A Tale of Two Hutches

I know, I know... you are amazed at my word play as usual.   I mentioned in my Hot Pink Dresser Post that I was also doing a French Provincial Hutch for the same family- it just so happens that I have this very hutch sitting in my dining room- and you can see it's Redo right here.

The owner chose Paris Grey Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and wanted slight distressing but also a clean look.  So I gave this pretty girl two good coats and then lightly distressed the accents of the piece.  I then decided that instead of wax, I would do a top coat of Minwax water based poly.

It was fairly simple except for the fact that the insides of old hutches are kind of hard to paint because it's difficult to reach in.  But using small foam brushes was a lifesaver to get to those small spots.  I have to get corny for a second and mention that while I was taking out the drawers I loved that I could tell that the original owner kept some of her Christmas candles in this hutch because it still smelled like wonderful holiday scents:)
That is just one reason why I love working on older furniture- it always seems to have a story!

As for the hardware, we debated trying something new but there is just something so charming about the obvious crisp new look with the original handles.

Enough chit chat- here is this pretty lady's before:

I should admit that I am lazy when it comes to taping while painting.  On glass and mirrors I always just paint and then use a razor blade to scrape it off.  It is important to do it gently- but it always comes right off!

And after light distressing- the Minwax water based poly will protect her:)

This made me want to repaint my hutch again- but I will not due to my husbands blood pressure...

And here she is in her home!

Love how it plays off of their grey backsplash!

Hope y'all are having a great day!
xoxo
B

A Pink Lady

I seriously can do the songs and dances from Grease if you want...

The Pink Lady... I thought this day might not ever come... I mean, why would I get to paint something pink in my house full of boys?... and yet dreams do come true!

A friend with two adorable little girls and one new baby boy, inherited some furniture from her father.  Not just any furniture, but gorgeous french provincial beauties- a hutch and a dresser/mirror.  Jealousy is not flattering but I decided to go with it anyway!

Where is the pink you ask? Well the dresser was to be for Little Miss A and she needed some fun in her new room so the obvious choice was HOT PINK! This was beyond fun for me- and to make it a bit more challenging we decided to try white piping on the details of the piece.  Now this was not easy, I'm not gonna lie, but once I had started I knew I had to make it happen.  

There was no taping- it was all too small and delicate so yes it was freehand and there were lots of mistakes but I was using chalk paint so it is easy to go over.  I used about a 1/3 of Pure White and 2/3 of  Emperors Silk for out custom hot pink:)

Just a tip- they sell empty paint cans at Lowes and I bought a few for just this type of situation- I was able to mix the paints and then also have a nice container to give to the client for any touch ups that might need to be done.

So- enough chit chat- wanna see?! can you tell I squealed just a little bit when I said that?

Lovely before pic:

First Step- rough in the white -

I actually used a small painters brush for some of this because it was so tiny- and then a foam brush for the rest-

Time to start the pink! It took two and sometimes three coats in some places to get the coverage that I wanted-

and just kept on trucking!

And finally here she is in her final home! how fun!

I have got to get a guest room so I can just put all pink fun stuff in there!
xoxo
B


Linking to:
Savvy Southern Style

Silence

I was on a blogging role through December.  One of the reasons I started this blog was to show my family, who is spread all over, the little projects I was working on.
In particular, I wanted to show my Mom.  Who, as any good Mom does, wants to see what her children are up to and of course compliment them on it no matter what!  Who doesn't want that kind of fan:)

We moved to Texas almost six years ago- it was a hard decision but it was a good move for my husbands career and seemed to be the right thing for our growing family.  But leaving my parents broke my heart.  They have always been my best friends- my husband jokes that I am a 50/50 split of them.
We knew it would be hard but planned on lots of visits and it was a quick, relatively cheap plane ride away so it would be ok.

About 4 months after we moved, my Mom was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.  It was hard to diagnose and there were different treatments/options/ideas that were tried and tossed around for several years before everyone (doctors/specialists) were in agreement that it was Parkinson's PSP.  It is a form of it that is fast moving and doesn't respond to meds that typically help patients.

I won't go through all the particulars but it is a devastating disease and our whole family, including my Mom, mourned the loss of the vibrant woman she was.  It took away her mobility, sight, and some cognitive abilities but she still pushed on.  She loved her family and friends more than herself and at times I know her pure generosity was thought fake by some.  But it wasn't.  She wasn't perfect and even in those imperfections she taught me by sharing her mistakes.

Our family suffered two terrible losses at the end of December.  My Mom was the second one and our only comforts were her being with precious Scarlett, and that she was at peace and her vibrant self once again.

You can not prepare for loss.  I thought I had been, I really did.  But I wasn't.  I sat staring at the wall for the next several weeks in a deafening silence- somehow getting through Christmas with my boys, both boys having tonsilectomies the week after Christmas and a New Year that came and went.

She was supposed to see it all with me.  And while I know she is watching over us- it just feels like a consolation prize.  She was not old.  She had years to see all of her precious grandbabies grow and shower them with the love I know she wanted to.  Years to travel and relax in retirement with my Dad, her husband of 30 years.

This post isn't meant to be morbid but it is meant to pay tribute.  I haven't felt creative or motivated since her passing and while I know that is fine- it also just isn't me.  So maybe one little craft at a time I can start showing her again what I am working on- but now it will all have a piece of her in it because I can't imagine a day that will pass when she won't be on my mind.

And just so you know, Mom, it wasn't just that I hated going to school, it was that I really did just love staying home and spending time with you.

So to get back in the swing of things I decided that just organizing my jewelry was not enough.  I needed to make that organizing cute!  but still cheap... gotta keep the hubs blood pressure down.
This is what I started with- a $5.99 cork board from Ikea...

I already had some (big surprise) buffalo check fabric- so using some spray adhesive- I made sure the fabric was stuck to the board and then I used some push pins from the Dollar Store to create a fake nail head look around the border and also to keep the fabric in place.  I then hot glued the extra fabric to the back and was pretty pleased!

Awww... but you know me so well! It wasn't quite done.  Just one more excuse to use my amazing Gold Leaf Pen! Those little silver pins looked pretty but wouldn't they look even prettier in gold?!



And I am pretty much obsessed with the gold and silver mixing together so I didn't try to hard to completely cover them with the gold- just put some on and was done.





I think it is a pretty way to display some of my jewelry and there aren't too many places I can make girly in my house of boys, so why not?

I love you Mom.

JackPot!

Warning... This post is going to be obnoxious and braggy.
On a regular drive by of our local resale store (don't I sound tough) I spotted a bamboo chair just sitting right out front... just sitting there... with people walking past her... like she didn't have a beacon of sun shining down on her! No one was even in a hair pulling, drop down, drag out fight over her!
I jumped out of the still moving car and did a triple roll and landed swiftly in the chair and refused to move until I knew she was mine!
Ok, that might not be quite how it all went down.... but it was close.  There was no price tag on the chair when I walked up though so I had to carry it around until I found someone to help me and he looked at me and then at the chair and goes.... How about $10?
$10?! How about I give you $20 just because today is outstanding?!
And then she was mine...

Not to pretty in brown and old fabric but oooohhhh the possibilities!
I decided to go with a gray Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and then distress and use dark and light waxes.  I had some fabric on hand that I used but will probably be changing it out with my bedroom redo:)
First I took off the seat to paint...

Once I was all done with paint I took my trusty staple gun and stapled my fabric all the way around and then screwed the seat back on-  the only thing that could have made all of this any better was if there had been two!

Once she is in her final place I will post an update on fabric-
Hope you are having a fabulous day!
B:)

Ikea wins out...

I have been seeing a lot of pretty small Christmas trees on Pinterest this year in cute little baskets and decided that would be a fun addition to my entry way this year!
I had my two small trees so now I was just on the hunt for two baskets that wouldn't break the bank and would be good for maybe a little stencil on them.  I searched my normal basket places... and my back alley suppliers... and not finding what I had in mind!
I was in Ikea one day for some other rediculousness and saw some of their cubby baskets and decided the might be just what I could use- not completely what I wanted but good price, size and... price.
So these puppies were the winners!

And before any of you smarties call me out on it... yes, it may or may not have a Buffalo Check look to it... :)
Time for paint! I went for a gray Annie Sloan Chalk paint and then brushed on some tan in a messy way to make it look a bit more layered.

After that I decided I wanted to stencil each of my boy's Birth dates on them and then add a little fo-hardwear to the sides using my fave new crafting pen- a Gold Leaf pen! love it!

 Pretty easy for a fun bit of impact and the boys actually thought it was neat that they had their own trees:)
I am going to add some ribbon to the top but keep them pretty simple- and it adds some more Christmas lights and sparkle to the front of our house since our tree is in the back family room.

and getting a little more Christmas spirit!

The Hubs asked if there was any space I wasn't going to decorate for Christmas.... anybody else hear a challenge in that?!
B:)

Romantic Gesture...

As a mother of two young boys, there is no down time.  And if there is, it is filled with a to-do list about ten miles long- and that is fine- it's the way it will be for awhile!
But to be put out of commission- literally over night- is a tough one! After a night of what I thought was horrible heart burn- and several other similar incidents that I just shoved under the rug- I finally went to the doctor.  With in an hour on a Friday, I was having an ultra sound and then referred to a surgeon and scheduled to have my gall bladder out on Monday!
Ummm.... does that prescription of pain meds come with a prescription for a nanny/ made/ chaffuer?!
Clearly I was in a panic on multiple levels- but with the help from some dear friends and my amazing hubs we pulled it off.  Minus one gall bladder and a few days of work for him we pushed through and even found a bright spot in the middle of it all!
What is that bright spot you might ask.... well with all of the forced down time I had to amuse myself now didn't I? And TV got boring so I was forced to check out craigslist... and there she was... my French provincial buffet just begging to come home to me! But for $200 that wasn't going to happen! I sent a very nice email to the woman explaining that I was not trying to offend or low ball but that my budget was $100 and if she decided she needed it gone and would accept it to give me a call.
She did respond that she couldn't go that low but would keep my number.  Low and behold two days later she emailed and said she wanted it gone- and I was all to happy to send the hubs and a neighbor to go grab it at 9 at night since I couldn't drive or lift heavy things- That's true love for ya!

Now I've said it before, and I'll say it again- natural wood is gorgeous and it was on her too- but didn't match my dining room set- so I knew I would paint it- just wasn't sure what color.  The adventurous side of me thought red- the boring side of me thought classic white.  I even did a facebook poll to get some help in deciding- Red actually won out but was vetoed based on the fact that the room is small and the red would completely take over! and it would be easy to paint white and then decide to go red- rather that going red and deciding I should have done white.
So Annie Sloan Chalk paint was the winner- no sanding or priming- love that! gave two coats and then distressed the edges and some of the details and then instead of waxing over it I did a Minwax water based poly that goes on easy and clear.

I decided it would be just a tad too boring for me if the inside was just plain though- so I went ahead and used a bamboo looking stencil and the navy paint that is on the walls in there already and just slopped it on! I wasn't going for a perfect look- just wanted some interest and I think it accomplished that!  Adding my pretties inside was the fun part- just some things that have had a lack of safe display space in my house (two boys don't forget!) and then I was all done!

I should mention that I did not paint this for several weeks until I had recovered from my surgery- I am super mom, but not that super!

You are getting a small sneak peak at my dining room in this pic as well that has been overhauled and you will see soon:)

Hope you are having a wonderful day!
B:)

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Pinteresting Part 2

This next project I did awhile ago and actually have had it hanging for most of the fall- and it makes me happy every time I pass by it!
I saw it on Pinterest and with my love of all things photos it seemed like fun!
You can click here for link to inspiration.

And here is what I did!

 I started with an oval twig wreath and bought about 20 mini frames from Hobby Lobby (50% off) oh and a couple sparklier ones from Pier 1- I then arranged them on the wreath to get an idea of how many vertical and horizontal pics I would need.  Then I printed out black/white copies just on regular paper of all of my fave pics.

I changed mine up a little bit in that I got an oval instead of a circle twig wreath to make it a bit easier to hang the pictures on.

After that I took each frame and removed the stand on the back, which leaves a little metal piece that you can easily put a floral wire through to attach it to the wreath.  A bit time consuming but worth it!
After I had finished attaching all of the pics I got some burlap and fun ribbon to hang it- but when I was looking for the perfect spot- I decided to try it directly on top of a magnolia wreath I had hanging in my entry and really like it with the green popping out behind.  Happy Accident!
So here she is in all her glory- and I really did just print out the pics on regular printer paper and you really can't tell when they are that small- I just changed the option in printing to be a 3x3 and it was that simple!

Hope you are all having fun getting ready for the holidays! I think a fun Christmas bow will be all this needs to transition right over!
B:)


Linking to:



and Beneath My Heart