LittleMissMaggie

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Little Miss Maggie

It's crunch time getting ready for The Little French Flea Market where I will be a vendor this weekend. It's my first time doing this market and I wanted to define my space with a personalized touch. I've been wanting a sign for a long time with my logo on it, but I was afraid my artistic skills weren't up to the challenge. It's getting to be the very last minute, and yesterday I was browsing the yard to see what I am taking to the market and I spotted this high school music stand with a chalkboard finish I used for my daughter's wedding three years ago.

It was perfect! The stand was already painted the right color and it already has some aged patina on it. All I had to do was do a little free-hand sketching that sort of looked like my logo. It didn't have to be perfect because the look of my blog header is very rustic anyway so I took a stab at recreating the look.

I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the outcome, and it will definitely give me exactly what I was looking for. I'm not even sure if I had more time that it would have come out any better, and I probably would have been really nervous trying to make it perfect.

Thanks for taking a peak.

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

Monday, April 15, 2013

French Butler's Tray

Sorry for the glaring photos, the lighting is bad inside and out today. At any rate, I found this portable butler's tray at the flea market last month. I love portable items and so far they have been great sellers for me. The cross supports were both torn but the tray and the stand were still sturdy and in good shape.

I had my husband paint everything black and then I dug out some black and burlap upholstery webbing that I had on hand so my husband (he's so handy, but I don't want it to go to his head) cut new strips of fabric to support the tray.

Because burlap tends to fray, he cut the webbing strips and then used epoxy glue to fold the ends over and secured the ends with clothespins until it all dried. Then he wrapped the ends of the webbing around the tray sides twice and then secured it with tacks. This thing is totally sturdy now and won't be coming apart any time soon.

When his job was done, I added a design using one of my Maison de Stencils grain sack patterns and then went back in with my brush to give it a little more of a hand painted look.

Here is my tray as I found it. Pretty sad, but I could see the potential right away. Thanks for visiting.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Pretty Garden Pots

I'm still getting ready for the Little French Flea Market next week and I'm trying to do groups of projects. I found these plain pots at a yard sale and bought every pot that was for sale. I dry brushed some Annie Sloan Old Ochre on them and then laser copied several images I had on hand. Some are from the Graphics Fairy and some are from Pinterest and a couple are images I purchased on Etsy like this beautiful bird image with the word Paris.

Then I used my mod podge transfer method and transferred the images on to the pots. You can find the tutorial on my side bar. I plan to take some live ivy plants if I can get to the wholesaler by Friday and I thought these pots with the ivy would brighten my space.

When using the reverse mod podge transfer method, be sure to use laser copies and if you have words in your image, be sure to reverse it so they come out correctly on your finished product.

Since these pots are for outdoor use, I will use a clear coat sealer that is for exterior use. I don't recommend using wax on something that is going to be used outside.

Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Little French Flea Market

Time sure flies these days. I started a new job in addition to my regular day job. Between the two of them, I would say I am fully employed so I'm staying extremely busy. I finished a few projects and then didn't even get them photographed to share. I'm finishing last minute projects for the Little French Flea Market where I will be a vendor on April 20 and 21 so if you are in the area, drop by and visit. It's a charming flea market, one of my favorites.

I have a few more caddies to take with me, and we all know I never met a caddy I didn't love. I put a new twist on these newer ones instead of the same old same old.

The first one is still my usual red and white, but I added a metal embellishment and painted the little drawer knobs red as well. It reminds me of a sweet summertime red and white shirt with a bow tie.

I found two wooden boxes and painted one with ASCP graphite, added an old glass knob and painted the word Paris on it.

Last but not least, I left the second wooden box plain wood and reverse mod podged an image from the Graphics Fairy. You can see the wood shows through the image perfectly. For a complete tutorial on reverse mod podging, check out my side bar. You'll see how easy this transfer technique works.

Thanks for stopping by. I know you have lots of blogs to choose from and I am always honored when you pay me a visit.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

The French Connection

Have you ever fallen in love with an inanimate object, something that was totally silly and didn't make sense? Well, that's what happened when I found this board at the salvage yard. It was a six foot long 1x12 board that someone had painted a beautiful pale green color. It's almost like a wood stain that penetrated the board and when the paint started flaking you could see the green stain underneath. I was determined to keep the board intact and do something wonderful with it.

Since I'm selling at the Little French Flea Market in Tarzana in two weeks, I thought it would be fun to paint the words The Little French Flea Market on it or some combination of those words, but they just wouldn't fit.

So after I painted the words The French I decided on finishing it as The French Connection. Then because I wanted to really make this more than just a board, I also found some used molding at the salvage yard and asked my husband to frame the sign to make it a little more professional looking. I think this is my favorite sign to date. I couldn't wait to finish it so I could get it into the shop. I really appreciate your visits so thanks for stopping by.

By the way, does anyone know what's happening with Google? I heard they're making some changes this summer.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Fresh Roasted Peanuts

When I visit my daughter, one of my fun things to do is browse through her Pottery Barn catalogs. She is a Pottery Barn girl through and through, and since I don't shop there, I don't get their catalogs in the mail. However, I love their look and I love their vignettes and in one of the catalogs I spotted just a corner of this sign and I fell in love with it. I had a free piece of wood that I picked up at a yard sale a few weeks ago and I knew this would be the perfect project for it.

It was a simple project because I had everything on hand, the wood, the stencil, the paints and the motivation, and it's pretty darn close to the one that Pottery Barn has for $89 plus shipping and handling in their catalog.

Thanks for visiting. I started a ton of new projects today. This was the first time in three weeks I have actually been home to work on things so I will have lots to share very soon. By the way, this was my free piece of wood, and it was perfect.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Hens and Hollyhocks

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday. Saturday I attended another workshop with Christie Repasy. This time we painted hens and hollyhocks. Christie said I was definitely improving. I've had no formal painting classes and I so wish I could attend these workshops more often but time and distance only permit me to attend every two or three months.

At least it's obvious these are chickens; right? The workshops are loads of fun and I've made some great new friends too.

Christie treated us to this fabulous bouquet from her garden. Isn't it beautiful? If you ever have a chance to learn from a great teacher, grab the chance and get to know your inner artist. I believe we all have one residing within us. Thanks for visiting.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013