Onward and UPward: 2018

A memory popped up on our Facebook feed today to remind us that on this day last year, we opened our brick and mortar in Chaska. What a great year it was, but where on earth did the time go? Seems somewhat a blur, but man was it fun.

Here's what is going on in our world these days ...

When we closed the store for the holidays in mid December, we stumbled upon a cute house just two blocks up the street that had a retail space available to rent. From the minute we walked in, the space just felt 'right'. It was cozy, had great lighting and was so inviting. (And in all honesty, I had driven by the house for years and had always been smitten by vines that cover half the house---it's fabulous when it greens up.)

Faced with the decision to sign another lease at our current building or move up the street…we quickly decided to move. (wasn’t too hard of a decision, the new location would be located right next to the new bakery in town---hello fresh pastries and high powered coffee #sweettooth #caffeineordie)

We opened the doors at 416 N Chestnut St on February 15^th. We'll continue to be an occasional store,  open only the third Thursday, Friday and Saturday each month, but plans are in also place to have more Pop-Up events throughout the year. We encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all those updates.

Paul and I want to sincerely thank you all for your continued support over the years. Everyone of you is so very important to UP's success and continued growth.

Onward and UPward!

Paul and Crystal

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.

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

My Little Corner in Chaska

I'm so excited to share with you all that I'm now renting a little corner at Shop 501 and Company in Chaska. Shop 501 is open 5 days a week, every week! So you can get your vintage, garden, home and gift shopping fix every Wednesday thru Sunday.

Here is the link to the 501 and Co facebook page so you can get directions and store hours.

Here is a glimpse at the goodies that I have in my little corner this week...

Hope to see you at Shop 501 and Company!

~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

Antique Buffet {Repurposed}

When we brought this buffet home I was thrilled at the find and thought I would do some quick cosmetic work and get painting.

Easy, right?

Not so quick, it wasn't going to be that easy!

To my surprise {and complete frustration}, the drawers that came with it were so badly damaged and warped that once I removed them...they were never ever going to go back into place! Even though I was disappointed that they weren't functioning {and that we failed to realize this before we purchased it}, this was still a really gorgeous piece with great bones so I needed to repurpose it and give it a new look! I've been down this road many times before and knew I had options. So without hesitation, I tossed the drawers and grabbed some wood and converted the spaces into some shelves.

I've staged it with some fun baskets that would be great for storing goodies, but you could also use this as a media stand or to store linens in a hallway.

I'm very pleased with the completed project, I hope you like it as much as I do!

 

 

Finished with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, French Linen.

Thanks for taking a look! Enjoy your Sunday!