Thursday, July 31, 2014

Funning up the Greenwood booth: The art of vignettes

Last week I was in Greenwood again,
sprucing up the booth and 
finally getting around to working on some pieces in the pile.
 You recall this sweet little french bergere chair I recently did?
Well it came with an ottoman, so I finally finished it.
Here's what it looked like when I purchased...
And after I painted and reupholstered it...
 Detail of the front.
 It looks amazing with the chair. 
Set for sale: $450.
 Next, here is an abandoned old coffee table left for the trash pile.
 It just needed a little TLC. 
I love the detail on the bottom edge.
 I painted in ASCP in Old White. One coat..
 Here it is all finished: distressed and waxed
 It looks lovely in my booth in front of the sofa!
Sofa: $625. Coffee Table: $129
 This rattan console was purple when I bought it...
 I tried to distress it, but it was still dark...
 So I whipped up a custom mix of colors using ASCP in Old White 
and CeCe Caldwell in Sante Fe Turquoise to get this lovely aqua.
 It brings in lots of fun color and architectural detail….$129
 This little narrow maple console got a new look, too.
 I base coated in ASCP in Old White...
 And then I used the same aqua color……..
and left some of the detail in Old White.
 I did some distress sanding, 
then waxed and buffed...
Of course, every time I added a new piece of furniture,
I had to reset my space...
Take a look at all my lovely vignettes of furniture 
Vintage dresser with mirror: $325
Pink Deco vanity seat: $95
Bird chair $265
Covered bench: $145
Aqua console: $165
 Peacock fabric urn legged chair: $175
Ikat ottoman: $149
Lots and lots...
 
…of treasures….
…to choose from.
 (And I'm just one of many awesome dealers!)
Thanks for looking!


Saturday, July 26, 2014

Painting a Leather Sofa

Yesterday I showed you a sofa makeover that took me weeks!
Today, I'll show you one that took hours!

How you ask?  
By painting!!!
 Here's what this sofa looked like when I began.
The one large seat cushion is fabric, 
but the rest of the sofa is leather...
 ….with years of wear and tear...
 Lots of stains….
…especially on the arms.
And a burn??
The leather also has a mottled appearance 
which makes it almost look like vinyl.
 After a good vacuum, I painted all the leather in a mixture of 
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in in French Linen and Old White.
I applied a second and third coat for good coverage.
 After it was throughly dry, I lightly sanded with 600 grit sandpaper.
Then I waxed it.  
You can see here on the right side how the wax
 darkens and enriches the paint.
 After the paint dries, I buff to a lovely sheen.
 Here it is with all the pillows back on……….
I SWEAR it feels just like buttery leather!
REVISIT: Before...
And after.
Looks brand new!!!!
And it matches this entertainment center that I painted last year..
Which looked like this...
 Amazing how much brighter and cleaner it looks now…
with a little paint and wallpaper..
Thanks for the work, Kim and Jon!
For two summers now, when they're away on vacation,
they've had SheShe, The Home Magician, 
in their home whipping up a little magic!!
Welcome home!

Friday, July 25, 2014

The Incredible Remake Of Holly's Cane Back Sofa

Today, I'm happy to report…
I finally finished this awesome sofa that Holly gave me.
It's been sitting in the middle of my dining room for weeks…….
half finished.
 Here's what it looked like when I gladly picked it up from her.
Beautiful cane backs, but they are torn.
 I actually love this fabric, but there's no way to salvage it……
I bet it was a beauty in its day!
 The process begins: After I ripped off all the piping, 
I painted the wooden frame in ASCP in French Linen.
 I love the dart and egg molding on the bottom front...
After distressing, and waxing the painted frame,
I began the upholstery by covering the back cane inserts 
with this pleated oatmeal linen.
 I fabric glued this over the cane, and then along the edges.
I left the cane intact because it will give more support.
 Okay, the back is finished. That was the easy part!
I showed you in an earlier blog how I used a piece of canvas to cover the front.
Then I added a layer of batting to the front and bottom, stapling along the edges.
 I used a Pottery Barn thick linen drape for the upholstery…….
After cutting and stapling along the edges, 
I used a natural gimp to cover all the staples.
So the base is now complete.
So lovely and neutral.

And today, 
I finally covered the cushions.

I purchased this fabric a couple years ago from Ufab, 
and have been saving it for the right project.

I think this was it!
These cushions actually have springs in them,
as does the base of the sofa.
So there's plenty of support.
It's a great little sofa.
And..
It's finally out of the dining room!
And packed up in the car,
...ready to go to Greenwood Antiques & Uniques in the morning.
Price: $625.

There's still time to pull it off the truck if you're interested!
I've thought about it myself.
It's hard to say goodbye to this one!
Thank you Holly!!