Fabric covered Desk

Furniture rehabs don't always have to be just about paint...

Take this little desk, for instance.

Nothing special....yet....

 It was just a plain, pine desk that had a coat of shellac........

Instead of painting, I decided to cover the drawer fronts in fabric.

This cotton duck was purchased at Hobby Lobby and is the perfect weight.

I simply glued the fabric to the fronts 

and then trimmed and glued/stapled the edges to the inside lip.

Next I added some cast iron "sun" knobs that I painted in a happy yellow.

Flowers and sunshine - the perfect combo.

I left the top and sides natural.

I painted a little chair in a smokey pale blue, 

and it's the perfect little study area for a young girl!

 As far as I know, it's still available in my Greenwood booth. $185/desk; $45/chair.

And this weekend, everything is 10% off!

One of a kind....

would look great under the Christmas tree!

Schumacher Houndstooth Chair Makeover

Hoping all of you had a blessed Thanksgiving holiday.

I did.....

Now it's back to work.  

Right before the holidays, I had lunch with my friend/client, Jeannie.

We both love antiquing and thrifting. 

(She had a little shop for years called "Meant to Bee" out on Patterson near the 288 interchange.)

We lunched and then hit the new Boaz and Ruth consignment store in Carytown...

and I found this:

 Amazing old wooden chair frame....

 Original casters........look at those legs!

Back detail.......

Unfortunately, it had no back or seat.........

just a million tacks.....

They gave me a deal I couldn't refuse, 

even though I knew it would be a lot of work..

 And it was..

First I removed all the tacks......

then I did a small repair and spot sanded.

 Next I cut out a seat from plywood to fit.

You know me, I LOVE to paint furniture. 

And this one would have been a beaut.

 But I decided to keep the gorgeous dark wood on this chair.

So I applied a light coat of Jacobean stain...

 I rebuilt the back, seat and arms with foam, webbing, and batting, and used this

Schumacher houndstooth fabric in a chocolate to recover.

 I added trim around all the edges of the upholstery.

 And you know me, I always like to add a surprise. 

So for the back, 

I used this fabric sample I've been saving for just the right project.

 It is a fabulous chair, if I say so myself.  

I didn't even get it to the booth before it sold.

For the rest of this week, 

I'll be busy preparing for our open house at 

Greenwood Antiques and Uniques.

Saturday, December 1st.

10AM-5PM

Hope you can make it.

Everything will be 10% off...

Lots of one-of-a-kind treasures.

Tis the season to shop!

Ugly chimney cabinet becomes primitive piece..

So on Saturday, I treated myself to a little thrifting.

Hit a couple of shops in Lakeside.

One of them, Pass It On, yielded this piece:

Okay, yes, it's ugly. Glossy pine...

 With decorative handpainted roses....eewwww....on the door...

....top and bottom....

...and shiny brass pulls...

 The first thing I did was separate the two pieces. 

 (I HATE anything I can't move around easily.)

 After adding peel and stick letters to each of the shelves, 

I painted the interior in a custom combo of Annie Sloan chalk paint.

Then I removed the letters to reveal the wood beneath.

Each of the shelves has a word:

Stuff

Junk

Things

Other

 Next I tacked the exteriors.  

I used a variety of chalk paint

colors and layers to build up the look of time-worn paint.

 After everything dried, I distressed and added stain layers

 of Jacobean and Weathered Oak.

 I elected not to put the door back. 

Besides, I can use it later for a headboard or something...

 Looks pretty great...

Heading to my booth....$185.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Artistry in a Kitchen: A George Costanza Project!

I recently pulled a George Costanza.

You know, the OPPOSITE...of what I normally do..

So here's the story..

This beautiful kitchen was designed by Lenora McPerson-Cole 

of Better Kitchens & Bath.

She asked me to help with a small project for her client, Jarrod.

So let's take a tour of the kitchen:

I love this kitchen because it's rare 

that you see one that utilizes a mixture of metals like this.

The kitchen has brand new wood cabinetry with brushed satin bar pulls...

Stainless steel appliances...

And copper!! 

I LOVE copper....

Check out this hammered copper farm sink....

Copper faucet...

The island top is covered with copper as well...

It all works beautifully because all the tones 

appear in the metallic glass tile backsplash.

It's all very sparkly and polished, 

but warm and inviting as well.

Nice job, Lenora and Jarrod!

So have you figured out yet 

what my little part was in all this was?

It's the pantry door and moulding...

Which began like this.....

Because the client didn't want the added expense 

of a new custom door and moulding, 

Lenora asked me to faux paint them to match the cabinetry.

I began by base priming in Glidden Gripper. 

Then I undercoated everything with two colors of Annie Sloane Chalk Paint:  

Old Barcelona and Scandinavian Pink

After drying, I began the magic......

I used a variety of stains in Red Oak, Cherry, and Dark Walnut, 

to simulate wood.

Here's the staining  in progress.

 And here's the finish.
Pretty amazing, heh?

It's been a while since I've done this...

My usual assignment is taking old wooden cabinets and painting them lighter.

Here's a similar project I did - but on a much larger scale.

The kitchen began all white on white.

I painted all the cabinets to simulate new cabinetry the client had ordered.

No, it's not one of my all time favorite projects to tackle, 

because it's stinky and messy and time consuming.

But what can I say??

I love a challenge!!!!

My New Booth: Rockfish Gap Country Store

At long last!!!!! 

The new booth is up and running....

Goodbye, West End Antiques.

Hello, Rockfish Gap Country Store....

For those of you who don't know where this is,

 it's in Albemarle county on 250 West just at the foot of Afton Mountain, 

where Rt. 151 intersects....

It's an old packing shed converted to a storefront....and it's fun...

 Cane back arm chairs with grainsack seats...

 Radio cabinet turned bar..

 Hall bench with knobs....and a custom cushion...

Happy trails to you! 

I love this horse folkart. It came from an old

rocking horse.

 Under the stairs, treasures abound...

So now I have two, count 'em, T W O

booths in Albemarle County.

Here is my booth at Greenwood Antiques and Uniques,

in my hometown of Greenwood, VA!

The holidays are fast approaching.......

Help out Santa and those overworked little elves,

and buy used!!!!!!!!!

xoxo