Teal Duncan Phyfe Dining Table

This piece is the first in a series of items carefully curated and painted in partnership with the House of Rumours. Ruthie found this timeless piece and allowed me to put my hands on it!

 

 

Technique: two coats of custom made teal chalk paint from Behr Peacock Plummage. Water distressed. One coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax and one heavy coat of Annie Sloan Dark Wax.

This beauty will be put for sale at Junk in the Trunk vintage market on November 9, at WestWorld. Price TBD. Come and see her in person!

Parisian Façade Baker's Rack

This was one of my favorite projects of all times, for various reasons. First, I painted this is in a matter of minutes over a few evenings. Hello instant gratification! 

Secondly, I love repurposing: a simple Baker's Rack turned into a beverage station for gatherings, parties, family dinners al fresco, etc, etc, etc.  

Finally, I love this piece because it reminds me of a beautiful façade I saw in Paris recently. Hello inspiration!

Just perfect!

 

Technique: a wash of Primer Red ASCP, a wash of Antibes Green ASCP, water distressing, a wash with white paint, another wash of ASCP Antibes Green. One coat of ASCP clear wax and one coat of ASCP dark wax. Voila!

For sale at Junk in the Trunk at WestWorld on November 9. Come and see us there!

Minty Chalkboard Children's Table

I painted this one for my children but, since they have chalkboards pretty much in every room of the house (mom has an addiction with chalky anything!), I no longer have space for it.

Play and dream BIG little ones....

Technique: Two coats of Valspar in Mint Green made chalk paint for main body, followed by clear wax, three coats of ASCP in Graphite on top, and new handles from Hobby Lobby.

This piece will be put for sale at the Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market on November 9, at WestWorld Scottsdale. Come and see us there!

Blushed Rose Vanity

Let me start by saying I am NOT a pink kind of gal. I usually go for greens, blues, greys, reds/oranges and pretty much any other color before I will resort to pink. And that applies to both my wardrobe and my decor. When I saw this vanity with its romantic lines, however, I thought it would be perfect in pink Blushed Rose (as I've convinced myself this color should be called).

 

The ASCP Scandinavian Pink I used here has a coral tone which helps soften the pink a bit.

My original intent was to paint the interior white and put this in my daughter's bedroom but I as you can see I took a detour along the way as the wood inside was so rich and well kept.

I love how this piece distressed nicely. I only used a sponge and water to distress because I wanted the dark wood underneath to show through. A perfect aged look!

Technique: 2 coats of ASCP in Scandinavian Pink, distressed with water, and one coat of clear wax.

This piece will be put for sale at Junk in the Trunk on November, 9 at WestWorld Scottsdale. Come and see In Joy! there.

Chateau Grey Captain Chairs

Ever since I was in Paris, I knew I wanted to do a piece with a weathered look. I saw so many pieces with the white-wash, chipped, distressed finishes that I have come to the conclusion that country French is my happy place. I like so many other styles, including the classic, the glamourous or even the eclective vintage look but the rustic charm of earthy tones and the simplicity of the weathered look please my eyes the most.

Here is the before, not bad I have to say.

But here is the after. Unique.

I just love the details in these chairs. So much depth.

Technique: One coat of watered down Annie Sloan Chateau Grey, dry brush in Annie Sloan Old White. Distressed with water. One coat of clear wax.

Price: $135.00 for both chairs.

Chez Sheik Stenciled Dresser

I love the story behind this dresser. It introduced me to Ruthie, from the House of Rumours. Please hold this thought, as I have a feeling you will be hearing a lot about her, and the two of us in the near future. Wink wink!

I found this dresser on Craigslist and the seller was just 1 mile or so from my house, so I could not say "no" to it. As I am closing the deal in this lady's garage, her son opens the garage door and I peek through her laundry door. I like what I see. I see her signature stenciled wall and immediately fall in love with Ruthie, her house, with her furniture! I think we chatted for about an hour and completely hit it off. She is Colombian, so the Latin blood and the loud tone of the conversation must have had something to do with we liking each other but, beyond that, we had so much more in common. She is just as passionate, if not more, than I am about vintage, painted, transformed furniture and she does the whole furniture flipping/re-habing thing full time. We exchanged phone numbers and I had a feeling that was not the end of our connection.

The next day, I called her back to ask about some chairs I had seen vaguely in her garale and, that same day, I was back at Ruthie's house to pick up the chairs -- and for another one-hour chatting session. My goodnesss, the two of us can never run out of subjects to talk about! Even our text message threads go on and on forever.

We have since cultivated a shared passion, future dreams of hosting a booth together at a vintage market and dinners together with both of our family, and a casual friendship. She does amazing work and has inspired me tremendously in the pieces I have worked on in my life after-Ruthie (like this one, the move of my workshop from the garage to the house, and the very dresser I showcase in this post).

So, back to the dresser. I have had it now for almost two months and ,when I saw Ruthie' stenciled wall, I was inspired to do an stenciled piece. This was the perfect dresser for it as it had flat drawers and straight lines. Ruthie and I ordered a number of stencils from Royal Design Studio and we now have a shared pool for our future projects.

Wow, look what a little of bit of Ruthie did to me!

I love the way this dresser turned out. So crisp, elegant and modern. So Ruthie! A little bit of citrus yellow on top to add to the fresh look.

Technique: I used homemade chalk paint in Behr Navajo White on the frame, Annie Sloan French Linen on the drawers, and the homemade chalk White on the stencil pattern. I used Royal Design Studio Chez Sheik stencil, small size. I applied Valspar black glaze throughout to give it the weathered and imperfect look. One coat of clear wax throughout with some buffing. I kept the original pulls as they were so unique looking like an infinity sign, but applied a coat of Annie Sloan Graphite to them.

Price: $250.00

Americana Indigo Blue Armoire

I wanted to do something fun and bold and I consider the mission has been accomplished. A beautiful and intricate armoire brought to life in Americana style, with Indigo paint and a white glaze.

 

I had fun finding a few pieces to compose the Americana look.

 

I love the nautical compass knobs that give the piece a bit of a coastal feel. Knobs and pulls are like furniture jewelry.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the before but it had a rich walnut-tone wood, not bad actually. I drove 1 hour from my house to pick it up in Queen Creek, after cleaning up a toddler's birthday party. I just had to have it!

 

I am keeping it (of course) in my workshop, serving as storage for all my paint and refinishing supplies. I can't think of a better way to inspire my future projects.

Technique: 2 coats of Valspar Indigo blue, leaving some of the wood in the ornate details exposed. A mixture of 3 parts Martha Stewart Glaze for 1 part Behr Navajo White paint for the white wash applied to highlight details. One coat of clear wax.

Re-uphlstered Bench

Another great find, 20 bucks at Craigslist. I had been looking for a bench like this for a while to put in my bedroom.

Before

After

I thought of re-upholstering the bench myself but I had other pieces I was working on and I did not know how to do the trimming. I have a very talented friend who does re-upholstering who is a sewing wizzard and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try out her services. She did an amazing job removing the ugly fabric and cushion, and then replacing with new foam and my fabric of choice. If you are in the Phoenix area, please give her a try.

I painted before she re-upholstered and then waxed after the piece was finished.

Technique: I applied two coats of Martha Stewart Spring Melt, one coat of clear wax and one coat of dark wax. Easy enough.

I love the way it turned out. I will post more pictures after I complete the whole look for my bedroom. I want to get new lamps and art for the wall. Stay tuned.

Antique Rocker Turned into Flower Display

Picture this. I am driving my daughter home from school when I see this garage sale being held by this busy street where I am driving. I immediately activate my garage sale radar to look for things that interest me in the few seconds I have as I drive by. I was almost reaching the inevitable "it is all junk" conclusion, when I see something wood. I abruptely pull my car into this house's driveway, open my window and ask the guy: "how much for the rocking chair?". He replies "ten". I reach for my wallet, find 7 bucks and we had a deal. I put the chair in my trunk and go back excitedly to tell my daughter: "yeah, mommy bought a chair!". She laughs with me.

The picture below is pretty much the before, minus the wicker already removed and the vase inserted.

I had seen this idea to transform an old vintage chair into a flower display a long time ago and since I have been dreaming of finding one serendipitously, just like I did.

Rather than flowers I decided to use succulents as I love their different colors and shapes and they are pretty low maintenance (bonus!).

It took me literally ten minutes to put this look together. I had kept the chair unpainted for a while but you all know I have a problem with unpainted furniture. It was Saturday night, I was drinking a beer with my husband, the kids were playing around us, I grabbed a paint brush a mixture of glazing and white paint and applied painterly strokes to the chair. The kids even helped.

What a nifty idea for an easy vintage look?