Twice Lovely

The Hob Knobery

2012-02-03T10:04:00.001-07:00

I introduced you to my Etsy shop, The Hob Knobery, back at it’s launch in late July (right before the birth of my 4th child.)

I’ve been blown away by the response and want to thank all of you that have made purchases!

One of my staple products has been the Vintage Salvage Water Valve Knobs.

I create them to order and have been putting together fun sets of these valve knobs for a variety of buyers since the shop’s launch. Last week I had the privilege of putting together a set of 50 to be used as coat hooks at a new bar in New York with a decidedly industrial feel.

You’ll remember, I used them on this fun red dresser (an Ikea hack) a while back.

Hop on over to the shop! I’d love to put together a custom set for your project! Remember, I always offer a 15% discount on purchases of 10 or more custom knobs!

Another one of my shop staples is the line of natural gemstone knobs. There’s lots of great stone/color options, or if you have something particular in mind, I can always try and accommodate special requests. They’re available on either Oil Rubbed Bronze or Satin Nickel bases.

I’m running a special right now on both the Milky Quartz and Rose Quartz knobs. Regularly $8 per knob, on sale for $6 per knob while supplies last! (Cannot offer the 15% bulk buy discount on the sale items, but if you order more that 10 knobs, you can still get the 15% discount on non-sale knobs. Just message me at the shop and I can put together a reserved custom listing for you.)

Thanks again for your business, and I’d love to hear your ideas for new knobs you’d like to see me make or carry.

Faux Zinc Topped French Side Tables

2012-01-20T19:41:00.001-07:00

I picked up a cute little pair of French, two-tier side tables from my very favorite thrift store a while ago. (Yes, the same favorite thrift store I bought this headboard at. Stay away!!)

They were leather topped, but the leather had seen far better days. I knew I had to do something about them. I formulated the plan to prime the whole of the tables with gray primer, including the leather tops. Then I went back and painted the tops with some Mirrored Silver Metallic Spray Paint I bought from Ace Hardware. I really loved the stuff!! I think it’s going to be my go-to silver from now on. Fabulous stuff!

Once the silver dried, I went back with some black craft paint that I watered down into a glaze, painted it on and dabbed it off with a piece of paper towel. It turned out looking just like zinc, with the texture from the leather! I love it!

Then I masked off the table tops and sprayed the body of the tables ivory. After that had thoroughly dried, I hand-distressed with some fine sandpaper until some of the gray primer showed through in places and on the edges.

Some of the silver spray paint and black glazing tied in the original brass handles, and I called ‘em done!

Speaking of my very favorite thrift shop, guess what I picked up there day before yesterday. Check this awesomeness…

I’ve wanted to do an antique sideboard for about as long as I’ve been refinishing furniture, so I’m on cloud nine to find such an awesome one for a great price! What should I do to it? It has to live up to it’s potential. ;)

Happy weekend!!

Fabric Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2012-01-19T21:35:00.001-07:00

I forgot to draw a winner of the adorable Moda “It’s a Hoot” fabric that I had left over from my dresser redo!

The winner is Jenni from The Roseland Family!!

Congratulations Jenni!

My New Toy, An HVLP Paint Sprayer

2012-01-18T08:02:00.001-07:00

I told you guys my Christmas gift to myself this year was a new-to-me Canon Rebel. I’m very excited to delve deeper into the realm of photography! But it’s like learning a whole new language; It’s gonna take some time, for sure!

But another Christmas gift also brought a little pitter pat to my heart, and that was a new HVLP paint sprayer from my wonderful in-laws!! I’d been eyeing this HVLP unit from Rockler for a while now.

At just $99, it’s an extremely thrifty option that I just had to share with you! It has really good reviews on Rockler’s website, and I have to say that my experience with it so far has also been really good as well. It lays down a very nice and extremely FAST finish.

The keys to working with this (and all other) HVLP paint sprayers is getting your paint to the right consistency (not too runny, but not too thick), and adjusting your flow knob so that you’re laying down just the right volume of paint. (I have mine set to just about the lowest volume, which makes it a little bit slower, but will keep me from getting the dreaded drippys. When in doubt, always err on the side of more, thinner coats rather than trying to cover in one coat.) Both of these aspects take some trial and error, but once you hone in on the right paint consistency and the right volume of paint passing through the sprayer, you’re going to get great results time after time, whether you’re painting pieces for your own home or trying to step up your professional refinishing game.

I’m also loving how easy it is to clean!! I just take it in, dump out any paint that remains in the siphon cup, give it a rinse with some hot soapy water, then put some hot soapy water in the siphon cup and spray it through the gun to make sure it’s all cleaned out, and I’m done!

Rockler is also known for their great customer service, so I feel pretty confident that if I was to ever have problems with it, they’d be able to help me.

I’d like to say that while I am a Rockler Affiliate (I get a small amount if you purchase through the links on my site) I have not been compensated in any way for this review. I just really like my new paint sprayer and wanted to share it with you as an affordable way to take your furniture refinishing to the next level.

Happy painting!

Coral Headboard and Fabric Front Dresser

2012-01-15T15:49:00.001-07:00

I’m going to admit, before the new baby was born, I was getting completely burnt out on furniture refinishing. And it wasn’t so much the painting that was wearing me down, but the business of it all. I was DONE with Mr. Craig and his little list. People from CL wanted me (and usually persuaded me) to give away my work for little to nothing. That on top of the hassle of flakey people not showing, nervousness about people coming to my house (even if it was only the backyard), and the work put into putting up and keeping up nice ads, it was becoming not worth my time, quite frankly. Plus, I felt completely boxed into painting pieces a nice, safe white or black, or ivory, because I was petrified that if I didn’t paint things “safely”, they wouldn’t sell, and I’d have them sitting around here forever.

But when I started bringing pieces into a local boutique in November, I told myself that I was going to start taking more artistic chances with my furniture refinishing. After all, people can go to any store and buy a white dresser. What people are willing to pay money for are pieces with character. Sometimes old pieces have an inherent character that painting it white enhances. I’m not against a nice coat of white paint when a piece calls for it! But I was getting a little tired of tying my own hands when it came to artistic expression. So I decided to loosen up a little, take a few more chances with color an design, and I’m already having a ton more fun! My mind is absolutely swimming with ideas and possibilities. So in 2012, I’m bringing the fun back! And I hope you enjoy it around here as much as I do! :)

So, in that spirit I present to you this very fun project!

I got this great headboard at a local thrift store.

It certainly had character to spare, and (I’ll admit it) I was tempted to paint it white. ;) But at the urging of my Twice Lovely Facebook Fans, I decided to take a chance on a color that I’ve been wanting to use for a while now, CORAL!!

I’m a big coral fan. I think it’s a color that is just going to keep gaining popularity in interiors, fashion and other modes of design in the upcoming year. In fact, I know the Pantone people have some complicated algorithms and such to pick the color of the year, and while they were close in 2011 with the pinky “Honeysuckle”, I really think in retrospect 2011 was the year of Coral. But who am I anyways? ;)

But, I digress…

I painted a gray primer, then a high gloss coral that I had color matched to Coral Isle from Krylon. I hand distressed with some medium grit sandpaper so that the gray primer and just a touch of the dark wood showed through on the edges.

I paired her up with this simple, but sturdy modern dresser.

Someone remade it once before, but it was in need of another update. I painted the body in the same method as the headboard, first with gray primer before finishing up with the high gloss coral. But I wanted add some pizzazz to this boxy gal and try out a new method that I haven’t used before by adding a fun fabric to the drawer fronts!

I bought this great fabric quite a while ago and have been waiting for the right project to use it on. It’s called “It’s a Hoot, Birds in Flight” in Marshmallow by MoMo for Moda, but in looking around the internet for the purchasing information to share with you (in case you love it as much as I do), I found out that it’s all sold out and pretty hard to find around.

I painted a hearty coat of Mod Podge on the front drawer faces, then applied the fabric to the fronts, let that dry, then added 3 coats of polycrylic (my fave is Verathane) to protect the fabric and make the drawer faces cleanable.

With the finishing touches of some spray painted handles (Lagoon from Rustoleum) and some Hobby Lobby pinky faceted crystal knobs, she’s ready to go!

Now, if that’s not fun, I don’t know what is. :)

You know what else would be fun? How about a giveaway?!?!

I only used about half my “It’s a Hoot” fabric on this project, so there’s a generous yard left(actually about 1 1/6 yard plus some extra bits), and I thought someone might like to have it. :) Look at it again. Isn’t it cute?!?!

We’ll make it simple. Just leave me a comment here telling me you’d like to win some adorable fabric. Maybe share what you’d like to do with it as well.

I’ll draw a winner on Wednesday night.

Linking to:

I Heart Naptime, Lolly Jane, Family Ever After, Meg and Mum’s, Tatertots and Jello, C.R.A.F.T., Sassy Sites, House of Grace, Mod Vintage Life, Primitive and Proper, Domestically Speaking, Somewhat Simple, Miss Mustard Seed, The Shabby Nest, Freckled Laundry, My Repurposed Life, 5 days…5 Ways, Domestically Speaking, Thrifty Decor Chick

French Painted Grandfather Clock

2012-01-06T18:59:00.001-07:00

I get really excited when I get to mix it up a little around here and paint some different pieces. I love a dresser redo as much as the next gal, but it’s so fun to get to transform something different once in a while as well. I think my excitement might have gotten the best of me this time though, and I ended up over-paying on this great looking grandfather clock I bought from Craigslist.

The glossy black finish wasn’t getting all those fabulously Frenchy details noticed like they should. I was so excited when I went to buy it, picturing it in a rustic, antiqued ivory finish. In my excitement, I didn’t check things over as thoroughly as I should have, and only found out when I got it home that it sadly wasn’t a real grandfather clock. It’s just a battery operated clock on a really big, grandfather style frame. The weights are faux; The pendulum (while it moves back and forth, operated by the battery) is also faux. Oh well. It still turned out pretty! Donchathink?

I added my Ralph Lauren Tea Stained Glaze over the ivory paint finish. I used some Krylon Dual Ivory paint that I had on hand. The day I painted it in the garage was untypically rainy and humid (for dry, dry Arizona) and when I started painting, I got the dreaded alligator effect. But no worries this time. Because I was going for the rustic, aged look on this piece, I think it worked out all the better.

I don’t know if you can tell from the before picture, but the clock originally had a very cheap looking map of the world on the center of the clock face. I mod podged some fabric over that. I love how the the hands look like they’re coming right out the middle of that flower. :)

I picked up the subtle blue accents from the clock face on the inside of the clock cabinet.

The above pictures, I took with my point and shoot camera, which is a Lumix, and I really love it, BUT I got myself a new-to-me Canon Rebel for Christmas!! Hooray!! I’m still figuring it out, but it’s a New Year’s goal (I won’t call it a “resolution”) to start taking better pictures.

I took the kiddos out in the yard (it’s been absolutely beautiful here, in the mid 60s most days) and did a some playing with the new camera, and am having so much fun with it right out of the gate, and I can’t wait to learn more and get better and better. Here’s a few pictures of my little lovelies…

How are they getting so big so fast?!?! Has anyone figured out how to slow it down yet?

Happy New Year!

Linking to:

The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring, Sassy Sites, My Repurposed Life, Finding Fabulous,

Favorites of 2011

2011-12-31T20:41:00.001-07:00

Wow! What a year 2011 has been!! For both me personally, and for Twice Lovely.

I began 2011 completely out of commission with morning sickness at the start of my 4th pregnancy. But thanks to the postings from my good friend Cara and the loyalty of my lovely readers, we all made it through until I was able to pick back up with the refinishing at the end of February. There was a flurry of projects through mid April, when things began to really slow down as I (and baby) grew larger and larger. I came to a screeching halt with the birth of baby Alek in the beginning of August, but have ended the year feeling rejuvenated, inspired, and reinvigorated in my furniture refinishing. I have high hopes and high expectations for this blog and my furniture business in the new year, and I hope you’ll join me along the way!

Here’s a few of my very favorite projects from the past year.

#5 – The Fancy Desk

#4 – Wardrobe for Baby

#3 – Chevron Dresser

#2 – Metallic Herringbone Desk

#1 – Damask Dresser
(Certainly an internet favorite, and mine as well.
Ironically, it was the most difficult piece for me sell. Go figure!)

But, of course, this guys wins the prize, hands down, for my best work this year…

Can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store! Happy New Year to you all!

Ebook Winner!

2011-12-18T20:30:00.001-07:00

A big congrats and happy Christmas-come-early to Erin from Carolina Country Living for winning the “Guide to Furniture Finishes” Ebook from Stories of a House and European Paint Finishes!!!

If you didn’t win this time, you really must pop over and pick up a copy of your own. I can’t speak highly enough for it’s contents.

Thanks to everyone for entering and a very special and hearty thanks to my good friends Christa and Keeley for letting me host the giveaway.

Guide to Furniture Finishes Ebook Giveaway!!

2011-12-15T11:30:00.001-07:00

I’m very excited to present to you “Guide to Furniture Finishes,” an Ebook born of the refinishing expertise of some good bloggy friends (and fellow Arizonans) Christa from Stories of a House and Mike and Keeley from European Paint Finishes.

I was lucky enough to get my little paws on a copy of this comprehensive, well-composed, and interactive ebook that is absolutely chalked full of great product recommendations, application tips, video demonstrations, distressing techniques and loads more. Even being someone that’s “in the biz” so to speak, I have to say I learned a great deal and am excited to give some new products and techniques a try!

Christa and Mike are the real deal, professionals and artists when it comes to recreating some incredible pieces of furniture.

Are you feeling inspired?

Together, they’ve logged hundreds of hours in the workshops, honing their craft, and they’ve put together their collective knowledge in this incredibly informative Ebook so you don’t have to learn by trial and error.

Great for those of you who may be considering “going pro” with your furniture painting, or pros who would like to step up their game. Or maybe you just want to be able to achieve a professional quality finish on furniture for your own home. This ebook is going to set you on your way.

And they have graciously offered a copy of their Ebook (a $30 value) to one lucky Twice Lovely reader!

Here’s a few ways to enter:

1) Be a follower of Twice Lovely, and leave me a comment below.

2) Be a follower of Stories of a House, and leave me a comment below.

3) Be a follower of European Paint Finishes, and leave me a comment below.

4) Facebook, Tweet, or blog with a link to this giveaway post, and leave me a comment below.

The giveaway will end and I’ll draw a winner on Sunday evening, December 18th.

But you don’t have to wait until then to get your own copy!! Hop on over a pick up your copy right this minute, and if you are the winner of the giveaway come Sunday, they’ll refund you the purchase price!

I’d like to offer my sincere congratulations to Christa, Mike and Keeley for putting out such a great resource. I know they worked so hard on it, and it really shows in the final product.

Good luck everyone!

Mirrored Chest

2011-12-06T21:18:00.001-07:00

I rescued this cute little 2 drawer chest on the side of the road a little while back. I’m still shocked at what people are going to just throw away!

Sure, it was shabby, but that baby had obvious potential. Am I right? And I knew almost immediately that it was screaming out for some mirrors.

I painted it a high gloss gray, and had mirrors cut to fit at the local glass and mirror shop, which cost about $25. They’re affixed with some heavy duty epoxy. I added some swirls with the same silver paint pen I used on the Metallic Herringbone Desk on the upper center panel. I painted one of the original pulls with silver spray paint, then distressed it so the brass showed through.

I moved it over to Livy Lou’s this afternoon to hear that the Metallic Herringbone Desk had sold! Yay! More motivation to keep on keepin’ on.

Hope you like it!

Linking to:

Primitive and Proper, Domestically Speaking, Finding Fabulous, Miss Mustard Seed, The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring

New Blog Design and Cutting Edge Stencils Winner!

2011-12-04T08:27:00.001-07:00

Good morning! It’s frosty and snow covered here today. It makes Christmas start to feel like a reality. It’s difficult to get into the holiday spirit when it’s 70 degrees out like it had been last week.

I spent most of the snowy, home-bound day yesterday working on a little sprucing up of the bloggy digs. I was feeling the itch for clean, crisp, more modern update, and I’m very happy with the results (and pretty proud of myself for doing all the design and executing it live on the blog in one day!!) If you’re a Google Reader regular, hop on over and tell me what you think!

In other exciting news, the winner of the $50 credit to Cutting Edge Stencils is…

#52, Dana!!! Congratulations Dana! I sent you an email with details. Have fun picking your stencils!

Happy Sunday!

Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway

2011-12-01T11:20:00.001-07:00

I’ve got a fun giveaway for you today from Cutting Edge Stencils! They have one of the best selections of stencils out there!

I love their all-over patterns as a great alternative to the wall paper look that is so popular right now. Whether you’re looking for a bold geometric print…

A dramatic paisley…

An ultra-hip Moroccan motif…

Or a more tradition floral…

Cutting Edge is bound to have a great stencil that’s just what you’ve been looking for!

They were gracious enough to send me a few stencils to try out, and I was overwhelmed by the amount and quality of the designs they had to choose from. For my furniture rehabilitation purposes, I chose some stand alone stencils.

One that I picked, and I’m sure I’ll get a lot of great use out of was the Zinnia Grande Stencil.

I had this pair of chairs sitting out in the workshop (finished up) for quite a while. The side table that I had paired up with it sold on its own ages ago, so they needed a new one to be united as a set once more. :) I had this sturdy little maple Ethan Allen side table also sitting around for far, far too long, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to break in one of my new stencils!

I applied the Zinnias randomly all over the top of the side table after painting it with some Satin Ivory Krylon Dual Spray Paint using three colors that tied it in with the upholstery on the chairs. I added a funky vintage lamp I found while out thrifting. With the addition of some paint on the lamp shade and some fabric rosettes made from the same upholstery fabric, we have a seating ensemble!

The generous folks at Cutting Edge Stencils would like to offer one Twice Lovely reader a $50 credit to use at their online shop, so you can give their great stencils a whirl yourself!

There are opportunities for 4 entries! (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each one!)

1) Be a follower of the Twice Lovely blog and leave a comment below telling me.

2) “Like” Twice Lovely on Facebook and leave a comment below telling me.

3) “Like” Cutting Edge Stencils on Facebook and leave a comment below telling me.

4) Blog, Facebook, or Tweet to help spread the word about the giveaway, and leave a comment below telling me. (Only have to do one)

Giveaway ends Saturday, December 3rd. I’ll draw a winner in the evening.

If you’re trying out stenciling for the first time, Cutting Edge has some great tips on their YouTube channel that you should definitely check out!

Thanks Cutting Edge for sponsoring this great giveaway!

Because Mamma needs a Toy Cabinet, too

2011-11-25T15:07:00.034-07:00

I'm breaking my rule by posting on Anne Marie's blog again. Sometimes I can't resist entering into the conversation of furniture. Especially since I've recently moved into a new house. I've noticed, in these blog land conversations (a lot of you are my best blog friends and you don't even know it), it just so happens to present itself that many of you have the same weakness that I do. Shabby, pink, and french. I know I should have kept my cabinet just for my Garden Laundry shop [another one of my guilty pleasures]. But this cabinet crammed with pink and green flowery china has very practical storage space, indeed.

On the other side of this room, there's a pretty painting I found at an estate sale for $3. it's from the 40's, too, and I bought it for the frame but soon fell in love with the aged magnolias.

I wasn't sure about the white frame, so I painted it a pretty pale turquoise. I was originally thinking coral, but you bloggers are rubbing off on me, what can I say? (btw can you see my lovely little antique foot rest which I've been using as a half bench in the foreground? It makes a great seat for 2 little sets of eh-ems when a gal needs extra seating). Ooh, and there's my high chair. Oooh.

On to other topics, the reason we moved to a new house was largely because of this room:

It's just a great big room off of the garage, which I use as my studio! Hooray! And yes, sometimes I sprawl out and paint on the ground. But I wanted to go into the whole idea of "creative business". That is, making money off of your creative endeavors. Most of you are in it, just like me. But it's been sort of an oxy moron for me--it's a release, but most of the battle is getting into the right frame of mind to create something successful, since it's a source of income. I begin to stress, and then I wind up with Kung Phooey. So, I want this room to be a play room for me. I want to be able to go to it, and not feel the stress of having to bring home the bacon. I've learned a lot from everyone's comments and blogs. There's a lot of wisdom out there. And, I really do feel like I've grown a bunch since we both started this blog 2 years ago. Anyhow, just wanted to say thanks to all you Simon Cowells out there. :) I kid. I kid. I am wishing for a Pick my Presto from Layla, as a sort of Christmas present, right Layla??? So, I submitted this here post to her PMP box. Cross your fingers. Do you guys have any advice? Note to self: DONT burn the room down with your candle.

Pretty junky, right?

Everything's looking very... very hazey. Foggy.

Hey there's fingerprints all over my camera. How am I ever going to keep my studio streamlined? *sigh* I need some cute junky furniture in this here studio.
Hope you all had a very blessed and peaceful Thanksgiving! Thank you for the moon, for sweet children, and for happy grandpa hugs. Thank you for old junky furniture and big fat tubs of juicy paint. Miss you, Anne Marie... hugs. :P Cara

Lagoon Mirror

2011-11-19T08:58:00.001-07:00

I picked up this large mirror at my very favorite thrift store for a pittance last week. It’s one of those places that’s a little bit scary, and nothing’s marked with a price, so you have to ask. There’s an 80 year woman who runs the place, and she’s a bit scary as well. But I’ve been shopping there at least once a week for quite a while now, so she knows me, coos over my beautiful babies. Ya know, I’m in! So whenever I ask the price on things there, I usually have to physically hold back my gasp at how cheap it is. And I can’t get my money out and get the piece in my car quick enough. Yep…LOVE that place. If you’re ever in Prescott, AZ, let me know and I’ll take you there. But I might just have to throw elbows for the coolest pieces, just so you’re warned. ;)

So here’s how the mirror came to me:

I knew I wanted to do a bright and unexpected color on this one. I tossed around yellow and coral, but ultimately landed on using Lagoon from Rustoleum. It’s a favorite of my bloggy pal Kirsty from A Little Bit of Sanity and a Lot of Chaos, and I’ve wanted to bust it out ever since I saw some of her wonderful pieces done in this color. It’s a deep turquoise or a bright teal. I haven’t decided which, and it varies depending on the lighting. I noticed when I had it inside that it looked more on the teal side, but out in the daylight, it looked more turquoise. I added a black glaze to deepen the color further and bring out the cool details.

Yes, our willow tree is still green! This is AZ!! It was 60 degrees yesterday, and I was actually sweating when I was working outside. I love fall in Arizona! It’s my very favorite time of year.

I tried to pair it up with the Metallic Herringbone Desk, but I think it’s just too large. The scale doesn’t quite work. But I do love the idea of a bright mirror paired up with it as a vanity. I may try look for another that fits it better. (By the way, I’d like to everyone for all the wonderfully beautiful and ego-boosting comments on the desk! I’m so glad you love it as much as I do!)

Thanks to my friends Cassie at Primitive and Proper and Shaunna at Perfectly Imperfect for their features of the Herringbone Desk! I love both those gals!

Also, I’m being featured over at Time Out For Women for the next few days, so please hop over and check it out!

Metallic Herringbone Desk

2011-11-17T08:27:00.001-07:00

I picked up a waterfall desk from a local thrift store a little while ago. It had black painted drawers, a sad and flakey wood finish, and no handles.

Now, I’m in love with all the two-toned painted/stained wood combo pieces I’ve been seeing around lately. Here’s a few particularly lovely examples:

White Butterfly

Design Sponge

The Lettered Cottage

European Paint Finishes

Since this desk was already going in that direction, I decided to run with the two-toned look. I repainted the drawers with a fresh coat of black, but then came the special touch I’ve been teasing about on the Facebook page.

Herringbone!!

I used the above example as my inspiration. I loved that the neither the verticals or horizontals were perfectly spaced or even. It gives it a more organic and loose feel than the very geometric and measured chevron design we’ve been seeing everywhere.

So I started off by drawing the vertical lines with a pencil using a yard stick straight edge. No measuring. This is a time when you actually want variation in the spacing of your lines (if you look at the example above.) Once I had the pencil lines drawn from the top drawers to the bottom (so the pattern would continue from one drawer to the next,) I used a silver paint pen to hand-draw the vertical lines. Again, you’re not going for perfectly strait lines here. The variations give it the look we’re going for here. :) Once your vertical lines are all drawn and dry, go back and add in all the diagonal ticking. It sounds tedious, but it really does go very fast.

When I was done, I added some black cup pulls that I bought from Ebay. It was a little tricky shopping, since the hole spacing was an irregular 2 3/4” c-c, but I found these cup pulls for $2 a piece and they worked out great!

The wood finish was extremely warn, and came off fairly easily with a little elbow grease. I used my orbital sander on the large, flat parts, and hit the details and corners with some sand paper and my hands. Once I had it stripped down to the bare wood, I used my favorite go-to stain, Minwax Dark Walnut. I also plan on adding a satin Verathane top coat, but I’m waiting until I have all the projects I’m trying to finish this week lined up, so I can spray them all at the same time. Efficiency of motion people! ;)

And here she is all (well, almost) finished up!

I heart this piece big time! Like look-all-around-my-house-for-someplace-to-put-it LOVE. But I don’t have a place for it, so it’ll go over to Livy Lou’s as well. There’s going to be a furniture open house there next week in preparation for Black Friday and the holiday shopping season. I’ll make sure to do a proper introduction of the shop soon, I promise. :)

My mother-in-law is coming over this morning to help out with the little kids while I get some furniture work in, including a whole lot of poly spraying. :) Wish me luck!

Linking to:

House of Grace, Sassy Sites, Primitive & Proper, Domestically Speaking, Somewhat Simple, Perfectly Imperfect, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Sassy Sites, Chic on a Shoestring, Miss Mustard Seed, Family Ever After, Tatertots and Jello, I Heart Naptime, Beneath My Heart, Thrifty Decor Chick

Perfect Plum Dresser

2011-11-15T08:59:00.001-07:00

Remember the post I did ages ago about wanting to paint something plum? Well, I finally took the plum plunge, and it wasn’t so scary after all! :)

I picked up this little dresser with a gloppy black paint job, but I could see that it was a diamond in the rough. It’s got obvious age to it, with pretty brass keyholes (that had also been painted over) and caster wheels.

I didn’t need to sand it back down to the wood, but I did need to sand down the gloppy paint job, so I could have a smooth surface to repaint. When I started sanding, all that black came off pretty easily. Whomever painted it didn’t prime over the last paint job, which had been polyurethaned. When the black started coming off, I saw this underneath:

Lovingly painted by someone’s mom before I was even born:

Someone had given it new life for their child in 1978, and here I was about to renew it again. I love that!

Once I sanded the surface nice and smooth, I broke out my perfect plum, Folklore by Behr. Mine was a flat enamel, paint and primer in one. I picked it up at the mistint counter at HD for just $1 for the quart. Gotta love mistints! (I still plan on adding a satin Verathane top coat for added durability and ease of cleaning, but I couldn’t WAIT to share it!!)

I bought a big lot of old Victorian pressed brass pulls that I’ve been selling at The Hob Knobery Etsy shop, and I decided to put together a mix and match assortment of them for an eclectic look. (I still have more of most of these in the shop, so hop on over if you’re interested.) And don’t they look great with the brass keyholes!! Ta da!!!

She’s a classy and sophisticated broad, she is. It was a super fun project. Can’t wait to get her in Livy Lou’s, hopefully later this week.

Got another great one for you, probably tomorrow! Bustin’ ‘em out! :)

Linking to:

More new furniture

2011-11-09T13:59:00.001-07:00

As I said in my last post, I’m feeling reinvigorated to start painting furniture again. But I haven’t had time yet to start. So I just keep amassing all these great pieces, waiting for the day I’ll be able to give them a few minutes of my stretched-thin attention. But I’m hopeful!! My wonderful mother-in-law has told me that she will come over one morning a week to watch my littlest two so I can get some painting in. (I love that woman!) So between that and maybe squeezing some in on the weekends when my husband is home, or on the off chance that the baby takes a good nap at sometime during the day, I think I may just be able to paint again. Hooray!!

On other, related news, I’ve talked with the owner of a fantastic little boutique in downtown Prescott called Livy Lous about selling my furniture in her shop, and she (and I) are very excited about it! It’s very Anthopologie-esque, and I think my stuff will be right at home there! I’ll keep you apprised and post pics when I get some pieces in there. Not having to sell my own stuff on Craigslist is such a weight off! I was getting completely frustrated with it. And now, I’m also feeling freed up to take some more chances artistically and create some awesome things, so watch out and hold onto your socks!! :)

But, until I start moving things out of the workshop and into the store, I hereby resolve, NOT to buy any more furniture. :) It’s starting to pile up a little bit! Here’s some more new pieces that have made their way into the queue…

Picked up this great waterfall desk at a local thrift shop the other day for a steal. I’m really intrigued by the two-toned look of painted drawers with stained body (or visa-versa) these days, and since this is almost there, I think I might run that direction with it. Of course with some fun surprises thrown in as well. :)

This is a very large mirror! It’s going to be over-the-top great painted in an unexpected color.

I might just decide to pair it up with the desk as a fantastic vanity.

This full size headboard was screaming my name when I decided to “just pop in” at my favorite thrift store this morning! It hasn’t been here long enough for me to formulate a plan yet. What do you think?

I’m going to pick up thus little three drawer dresser this afternoon. No plans for him yet either, other than I might try and match it up as a set with this big guy…

Love so many things about this piece, the key holes, the original brass pulls. Not so much with carved details on the drawer fronts. I’m thinking I’ll probably fill and sand those before painting.

So there you have it! Along with the pieces I showed you last time, you can see my space (and time) dilemma. :) But as the furniture pile grows, so does my anticipation and excitement. I can’t wait to start working my way through it all, and sharing it with you along the way. I can’t wait to start getting some pieces in Livy Lous and see where that takes me. After a much needed and well timed break, it all feels new again, and I’m so thankful.

Thanks for sticking with me. Can’t wait to show you what’s in store!

Great Idea

2011-11-07T13:10:00.002-07:00

Hello Tres Lovelies and fellow kindred spirits. Hopefully you've already been cruising Kristen's blog, but if not, I'd like to drop a little hint that it's pretty sweet: chalk-full of hip, fresh design and furniture revamps. The other day I saw an idea she came up with, an idea that was simple, yet very cool, and i felt propelled to do a quick link of it here. I know, we usually don't do referrals 'round this neighborhood, but now you know this won't waste your time. Enjoy!

The Workshop State of Affairs

2011-10-29T09:03:00.001-07:00

My client picked up the Red Hutch on Wednesday, and she and her husband loved it! And I loved finishing the first piece in months! It’s such a rush for me. I only wish there were more hours in the day and more of me to go around. (Or maybe I could use a clone, or a wet nurse.) ;)

And however much I miss and crave a return to my creative endeavors, I’m just soaking up this guy.

My kids are my greatest creations and my life’s work, and the newborn season of life has it’s specific and intensive demands on time and attention (and sleep!), and that’s okay!! It’s just a season, and it will pass, and I’ll be able to accomplish more of the things on the to-do list, and guess what? I’ll miss these days.

So I have some really cool furniture pieces in the workshop that I daydream and plan for as I sit and nurse.

This coffee table is actually almost done, and will be the 5th one in our living room in the past year or so. I’m doing an antique glazed ivory finish to match this dresser that found a home in our living room. It may be slow going, but I’ll get there someday. :)

I rescued this little two drawer chest on the side of the road the other day. I think I may use this opportunity to try to do an antique mirrored piece like this Anthropology Dresser using Krylon’s Looking Glass Spray Paint.

This awesome leather-topped table was also a freebie. The pedestal bottom on it is broken beyond repair, sadly. But I have plans to add some salvaged wooden castered legs that I picked up to turn it into a shabby, french coffee table. Those openings on the sides are PERFECT for books, so I’m calling it the library table.

This antique full size bed was a craigslist score. It needs so much repair work before I can paint it, but isn’t it rad!?!? It has the wooden side rails too!

I picked up two matching french side tables the other day at my very favorite local thrift store. They could go fantastically with either “the library table” or the bed, don’t you think?

Then there’s this secretary desk. I had tried to sell it as is, but no one seemed to be interested, so I’m going to paint her (which I’m pretty stoked about!) My current plan with this one (though it is apt to change from one day to the next) is to sand and stain the drawers dark walnut, paint the body a distressed french gray, remove the (damaged) mullions and add a gorgeous wall paper to the back of the top hutch that will play off the stain on the drawers.

If any locals see a piece that they must have, they could always be painted to order. Just let me know.

Going to go snuggle my baby now. :)

Red Glazed Hutch

2011-10-24T09:21:00.001-07:00

I was contacted a couple of months ago by a local woman wanting a custom refinish for a hutch that she had purchased. I timidly agreed, letting her know that I had just had a baby and wasn’t sure exactly how painting furniture was going to fit into my new mom-of-an-infant life. But as long as she could be patient with me and wasn’t in a huge hurry to get it back, I’d love to take it on. She has been extremely gracious and understanding and patient too, and I’m happy to say that it’s done! Woo hoo!!

She brought in this beautiful Ethan Allen hutch. It was in great condition, but not the look she wanted for her home.

She had already taken off the cabinet doors from the hutch top, since she wanted the less formal look of open shelving.

She was inspired by this beautiful china cabinet from The Crafting Chicks, and wanted to do the same deep red with black glaze finish. And I was more than excited to oblige!

The Crafting Chicks had used Colonial Red Spray Paint from Rustoleum on their China Cabinet, so I had the folks at the paint counter of Home Depot color match that with some Semi-Gloss Behr paint and primer in one. (Tip: When doing a glaze, go for a higher sheen that you want your end product to have, since the glaze will dull the finish. I’ve also found that glazes are easier to apply and manipulate with a higher gloss or semi-gloss sheen.)

After a light sanding to rough up the surface and prepare it to accept the paint, I applied the paint with my HVLP Spray Gun and Air Compressor. Then I used my Behr Faux Glaze (which is colorless) and added some black craft paint for the glazing. I focused on bringing out the details with the glaze, as well as adding a little depth to the flat surfaces. I finished it off with some Satin Water-based Verathane Poly for added protection, and spray painted all the original hardware with Krylon Oil Rubbed Bronze for a quick update and to complement the black glazing. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!

I hope that’s it’s everything she envisioned AND worth her very patient wait. :)

I’m feeling very good about slowly returning to the furniture painting saddle. My husband and mother-in-law have been so helpful with the baby while I worked on this. It was definitely a team effort. (Go team, go!)

Thanks so much for hanging in with me during the dry and unavailable times! I love my readers!

Linking to:

Primitive & Proper, House of Grace

Special Offer from Feast in 15

2011-10-18T07:31:00.001-07:00

I have a super special offer for you today from a Twice Lovely sponsor, Feast in 15. Feast in 15 is a fantastic e-book from Tiffany King that gives you tips for speed cooking dinner as well as 2 weekly menus, complete with fast, crowd-pleasing recipes and shopping lists!

Tiffany is offering a limited number of ebooks right now for $1.99!!!

You just can’t go wrong with that price!

You can purchase here, and use the code FEAST199 at checkout,

but don’t wait, because the offer won’t last long at this price!

I’m working on this great hutch as a custom job for a client right now. It’s my first job “back in the saddle” since having the new baby, and I’m feelin’ pretty good about it. Putting on the poly this morning, so hopefully I’ll be able to share it tomorrow!

‘Till then,

Starsky and Hutch

2011-09-25T20:00:00.013-07:00

It was bad. The hutch, I mean. Craigslist said, $40: hutch from the 1940's. Solid wood. Alright. Can do. But the hutch had been sitting on the front porch of an ol gal's house for i don't know how long. Black widow webs dusted along the bottom of the wood. Warped veneer was rising up in all sorts of strange places, and the black. The black. i had no choice but to go shabby on this one.

The handles were very strange. i didn't like them.

I stole this idea from Cassie's blog, which she stole from somewhere-who's blog. Here's her take on the idea for a dresser. Alright, I can't find it. The idea was a transition from light to dark color on the drawers of her dresser. I tried it on this hutch for a cheery, quirky, clean effect, and i like it. can't wait to stash all my linens in it!

I'm not very good at cleaning. I know! I should've cleaned those windows before I shot this thing. :) But I'm liking the farmy mid-century vibe.

Krylon’s Dual Duel

2011-09-13T21:58:00.001-07:00

Just a quick little post to make a plea for votes on Krylon’s Dual Duel. :) Voting ends on Friday, and I’d be honored to have your votes! You can vote once a day until then, and each vote enters you to win your very own 6 pack of Krylon’s Dual Paint and Primer Spray Paint in your choice of colors. (I won a few weeks ago, just for voting for my own projects!)

There will be one winner from each of the four categories, and these are my entries for the best spray paint makeovers of all time.

(Just click on the before and after picture of your choice to be taken to vote.)

Lawn & Garden - Headboard Bench

Decor – Funky Bedroom Set

Kid Stuff – Tres Chic Play Kitchen

Garage Sale – Antique Side Table

Thanks so much!!!

AS Chalk Paint Giveaway Winner and A New Little Man

2011-08-21T15:37:00.001-07:00

First off, I need to profusely apologize for the tardiness of this post and picking a giveaway winner! You’d think I was busy or something! ;)

Yes. I’ve been very busy with nursing, changing diapers, and double chin smooching. :) Our new little man made his grand arrival two weeks ago, on August 4th. Everything went extremely well, and he has fit right in to our (now) family of 6! He’s very laid back, which is ~~great~~ a necessity for a forth child. He’s a super eater, and will be quickly adding to those rolls. I’m astounded at how much he’s changing every day, and am just trying to soak in his infancy. LOVE him!!

Thanks so much for your patience with me. I had every intention of picking a giveaway winner before I had him, but it completely slipped my full-to-bursting mind. I actually remembered with a gasp sometime during labor in the hospital. Oh well!

Without further delay, the winner of the pot of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and brushes from WonderFaux Studio and the $20 Credit to The Hob Knobery Esty Shop is…

Holly from Chic and Lovely!!!

Congratulations Holly!! Hope you enjoy!

And thanks to everyone for the AMAZING response to the grand opening of The Hob Knobery Etsy Shop!! I was almost completely bought out of almost everything, which is a great problem to have. :) I’ve got a lot of fantastic new stuff to list, and am working on restocking the shop (as quickly as is possible with a newborn around, which is not very.) My dining room table is covered with cool knobs and pulls of every sort and my very patient husband is rapidly loosing patience with the mess, so I hope to get them photographed and listed throughout this week. :)

Thank you all for your continued readership! I very much appreciate your awesomeness!

Graphic Faux Hutch

2011-07-30T16:24:00.001-07:00

Hello all! I wanted to pop in to share some pics of what I did with this quiet little buffet table.

Last year or so, I redid some Drexel chairs which reminded me of this same style—that ugly grey-green wood which will no doubt be on its way back in style, in 50 years or so. (BTW, I spelt Drexel as “Dexter” about 11 times in that article (sigh) but Ann Marie quietly and quickly went in and changed all the errors because I didn't know what the heck I was doing. Still don't. :) But I DO have a pretty bag full of acrylic paint and paint brushes. :)

So I had this Drexel buffet, which was biting at the bit to be painted—it’s sophisticated, yet…boring. I wanted to maintain the sophistication, but pump up it's style with a subdued color and some understated graphic detail. (Pump it up! Pump it up!) I have been up to my eyeballs in busy (for like a year) and just didn’t have a good enough excuse to paint it. My playroom was begging to be organized and streamlined before school started, so this was the perfect opportunity. I took puffy removable Scotch tape, and formed the pattern there that you see. I outlined it with my pencil, removed the tape, and filled in the pattern with some gray acrylic paint, staying in the lines (blech!).

Now don't be laughin' at my poorly Photo Shopped rug y’all... my kind of vacuuming.

In it's place was a messy shelf, so I replaced it with this faux hutch-cabinet thingy, if you will.

That's just a bulletin board I hung on top, covered with some cute dot fabric.

Anyhow, I just like the natural look of the reeds and the cheery red industrial hardware.

If I’m really ambitious someday, I’ll eventually put some glass antique knobs on the buffet (I have my eye on some in Ann Marie’s shop). What do you think?

It was nice to throw out about half of those small little junky toys, the kinds of things that the kids never really play with anyhow. It’s such a nice feeling to look at this, it motivated me to keep things where they are—organized.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and The Hob Knobery Giveaway, going on right now through Wednesday!

~ Cara