Storage Can Be Beautiful!

Author's Note: I wrote this new post for January, but then my camera broke, leaving me without the pictures I need to accompany the piece.   So here it is finally!  

Welcome to 2013!  Can you believe it?  Time seems to be flying by faster than ever!  This time of year is one of reflection as well as looking forward to the year to come.  While I have been involved in home decorating for some time now, this past year brought a new passion for painting furniture and home decor.  It has been a joy!  I love the pure creativity of first finding the inspirational piece, then imagining it's new form in color and design, and then the act of creating it and seeing it come to life. I feel like a kid with a blank sheet of paper in front of me...all of the possibilities!  I want to express my gratitude to all who have encouraged me and supported me this past year.  Thanks again to those who allowed me to work on a custom piece for you, or purchased one of my creations at the flea market or through Craigslist!  It's been a blessing to meet and work with each of you!

As I look forward, I find myself making "to do" lists in my head.  They are not only for the day or the week, but for the whole year.  I think most of us feel a strong desire to finish projects or start new ones and to get organized.  An organized space allows us to replace chaos with a sense of peace, and who couldn't use more of that?  These days there are a plethora of products, magazines and blogs out there that encourage us to not only create organized spaces, but to do it beautifully.  There are all sorts of containers to hold your STUFF, be it office supplies, toys, books, gadgets or clothes.  Which you choose for your home is up to you.  Will it be a bright green box or an earthy woven basket?  Will it be covered in a lovely printed fabric or made of something organic like sea grass?  The details are what make your home uniquely yours.

Storage can be beautiful!  In keeping with that theme, I decided to paint this great old dresser in two tones, Old White and Coco.  

I then added a Moroccan stencil detail incorporating the drawer knobs into the design.  I used a little dark wax to accentuate the details of the carved wood.

That's not all!  I painted the insides of the drawers in Provence and stenciled them too, so that when you put your clothes away, you are rewarded with a little surprise for your eyes only.

You have to put your stuff somewhere, right?  It might as well be beautiful!  Then being organized might not feel like such a chore.  Okay, I'm not buying that either, but if you would like to put your clothes in this dresser, send me an email, it's for sale.  Happy New Year and happy organizing!

From Bargain to Beauty

I've always appreciated a good bargain and I have prided myself in being able to find the best deals.  Apparently, not everyone feels this way.  One evening when out at a social event, a woman complimented my new blue blazer.  Without hesitation, I proudly shared with her that it was just $17 on sale at a local department store.  She said "That's OK!  It's still nice!"  So maybe shopping through sales racks and thrift store jungles is not for everyone, but I've grown to love it.  There is a guilt-free pleasure to buying a little something beautiful for my home for under $10.00.  It's also a fun way to experiment with new ideas at an affordable cost.

When I decided to become a stay-at-home mom, it became very important to watch our spending and to stretch a dollar wherever we could.  I was also trying to furnish and decorate a new home.  It was challenging to get the look I was going for on our budget, but I became very good at mimicking the "high end" look.  It meant taking notice of color combinations, materials, patterns, finishes and then carefully selecting items from places like TJ Maxx, Target and Stein Mart that gave the same "feel" to my space.  Thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales provided the opportunity to find real treasures among the junk.  High quality items made of fine materials, but discarded by their original owners in favor of new decor, made their way into my home.  Now don't get me wrong, this was no easy task!  These items are few and far between.  You have to go often, recognize a great deal in the moment and then, without hesitation, buy it and bring it home because it won't be there tomorrow.  I've been drawn to some pretty unusual items too.  This process has resulted in an original and "collected" look in my home that I really love.  No one else's place is quite like mine. 

It can be difficult sifting through all of that stuff, trying to find a treasure!  What you find most often is "junk" with worn finishes, broken parts, outdated styles.  Well now I've found a great way to turn these discarded pieces into treasures, too!  When you find a piece of furniture with scratches and dents, but great lines and details, you can recreate it as a perfect piece for your home.  I found this little beauty for $20 at a Habitat for Humanity Reuse Store while on vacation.  She came home with me and I knew that this would become my new bedside table.  

I really thought that the panels on the drawers would lend themselves well to a two-tone paint treatment, so that's what I decided to do, in shades of white and green.  The details of this table were lost in their original finish, but here I was able to highlight the details like the curved edge on the top, the lovely shape of the drawers, the trim detail on the sides, and the beautiful hardware.

A little dark wax brought some dimension to the carved wood detail at the bottom.

I love the "upcycling" process.  It is good for the earth because it keeps these items out of the landfill.  Buying from places like Habitat, Goodwill and other non-profit thrift stores also benefits the community.  The low cost has allowed me to create new pieces for my home, as well as for others.  In addition, these older pieces are generally made of quality wood, not particle board.  They will last for many years, especially if given a new updated finish. The end result is a beautiful "one of a kind" quality piece at a bargain price, well below current market prices!  It's a win, win, win proposition!  Who wouldn't love that! 

Linked up to:
Wow us Wednesdays 

First Time at the Flea Market

    

Had such a good time at the Raleigh Flea Market!  It was so nice meeting all of the wonderful people who stopped by my booth.  Your positive comments and feedback meant so much to me!  Thank you!  And to those who bought a piece to take home, a special thank you to you!  I really appreciate your business!

Raleigh Flea Market, Here We Come!

We're heading to the Raleigh Flea Market this Saturday, September 15th, to sell our stuff!  We will be in Space 309.  Check out the "Items for Sale" page to see the merchandise that will be at the flea market.  Hope to see you there!

The "Write" Way to Repurpose a Drawer!

 Recently I purchased two drawers, that had somehow become separated from their proper home, so that I could use the attached hardware for another project.  One day I was  looking at these old drawers trying to think of another use for them because I absolutely hate to waste things and I really love to repurpose things!  Repurposing is the act of using something in a different way than it was originally designed to be used.  This is one of my favorite ways to decorate, too!  It's always interesting to see functional pieces used in new ways.  Think industrial carts with metal wheels turned into coffee tables.  It adds a dynamic, surprising twist to your decor.  It's so fun to create something that is "one of a kind!"



I decided to turn them into organizational storage trays.  I thought that they could be used to store all those smaller scrapbooking, sewing or craft supplies together.  That way they could be tucked away in a closet or cabinet and then easily pulled out when it's time to work with them.  I added a chalkboard front so that they can be labeled and two handles on the sides for easy carrying.  

 

I thought they were just adorable and I realized that they would be great as serving trays as well.  Imagine bringing your child's cupcakes to school with the message "Happy Birthday!" on the front.  They would be great at those potluck dinners because you could write the name of the dish on the front, rather than answer the question "what is this?" over and over again.  At a buffet style dinner, they add charm and an interesting design element.  They could be incorporated into a beautiful tablescape to showcase the season, for example in the fall you could fill it with gourds, pumpkins, fall leaves and pine cones.  Finish it off with a message like "Happy Thanksgiving" or "I am Grateful."  Imagine all the ways that you could use one!

 Linked Up to :
Wow Us Wednesdays

From Formal to Dressy Casual

Back in the day, when I was growing up, people used to have a "formal" living room.  You know the room I'm talking about.  The one that you could only peak at from the hallway, but were never allowed to enter.  The one that was beautifully decorated and reserved for some "special occasion" that never seemed to come.  It stood as some sort of monument or tribute to a way of life reserved for the fancy and sophisticated, which apparently did not include you or your brothers and sisters.  In fact, the room was rarely used in entertaining, leaving one to wonder "Who is fancy enough for this place?"  These rooms were often furnished with Queen Anne style tables sporting elegant curved legs and a dark cherry finish, often a piano, and the finest of china and nick-knacks.

  

The "before" tables (that's a layer of primer on top of the coffee table)

 

The "after"

Many of us grew up to either create our own "tribute to fancy people" using this furniture, or we inherited these pieces from our family.  When I had an opportunity to redo a set of Queen Anne tables recently, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them and "dress them down."  Our lives today are far more informal than years ago.  Formal attire once worn to the office, church and the theater has been replaced with "dressy casual" attire in an effort to make us all feel more comfortable.  And that is the way we choose to live, too.  The formal living room has been replaced by the "family great room," where you are encouraged to relax and get comfortable.  

These once formal tables were transformed into their "dressy casual" counterparts.  I chose to create a look that might have been more characteristic of a farmhouse of yesteryear, but still having the elegant curves of their once formal lives.  The bodies were done in Old White and then slightly distressed to look as though they had been around for years.

I layered the tops in a Coco and Graphite wash that gave them "character" and then distressed them too, to show the cherry wood underneath at the edges.  The hardware, once shiny and gold, was repainted to an oil rubbed bronze.  

I love the way they turned out and I think they would suit most people's lifestyle today.  In fact they might look great in your fun family room, so if you are interested, they are for sale.  Go on, put your feet up and relax!

"Oh, it's so You!"

Easter and taxes and birthdays, oh my!  These are just a few of the things that required my attention in April.  It's been a whirlwind!  But I did manage to get a few things painted, too.  A lovely friend sought my help in creating a custom table for her beach house that would work with her new color scheme.  We decided to layer a Provence teal with a Napoleonic Blue.  The result is this beautiful beachy blue that looks wind swept and sun bleached.  Ah, makes me long for the rhythmic sound of the ocean and a tall, cold Pina Colada!  Oh, but I digress!

I also started on my daughter's bedroom furniture.  This is an American of Martinsville end table, circa the 1960s, that belonged to my grandmother.  We decided to paint it in two tones to play up it's clean lines and mid-century modern design features.  We used Paris Grey and Old White to get this quiet, subtle contrast.  We also added new hardware.  She loves it and it looks great in her room!  Just one end table, and one dresser to go, but you get the idea!

 

Customizing your existing furniture can be a very affordable, easy way to update your home to reflect your current style and tastes.  Not to mention saving yourself hours of shopping!   It's fun to create your own "one of a kind" custom piece of furniture.  If you would like to recreate one of your tired, outdated pieces, contact me and we can work together to design a custom look just for you.