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

Paris Cart

I took a week off for Thanksgiving and I'm finally working on several new projects.  This is the first one I have finished.  I only wish the photos could bring out the true finished product.

While this is not my usual fare because I don't really like old wood, I just let this little cart tell me what it wanted to look like and I'm actually okay with the weathered finish that was the end result.

It started out as a teak wood cart, pretty plain and boring but I could see the potential right away.  I wanted the piece to be suitable for a bathroom or a kitchen so I shied away from perfume images or bakery wording.  First I painted the whole thing white, but that just wasn't very interesting either.

So I took several of my Annie Sloane neutrals and painted here and there and then I took my electric sander and sanded the piece way back.  I got out all my Maison de Stencils and used bits and pieces of a few of them to give a Frenchy motif.

I found the knob with the back plate at the salvage yard.  It was in a box of odds and ends.

This is a great little cart.  It's small and versatile and the top lifts up so you can store things inside.

Here's how it started out.  Functional, yes; personality, no.

While I was away for the holiday, this is what I filled my time with.  Saturday was Carter's first trip to see Santa and I think he was mesmerized by the magic of the season.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Thanks for your visit.

I may be partying at...


Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    
                                   

Pretty Little Cabinet in Gray and White

While I was grazing through Etsy to look for possible images I could use for tags for the flea market, I came upon some fabulous gray tags with delicate soft scroll work in white.  I fell in love with the tags, but unfortunately I thought they would eat up too much ink and toner.  My next project to paint happened to be this lovely cabinet in forest green that probably hearkened from my newlywed days, and I won't tell you how long ago that was, but let's just say it's been awhile.  

I sprayed the outside of the cabinet with primer gray and the inside with heirloom white.  I watered down some gesso to soften the harshness of the primer.  I'm not sure I would have used the gesso in hindsight, but it added a little texture to the finish.  For the delicate scroll design I used part of a stencil that I had.  This was a rather large stencil and I needed to fit the design to the scale of the piece.  Then I used one of my Maison De Stencils in the middle.  This was a quick and easy project.  I took it to the Little French Flea Market.  Many people commented on the cabinet and loved it, but they had no place to put it.  Such is life.  It's now in my space.  The day I put it in, two people immediately went over to look at it, but it's still there.  

I hope this little cabinet finds a good home very soon.

Thanks for stopping by.


I may be partying at...

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


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