Al Fresco Table

This was a simple and sweet project that I took to the Little French Flea Market and it almost sold and I may still have a buyer for it, but January, even in California, is still not the best time to sell a patio table.  As you can see, I still seem to be in my black and white binge.

This was a very weathered dirty table I found one day while I was out thrifting.  I shot it with some indoor/outdoor paint and it was still pretty blah.  Functional but blah.

After digging through my inexpensive stencils that I found at Michael's, I found the perfect stencil to fit the wood slats on the table.

The simplicity of the black stencil against the plain white is stunning and elegant.  If this doesn't sell to the buyer that is interested, I'm going to look for a small inexpensive patio umbrella in white and use the stencil around it.  I think it will be charming for some one's patio in the spring.  I need to find two cute little chairs as well.

Thanks for your visit.  I hope the brutal winter that some of you are experiencing thaws quickly and you have an early spring.

You can find me partying at these beautiful blogs
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                     Common Ground
                                  

Patisseries

Thanks to all of you who left comments on my black and white projects last week.  I will be responding to comments and visiting everyone in the next couple of days.  My sale at The Little French Flea Market was a huge success and the black and white went fast.  I have been wiped out and am just now getting back to normal.  I wanted to share one of the new projects I did for my show and this was one of the first things to sell.  It was made using an old cabinet door found at the salvage yard.

I combined several of my stencils to make this sign and it was a super quick project.  Last month I shared a new stencil source with you, and Loren has graciously offered to give my readers 15 percent off in her Etsy shop on her fabulous stencils.

This beautiful patisseries stencil is 20x7 and it is normally $26.  Considering the prices of the larger typography stencils that are on the market these days, that is an incredible price.  Just visit More Than Words Vinyl Etsy shop and see all the great products being offered there.  If you decide to purchase one of Loren's wonderful stencils, put in the code MISSMAGGIE and you will receive 15 percent off.

Since these stencils are the heavier Mylar, I was able to use my joint compound to make a raised plaster image which gave depth and dimension to this sign.  Then I put in some Frenchy addresses and words and completed the look I wanted.  To see one of my other raised plaster projects click here.  Of course, you can use these stencils in the normal fashion with just paint and a stencil brush as well, but I love having the option of using different mediums.

Also since I love old signage, I distressed this sign quite a bit.  This sign was well received and sold in the first hour.  I hope you will visit this wonderful Etsy shop and I hope you love it as much as I do.

I may be partying at...

Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy 
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style   Ivy and Elephants
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme

Kitchen Bin and a Study in Black and White

I'll keep this post short and sweet.  I'm still in a black and white mood and have been working like crazy to get ready for The Little French Flea Market this weekend.  I did a lot of new projects for this one and hopefully I'll get some photos to share.

First up is this adorable bin.  I think it would be great in a kitchen or a bathroom.

Here are some other black and white pieces I have finished.  I love the way these candelabras turned out.  Simple and elegant.

More galvanized buckets with my Frenchy transfers.  These can be used for so many things inside and out.

A small blackboard in a pretty ornate frame.

Another sweet little bucket.  Great for rolled up guest towels or a waste bin.

I'm not sure what happened when I copied this flier onto my computer.  The address and date are missing.  I'll be at the Little French Flea Market in Tarzana, California at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Vanalden this Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 to 3:00.  If you are in the area, stop by and see us.

I may be partying at...


Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Common Ground
                                  

Retro Table Le Grand

This was a simple makeover.  I love the clean lines of this little desk table.  It would be a great nightstand.  It started out as a wood table.  My husband painted it Old White and I added some black and white French graphics to the top.  The knob was broken so I used a black glass knob.  

I thought the black knob added a little more sophistication than the plain wood knob that it came with.

I used my go-to transfer method, the reverse Mod Podge.  You can see the tutorial here.   It's inexpensive, easy and quick.

Here are the images I used.  I found them on Pinterest.

After doing several of these reverse transfers, I have learned a few tricks.  If you find that you have a bit of paper fuzz left after you remove the paper, use light sand paper to just knock off the fine layer on the top of the image.  Then use a little clear wax.  The wax brings back the crispness of the image.  I always seal my projects with Deft Satin lacquer.  It leaves a nice smooth finish.

Happy New Year.  Thanks for taking a peak.

I may be partying at...


Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                     Common Ground
                                  

Portable Butler's Table and a New Stencil Source

I thought I would squeeze one more blog post into this year since I have had some requests to share my new stencil source with you.  I love small portable pieces of furniture.  They are easy to re-invent, they tuck into my space at Aubergine here and there, and I can easily transport them to the Little French Flea Market when I am selling there too.

I found this extremely large tray on one of my outings and then a few days later I found this stand for a butler's tray.  This was a marriage made in heaven and may they have a long happy life together.

I knew I wanted to share this new stencil source with you so it was time for me to come up with a new project.  I found a rose image, some fancy flatware designs on a napkin and a pastry image I had saved on my Pinterest ephemera board.  I used my reverse decoupage technique that you can read about here.  Once the images were transferred, I got out all of my various French stencils and stenciled some stray words and designs to fill my space.

The new stencil I used is the Boulangerie, Cafe Chaud et Beignets with the beautiful scrolly design in the middle.  This is a very large stencil so it's perfect for a table top.  I usually use the Maison de Stencils which I still love and I used some on this tray as well, but they are very pricey.  The stencils they carry in this size range are around $100 each.  This new stencil source averages $35 per stencil and the sizes are extremely generous.  They are made of heavy Mylar too so you can use them over and over.  Click on the link here to see my new stencil source.  I bought them from Etsy.  She shipped quickly and responded to my questions immediately.  She also carries vinyl lettering if you prefer a one-time use application.  Since I am reselling my projects, I like things that can be used over and over.

I hope you are having a safe and happy holiday season.  I always enjoy your visits.  

I may be partying at...

Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy   
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           

Victorian to Parisian

I hate to admit it, but I have never met a carved chair I didn't love.  Sometimes it's such a problem, I think I might need some intervention.  I found four of these chairs at a thrift shop a few weeks ago.  They were not even particularly inexpensive and I knew I would regret the purchase by the morning after, but what could I do?  All that beautiful carved wood was just calling out to me.

The second my husband saw them, he started complaining about how difficult they would be to recover to which I replied I thought they would be a piece of cake.

I hate to admit it when he's right, but these were a bear to redo because of all the curvy lines of the seats.  We covered them in drop cloth.  I put a grain sack design on them and then to cover up our amateurish upholstering (these were really beyond our talents), I gathered some grosgrain ribbon and attached it with Tacky Glue to cover the staples.

I finished two of them already and will finish the other two in the morning, then I'm whisking them off to my space at Aubergine Emporium. 

I love the light airy look of the Old White paint.  They almost look Frenchy now especially with the grain sack stripe.

I have had a whirlwind of work these past couple months.  I am trying to visit everyone who leaves me a comment and leave a comment in return, but unfortunately I have not been able to reply through email so I apologize for that.  Hopefully the new year will bring me a more peaceful schedule.  

This will be my final post of the year so in closing I will wish you all a happy and safe holiday.

I may be partying at...


Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                     Common Ground
                                   

Paris Collage Tray

A few months ago a friend of mine gifted me these two trays she had found in her travels.  They were plain wood and she thought I could do some kind of design on them.

I had found some wonderful old documents, namely a high school diploma and a wedding certificate, and I thought they would be perfect for my trays.  

I painted the trays with Annie Sloane's Old White. The original wood finish was a bit shiny so I wiped the trays down with a deglosser and then painted with the chalk paint.  Then I decided to do a reverse mod podge technique that I have become very adept at only this time the document did not stick.  Notice in this photo the paint adhered fine to the slick finish, but my document did not.  I'm not sure why this happened, but it happened to both of the trays.

I had two choices, scrap both trays to the trash or try to turn a negative into a positive.  I got out my Maison de Stencils because even if I don't use the entire stencil, I can use an address here or a name there or a French phrase and they really add some punch to my projects.  

I still needed to fill in tiny spots here and there so I got out my Paris rubber stamps and my StayzOn ink pads and stamped anywhere I needed to fill up space for my collage look.  When I was happy with the look, I used a dark oak gel stain and then sealed it with a clear coat spray.  I trimmed out the edges of the tray with some gold paint and I love the results.

I have three layers of print starting with the documents, then the stencils and then the rubber stamps.  The stain gave it some depth and character.  I took these to the Little French Flea Market and one sold immediately.  I still have the second one, and I'm sure it will go before long too.

I just want to state on the record that I am not compensated by Maison de Stencils for promoting their stencils.  I simply like using them, and while they are somewhat expensive, they have great sales which is when I try to buy them, and if you sell your items like I do, it's nice to have a quick way to turn something plain into something magnifique.

Thanks for visiting.

I may be partying at...

Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs         
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Tuesdays           A Stroll Thru Life   
                                   
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays          No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Common Ground