new adventure!

I have some exciting news!  Last Sunday I was given the opportunity to become a vendor at a great new home and vintage market in the up and coming Art District in downtown Everett!

I’m beside myself with excitement, it is exactly what I was looking for to sell my furniture pieces along with the opportunity to expand and offer more home interior accessories as well.  Signed the lease on Monday and the grand opening is TOMORROW!  (gulp!)

Needless to say,  I haven’t slept much the past few days…   

waterfall dresser makeover

Waterfall dressers are the furniture version of pickles…you either love them or you hate them.  I’ve never been a big fan, but I have to say when I come across one that has been beautifully restored, it’s a stunner.

This style of furniture was first created in the 1930’s and was mass produced as a less expensive furniture alternative following the depression.  I read on jitterbuzz.com, that furniture manufacturers targeted newlyweds with these reasonably priced “bedroom suites” since most young couples during this time moved into their parents home, and were only able to furnish a bedroom, rather than an entire house. That explains why there are some many waterfall dressers out there!

Well last week I got my hands on one! One of my closest and dearest friends is moving soon and wanted to give an old dresser she had a new look for her new home in Austin. Best part? Total green light to do whatever I wanted!  Oh the possibilities!

Here is the dresser “before”

Not in the best shape…the veneer was missing in a few places and there were several chips and scratches. I debated for several days whether to repair the veneer or take a chance and try removing it.  I finally decided to go for it…and removed all of the veneer from each drawer front.  It was the perfect opportunity to give it a try since I love my friend enough to give it the extra effort, and she loves me enough to forgive me if I completely screwed it up!

Taking off veneer is challenging, but completely worth it. The results were even better than I’d hoped!

Ta Da!

I love how rustic the drawers turned out! It’s such an unexpected twist to the vintage modern style.

Once I removed all of the existing veneer. (I’ll post how to do that later this week) I sanded and stained the drawers. The rest of the dresser is painted in Annie Sloan French Linen and a layer of clear wax followed by an additional coat of dark wax. Final touch was spray painting all of the hardware an oil rubbed bronze.

I love it.  I can’t wait to deliver it to my dear friend…just wish it wasn’t heading all the way to Texas. 😦

beyond the paintbrush

I feel like the last several days have been super busy;  however, in a productive with nothing to show for it kind of way.  I don’t do well with that… I like a finished product to ooh and ahh over.  But’s it’s been good! I’ve sold some more of my furniture, and have been busy with a couple of design/decorating projects, which I love doing. It’s a great way for me to mix up the “grunt work” that I do and surround myself with shiny new things again. I enjoy the variety doing both types of work brings…it can’t just be all peeling paint and rust for this girl!

I’ve also been doing some active research in possibly renting some space in a local antique mall. I have to admit, it wouldn’t be my first choice…but in my persistent quest to find the right retail situation, I think it might be a good place to start. I have so many ideas I want to expand on beyond furniture in the world of “upcycling”…and would enjoy having a little space of my own to play with and have the ability to sell smaller pieces and decorative accessories as well. More work to do on that note however, so I will keep you posted. It does get my heart racing a bit just writing about it though…so I think that’s a good sign!  🙂

I also can’t help but notice all of the new lines starting to roll into stores for SPRING! Oh YA!! I tell ya, I couldn’t take another holiday clearance section with the disfigured reindeer or the “scary” santa nobody wanted.  Stay tuned for another run at some Fun Friday Finds…I’m feeling inspired again!

2013 colors of the year

I received an email today from Sherwin Williams with a coupon (thank you) that also featured their  2013 Color of the Year:   ALOE  SW-6464.

What do you think? Hmm…I’m not sure. It definitely has a Martha Stewart feel to it on its own. But Sherwiin Williams markets this color as part of the “Vintage Moxie” collection… and suddenly, it gains a little retro “cool” factor.

meet Erin

Remember this color?

Here was it’s victim…

I picked up this desk awhile back from a very sweet elderly lady. She was quite proud of it, and was thrilled that it was going to be <cough> refinished.  I fell in love with the rope detail on the top and my initial plan was to strip and re-stain the top and paint the rest of the desk in this great color concoction made from a mix of Annie Sloan Florence and Graphite.