Antoinette....who knew??

I saw these beauties at a garage sale, and couldn't grab them fast enough. I had big plans for them...I figured they'd be just beautiful in white, or maybe ASCP Paris Grey. Someone would fall in love with them and buy them to take home and make their own. And someone DID fall in love with them. Me.

I had decided to make over my den so that I would have a place to watch TV when I couldn't deal with whatever my kids were watching (they're 20 & 16; need I say more??). The dark wood trunk I was using as a coffee table was too small for me to put my feet up, and when I did a mental inventory of all my unpainted furniture in my shed, these two elegant tables popped into my head. Since I was planning on displaying all white items on my shelves, and since I always had white in mind for these tables, I thought that's what I would use. But a funny thing happened as I looked around the room & picked out all my favorite items....my eye kept being drawn to a different color.

I had just purchased an order of ASCP from Patty Seaman (she's terrific), and had ordered "Antoinette" at the last moment before completing my order. I am not a "pink" person....I love whites & blues...but the color was irresistible. I figured I'd play with it for items for my Etsy shop, or for my daughter. But suddenly I was picturing these beauties in pink, and I couldn't picture any other color.

I know it's hard to see in the light that I had to work with...here they are with some dark wax finish and in their new home:

I just love them!! Pink...who knew?? I have completed the study make-over except for the wall paint color (which will have to wait until my budget allows it)...but that's a story for another post. I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! Mona Kay

All About the Fabric-Textile inspiration!

I don't know why I'm suddenly itching to work with fabric and textiles again...maybe because I have such yummy florals, stripes, toile, and linens in my stash. With spring around the corner, I'm wanting to add some new designs and colors to my decor. Here's what I woke up thinking about this morning:

Part of my score from a Florida Goodwill store while visiting my parents:



The ruffle tote I made last year:



....or my real love...my lavender sachets:











I just posted on Facebook that I plan to recover and tuft an ottoman. Nothing like an announcement which all your friends, family, and followers can see to keep a girl accountable!! Now I not only have to do it, I have to take pictures!!

Wish me luck!! In my head I'm also making pillow covers......a girl can dream.....

"Bertha" Unveiled

Let me ask my fellow bloggers a question: how long does it take you to edit your pictures?? Because I spent HOURS today taking, editing, and organizing my pictures - sheesh, it seems like it should be easier!!


Anyway...if you remember Bertha, the extremely dirty and somewhat dysfunctional but with lots of potential secretary that I scored at an antiques shop:










I have been putting off working on her, because it just seemed like she was going to take SO MUCH WORK...and besides, she had become buried in my garage. Also, I had no place to put her.




Then I sold the bookcase in my front room...



and suddenly I had all this empty space!



I felt ready to tackle Bertha.

I know I'm not the only woman who won't let ANYTHING stand in her way when she wants a piece of furniture moved. I once lifted the end of a several hundred pound desk onto my son's skateboard to get it out of my studio once I didn't want it any more. I moved it into my garage single-handed. My dad was NOT happy about that stunt!

As it turned out, it wasn't too hard to dig Bertha out. Once I started getting ready to clean her up, I got a nice surprise....the inside shelves, which I was DREADING painting...




Were REMOVABLE!! Easily removable!!





They are back in the garage. If I ever decide to use them, I'll paint them white - I'll never match the color I mixed for the inside of Bertha. Here's the rest of Bertha's transformation:



FINALLY remembered to number the drawers after refurbishing MANY dressers which ended up with drawers that never fit quite the same...because I couldn't remember the order...





The drawers needed to be glued, but other than that, they were in surprisingly good condition!



I am in love with the shade of greyish turquoise that results from mixing Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Paris Grey with Duck Egg...I use just a little bit more Paris Grey. I thought it would make a lovely, soft contrast to the Country Grey I was planning to use for the outside.



The Country Grey looked great, but the gorgeous details seemed to fade with the light color.



I gave the whole piece a good glazing...look how great her claw and ball feet look!! You can even see the toenails!!





I wish I had a picture...but the dark glaze looked too brown for me, so I mixed Annie Sloan Soft Wax about 50-50 with some white paint I had on hand, and rubbed it over the entire piece (except for the feet). The result was a nice "antiqued" yet softened look:





I love the beautiful soft inside so much, that for now I'm displaying it opened! Some final staging, and I had a new look for my front room!









Whew!! Honestly the staging and the pictures took MUCH longer than the time it took to paint the whole piece!

What new looks have you added to your nest?

Beautiful bags, and a good cause

Please check out these gorgeous cosmetics bags! All proceeds go to Lea and Cassidy's mission tip to Haiti-you can read all about it, as well as see their bags here on their blog.

Their bags are functional and beautiful, and you can feel great about your purchase!

Too Soon for Spring?

I find it ironic that I started working on my spring decor during the first snow fall of the year. I know it's January, but I'm craving whites and greens with wood contrasts...kind of a la Pottery Barn. Here's what I have so far!









Have you made any changes in your decor in the new year?