December 2009 - Office Furniture

Link Party and Favorite Furniture Before & Afters of 2009

I painted and refinished a lot of furniture this year. I didn't keep count, but I should have. It's probably around 30-40 pieces! I've been a busy girl. Furniture has become my niche and my favorite thing to work on. So in keeping with sharing my favorites of 2009 and in leiu of our usual Furniture Feature Friday, I'm going to share my favorite furniture before and afters from 2009. There is a link party below, so you can share your favorite furniture makeovers, amazing finds, or treasured pieces with me. So, on to my favorites...enjoy!

This $1.00 antique store two-tiered table becomes...

an elegant blue/gray and dark walnut side table.

This Queen Anne yard sale vanity becomes...

a chalkboard desk with hand painted detail.

A grungy stool and burlap feedsack become...

a funky and one-of-a-kind work of art for weary feet.

A $1.00 yardsale table becomes...

A clever place to leave bedside messages through a modern interpretation of a doily.

A $35 Craig's List hutch becomes...

an office cabinet with hidden storage, a fresh coat of white paint, and subtle blue hand painted details.

A crackle-gone-wrong $15.00 vanity becomes...

a clean and classic piece of furniture.

A hall table with beautiful details, but a blah finish becomes...

a stunner with a dark walnut top and antiqued white base.

My $30 Craig's List French Provincial dresser becomes...

the dresser of my dreams with the addition of some vintage E-bay hardware, a coat of Creamy paint, and a dark walnut top.

There are a lot of other pieces I completed this year that I loved, but they were pre-blog, so I don't have pictures (bummer.) Never fear, a lot more furniture will be stripped, stained, sanded, and hand painted and I will have my camera every step of the way in 2010.

On to the New Year's Day party! Link up any and all of your favorite furniture posts from the past year. It's ok if you've shared it before or if it's an old post. This is a very relaxed party where we can celebrate our furniture triumphs of 2009 with one another. It will close Saturday at midnight.

I'm linking this up to Saturday Nite Special over at Funky Junk Interiors. This is a great link party, so check it out! In addition, this is linked to the Before & After Party over at Thrify Decor Chic.

It Was A Very Good Year - 2009 Recap

I started my Home Decor and Decorative Painting business, Mustard Seed Creations in November of 2008, so a lot of my firsts happened in 2009. It was a year that exceeded expectations and I wanted to share some of my milestones with all of you.

This year I painted my first mural for a client - at a historic home in Gettysburg, PA. I painted a Rufus Porter style mural using their home and area barns and bridges as the subjects.

I painted my first custom piece of furniture for a client. It was a little frightening to pick up a treasured piece of furniture and paint it for someone else. Yikes! It was a great success, though.

I spent my first day painting outside the shop that sells my furniture and accessories in May at the Gettysburg Antique show. It was a great sales day for my business and the shop.

I was a vendor at The Old Lucketts' Fair in Lucketts Virginia last August. It was a huge day for me and my painted furniture sold very well, in addition to my antique finds.

In October, the shop moved to a larger and better retail space in downtown Gettysburg. The owner gave me a lot of liberty to design and paint the shop in a way that I thought would look good. It was a lot of work and a big responsibility, but worth it. This business partnership has been an amazing one and has blossomed into a friendship over the year.

I painted my first themed children's mural this October. It was a Star Wars mural that really stretched my ability.

I also did my first nursery mural for a client. I fell in love with this Pottery Barn inspired mural in pink and brown.

The other big event was starting this blog. I have been challenged and inspired by the blog world. As the icing on the cake, I've found some great friends in all of you! I already have big plans for 2010, including an announcement about a collaboration with a fellow blogger, the opening of an Etsy store, and a basement full of furniture that needs my help. I can't wait to share it all with you.

Make sure you visit tomorrow to share your favorite furniture posts at my New Year's Day Furniture Feature Friday link party. You can share any furniture related posts from the past year, so join in!

Miss Mustard Seed

Kerala Style Homes by Architect Praveen.M - Part 2

12 Beautiful House Designs from Architect Praveen M - Part 2
Contact details for plans details and works
Architect : Praveen.M
moyacheri (ho)
kottakkal
vatakara(via)
Phone:9645457494,9388744505.04962275234
Email:praveenarchitect.m32@gmail.com

11 More Designs

Favorite Small Projects for 2009

(As you read this, I am probably in a car with toddlers and teenagers on a trip down to Lynchburg, Virginia to celebrate New Year's Eve at Liberty University's Winter Fest. For those of you who don't know, I am a youth pastor's wife, so trips like these are a regular thing in my life. I'll be rocking out to Skillet and Switchfoot, while chasing my two toddlers around the arena. Never fear, I have posts scheduled while I'm away and the hotel has WiFi and I'll have my laptop. Make sure you visit New Year's Day for our Furniture Feature Friday link party. It's a little different this week...you can share any furniture posts from the past year, so make sure you join in. Ok, on to today's post!)

I have always done little projects around my house, not realizing that there was a whole blog world out there with all kinds of inspiration! Starting a blog gave me a lot of motivation to work on little projects in between the big ones. These are some of my favorites from this year...

My brass-turned oil rubbed bronze lamp with hemp twine shade...

a revamped chandelier with glue gun "candle wax drips"...

the ornate chalkboard...

my Mod Podge shelf...

the glittered wish banner...

the sheet music and antique book wreath...

and my moss bowl topiaries.

All of these projects were simple, quick, cheap and turned out great. I am so excited to see what inspires me in 2010.

I am posting this to Blue Cricket Design's Show & Tell.

Favorite Finds of 2009

To end 2009 properly, I thought I would share some of my favorites with you, so this is the first in a 4 part series. This series will include my favorite finds, small projects, and furniture makeovers. I'll also throw in some of the big "firsts" for my business this year.

I'm starting off with my favorite finds of 2009. And they are...