Sunday, September 27, 2015

Five Years of Blogging...





This month marks the five year anniversary of my first blog post!  Blogging has truly been a wonderful experience for me.  I have made friends in this blogging world that I will cherish forever.  The encouragement I have received from readers and followers has motivated and pushed me forward at times when I doubted myself.  Thank you!

I have learned a lot and come a long ways in my photography and writing skills and yet there still seems to be so much more to learn.  I am so grateful for the wonderful support I have received from other bloggers who have been willing to share their experience and insight with me.  
You have blessed me!

I look forward to continuing this wonderful journey.

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda



Thursday, September 24, 2015

Dresser Face Lift & Thinking Outside of The Stencil



It's been a while since I've shared a furniture makeover here!  But that doesn't mean I haven't been painting!  I am always painting...always!  In fact, I have a backlog of projects waiting to be photographed!  So, be sure to stop back by soon!


This little vanity has been shuffled around quite a bit and finally sold last week!  I painted her sometime ago and had decided to save her for the Street Faire.  When the weather forecast showed wind and rain for the faire, I decided against bringing her to the outdoor sale.  So, into my booth she went late last month and now she's off to a new home.  This left me with some empty space to fill in my booth, so I put all other projects aside this week for a quick dresser redo!


This simple, wood dresser just needed a little face lift!  The color is truly a bit more blue than it appears in the photos.  Please don't ask me how I arrived at this color.  Honestly, it was a matter of mixing up the little bits of blues and greys I had left at the bottom of my Chalk Paint® cans!  I do believe I had 6 cans of Chalk Paint® open at one time only to arrive at something that is probably very comparable to 1 part Paris Grey, 1 part Louis Blue!  Nevertheless, it is a very pretty grey blue!


Here she is all set up in my booth at Camas Antiques.  This photo shows off the actual color much better!
For the drawer embellishments, I manipulated the Floral Scroll stencil from Artisan Enhancements into a slightly different design.  This is easy to do.  Just turn the stencil, flip it over, use it in part, etc...  There is no rule that says you must lay your stencil down and use it straight on!  Be creative with your stencils...take them beyond the original design.


I painted the knobs in Graphite.  I typically don't choose a contrasting color for knobs but I had seen a photo on Pinterest of a vintage dresser similar to this one painted a grey/blue with black knobs and I liked it, so I decided to give it a try!  I used a sanding sponge to distress the corners and edges before apply Annie Sloan's clear and dark waxes, and then she was complete!


If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you've likely seen this beautiful bloom!  It's called a Cafe au Lait Dahlia and although I wish I could say I had rows of them blooming in my own garden, I don't, I discovered these beauties and many more gorgeous varieties at a flower farm just up the road from me!  Check out Petala Flowers on Instagram and tell Sharika I sent you!  Her flowers are amazing and I am so lucky to have her close by!


Thank you so much for your sweet visit today!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda


Sharing With:
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours
 Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed



Monday, September 21, 2015

Street Faire Success!



I am so behind in posting and I promise I've had the best intentions but life has just been...well, you know!  It's all good...just busier than ever!  I wanted to quickly share a couple of photos from the Street Faire before I move onto other posts.  



The event was super fun, very windy (as is evident by the scattered leaves you see in the photos, adding to the Fall ambiance) but overall a great success!


Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by to see me!  You made my day!

With this event behind me and the kids settled into their school routine, it's time this girl gets back to painting!  I have some fun projects in the wings and can't wait to share them with you!

Stay tuned!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda