Spring Boutique Round Up

Last night we participated in the Wilds Boutique in Prior Lake. This was our first time at this venue and what an energetic and lively group of shoppers we had. I can say for certain that we will be returning this fall for the holiday boutique!

For those of you that couldn't make it to the show, here are some of the products that we had for sale last night and a glimpse at our setup.

 

 

Boxwood looks great year round in my opinion. This shabby frame and wreath was the first to sell at the sale!

Blue, yellow and white totes made from reclaimed barnwood and old banister spindles are great little gifts for mom, teachers or neighbors for May Day.

I came across a ton of stamped tin awhile back so I used some to make these wall pockets. I had seen some pockets similar to these on pinterest and they were so cute that I decided to make a small iteration and some bigger ones. The small ones are fun in a grouping and the larger ones are a great alternative to a wreath on a front door.

I also used some of that chippy stamped tin to make some great magnet boards out of vintage frames. These came with a set of three handmade button magnets.

Succulents were a big hit this show. And they require little to NO maintenance, gotta love that!

Arrows seem to be all the rage lately and I had to jump on that wagon and make a few out of some reclaimed barnwood and trim boards.

 

I just love the face that was reveled when we cut this reclaimed beam in half! Creepy or cool? I think it's super cool!

A gigantic thanks to everyone that came out last night and supported local businesses. Your continued support is critical in helping our little business grow!

Have a fantastic day!

~Crystal

Earth Day Furniture Makeovers

Happy Earth Day!

Today seems like a great day to try and explain a little bit about why I do what I do. I don't know when it actually started, but I think it was long before I even knew what was happening. {funny how we pickup on the habits of our parents and you don't even know it until years later} When I was growing up, my mom was always finding ways to reuse, repurpose, and refinish things. And if you can believe it, my dad was all for said projects too. It was actually hard to throw something away at our house...you would have to sneak it into the garbage when dad wasn't looking so that he wouldn't question why you were throwing it out! We weren't hoarders, but we weren't wasteful either. So by all means we were to save stuff that still had potential until we could find it a new purpose for it.

 Then years later, I found myself trying to furnish my first apartment. With our minimal budget, my roommate and I went to a ton of garage sales and found a bunch of stuff that was in good shape but didn't have the flair that girls in their 20s would want...so we got out the paint and customized our finds to better represent our youthful personalities! {an eclectic mix of turquoise, purple and pink painted garage sale furniture--it was PERFECT}

Fast forward to several years after that...I finally came to the realization that my mom was right! {aren't moms always right!} Decorating your house with a mix of old and new makes for a home that is more representative of your personality. It makes our homes more YOUnique.  Not to mention it's fun, challenging and quite rewarding to breathe new life into an tired and worn pieces and ultimately save them from the landfills.

In the name of Earth Day, I challenge us all to think about how we can repurpose or upcycle the goods we have before we make the decision to throw them out!

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Let's get on with projects fresh out of the shop this past weekend...from a stocky buffet cabinet to a Thomasville buffet and finally an antique round side table...all three have a new lease on life.

Here is the round table first. Finished in a custom mix of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint that resulted in a nice warm blue color.  The detailing on the leg and the little cream knobs are fantastic.

The next piece is this sturdy buffet cabinet. this is another custom color, not sure these pictures do it justice. It's a nice soft green paired with the natural stained top, perfect representation of spring!

 

Finally is this Thomasville Buffet. This piece is actually finished in the same color as the antique round table, the only difference is that I used more dark wax on this piece so it's less blue and more grey. 

 

Charming Charcoal Grey Buffet {Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Graphite}

A little Sunday before and after to start your day.

These buffets are getting harder and harder to come by anymore and making a decision on how to refresh them is equally challenging. This buffet sat in the garage for a few weeks waiting for me to make up my mind. I went through my color swatches time and time again but just couldn't settle on anything in particular. Then one of my customers came by and had a suggestion that I do it in charcoal with a light blue wash. Sounded like a great idea but after several failed attempts on my sample boards I had to abort that plan.

I always think when you see a piece that someone has refinished that they must have had a clear vision and execution was effortless. But after some of my experiences, I have to imagine that other DIY'ers and furniture refinishers must encounter the same challenges as I do...please say that I'm not alone here!

I decided to paint this girl in graphite {one of my favorite colors in the ASCP lineup} and a heavy and intentional coat of Annie's dark wax.

I really love how the graphite paint lays down, letting just a little bit of the original wood grain show through and then enriched with the dark wax...a charming patina.

 

The inside of this buffet cleaned up amazingly. It almost looks brand new now!

 

 

I couldn't help but pick up a few flowers for the shoot, I love the look of vibrant magenta with the charcoal. It was unfortunate that the day I wanted to take the pictures there were gale force winds that made it impossible to capture a good shot of the buffet staged but I did manage to grab a couple close ups of the flowers before tearing down.

Well, that wraps up another makeover. Thanks again for stopping by.

Have a beautiful Sunday!

~Crystal

Berlin Blue Dresser

Happy April Everyone!

It's been awhile since I have posted a furniture makeover because I have been so busy preparing for some spring sales. Not that I haven't been doing some painting, I've just been to busy to get photos taken and posted. So here is a little piece I finished a few weeks ago...

Most of the time I use a standard paint color straight from the can, with maybe a color wash over it or some dry brushing but not this time. Nope, this time I was creating something special. This time I concocted a custom color that I'm calling Berlin Blue. I mixed Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Chateau Grey and Old Violet together to create a rich smokey blue with some violet and grey undertones. A swift distressing and some clear and dark wax gave a gently used patina. As a little special touch, I used gold gilding wax to bring the knobs and details back to life. 

It was so much fun to mix paints that I look forward to mixing a lot more custom colors!