Dualing Dressers

Two different dressers today; empire and serpentine. The empire is finished in a custom Annie Sloan Chalk Paint mix: a dark, rich navy. The serpentine is also ASCP: a crisp, fresh, classic white.

Enjoy.

Farmhouse Inspired: Nightstands + Cabinets

Whew! How can we already be approaching Halloween weekend. Time. Must. Slow. Down.

With so many things on my to-do list this fall, at times I actually feel overload paralysis. Do you know the feeling? I look at the to-do list and can't seem to get any of it done, instead I've allowed myself take some time each day to enjoy some evening walks and soak in the gorgeous fall weather that we've been having. I've sorta rebooted my system and now I'm ready to get working on products for upcoming holiday sales.

In the meantime though, I wanted to share some of the projects that have been coming together! Here is a quick glimpse at the cute nightstands and end tables as well as a couple lingerie cabinets. 

That's all for today. Now off to get those holiday projects started!

~Crystal

Refreshed Eastlake Dresser

A few years ago I came across about six small dressers at an Estate sale. I didn't dare pass them up so I grab them all, hauled them home and have been storing them in the barn ever since.

I've finally made my way {through the maze of furniture and lumber in the barn} to them a few weeks ago and started their makeovers, one at a time. This Eastlake number was one of the first pieces to get picked.

After replacing all the bottoms to the drawers and removing the THICK layers of varnish from the top, I painted the body in a custom mix of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and finished with wax. The hardware was missing from this piece when I got it so I used these brass pulls that I salvaged from a previous makeover.

And a little peek into my setup at the shop this week...I forgot to take more pictures so this is all I have to share.

Thanks for swinging through!

~Crystal

Furniture Makeovers Fresh From the Shop: Tables, Dressers, Night Stands and more

I've been getting so many fantastic furniture pieces lately. So many that I had things packed and stacked all the way to the ceiling in our storage building! It was becoming a serious problem. {can you say borderline hoarder...eeek!} But come on, how can I even think of passing up a cute little table...um, never!

So despite the blazing heat we are experiencing this early in June {upper 90s in Minnesota already, come on!}, I grabbed as many pieces as I could safely work simultaneously on, and brought them in the shop and started busting some a##!

While some pieces were clamped and glued, I repaired damaged veneer and removed hardware on others. All the while contemplating the color pallet for each piece and whether or not I would be needing any new hardware. 

With some great music cued up, I eventually found my zen and lost myself for hours...and days on end in the shop!

Here is a gallery of what resulted from my determination.

{special bonus: navy and white dotted Japenese crafted paper line the drawers of this fantastic navy dresser}

Guess what? I finished so many projects that I now have a walkway to get to the back of my storage shed! Hallelujah!

Painted Armoire: Furniture Makeover

In all honesty, there are projects I bring home that I just don't want to work on. Not necessarily because they will be too difficult, but because they are just so big and ugly and I even question whether or not they can possibly be lovable again.

Case in point, this Stanley armoire that I've been sitting on or about a year.

It was in great shape, but a drawer pull was missing and somewhere along the line the previous owner used it as a TV stand so they had cut the back out. Neither of which were deal breakers, I just didn't have the energy or desire to work on it. I actually tried to sell it on craigslist for a couple weeks but  everyone kept asking for better images before they would come see it and it was so big and heavy that I couldn't stand it up by myself for decent photos ... so, I caved and just decided to push it in the shop and give it a makeover myself. {and now, this is probably one of my all time favorite makeovers, go figure!}

I painted the piece in a custom chalk paint mix and gave it a antiqued finish. The hardware was updated too. I purchased new knobs and then added some small backplates to them that I had in my stash.

I went back and forth on whether or not to paint the inside of the piece, but ultimately decided against it because the wood was in such great shape.

I hope you like this big makeover as much as I do!

Have a great weekend.
~Crystal

Signs + Side Tables

I was doing some spring cleaning in our storage building last week and found that I have a cache of smaller tables that were screaming to get pulled out and worked on. {Well, it might have actually been Paul requesting I make some room in the building...but nonetheless} I think I pulled out 6 tables total: a pair of end tables, two coffee tables and two cute side tables.

The first pair to get a makeover were these lovelies.

Such a great pair of end tables, there were some minor veneer issues that I had to address but other then that, these were really in great condition.

I did a custom blue color mix of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I'm calling it midnight blue. It's rich and sophisticated and looks appropriate with the original hardware.

The drawers needed a good cleaning but are in fantastic shape and glide in and out with ease.

A couple new signs were created this week as well. 

The first is this large tree. There is something about tree imagery that I just love. And this piece is no different. At about 28" wide it will be a great focal point over a fireplace, on a gallery wall, in a family room or just about anywhere in a home for that matter.

And the second is a nautical inspired little anchor. We live in Minnesota after all and just about everyone lives on a lake, has a cabin or a is lucky enough to have boat. So who doesn't need an industrial inspired anchor to adorn their walls!

 I've got several other table and sign projects in the works, so this will be a busy week ahead too.

Our first Spring sale is scheduled for Thursday May, 12th at the Wilds Golf Course in Prior Lake. Mark your calendar and let your friends know. It will be a fun night out! More details to come as well as some sneak peaks at what we will be bringing to the show.

Best,

Crystal