Thursday, June 27, 2013

Just go for it and SMILE!!

Every year seems to get shorter and shorter the older I get. It almost July!! I have been painting antique furniture like a crazy person trying to keep a variety of pieces always available. Painted furniture is not for everybody. Some people love it and some do not, but even the furniture industries sell painted furniture because it is a “hot” item right now. I have several dealers that tell me they always smile when they walk by my room because it makes them feel happy. That’s what painted furniture does to people. You can have a room full of exquisite antiques but the room feels drab and heavy without color. It doesn’t have to be bold to brighten up the room, just some color, any color!! If you know me, then you know I am eclectic and I like to mix vintage with modern. When I look around my house it makes me happy. I see memories from my past in family antiques, a little quirky, a little modern, a few painted antiques, a few pieces of unique art I picked up years ago, a collection of rabbits and birds that I love. All these things are a reflection of me! I sell to a large number of younger people only because they are not afraid of mixing it up. My rule of thumb is….if you love it, buy it. You will always find just the right place for it in your home with no regrets. I have learned that from past experiences myself and pasted it up only to get home and think, “I should have bought that”. Go back and it is gone!! Darn, I wish I had bought that when I had the chance. So, having said all this….get inspired to paint your own, buy it already painted or commission someone to do it for you. Just go for it and you will not be disappointed and best of all, it will make you smile and feel happy every time you walk into the room!!

Monday, June 24, 2013

I am always trying something new!!

I love summer for a lot of reasons. Of course the #1 is the sunshine and warm days, but most of all I find the neatest accessories and furniture during the summer months. I see signs everywhere advertising estate sales, my favorite, and moving sales!! I finished up several mahogany tables, a secretary, and three different styles of benches in the past few weeks. I will show you how beautiful they were, but some have already found new homes. When I start painting a tired worn out piece of furniture I can’t wait to see the transformation into something beautiful. I use milk paints, chalk paints from several different companies, wallpaper, glazes, and waxes. Every combination of paint and waxes are different so every final finish is different even if you use the same color. Sometimes I mix my own colors to make a custom color. I rarely take before and after photo’s but I really need to start doing that! It’s just amazing!! Okay, here is a few photo of my latest work.

Friday, June 7, 2013

More hours in the day thank goodness!!!

I love summer and more daylight hours which really means more things checked off my to-do list!! I thought I had my garage under control and then my daughter calls and ask if she can bring a few things over to put into my garage. Of course I told her it would be okay. Now I am back where I started….full and overflowing!!! I usually have several projects going on at the same time and in between jumping back and forth I’ll sit down with my computer. I started playing around with some of my pictures from past furniture pieces that I have done and decided to collage them. It just makes it easier to have them in one photo. For me anyway!! I love trying new things with paint and soon you will see some of my newest creations. I bought Annie Sloan's emperior silk (red) months ago, but had not used it until I decided to try it on this 1920's table and I love it! The dark wax gives a richness to the red and it looks awesome!! Here's a few collage pictures of a couple of my latest refurbished pieces!! Write me on here or facebook and let me know what you think.