Table Makeover Nightmare

This was our kitchen's eat-in area table. The colour is kind of passé. That yellow wood was driving me crazy. It just didn't go with the space. But I repaint furniture, so why not repaint stuff I already have, right?
(That dangly black and white pompom is my cat's toy, lol!)

Even though this is a coffee table,this was my inspiration, paint wise and finish wise. I just love the dark stained top.

From Red Hen Home

So, armed with my sander and some varnish stripper, I tackled the top of this fair size table and the seats of its six chairs. It took a lot of elbow grease and time. Finally she was all prepped and ready to receive the stain. And this is what it looked like after I stained it a couple of times:

Uuuuuuuugly!! I was so disappointed. All that work and it looked really bad. For some reason the stain didn't take and suspect it's because the varnish was not completely removed. I'm not that experienced with furniture stripping and I probably used the wrong product.

This lead me to think that I don't really like staining. I'm the type of person who likes to see immediate, successful results. So I decided to enlist the help of Annie Sloan and her chalk paint. I used Coco for the top and the seats, and Old white for the spindles and the legs.

Then, I got the genius idea to paint some pictures on the table. I decided to use my Silhouette to cut a stencil with the words "Bon Appétit" framed with beautiful scrolls. Well. Apparently that wasn't such a genius idea. It took me three or four attempts to cut the stencil, because it kept getting jammed in the machine. It ate almost an entire roll of vinyl! Gaaaaah! I've used my Silhouette successfully before, but the pattern must have been too large and intricate.

Sooooo had to come up with an alternative. I had just enough vinyl to cut a plate and utensils pattern and a set of salt and pepper mill. I used the contours of the patterns as a stencil and filled it in Old White.

And this is what it looks like after applying the clear and dark waxes:

Not bad, right?

While it doesn't quite look like the original inspiration, despite all the aggravation it caused me, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Certainly beat the 80's yellow! And my family loves it too. My husband wanted to get rid of the table before, but now I think it will stay with us just a little while longer!

What could have been a two-day makeover if I had just painted it turned into a week and a half affair. 

Next time I'll know. Stick with what you know kiddo!

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My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

"Be Our Guest" Candlestick Redo

Good morning! They have a heat warning in effect today in our city, so the air conditioning is going on! Not complaining though, I'll take this anytime over snow and the cold! I think tonight may be a gazpacho night, a very delicious and refreshing Spanish soup that's perfect on a hot day. We usually have it with a baguette and that's our meal.

My project today is an Annie Sloan candlestick makeover.

In my last post I mentioned a garage sale loot I acquired recently for $3. Among these items was this sad looking wood candlestick.

It was worn out looking, dusty, dirty and full of wax. I removed the wax, cleaned it and sanded it down.

Out came the Annie Sloan Old Ocre. This was my first project with that colour, but it certainly won't be my last. I love its aged look.

I put on two coats, then a coat of clear wax. I buffed it and distressed it, then applied the dark wax, also my first time using this product. Another buffing and voilà!!

My daughter says he looks like Lumière from Beauty and the Beast!

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Breakfast with Annie Sloan and her Wonderful Chalk Paint

I have been a furniture rescuer for a long time. I pick up chairs and other things curb side. Our city has bulk pickup days every month where you can put out big items like couches, etc. It is not rare to see nice items that are just slightly scratched and that people put out because they are tired of them. They just need a little TLC. I also scour thrift stores and garage sales in search of that perfect item to make over. I don't see an old, decrepit thing, I see the potential to remake it into something scrumptious.

My husband cringes but he lets me roll with it. We'll be celebrating our 25th anniversary shortly, and I thank him for his infinite patience. (I did let him have his midlife crisis at 50 when he bought a Corvette, his dream car. He loves that car. I call it The Precious.)

But I digress. I am always searching blogs and websites for inspiration and that is how I discovered Annie Sloan. No she's not a cowgirl from the Wild West, even though her name sounds like it. Annie Get your Gun. Annie the Sloan Ranger. Annie Oaks Sloan.

She's a British lady who created this wonderful chalk paint. This paint is perfect for imperfect people. It is very forgiving. You just slap it on, you don't need to sand or prime. And you can give furniture the most beautiful historical look, especially when you distress it and use the dark wax to give it an well-aged, patinaed look.

After reading so much about this wonderful paint, I decided to try it. I ordered a couple of quarts from Piorra Maison in Montreal. Tried it, loved it and have since ordered more.

I recently acquired a good loot at a garage sale. For a whole $3, I got 4 old frames, a very chippy child's rocking chair in pieces, a waxy, messy looking wood candlestick and this breakfast tray.

Love the rattan edge!

While it had a nice vintage look to it, I thought it was too vintagey. In a dirty way.

The legs were very wobbly too.

So, I cleaned it, glued back the loose legs and gave it a couple of coats of ASCP Paris Grey. Then, inspired by its original mauvy colour, I traced this antique looking French ad graphic I downloaded from The Graphics Fairy and went over it with a raspberry, mauvy acrylic paint. Gave it a coat of clear wax, sanded it down to distress it and went over it with the dark wax and the clear wax.

The final step was a good buffing and here she is in all her glory, ready to grace someone's lap with a lovely breakfast.

I need to find a place to sell my stuff. If only to support my habit. I probably also need a space somewhere to store all this stuff. So that I don't paint in the garage so close to The Precious. I hate to think about what would happen if paint got on The Precious. We might NOT be celebrating another 25 years, lol!


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and

Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

Feeling a little blue

But in a good way. Last time, my post was all about pink, so I thought I would do a 180 and post about blue.

Our living room, dining room and master bedroom have a lot of soft blues. I guess, subconsciously, because I thought it would help us achieve a higher level of relaxation and serenity. I think it works to some extent.

First off, the best shade of blue there is: Tiffany blue. This little box has the power of 

sending many a girl's heart aflutter.

And when the big day comes, why not have the bridesmaids match the little blue box?

How about just a touch of blue to make this exquisite cream bathroom stand out even more?

A feminine, curvy settee against a robin egg blue wall with ornate touches of grey. Delicious!

I love the blue background of this built-in armoire and the ornate fan detail above.

No doubt inspired by the sea, the magnificent turquoise of this 

bedroom is perfectly contrasted by touches of orange.

Oh and this bathroom! Feel the breeze as you relax in this opulent 

tub overlooked by a whimsical buddha! How zen!

So inviting!

This powder room artfully mixes old world charm with modern. 

Not sure about the window treatments, but the rest of the room sings to me. 

The inexpensive Ikea coffee table is a perfect accent.

Again, a pretty settee with fantastic pillows. Love the shell 

sconce and the gorgeous wallpaper.

Here the pieces in this room are mostly traditional, but the punchy 

blue gives it a modern feel. The tufted banquette is noteworthy.

I hope all this lovely blue helped you relax somewhat. I know I need it. We have been uber-busy. May is always a typically busy month for us. We have a couple of birthdays, mother's day, etc. Spring also means working in the yard. Back-breaking labour. And finally, we have mostly been trying to get the house organized, in between the routine cleaning and cooking, etc. This part is never done it seems.

To add to the mix, we have had to attend the funeral of my best friend's mother in Montreal. She was like a second mother to me in many respects. I will miss her. Then my daughter had her high school graduation dance. We held a little get together beforehand for her limo group and I put out a little spread for the kids and the parents who came to take pictures. The sun was out thankfully!

They had a lovely evening. Another milestone achieved!

So this explains why my postings are sporadical. I also want to post about the pieces of furniture I make over, but being so darn busy, I can only work on it by stealing little moments here and there. A coat of paint one day, let dry. The next day, too busy. Then another coat, but no time to finish, I have to drive somebody somewhere. That's how I roll. I'll be back soon. Hopefully. In the meanwhile, I'm going to relax in my blue living room.

Pink is not just for little girls

From my garden - De tout, de rien

I have always loved pink. To me, it's the ultimate feminine colour and it expresses romance and softness like no other colour. 


In my first studio apartment, I painted a feature wall pink. I needed something to liven up that dingy hole and pink has always had a way of making me feel happy.


When we got married, I chose pink as my wedding's theme colour, in spite of my future sister-in-law's protests. She much prefers frumpy beiges and khakis. (I was thinking of asking her to be a bridesmaid, but needless to say, after those protests, she wasn't asked, lol.)


I painted our first bedroom in our first house in dusty rose. Our duvet cover had large cream and pink cabbage roses. My husband was sweet enough to let me get this out of my system.


And I was happy when we had our two daughters because it meant I could use a lot of pink. And I did. Lots of tutus and ballet slippers. ;^)


Today, I've eased up on the pink in my home, but I love seeing touches of it used in decorating. When done right, it just adds an element of romance to any room.

Love the soft pink with the crisp black - Suzanne Kassler

Here pink is mixed with cream and gold.

Pink is mixed with very trendy elements here. I want that giraffe!

Elle Decor - This gorgeous cream settee pops against the pink wall and vintage elements.

Pink unexpectedly mixed with a cheerful turquoise. Stunning! - Better Homes & Gardens

How rich looking is this room! Just a couple of pink accents to punch up the taupes - Better Homes & Gardens

How about this scrumptious Chocolate Kisses toile knob? It would pretty up any furniture.

A study in contrast: an industrial cement wall is a perfect backdrop to show off the ultra-feminine curves of this gorgeous settee and the rich chandelier dripping with crystals. A beautiful collection of pink and mauve silk pillows punch up the look.

Again, just a touch of pink in the pillows, but it livens up the gold.

Stunning bathroom by Betty Lou Phillips. A perfect way to not commit permanently or invest expensively into one colour is by making all the main elements neutral, such as in this room, and just adding colour with the accessories. In this case, pink towels, easily replaceable, provide the pop of colour.

So opulent looking!! - Suzanne Kassler

Lovely chairs! The gold touches are perfect.

So nice with the grey marble!

I may just have to redo a room in pink after showing you these! 

How about you, have you used any pink in your grownup rooms?