Merry Everything!

As we bring 2014 to a close, we will celebrate the 2nd anniversary of Urban Patina being in business! I can't believe its already been 2 years, the time goes by so fast. We have had some really great things happen over the past few years and I can't wait for coming year...I have a feeling that it's going to be bigger then the last.

I thought this was as good a time as any to thank you all for supporting us along the way.  As cliche as it sounds...without you, there is no UP. Thank YOU so much!

Cheers to you and yours for a beautiful holiday season!

Merry Everything!

~Crystal

Blue Christmas Inspiration

Inspiration comes in all forms. Take my latest project for example...after hearing Elvis sing Blue Christmas about 10,000 times this season already, I decided to paint this buffet a velvety aubusson blue.

The drawers were missing when I got this girl, so I bought some nice maple lumber and transformed the void into shelves. And of course I needed to update the hardware to match the new look...seemed like something with a little glitz was in order so I used these gorgeous mercury glass knobs.

Short post this week, it's a busy busy busy time of year!
Thanks for stopping by, have a great week!
~Crystal

Linking to
Savvy Southern Style

2014 Furniture Project - Wrap Up

I'm trying to motivate myself to start holiday shopping, but it's just not happening. So I'll continue procrastinating and do something more fun like share a few {11 to be exact} of my favorite projects from this past year. Trust me when I say, it's really hard to cull the list down to 11. Honestly, I get pretty attached to some of these projects and could easily become a hoarder if I'm not careful!

Get comfy and enjoy the highlights!

Florence {Flo}

 Flo was purchased by a gal to be converted into a bathroom vanity.

Butter Yellow Spoon Carved Dresser

This beauty was the dresser makeover that won me bragging rights when it was selected as the winner of the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Challenge.

{and featured in the November/December issue of Fresh Style magazine!}

Drexel Buffet

 This graphite looker is living a fine life with a great family in the south metro!

Chester 

 Oh Chester, you are such a stud! This fella was really hard to part with...oh that beautiful wood grain!

 

Antique Armoire

Surprise! Coordinating fabric covered drawers are a fun surprise on this antique armoire. 

Soft Blue Vanity

 This soft blue vanity made it's way to the north shore this summer to live, in what I consider, one of the most beautiful areas in Minnesota. Sorta jealous!

Drexel Sideboard 

We delivered this looker to an equally stunning home in Golden Valley.

Duck Egg Dresser Upcycle

Who needs the third drawer anyhow...and the wicker baskets are a nice compliment to the soft blue chalk paint.

Reclaimed Coffee Table

 The story behind the wood on this coffee table is so wild, and the hand crafted base just puts this one-of-a-kind table over the top!

Victor 

Victor. Victor. Victor.

I may have shed a tear when you were loaded up and drove away---what a HUNK!

Vintage Chest of Drawers

Simple. Plain. Tall.

One classy lady.

2014 Holiday Craft Boutique - Part 2

We have wrapped up the Holiday shows for 2014 and what a finale it was!

We setup for the CEC Holiday Bazaar on Friday night, and did so in record time I might add. I think we have finally gotten our system down!

Here's a glimpse at our setup...

 

From the minute we walked into the show Saturday morning until we left we were busy-busy-busy! We met a ton of new people, customers and vendors alike. We even had several family members that were in town for the holiday weekend come by to see us and checkout our goods. It was a crazy fun time!

 

 I can't express in words how thankful we are for all of you that have shopped UP this past year! I'm sure I speak for many crafters and artisans out there when I say, we pour our hearts and souls into making our products and it's the ultimate reward and compliment when we see our creations make their way into your homes.

Thanks for the ongoing support of our small, local and handcrafted business.
~Crystal

Although I'm still recuperating from all the action on Saturday, rest assured, my brain is already dreaming up spring ideas!

2014 Holiday Craft Boutique - Part 1

Oh what a wild and fun day at SOLLC in Prior Lake yesterday! There were so many people and everyone was in such great spirits...I'm certain it was one of the best places a person could have been on a chilly November day.

It was nice to see all the familiar faces and meet so many great new people. My only regret is that I didn't have enough time to chat with you all, it was crazy busy at times:)

Thanks to everyone that came out to shop, your support is what makes it possible for all us small business owners to do what we love!

In case you missed this show, here are a few shots of my space.

I was so happy that I got a really large spot to setup in this year, it made it way easier for people to move about the area!

Trees, snowmen and stars flew off the shelves!

 This hand painted Santa will be a unique jolly greeting for guests in it's new home.

 The reindeer were a hit with young and old! 

{who doesn't love Rudolph?!}

Next stop for UP is the SACS Holiday Boutique on Small Business Saturday, more details to follow.

Have a great Sunday!

And the winner is....

Earlier this summer I entered the Fresh Style Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Challenge and here is the dresser that I submitted as my entry.

{You can see the original Urban Patina blog post for this spoon carved dresser here.}

A couple months passed after my submission and no word. And then, about a month ago, I received notice that I had won the contest! Are you kidding me?! I was genuinely shocked and ecstatic and shocked and giddy and shocked! And I'm still kind of in shock as I type this entry.

What an honor to have my little dresser selected as the winner! And as if that wasn't satisfying enough...I won a prize pack of awesome paint/supplies from Annie Sloan Unfolded and my dresser is shown in the November/December issue of Fresh Style Magazine. You can read more about the contest on the Fresh Style website or pick up a copy of the magazine on newstands now!

I really really love what I do and it's moments like this that motivate me to continue working hard on my passion.

Enjoy the day everyone!

 

Vintage Wood Spool Tree Art

It's confession time...

Unless it involves stitch witchery and a hot iron...I CAN'T SEW! I've tried, really I have. But I just don't have the knack or the patience. Every now and again I think I should give it a try, but it only ends up as an epic fail. So I've decided to stick with what I can do well...

What I can do well is gather cool stuff {junk} all year long in hopes that a fresh or clever idea might strike and I can put all that cool stuff to good use!

Take these vintage wood thread spools. I picked these up months ago and looked at them everyday hoping to come up with a good use for them. Then out of the blue the idea hits...line these buggers up on some old boards and make some funky tree spool art. 

Yes!

Here's how I did it:

I cut up some old chippy boards I had laying around, sanded the edges and clear coated the finish. Then I laid out the spools on the boards {to get the spacing right} and hot glued them into place. I split one of the larger green spools in half to make the trunk and glued that on to the board too. Then as luck would have it, in my pile of cool stuff,  I had the perfect rusty stars to adorn the tops of the trees!

Confession time again...I'm smitten by these funky trees!

Have a groovy day:)

Linking up
Knick of Time
My Salvaged Treasures
Beyond the Picket Fence

A Well Crafted Tree Farm

We have been making so many crafts these past few weeks that I haven't stopped long enough to realize that I'm sitting amidst a tree farm! I have all sorts of trees in my lineup this year, here is one of my favorites!

This project was a labor of family love...by that I mean that my mom, dad and husband all helped bring this idea to reality. From peeling the pine cones to patiently gluing them on the crafting cones and then creatively adhering them to antique light fixture bases...we all had something to do with the process and I'm so thrilled with how they turned out.

We used various spindles for the tree trunks as well as many different antique light fixtures for the bases. Everyone of these is a bit different!

Thanks for taking a peek. I'll have another tree project to share with you all tomorrow!

Linking up:

Savvy Southern Style
Beyond the Picket Fence
Knick of Time
My Salvaged Treasures
Pieced Pastimes

Upcycled Reindeer

Halloween just ended and we are only a few days into November but UP is way into Christmas already!

I've been working on Christmas decorations a couple months now and trust me, it's been hard to refrain from bombarding you all with Christmas ideas along the way. But the time has come and I'm so excited to share our projects with you all!

Today's post is this handmade, upcycled reindeer. My husband is the mastermind behind this creation. He was determined to find all the appropriate junk to bring these deer to life. This little fella is made from old table legs, reclaimed barn boards, plasma cut ears/antlers/tail and some other repurposed metal for the eyes. Oh, how could I forget the red bottle cap for a nose.

{My role: I have no idea how to use a plasma cutter but I am skilled at picking out the perfect ribbon for the scarves! And of course, I get to do the photography and blog post.}

These deer stand at about 36" tall and no two are alike.

I bet he would love to greet your holiday guests, indoors or outdoors, all season long!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out our latest craft.