Perfect Imperfections by Jeanne

Fireplace Surround Makeover

2013-11-16T22:53:00.000-05:00

Here I am again apologizing for waiting so long to put up another post. I've been working on the road lately, and haven't gotten a whole lot of projects done. When I do squeeze a project in, I hurry to get in in my space for sale and forget to click before and after pictures. I still don't have any really blog worthy pictures, but I figured something is better than nothing.

This fireplace surround had beautiful details I really wanted to accentuate with a makeover. The finish was pretty rough and didn't bring out the true beauty of this piece.

Yes, this is where I painted. I know, what a mess!

A pretty sloppy finish.

Like I said, pretty rough.

I sanded the top layer of finish to get to the wood.

I wiped the whole thing down with denatured alcohol to clean it up. Then I sanded the top part of the mantle down below the shiny finish. I didn't re-stain. The top was sealed with two coats of Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil.
The rest was painted in Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint using the color Grain Sack. Grain Sack is a beautiful white with gray undertones. It's one of my favorites. A little distressing and a couple of coats of the hemp oil, and voila!

This is the only picture I've got right now. My husband snapped this one for me at the shop and texted it to me. I'll add some better detail shots after I get back home. That is, if it doesn't sell before I get back!

Update: It did sell before I got back home!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Jeanne

Linking with this great blogs:

Art is Beauty - Twirl and Take a Bow
Elizabeth & Co. - Be Inspired
The Dedicated House - Make it Pretty Monday
Kammy's Korner - Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday
Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

Ombre Dresser with Milk Paint

2013-06-10T20:44:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am again apologizing for waiting so long to put up another post. I've gotten a bit distracted from blogging, even though I really enjoy sharing.
After I started retailing Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, I took a bit of a detour trying to get everything going. I wish I had done a better job of documenting my milk paint projects. Instead I just take a quick shot to post an item for sale, and forget to get before and after shots. Even this one isn't the best staging. Oh well, hope you'll forgive me.

I've had it in my head to paint this particular dresser with the ombre technique for quite some time. For some reason I just never got around to it.
Here's the before shot.

I decided to go with the Boxwood color on this piece. The bottom drawer is in Boxwood. Each drawer from bottom to top then has Ironstone added to the Boxwood in greater proportions as you get to the top. I did use the bonding agent in my first coat of each color to keep it from having the "chippy" look. The framework and knobs of the piece are in Ironstone alone. Then I distressed it a bit and topped it with Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Wax. This wax goes on like butter! I love it. So here it is waiting for it's forever home in my space at Rusted.

Well that was short and sweet. I'm a woman of few words. What can I say.

If you haven't tried Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, be sure to give it a try. You will love the finish! Please find a retailer near you and support your local businesses. If you don't have a retailer in your area, I hope you will visit my website Here, to check it out.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jeanne

Linking up to:

The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers Party & Hop
Kammy's Korner - Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday

A Versatile Table

2012-12-14T11:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's been way too long since I've put up a post. I've been on the road for work, pretty much since the beginning of October. I had a week home for Thanksgiving, which is when I completed this project. Thankfully I am headed home for the year after today. I am so ready!!

I just loved the versatility of this little table the minute I saw it at a recent auction.

It has three drawers on each side. And it is a drop leaf. It would be perfect for a small area to tuck away until needed. It would make a great desk for two. Or even leave one side up as a desk all the time, and open up the other when you need some extra eating space. It could make a great crafting table with all those drawers. The list could go on and on!

Since this was such a primitive looking piece, I decided to paint it with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint without the bonding agent. I used the color Linen for the tabletop, and French Enamel for the drawers. Oh, and I used Tricycle inside the drawers. I also used the Antiquing Wax. I usually like to replace wooden handles, but they seemed perfect with this piece. I just freshened them up a bit with MMS Hemp Oil. Anyway, here is the result........

That's it! Tell me what you think. If you haven't tried Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, visit here and I'll include one free sample color with any order. Just mention this blog post in the comments section and tell me what color you want.

Now that I'm gonna be home after today, I hope to keep up with more frequent posts. Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings!
Jeanne

Linking Up To:

Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

The Pink Lady

2012-10-31T23:23:00.000-04:00

I'll have to admit, when my customer asked me to paint this desk pink, I wasn't feeling it. It just seemed like such an elegant desk to be pink. Of course I had a "Pepto Bismol" pink in my mind.

She actually sent me a picture of what she wanted and I got some sample cards to make the choice from. When I found out she would be sharing an office with her husband, I suggested Annie Sloan's Antoinette. It is such a subtle pink, I thought it would be a good compromise to make them both happy.

The desk had this one spot that needed a little doctoring.

I had this piece of decorative wood for a stair step lying around and thought it might cover up the problem. I popped off the swirly part, and cut out a piece that looks similar to the missing one. Then I just wood glued it in place. I figured once it was painted, it would blend close enough.

OK. Enough with the suspense. Here's the Pink Lady in all her glory.

And here's one last look along with her chair......

What do you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Blessings!

Jeanne

Linking up to:

The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday

The French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday

Knot Too Shabby / Wow Us Weekends

Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

Miss Mustard Seed's Tricycle

2012-10-06T20:08:00.000-04:00

I just finished up another project with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Tricycle. I finally did a piece that got some awesome chipping. I kept doing pieces that had a lot of grain and were somewhat dry. Therefore, no chipping. This was a fun, quick makeover. This is an old telephone chair. Or, I think they are also called gossip chairs. Here's what she looked like before. It actually looks better in this picture than it did in real life.

I painted two coats of Tricycle and then scraped away all the chipping. Once that was done, I applied the Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Wax. And Voila, here she is in all her chippy goodness.

Well, there it is, short and sweet. What do you think?

By the way I have received my Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint shipment and am ready to take your orders!
Just visit my website here to place your order.

Linking Up to:
Classy Clutter - Spotlight Saturday Knot Too Shabby - WOW Us Weekend
Debbiedoo's - Newbie with a Twist Party
Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop
Twigg Studios - Sunday Show Off

Miss Mustard Seed's Ironstone

2012-09-16T18:48:00.001-04:00

Believe it or not, I have not fallen off the face of the planet. I currently have no computer, and really didn't want to create a post through my phone. Well I finally figured some kind of post is better than none.

I will be a retailer of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint and got a few colors in a sample kit to try out. The paint is much different than any paint I've ever used. As you probably know' it's a powdered paint you mix with water. The plus to that is, it has an unlimited shelf life. You just mix what you need as you go.

I tried my hand with the color Ironstone on this table and chairs. (After publishing, I realized the pictures just all show up at the end.)

Typing on my phone is quite tedious, so I'll keep this short. Here is the finished project. (Again, just see all the pics at the end).

I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the colors!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Jeanne

My Little Desk Grows Up

2012-07-27T22:58:00.001-04:00

I bought this little desk a few years ago at a garage sale. It's been a perfect piece to have in our great room area, since it didn't take up a lot of space. I recently got another desk, so I thought I'd give this a makeover to make it look more "grown up" before sending it off to a new home.

It was just feeling unsophisticated.

I decided to give Annie Sloan's Aubusson Blue a try on this one. I love this color, and I'm so glad I finally found a project to use it on. I also knew I wanted a darker top. I wanted to try Minwax Poly Shade, which is polyurethane and stain all in one. This was ~~laziness~~ a time saving idea on my part, as that way I just had to paint right over the existing finish. No sanding, staining, and clear coating for this one. Without further ado, here is my desk all sophisticated and grown up.

I thought the chair I recently painted for my first Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint project would look great with the desk. You can read about that makeover here. So here she is with the chair.

As usual, thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings!

Jeanne

Linking Up to:

2805 - Potpourri Friday
The Dedicated House - Make it Pretty Monday
Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop
Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday
Serendipity and Spice - Manic Monday

Versatile Blogger Award and Thanks!

2012-07-17T12:07:00.000-04:00

I was recently nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award from two ladies in as many days! It's always nice to get a little recognition from your fellow bloggers. :)

First let me thank Maria Elena at Our Home Away From Home. She has some beautiful house tour pictures and decorating ideas.

I wish I had such an elegant bathroom!

She has such soothing colors in her bedroom seating area.

Beautiful Tablescape!

Second, I'd like to thank ARod at Makin My Apartment My Home. She has some cute before and after projects and thrifty finds on her site.

Here she jazzed up an old serving cart.

And here are some of those thrifty finds.

OK. Here are the rules for the award:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

2. Include a link to their site.

3. Include award image on your post.

4. Include award image on your blog site.

5. Give 7 random facts about yourself.

6. Nominate 15 other people for the award and tell why they were nominated.

7. Include links to the site of bloggers nominated.

8. Notify the bloggers you have nominated.

Items 1, 2, 3, & 4 - Done

7 Random Facts About Me

1. I love Jesus and hope to be more like Him each day.

2. I love to read.

3. I dream of traveling to Europe -mainly Italy, Greece, Germany, & France.

4. I hope to build a log cabin in the mountains to retire there with my hubby.

5. I have struggled with my weight all my life. Lose...Gain...Lose...Gain...

6. My home is upside down more than right side up.

7. I love going to auctions and estate sales with my husband. It's like a date.

And Now for My Nominees

1. Melissa @ daisy mae belle - Great variety of simple projects to try

2. Connie @ Hartwood Roses - Beautiful pics, DIY projects, and Renovations

3. Michele @ The Great Read - Love of the Library and Great Book Reviews

4. Angie @ Knick of Time Interiors - Inspiring Projects, Giveaways, & Parties

5. Melissa @ Serendipity and Spice - Energetic and Inviting and Parties

6. Kathy @ Cornerstone Confessions - Organization and Spiritual Gems

7. Sharon @ Mrs. Hines' Class - Decorating, Cooking, DIY, & Very Encouraging

8. Tim & Allyson @ A Heart for the Home - Great Family Living Ideas

9. Marie @ The (not always) Lazy W - Her Five Senses Tours are my favorite

10. Aimee @ Twigg Studios - Beautiful DIY Projects and Tutorials

11. Kristy @ 4 the Love of Wood - Great Furniture Makeovers

12. Becca @ Adventures in Decorating - Lives up to the name, Beautiful Pics

13. Dolly @ Dolly's Designs - Fun Craft Ideas and Tutorials

14. Peggy @ Crazy Thrifty Crafts - Thrifty Finds, Crafts, and Authentic

15. Laura @ Whimsical Perspective - Makeovers, Including an ASPC Kitchen

Again, I am honored to have received this award. Go visit these great blogs and leave a nice comment.

Now I'm off to notify the winners!

Blessings!

Jeanne

Blogiversary and Give Away!

2012-07-16T13:29:00.000-04:00

Well, my one year blogiversary came and went last week and I missed it! I have to celebrate, even if it's a little late.

I started this blog as an outlet for showing my before and after furniture makeovers. After discovering linky parties, I have made some great blogging friends. I even got to meet up with Penny from The Comforts of Home while on vacation in the Asheville area. I hope I get to meet some more of you wonderful ladies in the future.

I've had my ups and downs with blogging. You know, when you get jealous these other new bloggers have ten times more followers than you and start questioning yourself. Or, you let a month go by between posts and feel like a heel. Then out of nowhere you get featured through a linky party and feel elated! I'm trying to just enjoy the journey and stop looking at my small numbers. I really don't aspire to be like Marian of Miss Mustard Seed. I'm not that confident at this stage anyway.

OK. Enough of my rambling. I know you really want to know about the give away!

To celebrate this milestone, I am giving away one bag of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in your choice of color!

Because the paint hasn't been officially launched, there will be a delay in getting your prize. As soon as I get my initial order, I will ship it to you.

To Enter

Go to my website here, click on the Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint tab, and come back to leave a comment telling me your favorite color.

For a second entry, be a follower of this blog and leave a comment letting me know if you are a new or existing follower.

That's all there is to it! Give away will end Sunday, July 22 at 11:59 PM EST

If you don't want to wait. Go ahead and fill out a preorder form here and receive a 10% discount on any one item by entering the discount code ONEYEAR. This code is valid through Sunday, July 22. I will invoice you for your order once I get my initial order.

As usual, thanks for stopping by.

Blessings!
Jeanne

Linking to:

Homemaker on a Dime - Market Your Biz and Giveaways

Twigg Studios - Sunday Show Off

My First Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Reveal

2012-07-13T22:59:00.000-04:00

If you've been by lately, you know that I am officially an authorized retailer for the new milk paint line coming out soon from Miss Mustard Seed. I am so excited about this new venture. I know anything Marian is putting her name on is going to be awesome!

I got my sample kit and dug in to get started. I wasn't as brave as some of the other ladies I've seen out there. I decided to start small. I thought this little chair, with all it's grain, would be a quick and fun project to start on. By the way, I only paid $1 for this chair. I figured that's a nice safe piece to experiment on.

I didn't take pictures during the process. Sorry about that. I started out using Ironstone for the first coat. Then I used Tricycle for the second coat. It wasn't quite what I wanted, so I whitewashed the Ironstone over that. Unfortunately, it kind of looked pink. I decided to use ASCP dark wax over that, to darken the tone back to more red. I didn't get MMS Antiquing Wax in my sample kit, so I improvised. Even with all those layers, it was a very quick project. The paint dries really fast.

Next, my sweetie cut a board for me to cover for the seat. I used batting and a blue ticking material. I love ticking. Anyway here is the final result........

Let me know what you think. :)

If you'd like to preorder any Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint products, just click here.

Blessings!

Jeanne

Linking up to:

2805 - Potpourri Friday

Beez Rental Designs - Frugal Treasures Tuesday

Cornerstone Confessions - Titus 2 Tuesdays

The CSI Project -Time to Link Up Refashions/Upcycle Week

Debbiedoo's - Newbie Party

The Dedicated House - Make it Pretty Monday

Elizabeth & Co. - Be Inspired

French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday

Homemaker on a Dime - Blogger's Party & Hop

House of Hepworths - Hookin Up with HoH

Kammy's Korner - Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday

Knick of Time Interiors - Knick of Time Tuesday

Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

Serendipity and Spice - Manic Monday

Very Merry Vintage Style - Share the Love Wednesday

Preorder Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Now!

2012-07-09T17:18:00.000-04:00

You all know it's coming! And as I've already announced, I will be an authorized dealer for Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint. If you would like to fill out my preorder form, I can make sure to stock up on what I need now. I will set up final billing with tax and shipping once my supplies arrive. I'm still working on all those details.

This form is just to give me a heads up on how much I should order. Just click below. Fill out the form and submit. Easy peasy.

Click Here!

Thanks for your visit!
Jeanne

Linking Up To:

Debbiedoo's - Newbie Party

Two Quick Projects

2012-07-07T23:46:00.000-04:00

These two little projects were just some quick upcycle/update ideas I tried recently. I kept debating whether to put them in a blog post or not. I wasn't sure if they were "blog worthy". Whatever that is. Anyway, I decided a post is a post and sometimes the most simple projects are best.

My first update was this "lovely" chandelier. It just seemed a bit outdated to me.

So next I got a couple of cans of white spray paint and sprayed away.

Do you like my fancy spray booth?

After painting it, I tied jute around the globes. Then put in some bulbs and hung it up. (Well, the hubby actually did the hanging)

Here's the final result.

The next project is an upcycle of an old window. I made a little message center.

First, I started with a window. Of course!

Next, I cut some burlap to go behind the top portion of the window. I glued some die cuts to the burlap to give it a little flair

Next, I stapled the burlap to the back of the window. I also ended up attaching black material behind the burlap to make it a better back drop for a dry erase board.

I forgot to take pictures of the next few steps. On the bottom half of the window I knotted jute twine and then stapled it in. I looped the twine back under the staple to hide it. Then did the same thing at the other end to attach it to the other side. I also, covered a soup can with a graphic from my word clip art using Mod Podge. I put a little faux glaze over that and attached some twine to it to hang.

Here's the big reveal.

You might notice the tree die cut is missing. It just didn't look right. So I took it off.

Well, There you go. Not rocket science, but two useful pieces.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings!
Jeanne

Linking up to:

Debbie Does Creations - Toot Your Horn Tuesday's
Debbiedoo's - Newbie Party
Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Night Special
Homemaker on a Dime - Bloggers' Party and Hop
Kammy's Korner - Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday
Serendipity and Spice - Manic Monday
Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Party
Twenty Eight 0 Five - Potpourri Friday

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Coming Soon!

2012-07-02T13:19:00.001-04:00

That's right folks! I will be selling Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint line very soon. I'm all signed up for my initial order, and just waiting for everything to get launched. Hopefully this will be available by August 1, 2012. If you haven't heard about this awesome paint, go visit Marian and see her initial announcement here. I will be offering this beautiful line in my space in Jacksonville, FL at Rusted Market, as well as through my website. Once I'm set to go, I will provide a link to the website for orders.

Please check back to see the latest!

Blessings!

Jeanne

Linking up to:

Debbiedoo's - Newbie Party

Vintage by Nina Book Give Away at Villabarnes

2012-06-04T09:47:00.001-04:00

Rosemary over at Villabarnes is having an awesome give away contest. She has an autographed copy of this beautiful book, Vintage by Nina.

Just click on "Villabarnes" above and read about how to enter for your chance to win!

Blessings!

Jeanne

Drop Leaf Table Makeover

2012-06-01T10:54:00.000-04:00

OK, so I don't get any points for a creative title on this post. I just don't have the creative juices flowing right now. This table was another makeover for a friend. My friend inherited this table from a relative. It was in pretty sad shape, as it had been out in a storage shed. She pretty much gave me free reign on this one.

It had good "bones", but needed some TLC

My hubby had to help with some fixes first........

This leg was cracked almost off. He had to glue and screw it for it to withstand the stress.

Stripping and sanding was next. My sweetie did that for me too!

I tried a combination stain and poly by Minwax. I picked this up on the cheap at an estate sale and thought I'd give it a try. It was pretty nice to get both steps done in one.

Please ignore my messy garage!

After I finished with the stain, I turned the table upside down to paint the rest..........

Good ole ASCP Old White

And now for the final result.........

My friend was pretty happy with her new and improved table. What do you think? I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jeanne

Linking up to:
Elizabeth & Co. - Be Inspired
Debbiedoo's - Newbie Party
French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday
Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Night Special
House of Hepworths - Hookin Up with HOH
Kammy's Korner - Trash to Treasure Tuesday
Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday
The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday
Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Party

My Estate Sale Treasures

2012-05-24T17:42:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, the hubby and I spent the day looking for treasures at estate sales. This has become one of our favorite forms of entertainment! That and auctions. :) Anyway, I thought I'd share a few of our found treasures for the day.

I have makeover plans for these. Check back for the reveal!

Old tins and jars

This note was taped to the bottom of the jar. Pretty cool!

I just thought they were cute. It's an anchor with salt and pepper lanterns.

McCoy cookie jar.

Now for the find of the day(maybe the year!). This is the original price of this rug written on the tag. See it.......$695.00. Guess what I paid at the end of the day at an estate sale put on by our favorite estate sale company. DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....................................................................................

$13.75!!!! Can you believe it! I absolutely love it!

Thanks for stopping by! I have some projects in the works that I'll be posting soon. Make sure to stop back by!!

Blessings!

Jeanne

My New Space at Rusted Market!

2012-05-17T18:15:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to be able to join up with an awesome group of people as we open a new store. I think this space is going to work out better than where I was previously. There are about 12 vendors in this cute little house. We all worked on cleaning, painting, yard work, etc. to get this place ready for our grand opening this past weekend. We already feel like a big happy family, cheering each other on! It is a very warm and inviting space and it's in a great location! Here's a peek.

Isn't it adorable!!

Here's my space! (Minus the artwork on the walls).......

The table and chairs just sold today!! I better get to painting!

This was actually a little makeover project I never posted about. Maybe later.

One of my book bundles. And I love teacups!

I love the California Pottery Leaf Dish!

And one last look at the whole space.....

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit! You're comments are always appreciated!

Blessings!

Jeanne

New Friends, Old Friends, and Fun Finds

2012-05-01T10:13:00.000-04:00

I just got back from a wonderful week with friends and family at our timeshare in Lake Lure, NC. When I realized that Penny from The Comforts of Home lived nearby, I contacted her about getting together. This was my first meet with a blog friend! It was great! Penny told us about this great little tea room in Asheville, where we had lunch and did a little shopping. From there she joined us at one of our favorite antique shops, The Tobacco Barn. I am so glad I got to meet her!

One of my dearest friends also happens to be the mother of one of my daughters in law. The two of us had a great time spoiling our grandson for the week. Here's Debbie giving Andrew a little ice cream.

Tommy and I ventured out one day on our own and I got a couple of pieces of Fiestaware to add to my collection. I just love the colorful display of that stuff!

Well, that's all for now. Thanks so much for coming by!

Jeanne

Linking Up to:

Debbie Doo's - Newbie Party

A Little Table for a Friend

2012-04-05T10:23:00.000-04:00

The story behind this little table is just so cool! My daughter-in-law was sprucing up her house and and sent me a text saying, "Do you want this? I'm putting it by the road otherwise". Here's the table..............

So I'm sure you've guessed. My response was, "Yes!". Now here comes the really awesome part of the story. While out to lunch with my dear friend, Debbie, she mentioned she was on the lookout for a small little side table to put next to her couch. She had just rearranged her family room, and didn't have room for her existing end table by the couch. I got so excited! I asked her about what size she wanted. And she showed me pretty much the exact size of this little table! I pulled out my phone and showed her what I had just gotten the week before from my daughter-in-law. She almost cried at God's perfect provision! It was exactly what she was looking for! Told you it was a great story! Once we discussed what she wanted, I got to work.

So here is the perfect little table I made over for my friend!

First, I used ASCP Old White. It did take two coats to cover. Then I applied clear wax. After that, I did a little distressing with 100 grit sandpaper. I then did a very light touch of dark wax mixed with mineral spirits, and wiped away. Then, one more final coat of clear wax. This was a quick easy transformation!

Debbie was thrilled with her table! I think God loves to give us these little surprises and see us smile.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Blessings!

Jeanne

Linking Up With.....
Beez Rental Designs - Frugal Treasures Tuesday
Debbiedoo's - Newbie Party
French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday
House of Hepworths - Hookin' Up with HOH
Kammy's Korner - Trash to Treasure Tuesday
Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday
Mrs. Hines Class - Show and Tell

The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday
The Shady Porch - Rock 'N Share

Harlequin Dresser/Sideboard

2012-03-17T14:26:00.000-04:00

This is one of those projects that I had to adjust my initial plan for the piece. I was originally going to stain the top and drawer fronts. But the wood just wasn't cooperating. So then I thought I'd try leaving some wood with this harlequin design and staining the drawer edges. Here's the result.......

Before I show a little more detail, here's the before photo.....

I think the "after" looks a little better, huh?

Now I'll show you a few more pics with some of the details. I tried a new technique with a silver glaze. What do you think?

And here she is, one more time.......

Thank you so much for stopping by. Your comments are always welcome!

Jeanne

Linking up to:
Common Ground - Vintage Inspiration
Elizabeth & Co - Be Inspired
Embracing Change
French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday
Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Night Special
Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop
Kammy's Korner - Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday
Knick of Time Tuesday (Vintage Style)
Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday
Mrs. Hines Class - Show and Tell
My Repurposed Life - Catch as Catch Can
My Romantic Home - Show and Tell Friday
Project Queen - Turning the Daunting Into the Doable Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
The Shady Porch - Rock 'N Share
2805 - Potpourri Friday

My First Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Class

2012-02-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I finally got the privilege of taking an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint class. The class was hosted at my nearest stockist store Luxury for Less in Ponte Vedra. They supplied us with everything we needed to practice a few techniques. We even got the cutest aprons to take home!

Oh, the choices!

Our wonderful instructor, Wendy, is on the left. And our host, Elaine, is on the right.

My pictures really don't show the details very well. But here are the three techniques we covered.

This one is stippling using three colors. I sealed with clear and dark wax.

This is a two color technique. I tried half with clear wax only and half with clear and dark wax.

This one is a dry brush technique.

Again, sorry these pictures really don't show the techniques very well. One day I'll actually get a decent camera. These are just taken with my phone.

I did get to play around with some paint on the top part of a huge mirror. This is what I came up with:

I did a base coat of Graphite and then stippled with Barcelona Orange and Old White. I did the stippling seperately instead of putting both colors on each side of the brush. Mainly because I tried the orange first and then decided it needed to be toned down.

Oh, I forgot to mention we had a delicious catered lunch as well! I forgot to take pictures until after we had already dived in. You get the idea though. :)

And last but not least. Here are a few of my classmates. See the cute aprons!

Formulating a plan. :)

One more look at our awesome instructor, Wendy!

I can't wait for the advanced class coming up soon! Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by. Be blessed!

Jeanne

Surprise Feature!

2012-02-08T10:16:00.000-05:00

Just when I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself, someone goes and does something nice. Sharon, over at Mrs. Hines Class featured my simple frame makeovers post. What a surprise that was! It's funny how you think something is really not worthy of posting, and then it gets featured! I've been in a funk lately. I mean a real, stopped in my tracks, can't do anything, kind of funk. I can't seem to wrap my mind around completing a large project. I think it might be connected to the hormones. I'll get that checked out at the end of the month at my annual checkup.....I digress. Anyway, I just wanted to thank Sharon for including me in her features this week. I'm not sure anyone will actually read this post, but hopefully she sees it.

Stay tuned for a furniture makeover in the near future!

Simple Frame Makeovers

2012-01-30T16:01:00.000-05:00

I'll keep this post short and sweet. This is a very simple project. Nothing spectacular. But, I've decided I want to post more frequently, and not worry so much whether I get lots of visits to my blog. Even though I'm a little slow on getting to major makeovers, I am trying to accomplish something. So I figured I'd share my "baby steps" with you too.

My daughter in law had these frames and asked me if I could give them a makeover for her.

Sorry for the busy background. I'd already started working on them before
I thought to take pics. See the clamp on the top right one?

OK, no rocket science here. I painted them with a couple coats of Lowe's Antique White (right off the shelf). Then distressed them with sandpaper. Here's the result.

Ready for delivery!

Like I said, "short and sweet". Thanks for visiting and come back often!

Jeanne

Linking up to:
Debbiedoo's - Newbie Party
Mrs. Hines Class - Show and Tell
The Shady Porch - Rock n' Share

Wine Bar or Desk?

2012-01-24T10:15:00.000-05:00

I've been having a bit of a debate with myself on what to do with this unique piece we (my hubby and I) acquired at an auction a while back. This is an old organ shell. Isn't it cool! Whatever I end up doing with this, I think it will be a one of kind piece.

Before I get started on that, I wanted to give a shout out to Randee at Randee's Organized Chaos. She is hosting a linky party, Rant and Rave About My Blog, and it is an awesome idea. Once you link up, she will assign two other bloggers to critique your blog for you. She then forwards the information anonymously back to you. She will give you two blogs to critique as well. I took these critiques to heart, and changed some things up. One blogger said that my title was lost in the pictures on my blog header. The other one stated that my blog posting space was too small to show off my makeovers. So I changed my blog header and enlarged my posting space and photos. Mind you, both critiques had lots of positive lovely comments to encourage me too! If you are interested in participating in Rant and Rave About My Blog, you can link up here within the next 10 days. I highly recommend it! Before you go link up, please help me with my dilemma.

Back to my debate. We bid on this because we just thought it was so unusual. However, we really had no idea what we wanted to do with it. As we contemplated this, I thought a wine bar would be an unexpected up cycling. I had it all planned out. I would put a small wine rack on one side and a glass rack on the other. Once you close the lid, it would just be a pretty piece you could treat almost like a mantel. Then I started wondering if this idea would sell. After all, I will be putting this in my space at the antique market. So I started rethinking this idea. My next thought was to turn it into a desk. I could put some little slots and bins inside. Maybe even a drawer. Here's a second look for you.

So, here's where you all come in. Help! What do you think.......wine bar or desk? I would really appreciate your input. I value the opinions of all you talented people out there! Just leave a comment and let me know what you think. You don't even have to elaborate if you don't want to. You can just comment, "wine bar" or "desk".

Thank you so much for any feedback you can give me!!

Linking up to:

Debbiedoo's - Newbie Monday
Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

Small Hutch Makeover

2012-01-20T14:53:00.002-05:00

Well it feels good to be able to say I've completed another makeover project. I've been in a bit of a slump when it comes to getting my furniture redos done. If you missed my post about this, you might want to check it out here. Needless to say I was a bit overwhelmed with furniture literally to the ceiling!
So here's a quick before and after for you to start things off.

I definitely had some mishaps along the way. I almost cried when the top of the paint can popped off as I was shaking it upside down as instructed. I did manage to flip it up pretty quickly. So, I'm thankful for that.

Yes. It's Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!

I painted straight from my arm. :)

I was attempting to paint the back of the hutch in Duck Egg Blue. I soon ran out of patience with the cutting in part of that process. Thus, I dry brushed over it to hide my inadequacies. Here was my first attempt.

The sides are Old White and the back was going to be Duck Egg Blue.

I also had a battle with the glass doors not closing properly. I finally went and bought new latches and took care of that problem.

Now, back to the hutch. I hope you stayed with me to see some more after pictures! Here they are......

OK. One more time. Before.....

And after......

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Linking up to:
Alchemy Fine Living - From Trash To Treasure
Blissful and Domestic - Feature Friday Linky Party
French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday
Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Blogger's Party & Hop
Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday
The Shady Porch - Rock 'N Share
2805 - Potpourri Friday