Glazing Tutorial

I have my hands in a million projects.  It's just ridiculous.  I just want to get a room finished!  Anyway, I thought I would take a break and share the treatment I used on my newly painted dining room chairs. 

You can see where I'm going with the slipcovered seats...  I'm bleaching some more drop cloths right now, so I can work on them this week.  It's really starting to come together. 

So, first of all, I primed and painted the chairs in my favorite shade of white, Creamy by Sherwin Williams.  I allowed the paint to dry and then hit the edges with an electric palm sander to distress the finish.  I'm not about distressing everything in my house, but I love the idea of distressing pieces that are going to take a lot of hits.  I don't have to worry if my kids decide to play a rhythm on an armrest with their fork. 

How much you distress is a personal taste issue.  You take it as far as you want.

For the glaze, I wanted something a little softer than the dark walnut stain I generally use.  I mixed a little bit of burnt umber universal tint with some water to use for the glaze.  Universal tint is what paint stores use to color the paints you purchase.  You can buy a quart at your local paint store for $15-20 depending on the tint.  A little bit goes a long way, so a quart will last forever.  You can mix tints with other paint, glazes, or water.

This glaze mixture of burnt umber and water is very thin and easy to work with.  Working in small areas, apply the glaze with a brush...

...and wipe it off with a damp rag. 

That's it!  It gives the piece a soft, antique look.

I can't wait to show you the entire dining room when it's done.  I really love how it's coming together. 

I am also working on a chalkboard with a gilded frame for the dining room wall.  It keeps things formal with the gold leaf, but it's a little playful as well.  It's a perfect place to write out a dinner menu or a blessing over guests who are dining with us.  Anyway, I ran out of adhesive for the gold leaf, so I only completed two sides.  It's just killing me...

One last little project...I found this gorgeous wood frame at a yard sale this weekend for $5.00.  It had a mirror in it, but I knew it would be perfect for a chalkboard in my kitchen.  It's in a prime spot to be a weekly calendar at-a-glance.

To make the chalkboard, I simply cut a piece of hardboard to size and painted it with two coats of chalkboard paint.  Remember to "season" your chalkboard by rubbing a piece of chalk over the entire surface.  This prevents lettering from being "burned into" the surface. 

So, keep checking in to see how my millions of projects turn out.

Don't forget to enter my awesome giveaway, here.

Inspiring & Inspired

Psst!  There's an awesome giveaway going on here that is perfect for anyone who loves DIY and painting.  Check it out! 

I am always so flattered when people send me links to projects they've done that were inspired by something I created.  Let's be honest.  We all get inspiration from somewhere and I love that I get inspiration from someone or something, share it on my blog and then it inspires others.  That's what this blog is all about!

Tamra from The Gilded Barn was inspired by my "faux feed sack bench" and created this amazing chair!

I seriously want this chair.  Great job, Tamra.

One of my readers, Joanne, was inspired by my hand painted basket and gave a ho-hum basket some much needed character.

It looks so cute, Joanne, and it's so simple.  Isn't it?  I also love that bread box.

Pat from Corn in My Coffee Pot threw caution to the wind and painted this dresser freehand with a can of oops paint.  She was inspired by my Bird and Branch cabinet.

I think it is so special that she painted this for her little girl's room.  I hope it is cherished for many years.  Well done, Pat!

There was one other FFF link that caught my eye.  Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect posted a dining room set that looks like a cousin to mine AND she did the exact thing with it that I was in the process of doing to mine.  I already refinished the top in a dark walnut and painted the table base in a distressed white, but the chairs have been sitting in their dated pecan finish for a few months. 

Her post finally inspired me to finish what I started.  With a paint sprayer, I have no excuse. 

So, now I need to slipcover the seats before I show you the finished product.  Some new furniture from my aunt, new fabric for my birthday and some doors from Lucketts have turned into an entire dining room makeover.  It's nothing drastic...I'm just tweaking what was already there.  I can't wait until it's done!

Thanks to all of those who inspire and are inspired.

My Kinda Junk

I hit the junk jackpot yesterday.  There was a yard sale at my local fire hall and this guy was selling a bunch of old things from his parent's barn.  Nothing was priced, which was a little frustrating for me, because I knew the instant I showed interest in something the unmarked price would double.  So, I asked how much a chicken feeder was. 

"Aw...two bucks." 

I tried my hardest to keep my poker face. 

"Mmm...ok.  How about these pails?" 

"Oh...a dollar each?" 

"Ah.  Ok.  How about that pulley over there?" 

"Five dollars." 

"And the orchard ladders?" 

"One dollar per rung." 

 "I'll take the chicken feeder, the pails, the pulley and a ladder!"

This ladder is so cool and had only 6 rungs, which means it was $6.00.  I know.  It felt a little bit like robbery. 

I am going to give it a good scrubbing, a lite sand and a coat of Poly to bring out the warmth of the wood.  I think I'm going to hang it on the wall, but who knows.  I went back today to buy at least one more long one and someone else bought "my" other ladders.  Shoot.

The chicken feeder (isn't that what this is?) just needs a good hose down and some poly as well.  I am so excited to think of all of the uses for this thing.  I set it up as a plate rack for the photos and I think this would be an awesome way to serve up plates on a buffet.

$2.00 well spent.

This pulley is huge and heavy.  It has to weigh about 30lbs and it's about 2' long.  I can't believe it was only $5.00. 

I'm going to clean it up a bit as well and think about something cool to do with it...preferably in a safe spot where my boys won't use it as a weapon.

And these galvanized pails have some great character.  I love the handle on the larger pail.  The vender made sure he let me know there was a hole in the side of the larger bucket.  Maybe I should've asked him to knock the price down...

When I called my husband to tell him about my exciting finds, I started out by telling him that I didn't find many good yard sales today and there was mostly junk.  Well, it was ALL junk, but this was my kinda junk. 

A Little More on Lucketts

Furniture Feature Friday is still open through midnight tonight, so link up if you have anything to share!

Oooo...some of you are going to hate me.  I know a few of you have fallen in love with my vintage fan and have been trying to find one.  Well, it seems I have all the luck.  I found this one last week at an antique store for $10.00.  Did I just lose some followers?

It's a little smaller than the one I already have and the condition isn't as good, but it was still a good deal and I honestly wouldn't want this fan to be operational, anyway.  I don't even want to guess how long it would take one of my toddlers to stick their finger in there.

We were able to hang my doors in the dining room today.  I still have some more work to do before the reveal, but here are a couple of peeks.

Thanks to Sherry from No Minimalist Here, I have a picture of my booth to share.  None of my pictures turned out, so it was a treat to get this in my inbox today.

The booth was just about naked by the end of the day, so I had to bring more in the second day. 

I also wanted to share one last picture of a fellow blogger that I had the privelege of meeting.  Leslie from Farm Fresh Fun and I were planning on teaming up for a Farm Sale within about five minutes of meeting.  We're ready to hit auctions together and dig through the "junk" in her barn.  Don't you love the blog world?  You get to meet women who love the things you love, so you can skip all of the formalities and get right to the good stuff. 

Her daughter was so cute and curious about all of the antiques in my booth.  I hope she learns to appreciate things that have stood the test of time. 

I also got tons of compliments on my apron, customized for me by Leslie from The Seasoned Homemaker.   This apron stood up through moving furniture, rain, overloaded pockets, and all of the abuse I could throw at it this weekend.  Leslie does great work, so be sure to visit her Etsy Shop if you need an apron.

I was lucky enough to hit a yard sale today where a man was selling (more like giving away) some stuff from his parent's barn.  Jack pot!  What I bought for $15 is just ridiculous.  I'll share it with you tomorrow...if you're not mad at me about the fan. 

A gorgeous Copenhagen apartment in white with bold contrasts

Happy Friday! A little eye candy for ya...










Love the old leather chair in the corner


via Indenfor

Kerala Style Home Elevation - 3500 Sq.feet

House Details
Total Area - 3500 Sq. Feet
Ground Floor - 2000 Sq. Feet(2 bed room)
First Floor---1500 Sq. Feet(3 bed room)

Architect: Praveen.M

Contact Address
Moyacheri (ho)
Kottakkal
Vatakara(via)
Kerala
India

Phone
04962275234(house)
+91 9645457494
+91 9388744505
praveenarchitect.m32@gmail.com

Furniture Feature Friday - A Favorite & A Link Party

Ok.  Confession time.  I did not get to look at every single link last week and I didn't leave comments for everyone.  I am still recovering from Lucketts and getting on the computer for a few hours to look and comment on all of the links was just not a priority this week.  I appreciate the time and energy you put into your posts and love that you share them here.  Just cut me a break this week.  :)

I did manage to find a favorite, though.  I am a sucker for a French Settee and this one's a beauty. 

Ann Marie from La Maison LaFortune flexed her upholstery muscles on this piece and transformed a fussy and formal settee into something current, flirty and sophisticated.  I love the white frame and fabric combination.

It is a lovely piece and you should be very proud of yourself, Ann Marie. 

Thanks so much for sharing it with us!

Here are the rules for this get together...

1.) Your post has to be about furniture.  Please, please, please...just furniture.  If you find your link has been deleted, it's not because I'm mean, it's because your post was not about furniture.  You can share makeovers, awesome finds, favorite pieces, furniture arrangements, or even pieces on your wish list!  Built-in furniture like kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities qualify as furniture.  

2.) Post a permalink, not the link to your blog.

3.) The link party closes Friday at midnight PST and I will choose my favorite(s) and feature their project on next week's FFF.