Serendipity Chic Design

Shabby chic cottage dresser

2012-01-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

I found a dresser the other day with great bones, but definitely needed a makeover....

I wanted to give it a beachy feel, so I painted it a gray color with a hint of blue to it....It's a color I mixed from other paints I had laying around....Very happy with the outcome...

Happy New Year to all!

Chic and oh so shabby console/cabinet

2011-12-23T20:47:00.000-05:00

OK, ready for the before of this really dated 70's vintage piece? Ew! Gross! Yuck!

And for the after.....

I can see this piece in any room, but for some reason I can picture it gracing the room of a baby's nursery????

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and safe holiday!

Finally...some signs....

2011-12-18T14:49:00.000-05:00

Wow...It has been a while since I have painted signs. I don't know why, but it is almost therapeutic for me when I do them. I get to sit in front of my TV or listen to my Ipod while painting.

Today I painted 3. Don't know what I was thinking when I used the words, BEACH, OCEAN, and GONE FISHING seeing that it is bitter cold here in CT. I guess wishful thinking....Anyway, here they are:

If anyone is interested, I am selling them for $45 each plus $10 shipping...They are a substantial size...12"x35"

Eclectic chic secretary hutch...

2011-12-15T08:34:00.000-05:00

Many of you have heard me talk about my dear friend Debra over at Capers of the Vintage Vixens
...Well this past fall she had a huge Oktoberfest party...So much fun. Anyway, while there I was lucky enough to meet another amazing blogger...Her name is Dee and her blog is French Bleu Vintage. She creates the most gorgeous stuff. The detail is exquisite. But, that being said, she isn't a big fan of painting furniture. She she left that to me. She brought me an old cabinet that was in some need of cheering up.....

She wanted to go with either a white, green, or a red...My recommendation was red, and Dee went with my suggestion...Yay! Here is the final product...

Shabby chic side table~beach house/cottage decor

2011-12-02T09:46:00.000-05:00

I KNOW! It has been forever since my last post. I have missed everyone. Unfortunately I have some personal issues I have been dealing with since the summer and it has put painting and decorating on the back burner. But, in the long run, my issues are for the better and despite my stresses, I have never been happier....

That being said, I have a piece of furniture to share with you today...YAY! I found a boring vintage side table at Good will....

A little sprucing and some paint....and voila!

Where have I been......

2011-11-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone....

I got a few emails from some of you wondering where I have been...First, thanks so much to those wonderful girls for asking =)

Many of you may have heard that we got hit by a huge snow storm here in CT on October 29th. The snow was so heavy that power lines and huge trees were down everywhere. You couldn't even get through main roads. It was devastating. Personally I didn't have power for 9 days. Halloween was even cancelled. Can you believe that!!

I haven't been blogging because I am still trying to clean up my darn yard. I live in the middle of the woods and the yard was unrecognizable. Plus, something is up with my camera SD card and a new one isn't in the budget...LOL!

I will be back! You can't get rid of me that easily. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Shabby chic wall mirror

2011-10-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

Well, I am driving myself crazy right now because I know I had a before photo of this mirror I am sharing with you today. But seeing that I can't find it, you will have to envision boring, ugly, and drab oak....I added some creamy white paint and some sanding to end up with this:

Thrift store fashion Friday #4

2011-10-21T13:47:00.001-04:00

The past few weeks I have shared outfits with you that I purchased at the thrift store for great bargain prices. Not only do I get them for myself, but also my kids. Today I am going to share an outfit with you that I got for my daughter Samantha. She is wearing an Abercrombie denim skirt along with an Abercrombie sweatshirt.....

Both of these items looked brand new when I purchased them...
Abercrombie sweatshirt: $3
Abercrombie denim skirt: $3
Grand total for the outfit: $6...If I bought these two things at Abercrombie, they would easily total $75.....

Scotch Blue Painting Party giveaway~shabby chic side table~

2011-10-18T12:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the ScotchBlue™ PaintingParty! A group of fantastic DIY bloggers, including myself, all completed projects with the help of ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock™ Paint LineProtector. Now we’re giving you the chance to gather inspiration, have fun, and win prizes! If you’d like to start at the beginning of the party and see more tutorials, head to Denise’s blog: The Painted Home

Have fun going from party to party:

The Painted Home
Paper Princess Studio
Refreshed Decor
Two Become One

Now, onto my project that I used Scotch Blue painters tape on. I wanted to do a big project, but unfortunately didn't have time. But, small projects are what most of us are able to tackle today, so thought I'd give some inspiration with a small side table. Here it is all boring and ugly.

The first step I took towards completing this project was to paint the piece my favorite buttercream color.

Next I took Scotch Blue tape and "striped" the top. I did not measure out lines like I would have had I been painting a large wall because I knew I wanted this piece to be imperfect and shabby. So I applied the tape by eye only.

Next, for the striping, I chose a gray paint. I wanted this piece to have a beachy cottage appeal. I applied two coats of paint.

I peeled the tape off while the second coat was still wet. I was so impressed with the fact that there was absolutely no bleed through under the tape.

Once completely dry, I distressed the piece with my palm sander. I was so pleased with the outcome.

Now onto the giveaway. Win your own Scotch Blue tape and create your own fabulous pieces. It's as easy as leaving a comment letting me know how you would use ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape for your own project for a chance to win a sample. For an additional entry you can follow Scotch Blue on their FACEBOOK page. And lastly for a third chance, let me know that you tweeted "@scotchbluebrand I want #supersharppaintlines for my next project!”.

The giveaway will run from October 18th-October 21st.....

Good luck!!!

ScotchBlueBrand reached out to me to participate in the ScotchBlue Painting Party tocelebrate the launch of their new ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape withEdge-Lock Paint Line Protector. My post represents my honest experiencewith ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape. I am not being paid for my answers, but I didreceive ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape to assist in completion.

The little red table

2011-10-11T19:03:00.000-04:00

Found this cute little white table that needed a bit of a make over...

I rarely use red paint, so I decided to use it for this piece....

Eclectic coffee table

2011-10-06T10:43:00.000-04:00

So, if any of you are like me, you find a piece you love and you use it in your home. Then if something better comes along, you replace it. Well, I am now onto my third coffee table since I think March??

Here is the first one: (you can see that post HERE)

Then onto the second one: (You can see that post HERE)

Then there is this one that I got the other day for only $12..

The problem with it is that it is not a vintage piece and I wasn't sure how well it would look painted. The top was shiny and it weighs more than an elephant even with the drawers out of it. But, I figured it would be the most practical for the kids due to the size and storage space with three drawers.

Lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome and it has replaced the other two....

A party and Fifi...

2011-10-04T22:29:00.001-04:00

Many of you know my great friend Debra from Capers of the Vintage Vixens. Every year her and her husband Don host a huge Oktoberfest party. I went with the kids this year.

She had two guests you all may know from blogland. Fifi O'Neill and Mark Lohman. I had met them over the summer at Debra's while they were shooting photos of her home for their upcoming magazine or book. That post can be seen HERE

So, it was exciting to meet up with them again...

Here is a picture I LOVE of my daughter Sami with Debra's grandaughter Maci. Debra and her daughter Nicole made the awesome head pieces for all of the girls.

There was fun to be had by all. Thanks for stopping by...

Shabby chic dresser

2011-09-29T19:42:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine asked me to paint a piece for her that had GREAT bones. As gorgeous as the before was, we both agreed it was a bit dated and needed some OOMPH!

I felt it needed white paint to give it the shabby appeal it was screaming for....

The pain in the A*S shabby chic vanity

2011-09-26T12:06:00.001-04:00

I was so excited when I found this vanity at Goodwill.

The problem was that it had some thick cardboard sticky contact paper on it. I should have just primed over it with Bin, but I decided to try to peel it off. What a mistake that was. There was so much glue and it was thick, and it just wasn't going to come off.

So I gave up and set the piece aside for about 2 months. I think I was secretly hoping that 2 months later the top would miraculously be good as new and ready to go...Didn't happen though.

Then I had a brainstorm. I was going to be throwing away an old headboard. I decided to use it to make a top for the vanity. It was thankfully a pretty simple fix.

I painted it white and distressed it. I am so pleased with the way it came out and relieved to be able to check this project off the list!

Shabby chic architectural piece

2011-09-22T12:45:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately I don't have a before photo, but a few months back I found a piece which I am assuming could have come from an old home. I gave it some paint and some distressing and it has turned out to be an awesome one of a kind piece of home decor. I can see it as a headboard, hanging over a piece of furniture, or even over a doorway.

The miracle makeover

2011-09-20T08:39:00.000-04:00

Do you ever come across that piece that is just so darn ugly but you can still see some possible potential? I had been eyeying a piece at Goodwill for about a week. It was $25. Not to bad of a price, but it still wasn't grabbing me. It finally went half off to $12.50 and I thought what the heck....I'll take a shot with it.

Notice the REALLY ugly knobs and pulls. Ewww, gross, yuck!

Then there is the miracle of paint. I chose a pale blue....

Shabby antique side table...

2011-09-18T23:24:00.000-04:00

LOVE LOVE LOVE this table I found, but it clearly needed a makeover.

I had a bit of a very pale blue paint with a hint of gray just waiting to be used.

Hope everyone had a good weekend. The weather here in Connecticut was gorgeous!

Shabby HALLOWEEN decor

2011-09-15T21:28:00.000-04:00

Nothing better than a free old window...

Hmmmmm.....what to do...what to do??? Halloween decor?? Sure, why not!

Mirror mirror on the wall...

2011-09-13T22:20:00.000-04:00

I love mirrors! Not to look in, but to decorate with. They are always the perfect "fix" when you simply can't find something else to fit the spot.

I got this bland mirror with a great "figure" the other day.

I used a gray paint to give the mirror a "cottage feel"....

Eclectic chic chair makeover~snow leopard

2011-09-11T19:15:00.000-04:00

For as long as I can remember, my parents have had this chair in their finished basement.

I know you are reading this mom, so don't be offended, but this chair was a little dated and the fabric is a bit blah. Guess that is why you and dad sent it my way... =)

Anyway, nothing a little white paint and some snow leopard fabric can't solve.....

Eclectic window art....

2011-09-08T08:00:00.002-04:00

You might remember this awesome window I got at the dump about a month ago.....

I finally got around to tackling a project with it. I loved the wood as is, so for once in my life I didn't paint something. I know, crazy right?

I googled vintage clip art. Some came from random google images and some came for The Graphics Fairy. I wanted to deco podge vintage map images to the window panes. Here is what I came up with.

French country coffee table

2011-09-07T08:00:00.002-04:00

I found the greatest coffee table the other day. Great bones, but the wood was a little to dark for my taste.

Seeing that buttercream has been a favorite color of mine these days, I decided to use it yet again....

Ideas for a metal pail.....

2011-09-06T08:00:00.002-04:00

I have quite a few metal pails around the house that have quite a few uses.

Although I don't have a picture of them with magazines, that would be an obvious use of storage.

Some other fun ideas I had were.....

Container for kindling

House plants....

And my personal favorite....fresh flowers from my garden:

My Memories giveaway...SOOOOO EXCITING!!

2011-09-05T08:00:00.007-04:00

I am beyond excited to share a giveaway with you my amazing followers!! How many of you have heard of My Memories? Well if you haven't, you will know about them now. They recently contacted me offering a fabulous giveaway prize for one of my lucky followers. They have the coolest digital scrapbooking software. I have been having a blast with this! Here are a few samples of what I have done.

So you ask...what is the giveaway? The winner will receive a My Memories Suite software package valued at $80! How fun and exciting is that. I have been having a blast making scrapbook pages of my own as I'm sure you will do the same.

OK, so now you ask, what if I don't win? Well, you still get something! Be sure to share it with all. It is $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value! Use this coupon code at the time of checkout STMMMS47075

Now for the rules! You must be a follower of Serendipity Chic Design. Go to My Memories and let me know what your favorite digtal scrapbooking kit is.

For an additional entry, be sure to tweet about this giveaway.

The giveaway will run from Monday September 5th until Friday September 9th ending at midnight.

Good luck to everyone!

Country cottage chairs

2011-09-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine gave me the cutest unfinished chairs. (OOPS started to paint them before remembering to take the before picture)

They were craving white paint to give them some cottage appeal....

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.