Front Porch Coziness

I was so excited when I walked into the Goodwill store and saw two awesome rocking chairs! They were not a matched pair, but very similar. They needed some TLC, but I knew I had to get them :)

This is how they looked when I brought them home. Not bad.....just blah. They were loose and needed some glue. The paint was a little chippy (not in a good shabby chic way). They reminded me of how worn out and tired all of my flower beds are. It is blistering hot and very dry and everything is a poor pale version of its usual self. My solution? RED! Fabulous, brilliant, happy red. Oh and some vibrant floral throw pillows! What do you think?

Love, love, love them! If your porch could use a little color they are at Antiques on the Prairie in downtown Baldwin City.
See you soon! ~Christy

French Chest Salvation

It was a happy day when Stan from Antiques on the Prairie called to let me know there was a piece out in front of the shop that I might be interested in. He does this from time to time when something comes in that needs a little(or a lot)of TLC. :) I drove up there and was thrilled to see a French style chest of drawers! It was rough, but I loved it!

The bottom of the chest was warped and one of the legs was no longer attached. The veneer on the drawers was peeling off. It was tired, sad, and in need of salvation!

Time to get out the glue, clamps, and paint scraper! I put a new piece of 3/4" finish grade wood in the bottom. I glued and clamped the whole thing back together and scraped all that peeling veneer from the drawer faces. Then it was time to sand and do the "pretty" work. I decided to go with a color that my friend Sarah (www.outcreatingdesigns.com) recommended. It is Provence from Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I figured a French style chest needed a French inspired color! Let me tell you these pictures do not do the color justice. It is so much richer and vibrant in person!

I did my standard treatment of paint, distress, and wax. I painted the original hardware in oil rubbed bronze spray paint. The result.......Fabulous! The best part is my lovely next door neighbor Holly watched the salvation process and snatched it up for her living room! Now I can go visit it whenever I want :) See you soon! ~Christy

More Custom Work!

I was contacted about six weeks ago by a friend who was needing some upholstery work done on a bench that she purchased at a garage sale. I said "sure!", and she brought it right over. It was very cute but extremely dated. Here is what it looked like :)

Such a cute shape and in excellent condition! I carefully removed the fabric so I could use the pieces as patterns.  Kasey(bench owner)  brought me some great fabric that she chose out. I painted the legs brown to match a color in the fabric. Then the pieces were cut and it was reassembled like a puzzle :)  I think the end result is fabulous! More importantly so does Kasey!  Here it is......

Isn't that fabric to die for?! So cute!! I can't wait to show you more of my latest work! 
See you soon ~ Christy

Custom Chairs For a Friend

Hey! Have you all been staying cool? It has been hard lately that's for sure! I have been trying to work on as many indoor projects as possible these days. Painting has to occur in the morning or evening when we get a slight break in temperatures :)
I just finished two chairs for my friend Amy. One she picked up at a yard sale, and one I rescued from the trash. They were great chairs in need of some TLC.

This is the trash rescue chair. It is a rocking chair. So cute!

This is the yard sale chair. What a great chair! I love the shape!
They both received a coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. They were distressed and waxed.

Then came the upholstery. Amy chose a great stripe fabric and we paired it with some throw pillows in a coordinating floral. Just a little feminine touch :)

Fabulous! They were so adorable when I was done with them :) Amy loved them too! Off they went to their new home :)
Next on the agenda is a custom bench project and then some big cabinets! Can't wait!!
See you soon ~Christy