Mini Makeovers!

Garage sale season is upon us!  Can you feel it, my treasure hungry, bargain hunting friends?  Recently, I headed out the door to run a few errands on a Saturday morning and was quite surprised to see a few "Yard Sale" signs up and about!  Now, you know I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick up a few treasures!  I could hardly wait to take my finds home and point the Annie Sloan magic wand in their direction!  Here are my "mini makeovers," as I like to call them!

My favorite piece by far was this vintage wood bread box.  The chalk paint color, an experiment gone right (in my humble opinion)...is approximately 4 parts Old White to 1 part Scandinavian Pink, followed by clear and dark waxes.

I am anxious to see how this soft peachy pink compares to Antoinette, the newest pale pink in Annie's collection!

Inside, I lined the back panel with an antique ledger motif scrapbook paper.  I love how the colors work together and the scrolly handwriting shows through the glass front. 

 The peachy pink breadbox found a new home within 24 hours of being delivered to my booth space!

Anything with a bow on it catches my attention.  It must be the girly girl in me!  This little bow adorned frame was a good candidate for that peachy pink paint mix, and the bow detail really stands out in Old White.  The darling crowned bird was found flying around Pinterest.  I've captured and caged it on my Ephemera Board!

A handmade wooden toolbox was made over in Old White, clear waxed all over, but dark waxed only on the outside.  I filled it with rolls of vintage sheet music tied up with ribbon and a hang tag made from a beautiful image borrowed from The Graphics Fairy.

That's it for now, but don't worry... there is much more to come!

I am so looking forward to meeting up with my Bloggy Buddy, Denise of Pink Postcard tomorrow morning!  Point our GPS in the direction of a few Estate Sales and Thrift Stores... and who knows what kind of trouble we might stir up! 

(source)

Wink!

Thank you so very much for your sweet visit!

Until next time!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda 

Happy to be joining in these fun parties!

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage

Sew-Crafty Tuesday at Ruby Jean's

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

On the Mantle - Antique Vanity Mirror Transformed & a Whimsical Butterfly Tree!

Remember that oak mirror that came along with the sweet vanity/cabinet that I painted in Duck Egg Blue...my first chalk paint makeover?  It clearly didn't belong with the vanity, but I was happy to bring it home with me.  It didn't take long to decide what I wanted to do with it!

After a makeover in Paris Grey with Old White on the detailed flourishes, and a treatment of clear and dark waxes, it has a new home on our living room mantle!

I am still working on the mantle accessories but I love our new mirror!

Our living room is transforming, little by little! It's a slow process but I am liking where things are headed! I will be sharing more updates to the mantle, the curtain situation and craft supply storage soon! 

I took a close up of the details on the mirror before and after waxing to show you just how dramatically the dark wax alters the look of the chalk paint.

Just before distressing and waxing...

And after...

I love ASCP but I truly believe that the real magic happens when the wax is applied!

I recently purchased this clay pot for $2 and while the finish on it wasn't horrible, it wasn't right for the project I wanted to use it for.

A couple coats of paint later and the wax treatment, and it was transformed into just the container I was hoping for to hold my butterfly tree...a crafty idea I'd been scheming over for some time.

I just love how fun and whimsical this "tree" turned out.  I made up a couple for the shop as well!  See that cute little angel there?  He got waxed too! 

And those jars I showed you in yesterday's post...filled with paper butterflies for people who feel like gathering sticks and creating their own butterfly trees!

Thank you so very much for your sweet visit today!  I hope your week is going well and that you've found some time to be creative!  As a sweet friend of mine often says..."busy hands = happy heart!"

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Joining these fun parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

The Craigslist Posting that Sent us All the Way Around the Block!

When I spotted this desk with hutch top on Craigslist, I crossed my fingers in hopes that no one else had seen the potential in it that I did, and made the call.  Yes, it was still available and the woman said to come on over and pick it up!  The directions she was giving me to her house were sounding awfully familiar.  A moment later I realized that the Craigslist poster was my neighbor!  We could have completed the transaction over the fence!  But we didn't...my husband was kind enough to make the trip around the block in our truck.

This is the project that I was in the middle of when I emptied out my first can of Old White!  Each piece received 2 coats, followed by clear and dark wax.  Old white takes on a completely different look when the dark wax is applied generously.  I wasn't sure if I was going to like it when I was in the middle of the waxing process, but when I stood back to look at the completed piece, I was loving it! 

See the scrolly details at the top of the cupboard doors?  Let me remind you of what they looked like before...

I was a little apprehensive about painting the metal, but the ASCP sealed with the waxes really worked well! 

 I am pretty much convinced that there isn't any out-dated or funky furniture detail that ASCP can't make beautiful!

I had been saving this old Woodstock typewriter to bring in for sale when I had a great piece to display it on.  I think I finally have that piece!

I hope that someone comes along who will cherish these treasures just as I have!

An overall view of my shop space with the new hutch top desk all moved in! 

Did you notice these little jars sitting next to the typewriter on the desk?  I will share more about what's inside tomorrow, along with a thrifted flower pot, a mirror makeover and how all these things came together to create a new look for our living room mantle!

Until then...

Thank you for your sweet visit!

Have a wonderful day!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Sharing with these fun parties today:

Sew-Crafty Tuesday at Ruby Jean's

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Furniture Feature Friday with Miss Mustard Seed

Funky Junk Sisters Flea Market

My mom and I had so much fun shopping the Funky Junk Sisters Flea Market last Friday night!  A special Thank You goes out to all of the lovely dealers for letting me photograph their beautiful displays to share here with everyone!  I tried to get signage in photos, so we know who is who, but I was so overwhelmed with all there was to see, that I failed to get the names of many of the businesses.  If you recognize a booth and can tell me who it belongs to so that I can give them credit for their lovely work, please do!  Hope you enjoy the photo show!  Do check out the Funky Junk Sisters on Facebook to learn more about their shows and to see if they will be in your area!

Maison Douce

A Thing for Roses

Thank you so much for your sweet visit!  I will be back very soon with some fun decor projects and chalk paint makeovers!  Stay tuned!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda

How to add Decorative Detail to Painted Furniture Using Scrapbooking Scissors!

Yesterday I shared a little vintage chair and table I had recently painted in Paris Grey.  I promised to tell you how I added this decorative detail to the chair, so here ya go!

I'll just bet you have at least one pair of fancy scrapbooking scissors in with your craft supplies, right?  I have a few, and I'm not even a scrapbooker!  If you don't have any, they can be found pretty much anywhere craft and scrapbooking supplies are sold.  Or, I'm sure you know someone you could steal some from for a day or two!  I took a piece of painter's tape and attached one end to a chair, then carefully cut down the middle with my scalloped scissors.

Next, I taped each side of the cut tape down on the chair back where I wanted to add the design.  I am no perfectionist...and I've never been great with scissors, so you can see that one side of my tape is wider than the other (in other words, I didn't cut exactly down the middle of the tape).  No worries, I just positioned the strips so that I would have an even design right down the middle of the chair back...even got out my measuring tape to be sure!

I then used a small paintbrush to paint a cream latex paint (only because I was out of my ASCP old white!) between the strips of tape...going over the design a bit as you can see.  I waited until the paint had completely dried to remove the tape.  I had one little spot where the tape lifted the grey paint, but I just touched it up a bit with my little brush.

I followed up with a bit of light sanding, and then a coat of clear and dark wax over the whole chair (including the decorative stripe).

You can see that the design isn't perfect, but I like that look.  It gives the impression that it was painted on years and years ago and has worn off in spots.

With all of the many many scrapbooking scissor designs available out there, the possibilities are endless!  Now, go grab your painter's tape, fancy scissors and paint and have fun adding a personal touch to your furniture!

 Thanks so much for your sweet visit today!  I am so excited to shop the 

Funky Junk Sister's Vintage Flea Market

this weekend!  If you're not going to make the show, don't worry...I will be taking my camera along and will share all of the amazing inspiration with you next week!  If you're not familiar with this fabulous show and are curious, you can read about it and see the photos from my post last year here.  And you can go visit the Funky Junk Sister's Facebook page here for the what, where and when!

Thanks so much for your sweet visit!

Have a lovely day!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Linking up to these fun blog parties!
No Minimalist Here for Open House Party

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

Furniture Feature Friday with Miss Mustard Seed
Sundae Scoop at I Heart Nap Time