Dresser or Cabinet?

I found this wonderful dresser/cabinet at the flea market a couple of weeks ago.  It was already painted black, but the paint job was awful.  I have never seen a dresser quite like this before although I have seen vintage dressers that have been encased in cabinets with shelves as well.  This sweet little cabinet is very compact and would even be a great entertainment cabinet in a bedroom with the flat screen TV on top.

The inside needed painting because it was still oak inside.  All it took to transform this gem was a little paint on the inside and a lot of sanding on the outside to bring out its character.  I put some numbers on the drawers and I wish I would have used a color other than antique white for the numbers, but all in all I think it turned out all right.  My photos are showing a lot of glare because of the lighting.  I see a huge shadow on the inside of the door in the next photo.

I love the details of the cabinet itself and the wood showing through gives it a nice aged look with a lot of character.

Thanks for your visit.

I may be partying at...

Mondays           Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style   Ivy and Elephants
                         My Salvaged Treasures
                                           

Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

French Farmhouse Cabinet

I don't normally do large pieces of furniture but lately I have been finding some great pieces like the two vintage bedroom sets I found and painted aqua.  When I found this beauty, she was washed with stark white paint.  Her leg was broken and she had been left out in the elements which split and cracked her counter top.

The first thing she needed was a good furniture surgeon to mend her broken leg.  That would be my husband.  He did a wonderful job and you can't even tell.  She's as good as new.  Her counter top got a good sanding and so did the rest of her.  I painted her Old White, except the counter top.  That got a coat of primer gray automotive paint and then that was rubbed down with gesso.  I wanted her counter to mimic an old worn metal top.  She got some pretty French drawer pulls to glam her up a bit.  Her white coat was glazed with some diluted Minwax stain to give her some nice aged patina.

On the lower doors I reverse mod podged a toile image.

I used a small corner stencil in each of the corners of the shelves and then used Frog Tape to join the corners and box the back section of each shelf.  

Once that was done, I used some of my French stencils which I always mix and match to get the desired wording that I need to use.
By mixing up the stencils, you can get something really original and it adds charm to an old piece of furniture.

This would be a fantastic cabinet in a bake shop.  Don't you think?

I'm thrilled with the way she turned out.  I'm using her for display in my space at Aubergine Emporium, but she is for sale too!

Thanks for your visit.

I may be partying at...

Mondays           Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style   Ivy and Elephants
                         My Salvaged Treasures
                                           

Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors
           

Milk Paint Cabinet

Last Saturday, I ventured up the coast to Ventura, California to take a milk paint class from Mary Livingston.  She has an adorable shop called Lavender Blue and she just recently expanded her store to larger quarters.  Mary has been painting with milk paint since she was in high school.  Our class lasted around 3 hours and during that short period of time Mary shared so many tips and tricks that she has learned from her many years of experience.

Primitives are not for everyone, but where I live and sell, original peely paint pieces are highly sought after and coveted, and although I have tried to attain this look with every paint and special effects product on the market I have never been able to replicate an original paint finish.  Until now!

I can't give you all of Mary's secrets because she is writing a book, but I can tell you the tools I used, and by the way, Mary has her own line of milk paint.  It's called Lavender Blue.  This product really delivers.  See all that glorious crackle?  I didn't have to use glue or a crackle medium either.

I painted the cabinet with Calendula which is an old yellow color.  Then I top coated with French Linen which is a white.  I'm a mix and match kind of person, so I started with a candle stick.  This is my own trick so I can share it with you.  I rub my corners and any place on my piece that would receive natural wear.  Then I paint my piece.  When I sand those areas that are waxed, the paint falls away unevenly like it was worn that way over the years.  So yes, I did rub this piece down with the candle.  I did not use a binding agent either with the paint because I could get the aged finish much better without it.

I used a heat gun to dry the paint and I worked in small sections.  I painted a side and then dried it with my heat gun.  Then I went to the other side.  Then I did a door and then the other door.  Working in small sections helped me concentrate until I reached the desired aged look I was going for.  I also rubbed a little Annie Sloan clear wax here and there.  I'm not sure it's compatible with the milk paint because it is an oilier wax so next time I will stick with the Lavender Blue wax.  This all sounds like it took me forever, but the cabinet was done start to finish in around two hours.

When all the painting was completed and dried, I scraped it with a paint scraper to get any flaking that occurred with the heat gun.  Then I gave it a rub down with a wet cloth.  The wet cloth helped expose the Calendula that was hiding under the French Linen color.  Milk paint will wash right off if it's not sealed with a sealer such as wax or hemp oil.  Next I took a fine grit sanding block and just sanded enough to knock off any more loose paint and to gain a little more patina.

When all of this was completed, I rubbed it down with a light coat of clear wax mixed with a little dark wax.  Mary's wax is more like a thick hand cream and, therefore, it is much easier to manipulate into the crevices than a harder wax.  This look isn't for everyone, but if you love aged patina like I do and many of our customers do, then I strongly suggest you give milk paint a try.  Below is the before picture.  Milk paint gave this cabinet an amazing transformation and so did Mary's wonderful class.

Lavender Blue has a website and they do ship the milk paint and the accompanying products.  Their website is http://www.lavenderblueventura.com.  

Thanks for stopping by.

I may be partying at...

Mondays           Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style   Ivy and Elephants
                         My Salvaged Treasures
                                           

Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Contemporary to Farm House Chic

I've been finding a lot of these import pieces of furniture lately that are akin to Home Goods, but I have been having a nearly impossible time finding good vintage pieces to redo.  So while I'm waiting to find the stuff I really love, I'm reinventing some of these newer items to fit my style better.

This is a great TV stand, console, cabinet, whatever you want to call it.  It's two-tiered, has some great storage space and overall it had great lines and detailing, but with the finish it had on it, it had a contemporary vibe, almost Asian.  Definitely not my vintage look.

This is a very functional piece, but let's face it, it's not high end and it's not heirloom quality so I didn't spend a fortune on expensive designer paints that are so popular these days.  It got a good sanding since it had a very high gloss finish, then two coats of latex paint in a warm white tone.  The surfaces were painted a medium shade of gray just to give it a little more personality.

Then to give it a more farm house feel, I shabbied it back just a bit to give it a more worn appearance.

Once that step was done, I rubbed a bit of Minwax stain diluted with mineral spirits.  I didn't want to muddy the finish,  I just wanted to give a little depth to the imperfections.  When it was all completed, I sprayed it with a clear coat to seal in the stain.

The photo below is the before.  This is the photo where my husband is saying "You want to do what?  It looks fine the way it is."  Then I say "Just paint it!"

Thanks for visiting.

I may be partying at...

Mondays           Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style   Ivy and Elephants
                         My Salvaged Treasures
                                           

Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed

Chippy Rusty Antique Day Bed

I usually post my own projects in my blog, but this last week I found this fabulous iron child's bed.  Both of the sides fold in and then the ends fold in to make the whole thing lie flat for easy storage.

I love all the rustic patina.  This would be great as a day bed, a garden ornament or a planter.  It's full of vintage goodness.

Lot's of intricate curves and chipping peeling paint.  It's chippingly charming as a matter of fact.  

The Little French Flea Market warehouse is open this weekend.  It's loaded with new stock.  If you're in the area, come by and see us.  Also the Little French Flea Market (the actual flea market) is on next weekend.  We have moved locations and I will be posting the address next week.

Your visits are always appreciated.

I may be partying at...


Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style   Ivy and Elephants
                         My Salvaged Treasures
                                           

Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                 

Grandfather Clock

I found this sweet old clock at a flea market right at the first of the year.  It's so petite that I can carry it under one arm.  It's definitely old too.  Someone's social security number was etched in the back with a date that read circa 1920.  The clock was wood, but not a pretty kind of wood, probably from years of grime and wear.  

My husband came to the rescue with a couple coats of white paint.  I sanded her back a tiny bit to give her some character.  She still has a beautiful face.  Someone had replaced her mechanism with a battery operated one and it kept perfect time for the two weeks I had her.

After being photographed, she was whisked off to the Little French Flea Market warehouse where I sell some of my things and she was snatched up in a heartbeat.

It was easy to experience love at first sight with this beauty.  She was a rare find, and I'm glad someone else saw her beauty and uniqueness as quickly as I did.

She had simple, yet elegant detailing.  Here is a final glance at her before I said goodbye to her.

Thanks for your visit.

I may be partying at...

Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed

Lingerie Chest with Toile Motif

I found this little lingerie chest at the flea market.  It's not old at all. I liked the size, but the drawers were wood grained and the rest was black.  I found this new toile image I wanted to try out and this seemed like the perfect piece to try it on.  I learned a lesson on this piece.  The finish was extremely slick and although I sanded it down and give it a coat of chalk paint, the finish was still too slippery and when I went to do my reverse mod podge transfer that I usually do, the image pretty much slid off.  This was a first for me.  So I simply decopaged the image on in the normal way.  I like doing the reverse mod podge better because I get more of a hand painted feel.

I found several rolls of wallpaper border at a garage sale that had this wonderful French style relief on it.  The size was perfect for these petite dresser drawers.  I followed the directions on the package by wetting the wallpaper border and applying them to the fronts of the drawers but I found the paper lifting.  I'm convinced the original finish on the drawer fronts was too slippery as well.  Tacky glue came to my rescue and the paper is very secure now. 

I painted over the paper which is what the directions called for as well and it blends beautifully with the rest of the piece.

I did a little sanding to distress the piece when it was done.  The original color was black and in case any of my paint chips off it will just blend with the already distressed finish.  The hardware also got painted to tie in with the look.

Here is the piece as I found it.  I took the first drawer out and started painting and then remembered I needed to take a before photo.

Thanks for visiting.


I may be partying at...


Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
   

Paris Apartment Dresser

This is one of my favorite finishes to put on furniture and it's so easy.  Whenever I do a piece like this, it sells very fast so I usually have one as a back up waiting to bring in.  This dresser had kind of a retro vibe so it was perfect for this finish.

To achieve this look, I use Annie Sloan's Old Ocher.  It's a dirty grayish white and it complements the gray paint I use on the trim.

Once the piece is painted, I go over the borders of the drawers and the edges around the top and whatever detail a piece has with a very dark gray.  Then I go over the gray with an antique brass paint.  Modern Master's is my favorite.  It has an old goldish tone to it.

Then I give the piece a heavy duty sanding to expose the layers of the paint.  I almost always leave my hardware in the original gold tone finish, especially if it is aged and has great patina.

I apply this old world cherub image and add some French words from my collection of stencils.  If you don't have stencils, print the words on your computer and trace them onto your piece.  The image can be decoupaged or reverse mod podged, whatever your preference.

It's okay if your lettering is not perfect.  Give it a good sanding and enjoy the vintage Paris Apartment feel that this finish exudes.

Thanks for visiting.

Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed

Maison Clement Drop Leaf Desk

A couple of weeks ago I sold at The Little French Flea Market in Tarzana, California, and here are a couple of small desks that I sold right off the bat.

This first desk is a very small drop leaf desk.  I thought it would be great in a kitchen or any small nook would be perfect.  I painted it white and then applied my images using the reverse mod podge method for transfer.

I used various pastry shop images I have purchased on Etsy.  These images always appeal to me for some reason.  Maybe it's my sweet tooth.

This desk sold the first day of the market.  Below is the before photo.  It was just an unfinished pine piece that was in desperate need of reinventing.

Here is a second desk that was the first thing to go.  Unfortunately by the time I got around to photographing it, I was getting the afternoon shadows.  I always shy away from these desks, but it's so hard to find inexpensive pieces to re-do lately that I went ahead and took a chance on this piece.  I just stenciled it up, added a little chair and away it went.

I even decorated the side.  It was an easy project and I was glad to have an extra piece to sell.  Perfect for a teen girl's room.

Thanks for your visit.

I may be partying at...


Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                  

Dresser with French Script

This was a very simple dresser makeover.  I am getting ready for the Little French Flea Market this weekend in Tarzana so I am churning out projects left and right.  This was a simple pine dresser, probably was one of those unfinished pine type dressers.

I bought an inexpensive stencil from Wall Masque stencils on Etsy.  It made the project so easy.  I just painted the piece my usual white and then used a medium brown acrylic paint to do the lettering.  It turned out so cute.  I love it.  Below is the before pic.

If you are in the area this weekend, stop by for a fun flea market experience.  I'll be selling with 30 other dealers including Pat from Aubergine Emporium and Jennifer from Hoot'n'Anny.  The weather will be perfect!

           

Thanks for stopping by.


I may be partying at...


Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed