse the original pull.  The color worked great and I like the simple style.

Isn't that basket weave nice?

I'm off to work on another neat-o coffee table I stumbled upon a couple of weeks ago.  I'm bingeing right now on coffee tables and End tables?  6 months ago it was buffets, go figure.

Hope you all have a delightful, safe, and blessed weekend!
Deb

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone is having a SWEET Valentine's Day so far!  Nothing like a little chocolate for breakfast right?  What?  Everyone doesn't do that?!

 This double heart wooden bowl was a fun GW find a while back.  I used some chalkboard paint inside so I can change out the messages. 

A while back my parents showed up with a little gift for me.

This was my Dad's when he was little.  A way to practice spelling and on the back a way to practice basic math skills.  I "heart" this! 



I keep it out on a shelf and change the message seasonally.  Right now it's beside my Mom's old marbles in the gum ball machine. 

Happy Valentine's Day! 
Love, Deb

Checkmate

Now if I were really clever, or well rested...whatever, I would have had the Queen up here when I did the photos for this post.  But I hadn't thought of the title at that point, and I didn't drag up all the pieces, and, and, and.  Gads I'm tired today!

Anyway, I bought this table at a thrift store after having been on the lookout for a small coffee table that might make a cute chess table.  This one really fit the bill.  Square, quality made, good condition, recessed top, perfectly square 24x24 recessed top.  Which makes all that math so nice and easy when you need to create a chess/checkerboard top!  Whew, what a break.  It took me forever, mostly because I hemmed and hawed about color.

I ended up using Annie Sloan's French Linen as a top coat and based it in Annie Sloan's Arles.  I knew that I wanted to distress it back and really let an unddercoat show through.  I am loving these two colors together I tell you.

They play nice.  So, lots of tape, a smidge of math, bits of sanding, and both clear and dark wax made it all come together. 

This cute fabric is lining the drawer waiting on it's chess and checker pieces.  Isn't that fun fabric?

I did bling up the wooden handle with some gold Rub n Buff to make it stand out a bit.  This piece had such clean, classic lines I think it worked perfectly for my chess table plans.  I see many a game night in it's future! 

Thanks for stopping by, more coffee table and side table finishes to come!
Have a super weekend!
Deb
Linked to:
http://missmustardseed.com/2012/02/furniture-feature-friday-a-link-party/
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/2012/02/features-and-be-inspired-link-party-6.html
http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2012/02/piece-of-work-wednesday-furniture-link_14.html