Monday, January 30, 2012

A Weathered Finish

Hello.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  I was busy this weekend celebrating my husband and grandson’s birthdays on Saturday. Then on Sunday I finished some painting projects.  One painting project included a china cabinet and a chair from one of our guest bedrooms.   Pictured below is a before of the china cabinet. 

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The before finish was a dry brush technique using white paint. 

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And now the after.

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I used Rosemary @ Villabarnes “Gesso Wash” treatment on the china cabinet to give it a weathered look. 

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First, I painted the china cabinet dovetail gray in a flat finish.  When that dried, applied a thick coat of white Gesso and wiped it down with a tee-shirt.  I did this by working in sections. 

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After it had dried completely, I sanded the whole piece.  

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Lastly, I applied a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax and it worked great. 

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The chair pictured below also received a make-over.

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Originally it was painted black.

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And now it’s painted Annie Sloan pure white. 

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I added a thicker foam to the seat and reupholstered it.   A lot more comfy than before. 

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  I also made the sign below.  It says “Guestroom” in German.  My husband was born in Germany.  His Dad was stationed there at the time of his birth and lived there for three years. 

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I used a piece of scrap cedar and gave it the old weathered treatment as well.  I used my Cricut to make the stencil.  I have it hanging between the two windows in the guest room. 

 

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I think I’m done in here, for now! 

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Who would have thought that just about everything in this room was  given to me.  The china cabinet, the chair and the little work bench beside the bed were all freebies.  The mantel turned headboard was a purchase at an auction for $1.     

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The writing on the fame chalkboard says, “Wishing you a beautiful night, sweet dreams and a wonderful tomorrow.”

As always, thanks for visiting and wishing you a beautiful night, sweet dreams and a wonderful tomorrow.

Gail

Linking this post to:

Three Mango Seeds for Do It Ya Self

The House of the Roses for Show Off Your Cottage

Coastal Charms for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Whisper Wood Cottage for 2012 1st Project of the Year

Elizabeth & Co. for Be Inspired

Faded Charm for White Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style for WOW Us Wednesday

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

2805 for Potpourri Party

Friday, January 27, 2012

Call Me CRAZZZZY!

I have three projects going on at one time and they ALL involve painting.  

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The china cabinet in the garage is painted.  But I still have to do the “wax on wax off” which I think is the hardest part, at least for me anyway.

Because there is heat in the garage.  This is my source of heat…..

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yep…..the gas grill! 

And then this.

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I’m repainting the china cabinet and a chair in one of the guest rooms using Rosemary’s technique at Villabarnes called Gesso Wash.

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And then my plans are to reupholster the chair using this fabric and trim.  

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Will I make my deadline for my January project goal list?  These three projects are the only ones I have left for January.   I have five more days.  Actually, I only have four days left to work on them because tomorrow we will be celebrating my husband’s and my youngest grandson’s birthday!  It’s so hard to believe that three years ago tomorrow Charlie and I were sitting here.

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Waiting for this sweet little bundle of joy.

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What a special birthday gift Charlie received three years ago……the birth of our third grandson!

As always, thanks for your visit and enjoy your weekend!  You know what I’ll be doing this weekend. 

Gail

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Powder Room Reveal

I can’t believe that we are done with the powder room!  It has only taken us a year to actually start this project.  Everything was sitting in the garage waiting for this make-over.  But before I share it with you, let’s take a look at the before. 

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And now the after.

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We replaced the vanity with a pedestal sink.  I apology for some of the pictures being a little dark but there is no natural lighting in this bathroom and it is very small. 

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I placed an egg basket beside the pedestal sink to hold extra toilet paper.  The egg basket was a recent purchase at a local antique store. 

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A step stool was also placed by the pedestal sink for my grandsons, otherwise they would not be able to wash their little hands. 

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The hanging towels are actually kitchen tea towels.  The color matched perfectly and I loved the plaid and checkered fabric so why not use them in here…..right! 

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A topiary sits on the mantel shelf that is attached to the mirror.  Now lets move to the other side of the room. 

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We decided to install a little cabinet behind the toilet to hold a few first aid items, mainly Band-Aides!  My grandsons think Band-Aids are tattoos and Grandma always has many different Band-Aids to choose from.

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I covered a bottle of peroxide with this cute little lamb picture that I found on-line. 

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Sitting on the top of the toilet I placed a feed scooper to hold “courtesy spray” and a few books.   

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A galvanized pail that was in my shed is now a trash can.  

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I don’t think I’ve mention that the paint I chose was Sherwin Williams Nonchalant White.  I love the softness of this color and I love the wallpaper bead board, chair rail and crown molding. 

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This is one of several hydrangeas that I cut off of my hydrangea bush in the early fall and dried.  Isn’t it gorgeous?   I have this one placed on top of the cabinet sitting in a little silver dish. 

Well one bathroom down two more to go.  Up next, the master bathroom.  That was on the project goal list last year as well.

As always, thanks for your visit and have a wonderful day. 

Gail 

Linking this post to:

Savvy Southern Style for WOW Us Wednesday

No Minimalist Here for Open House Party

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

At The Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday

2805 for Potpourri Party

Whisper Wood Cottage for 2012 1st Project of the Year Party

It all started with paint for Imagine the Impossibilities

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Rustic Paddle Shaped Chalkboard

I’m in love with this paddled shaped chalkboard! 

When Kelly at The Essence Of Home posted about purchasing three of these Rustic Paddle Shaped Chalkboards from WUSLU, I immediately went to the website and was a little disappointed to find out that the deal had expired!  You could no longer purchase them.  Since they were no longer available I thought I would challenge myself to make one for Debbie Doo’s Magazine Copy Cat Challenge.

Using scraps of trim and luan board, I did make my own rustic paddle shaped chalkboard.

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I think I like my version better because it didn’t cost me anything to make but time. 

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As always, thanks for your visit and enjoy your day. 

Gail

 

Linking this post to: 

A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

Saturday, January 21, 2012

We’re Making Progress in the Powder Room

We’re almost done! 

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The bead board wall paper has been hung and the walls painted.

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The ceramic tile floor has been installed.

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The only thing left to do is install the pedestal sink.  If all goes well, that should be done tomorrow. 

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And the biggest help of all was from my grandson.   He worked so hard helping Grandma make a sign for the powder room.  I had him, just him, for two days because he had been sick.  Sometimes it’s nice having that one on one.

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He did a really good job painting the sign below.  But I enjoyed the time we spent together the most and his little touch added an extra bit of love to the powder room.

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As always, thanks for your visit and enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

Gail