French Quarter Silver Chest

I love transforming small little cabinets into one of a kind pieces, and this little gem was no exception.  It's almost a total tone on tone color scheme that is simple yet elegant.

It was a reproduction silver chest, probably from Bombay Company.  I painted it Old White and applied this beautiful image with my old standby transfer method of reverse decoupage.  I've had several questions on this process, but I can't respond because the people who had questions are a no-reply status.  E-mail me if you have specific questions and include your e-mail address.

I will try to answer some of the questions here. First of all, this technique works best on flat paint or chalk paint.  The images will not stick to shiny slick surfaces.  If you like a shinier finish for your finished piece, you can always go over it with a clear satin or gloss spray when your project is completed.  Second of all, I have the best luck with black and white graphics like the ones you can find on Graphics Fairy or Pinterest.  I have a whole Pinterest board devoted to black and white printable images, and you can find many images there.  Lastly, be patient.  Once your reverse decoupage is complete and your image is transferred, take light sandpaper and sand your image lightly to get off any fuzzy residue of the paper.  When this is complete, I go over the graphic with clear wax.  That brings back the crispness of the ink, and then I spray the finished product with a clear coat.  I like Deft lacquer spray the best, but Valspar makes a clear spray suitable for indoor/outdoor use as well.

I like to embellish these little pieces with a little extra detail.  I found this fabulous scroll stencil on Etsy at Wall Masque Stencil.  Isn't it fabulous?  You can use it with joint compound to make this raised plaster effect.  I have also done a tutorial on this raised plaster technique using joint compound.  Click here to see it.

Here is the image I used on my little silver chest.  It's called French Quarter, and it's a great image to use on furniture if you want to give it a Frenchy flair.  I use this reverse mod podge technique a lot.  I can give my upcycled pieces a hand painted romantic look for anywhere between 29 cents and 59 cents.  You can't beat that, and I save hours of work with a single transfer.

Thanks for visiting.

You can find me partying at these beautiful blogs.

French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
Common Ground
                               Ivy and Elephants

Radio Flyer Potting Bench - Pinterest Inspired

This was supposed to be last week's post, but we had a little design flaw that had to be worked out.  This bench was made from found objects, mostly objects found in my stash.

Here is the inspiration photo I found on Pinterest one day when I was looking for potting bench ideas.  When I saw this, it just so happened I had just come across a Radio Flyer wagon and had also just found a kitchen cart at my favorite flea market.

I rummaged through my stash to see what else I could find to complete the project.  The shelf is made from an old dresser drawer front and the trim you see on the front of it was made from the bottom skirt from the same dresser.  I had two of these windows, some cute little brackets found in my travels that were never used and some curtain rod brackets.

The inside of the wagon was pretty rusty so my husband sanded it with a wire brush and painted the inside of the tray white.  Then he removed the wheels which are being saved for another project and attached the wagon with bolts to the top of my kitchen cart.  All the wood got a coat of Old White to make things look uniform.

I am fresh out of plants and potting soil since it is the dead of winter (even here in California) so I'm sharing this project as a beverage cart/food cart.  Wouldn't this be great for parties if you lined the wagon and filled it with ice?  Simply place your sodas and other beverages in the ice.  Your glasses can go on the shelf and you have another shelf on the bottom for extras.  This kitchen cart had a wine rack underneath perfect for an out door barbecue.

Here is the before picture just as we were about to fit the wagon onto the top of the table so we could drill the holes.  I know my husband reads my blog and he is probably saying "We?"  I will admit he did all the labor and heavy lifting on this project.  I was simply the director.  If you are wondering about our design flaw, it was that the window had to be attached with L-brackets on the front and the back at the base.  Otherwise, the weight of it caused it to lean.  Now it stands straight and tall.

Thanks for stopping by.  The Little French Flea Market is open this weekend.  You can find the address on Facebook.  We are located in Chatsworth, California.

I may be partying at...

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


Wednesdays      Ivy and Elephants
                                           

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

Raised Plaster Pedestal

I was hoping to share a Pinterest inspired project this week but we just couldn't get the finishing touches done so I will share it next week.  This week I'm sharing a simple two-tiered pedestal that I found at the flea market.  It's totally vintage and was painted a not so exciting plain white.

I spruced it up with some aqua paint on the base and left the shelves white.  I added one of my favorite black and white images with my reverse mod podge method that I have shared countless times.

I used an inexpensive stencil and dabbed some joint compound to give it some three-dimensional features and I love the end result.

Here are a couple of my latest projects and some new images I have been using that go along with this same theme.  I love the aqua with the black and white.

This is a great color combination and aqua is a really popular color this year.

And now for some exciting news.  I've been a vendor at the Little French Flea Market for the last year and have loved the experience of having one-on-one contact with my customers.  Well, now there is the Little French Flea Market Warehouse, and I just joined in on the fun.  This is where all my projects that I do for the flea market will be while we are getting ready for the next big event.  I, of course, am still a vendor at Aubergine Emporium in Simi Valley, California so you can find me in both places.

The warehouse is open Thursday through Sunday the 4th weekend of every month or by appointment.
This is a fun place to shop and I'm very excited to be joining this group of fine dealers.  You can follow Little French Flea Market on Facebook to receive updates and contact information.

Thanks for your visit.  As always I love it when you drop by.

I may be partying at...

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

Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style   Ivy and Elephants
                                           

Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme

Crystal Pendants

I thought I would take a break from my usual projects and share some crystal pendants I made for the last flea market.  I made 20 of these and they are all different but they could be used for a lot more than just jewelry.

I used some of my old lamp crystals and decoupaged an image to the back of the crystal.  I then wrapped them with copper foil and soldered the foil.  You do need some stain glass training for this technique.

I got many compliments on these and customers seemed to like them.  As usual, when I introduce something new, the concept is slow to take off.  I sold a few of them, and I'm sure I will sell more of them next time.

I used a simple ball chain to keep my prices reasonable.  To age the chain and the soldered foil, I used an aging chemical to turn the metal dark.  One caveat if you try this, the chemical does not seal the metal so it can rub off on your skin.

I used Deft lacquer spray and gave each chain three sprayings of the Deft, turning the chain as I went.  Then I used some furniture wax on the back of the pendant.  I wore my pendant for three days and not a drop of the aged metal wore off on my skin or clothes.  I do love these pendants.  I can just imagine how pretty they would be on altered bottles, lamp pulls, chandeliers or whatever else you can think of.

Thanks for your visit.

I may be partying at...

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

Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style   Ivy and Elephants
                                           
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

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