Happy Easter!

Love these vintage postcards!  Hope you and your family are enjoying the day.

Deborah

Just an Old Door

There are people who don't understand how an old door can make my heart sing. (My husband being one of them!)

 

 

 

They just don't get why I love the patina of worn-off paint.

 

Or how the texture of old wood can put a smile on my face.

 

 

 

 

It's just an old door!

 

But I've been looking for an architectural element for our family room for awhile. One that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg.

 

I tried an old blue shutter I have, and some other things, but nothing looked right.  I saw a great chippy paint door in a shop, but they wanted $150 for it.  A column I liked was $500.

 

 

 

 

And then I saw it.

 

I found it when I went to look at some things another dealer was selling.  She's downsizing because she is going to have a baby. 

 

 

 

 

I got a few things for Mr. P's Emporium, and then I noticed the door.  When I asked her how much she wanted for it, she said $20.

 

Sold!

 

 

 

I just knew it would look perfect in my family room corner. I love the faded white and wood with the white furniture in the room.  And it will go well with some changes and additions I'm planning on making to the room in the next few months.

 

 

 

 

So my husband helped me carry it in and propped it in it's corner, and I just started to do a happy dance.

 

He thinks I'm nuts. I'm sure he's not the only one. 

 

It's just an old door ...

 

 

 

But it makes me happy!


Sharing at:
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No Minimalist Here: Open House Party
My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday
The Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home
Common Ground: Be Inspired
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

 

 

Aqua Eye Candy

I am in an aqua mood these days.

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Maybe it's because Spring and better weather is taking its own sweet time getting here in Northern Virginia. 

Snow.  Freezing wind and rain.  Doesn't the weather know what season it is?!



So I am in serious need of some eye candy to brighten my spirits.  It's a lot cheaper than my other choice of pick-me-up: retail therapy!

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Aqua reminds me of a day spent at the beach.

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The sun glistening off of the water. 

The rush of the waves as they come in and hit the shore, followed by the soft murmur as the swish back out to their home.

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The way, on a perfect day, the sky melds into the sea.

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So I love the idea of bringing that color into the house.

It just makes me happy.

I have a few touches here and there, but I have a hankering to paint something in our house aqua.  And not  just a piece of furniture!

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But I've promised myself not to start any house projects until after the Lucketts Spring Market.

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I need to stay focused! (Now there's a concept!)

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So in the meantime I'll have to make due with pretty aqua pictures.  A little pick-me-up that costs nothing!

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I hope you enjoyed them too!

All photos from Pinterest.  Sourced when info was available.



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Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Nantucket Spray & Seattle Mist Console

I decided to try Ce Ce Caldwell's chalk paint on this project.  Being a raised-in-Seattle girl, I had to try Seattle Mist, which is a pretty gray.

 

But seeing that I can't wait for Spring, I wanted to try a fresh "springy" color too. 

 

So why not both on one piece?

 

Here it is before.  Well kind-of.

 

 

 

 

Once again I was too anxious to get started and forgot to take a true "before" photo.  But you get the idea.  The hardware, which I didn't end up taking a photo of, was nice, but too small for the piece in my opinion.

 

There were some deep scratches that needed to be sanded, and some cracks that needed to be filled, then it was ready to paint.

 

First I painted the outside with a coat of Seattle Mist.  Then I did a wash with watered down Nantucket Spray.

 

 

 

The one difference I noticed between Ce Ce Caldwell's chalk paint and Annie Sloan's chalk paint was Ce Ce Caldwell's paint takes a bit longer to dry.  (I noticed this with the coat of Seattle Mist, so it wasn't a result of watering down the paint.)

 

 

 

Other than that it went on with pretty much the same consistency, and I love the colors.

 

 

 

I distressed with water and a rag, and waxed the outside with Ce Ce Caldwell's wax--which I LOVE!

 

On the inside I painted the shelves in straight Nantucket Spray.

 

 

 

I finished the piece with pale green knobs that I had on hand.  They just happened to be a close match to the straight Nantucket Spray color!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sold on Ce Ce Caldwell's paint, and still love Annie Sloan's line.  What I really like is having the variety of colors to choose from now, and I definitely like CCC wax over ASCP wax.  It goes on easier, and doesn't streak. Just my opinion.  I do like the faster drying time of ASCP though.

 

I'm pretty happy with the look of the console.  I think the color combination looks kind of coastal.

A mist and a spray.

 

 

 

It's now hanging out at Mr. P's Emporium!

 

 

 

Sharing at:

Blue Egg Brown Nest: Vintage Love Linky Party
Elizabeth & Co: Be Inspired
Redoux: Link Party
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
Miss Mustard Seed: Furniture Feature Friday

Spring Vignettes

The weather may not be cooperating, but that isn't deterring me from my spring sprucing around the house.

 

If I spruce ... it will come. That's my mantra these days.  I'm sooooo ready for spring! 

 

The weather guys have been talking about snow again.

 

Seriously?

 

In March?

 

Anyway, you've already seen the mantel in the family room.  This is what greets you in the foyer.

 

 

 

 

This little window is usually in my office, but I like the bright white with the cheery tulips.

 

 

I'm using the green goblets as candleholders.  I usually bring them out just during the holidays, but I thought what the heck ... live dangerously. :-)  I think the green looks "springy" against the white and with the green, brown, and cream faux eggs.

 

 

On into the living room.

 

 

A little pastel egg wreath around a candle on the coffee table ...

 

 

 

 

And some pink tulips in one of my vintage white pottery vases.

 

 

I love how the pink looks in this room with the creams, whites and blues.

 

In the corner, I've just added some greenery  and galvanized metal ...

 

 

And a little chick on some old books.

 

 

A few months ago I picked up this huge mirror frame.  Until I figured out what to do with it, I plopped it on the console table in the living room.  And although it's a little wider than the table, I'm kind of loving the architectural element it brings into the room. 

 

 

On that table I added a spring touch with some eggs under a little cloche.

 

 

I haven't done anything to the dining room because--I'm not going to lie--that room is a total mess.  I've been painting in there, and there is furniture, painting supplies, and I wouldn't doubt a couple of empty diet coke cans in the room.

 

But other than the dining room, I have little spring vignettes all over the house. 

 

It may be crummy outside, but at least I have touches of spring indoors!

 

Because ... if I spruce ... it will come ...


Sharing at:

No Minimalist Here: Open House Party
Elizabeth & Co.: Be Inspired
French Country Cottage:  Spring Fling
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
DIY by Design: Swing into Spring

 

A Table with a Touch of Brass

Did you know brass is a big design trend for 2013? 

 

Trust me, I'm all over this stuff.

 

So this mahogany accent table caught my eye.  It was different.  With a touch of brass.

 

Here it is with Citrastrip already on the top of it.  I'm forever forgetting to get true "before" photos.

 

 

Here's its tag.

 

 

I did not spend $295 on this table.

 

I didn't even spend $50.  :-)

 

A vendor in my last antique mall gave me a deal on it because she got a great deal at an auction.

 

But it needed some love.

 

A lot of love. 

The top was discolored and scratched, and until the Citrasolve went on it, I didn't even know there was a brass trim around the edge! 

 

First I took the finish off  the top and gave it a light sanding.  When I did that I saw the nice inlay around the edge.  So instead of staining it, I decided to just finish it with Tung oil.  Three coats later and I had this.

 

 

The shelf and bottom got a coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White.

 

 

Followed by a wet distressing, then a waxing with AS wax.  I finished by cleaning all the brass with Brasso.

 

 

So here's the new, improved, table:

 

 

 

I like it much better lightened up.  And the brass touches give it a fancy pants kind of look! 

 

 

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

Sharing with:

Blue Egg Brown Nest: Vintage Love Linky Party

Green Willow Pond: What We Accomplished Wednesday

Elizabeth & Co: Be Inspired Link Party

French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday

Redoux: Link Party

No Minimalist Here: Open House Party

DIY by Design: Swing into Spring

Miss Mustard Seed: Furniture Feature Friday

 



 

 

A Before & After, And a Peek at Mr. P's

Happy Monday! (groan)  I don't know about you, but the weekend went way too fast for me! We had beautiful weather here, and I spent a lot of time outdoors doing some garden clean-up.

 

Today I wanted to show you a quick makeover I did on a hutch I bought on Craigslist.

 

Here's the before -- or actually the in-progress.  I had already taken off the drawer pulls and filled the holes with wood putty.

 

 

 

This is the piece I was up 'til 2 a.m. finishing before we moved into Mr. P's new space the next day, so I didn't get  a chance to shoot an after photo before moving it.

 

Here it is in the booth.

 

 

 

I painted the outside in Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White, and the back board of the hutch in Provence.

 

 

 

The inside of the cupboard doors are also painted in Provence, as are the shelves.

 

 

 

I painted the pulls in Provence, and wet-distressed them so the old brass shows through.  I'm actually going to change out the "Paris" knobs to some that I've ordered that match the Provence color as soon as they come in.

 

 

 

The piece was distressed with the wet sponge technique, and there you have it!

 

Before and after ...

 

 

 

Here are some shots of the rest of the booth, but I'll be changing things around this week as I bring in a couple of new pieces.

 

 

 

As you can see I'm right in the window, and I want to take better advantage of that in how I'm merchandising.

 

 

 

I'll also be adding a rug down the road to anchor the space.

 

 

 

But this is a start, and it's fun having so much more room to play around with than I had in my old space!

 

 

 

 

 

I sold three pieces the first day I was open, so I'm hoping that's a sign that this was a good move!

 

Wishing you all a great week,

 

Deborah

Sharing at:

Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
The Farmhouse Porch: The Scoop