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

French Chair and Table

I recently did something I have never done before.... I stalked a man with a trailer of cool items and followed him to the Goodwill drop-off. I jumped out of my car and asked him if I could purchase this chair from him before he had a chance to donate it.

It still had his $10 price tag from his garage sale and I paid it happily :) This picture shows it minus the nasty fabric that it came with. I painted the chair in ASCP in Paris Grey. It was then distressed, waxed, and upholstered in drop cloth fabric.

So cute! What a great shape this little chair has! Excellent legs too :)

I paired the chair with a cute little table that was in such BAD shape. There was no way to make it perfect so I just went with the flaws and I think it turned out great!

Here is the before. It was sanded, painted, stenciled, distressed, and waxed to imperfect perfection :)

Fabulous! I just love it! I think they go great together. I am taking them to Market Antiques in Ottawa tomorrow if you feel a burning desire to have them for your very own. ;)

If you find yourself taking a load of treasures to donate keep a watchful eye out for slightly wacky ladies who may just buy it from you! See you soon!    ~Christy

Recent Projects

I wanted to share a couple of projects that I have recently finished. Unfortunately I don't have before pictures :( I hate it when I do that! I just get so excited once the inspiration hits me and I forget that step all together. The first is an old wardrobe that my friend Susie gave to me. They were moving and this piece didn't make the cut. The veneer was peeling badly on the sides and one of the doors was broken, but it was really cute. I replaced the side pieces, glued the door back together, and painted it a warm mustard color. I added a stencil to the doors for interest and some great white and blue porcelain knobs. I love the end result!

The next project is a great old rocker that I found at a flea market in Kansas City. It was in great overall shape, but it needed to be reglued and the cane seat was pretty much gone. I took out the caning and put a new upholstered seat in instead. I chose a colonial style fabric that complimented the chair really well. If this one doesn't sell I will not be sad at all! It would look great in my house :)

That's all for now. The chair is at Market Antiques in Ottawa and the wardrobe is at Antiques on the Prairie in Baldwin City. See you soon!  ~Christy

Summer Craziness!

I always have the best intentions of keeping up with my blog posts, but dog gone it life gets in the way! It should make life easier having the kids home for the summer and what should be a much more relaxed schedule. Well that hasn't been happening! I have been running around like a crazy person and have neglected my blog once again. I have been super busy keeping up with both booths and have finished some really cool projects. First I want to share the after pictures of the "hot mess" I gave you a sneak peek of last time.

The pedestal table base was a trash find and the table top was a Habitat find. I painted the base in ASCP in cream and painted the top a dark walnut color.

I put a couple of trash find chairs, a cool Windsor chair, an upholstered chair, and an upholstered bench with it to make a super cute set that seats six. The chairs were all painted in oregano green to bring all the different styles together. The two upholstered pieces were done in green and tan check. So cottage and fabulous!

It all works well together and makes for a unique and adorable dining room table and chairs. I love it! It is at Antiques on the Prairie in beautiful downtown Baldwin City. Come on in and check it out!