Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Would You Buy It Wednesday?

I was a bit worried I wouldn't have anything fun to share this week at Junker Newbie's linky party, but my trip to Savers yesterday proved fruitful! I found some great wooden pieces including a large spoon rack that I am planning to paint and turn into a jewelry holder and a heavy carved wooden bowl. My favorite find, though, is this set of faux bois kitchen canisters! They were $2.99 each, so I paid $12 for the set. I am thinking about painting them yellow with some spray paint for plastic...what are your thoughts? Would you have bought this set and would you paint the pieces or leave them to bask in their retro glory?




 Tomorrow I am going to reveal a chair that I painted and reupholstered as a silent auction item for a friend's fund-raiser. Here's a look at the before:


Thank you so much for stopping by! Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Fab New JS Papers...and some Studio Girls

Oh my goodness! Liv released some gorgeous new papers this week called "Summer Solstice". They are fabulous muted colors with tons of texture! I think they are perfect for a wedding album, which is why I chose my favorite photo from my cousin's wedding a few weeks ago:


This photo was taken by my aunt just seconds after Katy had walked out onto Michigan Avenue to see Ryan for the first time since the night before. It was truly a fairytale moment! I just love it.

I finished up some Studio Girls last week too to take over to M!LK Boutique. I actually had a request for one in particular from a M!LK customer who had seen one she liked, went home to think about it and then discovered it was gone when she came back to purchase it. That's the first time that's happened to me--I was a bit excited! :)








Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

A little paint...and some new etsy goodies

Yesterday I mentioned the wooden key cabinet I found and wanted to share today what I did to freshen it up! Fortunately I didn't have to do much, since the wood was in such great shape. I really just threw on some Martha Stewart "Milk Pail" paint, sanded a bit...and VOILA!


What a difference a little paint makes!



Like some of the gals commented yesterday, I thought this would make a lovely little box for jewelry. Can't you see necklaces, earrings and bracelets hanging from the little hooks? I was going to add it to my etsy shop, but my mom saw it and immediately wanted it for her craft room. She had a really fun idea for it: remove the hooks and lay it down on its back so that the door opens up from the horizontal. She liked the fact that she could put craft supplies in there and still see what she had through the door. :) So fun how everyone has different ideas for found treasures!

I added a few new goodies to my shop yesterday:


I painted the outside of this great shelf with ASCP in "Old White" and then distressed the heck out of it. The inside of the drawers are painted "Vintage Blue" from Valspar for a fun splash of color. I sanded the chalk paint prior to adding the clear wax on this one and I love the look. It reminds me of something that sat out on the back porch at the beach for a while.


This fun jewelry box is painted in ASCP "Emile", which is a color I just can't get enough off. It's the perfect  purple. This one I distressed just a bit, after waxing it. Completely different look, but I love it as well.


And lastly--my beloved tiered silver plates/trays. I can never resist buying these when I find them. This one was in bad shape as the silver plating was worn through but it has new life now with a bit of Krylon paint in a light blue. Almost makes me want to have another baby boy so I can put this in his room (ok, that's a little much...I love my two kids but we're done! It would be cute in a baby's room though, right?).

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Would You Buy It Wednesday

It's time again to showcase an interesting find to see if anyone else would have picked it up whilst out thrifting! Junker Newbie hosts this great party--go check her fabulous blog here. I picked up this little "cabinet" or box-with-a-door at Goodwill back in May for $2.99. It has 9 hooks inside that I assume are for keys; although we don't have that many keys in our home! Although it was terribly dirty and outdated, I loved the lattice-work door and solid wood construction:




Would you have purchased this piece for a mere $2.99, and if so, what would you do with it? Have a wonderful Wednesday! I'll show you tomorrow what I did with it.




Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Updated Jewelry Box

I just love old jewelry boxes! The larger and more ornate, the better. I picked up this little beauty at Salvation Army back in June. It had broken hardware and an outdated finish, but the little doors literally stole my heart and the red velvet lining was in perfect shape!




Great potential, no? I hand-painted the box with several coats of Sherwin Williams "Dover White", distressed it, had my husband add new hardware (that wood was freakishly hard and the nails were oh, so tiny!), and added a few coats of poly so the finish will last forevah.

Here she is today:





It will be heading out to my adorable cousin, Carly, in Atlanta tomorrow.  She is such a doll--getting married in March to an adorable guy. I am so proud of her: an engineering degree from GA Tech, a great job, and just an amazing person. I was fortunate to see her last weekend at our cousin's Chicago wedding.

Love you, Carly!


Monday, August 22, 2011

I'm Back!

Whew! I am so happy to be back on the blog! We had a very fun, but very tiring, end to our summer: a 7-day Disney cruise to Alaska (which I HIGHLY recommend--Disney does such a fabulous job!), a wedding in Chicago (one of my favorite "big" cities) and then, of course, school starting last week.

Have to share some pics from the cruise:


Kendall met all of the princesses and had the best time! It made my heart so happy to see her huge smile!

There was a basketball court on the top deck--how cool is that?

Kendall got her face painted in the "Oceaneer's Lab"...a great club for kids!

My adorable parents! I am so happy they joined  us!

Cale and Kent at one of the yummy dinners. The food was to die for! It was truly the best vacation I have ever been on. The Disney employees are incredible and there was something for everyone to do everyday. I loved it! Hopefully we can do another one in a few years...

When I got back from our trip, I went on a little thrifting frenzy since I had been without my creative outlet for a week! Here are some goodies I recently added to my etsy store:



I made this little pedestal bowl using a sturdy wooden candlestick and a wooden bowl. I painted it with Annie Sloan's "Emperor's Silk" and roughed it up just a bit.

This is a sweet little jewelry box in the same "Emperor's Red" paint.

I couldn't pass up the 80's fabulousness of this piece! I updated it with some "Scandinavian Pink" paint and it goes perfectly with the Laura Ashley-esque fabric lining.


Finally, I love this wooden bowl with a silver base. The bowl has been painted with one of my fave AS paints: "Provence".

Thanks so much for stopping by! Can't wait to share some larger pieces I am working on this week: a chair, a bedside table and my very first buffet/hutch! Happy Monday!


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