A Quick Change

On Sunday I had just finished and delivered a project and my house was in full 'project' mode. Before I cleaned it up to host book club (15 people!), I decided to do a little something for me. I pulled some black metal shelves down off the wall, painted them in Annie Sloan Old White, sanded them and changed the look of the room entirely!

I lost/deleted my before picture. In this case it isn't such a bad thing, but I also deleted an 'after' picture which is not as easily fixed. Grumble. But, back to this project. Before... look far into the back and find the black shelf behind the Christmas tree.

Did you find it! Anyway, one coat of paint...

Up close shot. 

A little sanding, waxing and hanging and this is what I ended up with. I love small projects that make a huge impact.

Now on to a project for a client. I have four chairs in my garage screaming for a makeover!

Hidden Potential

There is a flea market/craft fair in Texas called First Monday in Canton. I love it! And I don't mean I love it because all the things you can buy, but I love it because I feel inspired when I walk around and look at all the beautiful things people have created. Call me corny, but I love handmade things. Always have and now that I have found the courage to step out and become part of that world, I couldn't be happier. 

I went on my first girls trip ever with some sweet friends from church to Canton last weekend. I headed straight to the open-air vendors to find some treasures. One of my friends I was with just purchased a fantastic new house and needs help furnishing it. She told me while I was shopping to keep my eye out for nightstands. So I did! I found a vendor who had fantastic furniture at their booth. All of their pieces were $10 a piece! I bought 6 pieces there and I will post more on the others later. 

I spotted these 

Up close. 

They are base cabinets without a top. Each has three drawers and I immediately thought nightstand! If you notice in the second picture the bottom drawer is a little 'imperfect'. I love that and I was relieved that my friend loved it too! 

My friend decided that she would part handles on later and that she didn't  like the ones the cabinets came with. So I filled in the holes. 

Then I put on the first coat of paint. I love the paneling on the side! 

I purchased a 2x4 piece of birch wood. I wanted to make sure there was a pretty grain in the wood that would show when I stained it.

Then I routed the edges. 

I stained the top. I only put on one coat because I like how the grain showed. I was afraid of losing that if there was too much stain on the wood. These pieces are refurbished, not perfect. So, I figured one coat was fine, even though everything out there says to do more than one coat. Right now I have a Fleetwood Mac running in the back of my head... "You can go your own way!"

Up close and personal with the routing, stain, paint and the little distressing my friend wanted.

The finished product! I can't wait to see what she picks for the hardware and when she does, I will definitely post on here and show it off! 

I am so proud of these. The English teacher in me is appreciating the metaphor of these pieces being a  diamond in the rough and finding a new life. That is so parallel to my life. Maybe that is why these pieces were so special to me. 

Defeating Murphy's Law

Everyone deserves the right to change their minds about their decor. I am not sure how many coats of paint are on certain pieces of furniture in my house! So when my friend and owner of this shelf came to me and said she wanted something lighter, I said of course I could help with that. We talked paint colors and I suggested Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (of course). ASCP sticks to everything and the particular shelf she wanted to change was MDF on the inside and solid wood on the outside. I thought there would be no problem. I was wrong. When Murphy's Law can come into play in my life, it does. Normally it happens with my children. I can say she always responds this way or she won't eat that and the exact opposite happens. When I told my friend ASCP would stick, I was again proven wrong. She put on layers of paint, and it just beaded up and would't stick. I decided it was furniture polish that was on the piece and nothing else. I was unwilling to admit my defeat! My friend gave up and I told her I would figure it out. So, I did!

This is what the shelf looked like when I got it. I wasn't afraid!! 

Pretty, huh??

I used my favorite primer. I have used it many many times and (even though I am afraid to say it now!!) I have never found anything it won't stick to. 

I am not endorsing this product... Just bragging about it! Best $13 I have ever spent. 

After the primer dried, I put on a few layers of ASCP Pure White, then some Dark Wax and replaced the back to the bookshelf with a sheet of beadboard. The back of the bookshelf was cardboard and was screaming to be replaced. I am so glad my client trusted me to make this decision.

I had some assistance sanding off some of the dark wax from my little helpers. 

Then it was finally time to deliver it and see it in place. My client loved it and I think it looked perfect in her new house.

I just returned from a trip to a local flea market with a lot more projects. Can't wait to show you what I come up with! 

My Everest

So this was my first official project for a client. I looked at it and thought, sure, it is just a chair. This will be easy. I *thought* I was starting with the easiest project first. I figured a small chair was easier than a headboard with spindles and a laminate shelf which was rejecting all paint. I was wrong. This chair taught me a lot about my skills and my patience.

My client picked this chair up for $5 at a local second-hand sale. She knew she loved it, but she wanted something a little more personal. So she asked me to paint it. And I blissfully agreed. My naivety getting the better of me. We chose to do Duck Egg Blue in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and a heavy dark wax. I love how the chair turned out and I promptly told my client if she ever tires of the chair, my living room would gladly accept it.

The slats on the seat and the back of the chair were the hardest. I wanted to get the paint everywhere and make sure it was all covered well. I wanted to do a good job. But then I was reminded this is a rustic/vintage look and some wood showing through would be a good thing. My perfectionism was then rerouted to a perfect vintage chair from a perfectly covered chair. That detour was greatly appreciated!

 A close up of the detail. I used a small detail brush and got into most of the crevices, reminding myself vintage... vintage... not perfect.

The chair in place in it's home. I am a bit dramatic (if you can't tell) and in hindsight, this was not my Everest. This was probably just a small bump in the road. From now on I won't let my naivety get in the way! I have so many more projects to come and I look forward to actually beating my Everest! Here that big project?? I am waiting for you!

Happiness Comes in Threes

I have always wanted a set of apothecary jars. I received a set of them a few Christmases ago, but in my true neurotic form, I didn't do anything with them because I didn't have the perfect plan. Perfection is a terrible enemy of mine and stopped me from doing a lot of things in the past. Silly that I was intimated by apothecary jars, right. I know! So now something that only came out for holidays and parties is not proudly displayed on my console under my television.

My favorite part of these are the spools from a local factory that has been closed down a long time. If you are going to put something on display in your house, it might as well mean something to you. 

The First Step

The first thing I decided I needed to start my creative company Shine by Monica was a desk. I needed a home base for the business stuff, but I also needed something beautiful to serve as a place of inspiration. My husband and I went out to some antique stores (if you know him, don't tell him I told people this!) right after the holidays with our Christmas money in hand ready to find something. And of course we found something. It was a beautiful desk with a wood top and hand-painted bottom. The best part about it was my husband and I actually agreed on it! The worst part was that it was all of our Christmas money combined. We thought  about it and considered it in the middle of the antique store while our three year old running crazy through the store and our ten month old leaving a pile of cereal under her stroller. We walked away that day to 'think' about the desk. Once I actually started to think away from the desk and its magnetic pull towards my wallet, I realized I might be able to create something similar for way cheaper. So I did. If my dream is to have a booth at a store and sell my creations, I have to start somewhere. I have to ignore the fear and do it. So, I did. Craig's List is my best friend. I found this desk on there for $100, including a bookshelf that was thrown in. Fantastic!

Did I mention my darling husband had to drive two and a half hours south to pick it up!! He's a good guy. And I am sorry about the mess that is in the background! I paint and create in between filling sippy cups and changing diapers. I am just glad that I can paint inside! Our brand new floors we just laid in the kitchen and dining room shrunk so we have to replace it. Until we work out a deal with the flooring company, I have a stress free and warm work space! 

                                      

This is the desk in the process. It has two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on the desk, one coat on the drawers and the beginnings of Annie Sloan Dark Wax on the left side. 

                                                  

This is the difference in coloring the dark wax makes. It also is a good arm work out! 

This is the finished project. Since I have taken this picture, I have found a handle for the middle top drawer. I can't wait to get it moved back to the bedroom and in place so I can start using it! 

I have never had so much fun as while painting this desk. I can't wait to move on to my next project!

Beginning to Shine

I have reached that time in my life where it is time to pause and think about things. It is time to figure out what is really important to me and what I would like to devote my energy to. I have two precious little girls and that needs to be my focus. Not the high paying job or responsibilities that take my attention away from them. I need to spend my time being a good mommy for them, doing creative things that replenish me and grow as a person. That is what this blog and this next stage in my life is about. I am going to love my girls, create beautiful things and document life as I go.