Humbled by spray paint

Okay...you all know I'm new to refinishing furniture, and I rely heavily on my fellow, more experienced artists. Since I'm okay with asking a lot of questions, and have found a great talent pool, both on the internet and in the shops that I visit, I get a lot of good advice. So I'm hoping that SOMEONE, or MANY someones can help me!

I like Rustoleum spray paint, and I've used it on many pieces. After one disaster in my brand-new days, I've learned that prepping is essential, so I sand or strip before I apply the paint, and I've learned how to have a relatively light and even hand when I'm spraying. The pieces usually turn out pretty nice, and I've also learned when to touch up, sand down, re-paint, etc. So imagine my surprise when THIS happened:





I was astonished, since I hadn't done anything different, and had never seen this before. I waited 24 hours, sanded down the bubbles, and sprayed another coat on. The same thing happened! In desperation, I finally grabbed a brush, and sprayed & brushed, sprayed & brushed...that worked. But, holy cow!!!

Does anyone have any ideas on why this might have happened???

What crazy things have you run into during your projects??

Mona Kay

The Front Room - A Tale of Evolution

It's not bad. It's the set-up of a beginner collector. At this point, the front room in my house was a work-in-progress, after I decided that yes, I am definitely interested in re-decorating with flea market finds, and following the utterly fabulous ideas that I have found on so many decorating blogs (see my blog roll).

Many items I purchase end up in my home instead of listed on my shop...I fall in love with them, and there they stay. An example is the round mirror (featured in an earlier post). Once I hung it on my wall, I knew it would be a very long time, if ever, until I parted with it.



Next, I said "so long for now" to the lamp in the above picture. I love it, but it's not working, and I can't figure out why. I must put it aside until inspiration strikes.

I refinished and sold the bureau (see my "Before and After" page, link above), and moved the dark bureau under the mirror. The contrast seemed to add a nice flair of drama.

While shopping at the Blu Daisy in Clinton, NJ (see my other blog, "The Vintage Years") I came upon this beautiful birdcage. Have you ever picked up a piece and knew that you had to have it...even though it seemed to make no sense?



Finally, I tackled the largest project on my list; the very first piece I acquired on this junking and restoring journey (and it was a curbside freebie, too):







I had some idea that I was going to keep it before I even started, so I went with a bright white, which fit my decor. Here's the finished piece:



That is the original hardware - I was able to get all that green paint off. Next time I will definitely wear rubber gloves when working with paint stripper.



The original top molding was a little plain, so I added wooden appliques. I painted them with an undercoat of black, a couple of top coats of white, then sanded the top for a distressed look:



Here's how it looks under the mirror:



And here is the corner today.



The chair is a "place-holder" for a rocking chair I would like to put in its place. Also, I hate to say it, but I have a feeling that the dark piece may need to go (and by "go", I mean sell, or move to another room - but I have a small house!)....it doesn't seem to fit. Any ideas?? Anyone think the contrast is okay??

Thank you to all you wonderful decor bloggers out there for your inspiration!! What changes have you make to your abode that you love?

Mona Kay

Heirloom White and Bright White

I love bright white furniture, and am getting a reputation for painting anything that stands still. I am beginning to daydream about painting the oak tower-style bookcases in my family room white.



But now I have a new crush! I received a request from a customer for a distressed bureau in off-white. I looked around and found "Heirloom White"...which I found to be a little less yellow than "antique white" or "off-white". Very warm and rich-looking!



Hmmm....just when I painted everything a bright white! I wonder how the two would go together...

So tell me, do you mix and match your hues? Even white and off-white? I surely do like that heirloom white!

Mona Kay

How Many Days Without a Clothing Purchase?

Okay...I've been thinking about this for a while. DO I NEED MORE CLOTHES?? One time I bought a pair of pants, brought it home, and discovered I already had that same pair-in the same size, so no excuse about gaining/losing weight. My closet is packed. Yes, I ADORE fashion, and love to have the latest looks, but with the both the economy and job security in the crapper, DO I NEED THEM?? What would I save per month if I just used what I have?

Inspired by my blogging friend Blythe Hopes Vintage's recent similar post, I'm going to act on this question - albeit passively, because I'll really be taking NO action. I am not setting myself a specific time frame, but I want to see how long I can go without purchasing a new item of clothing - shoes, and basics excluded. It will be tough with the season change approaching - I love fall clothes - but I'm determined to do this!

I just returned two pairs of pants and a sweater, so I guess I really started this past weekend...so that puts my start date as AUGUST 8, 2010. Think I can make it into 2011? (friends who have been shopping with me don't think I'll make it into September..but we'll see!!)

NO MORE NEW CLOTHES!! I'll keep you posted :)

MK

A Little Break and a LOT of Fruit Cobbler

While I love junking, and the garage sales, flea markets, etc. sometimes a break in routine is just what I need. While I did hit an antique emporium liquidation sale ("finds" to be shown in a later post), I mostly worked on some of my own items, and around the house. By Sunday night, I was ready to do some cooking - above is the chicken and sausage jambalaya I made for dinner.

My blogging friend Prior recently shared her peach cobbler recipe, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

I bought a basket of peaches, but didn't feel like I had enough, so I added the frozen blueberries and strawberries that I had on-hand:

These ingredients were added & mixed in:



Here is the end result:

We're going to be eating it for a while!

What do you like to do to break up your routine?
Mona Kay

A Vintage Mirror Dresses Up an Empty Wall

I bought a beautiful round mirror with an intricately carved wood frame at a barn sale at the beginning of the summer. I couldn't wait to give it a fresh coat of paint and hang it...unfortunately, there were pressing projects, and then, of course we got a heat wave which just wouldn't break. I usually start watching the weather on Wednesday, and immediately begin planning projects if I see that the temperature is going to be lower than 85 degrees. The mirror was top of my list this weekend.



Does anyone know a better way to protect the mirror portion when painting the frame?? This was the best I could come up with...it looks so funny...



I am very good about wearing my filtering mask (spray-painting kicks up quite a cloud of particles) - I highly recommend it when sanding or spray-painting. This frame only needed two coats.



There was more over-spray than I thought there would be...you can see it in the middle of the mirror. I took a razor blade to it & cleaned up any residual paint.




The mirror is pretty heavy, so I used a dry-wall anchor to hang it. The mirror portion is scratched and a little foggy, adding age and shabbiness to it...I just love how it dresses up this space!





It does, however, remind me how desperately the yellow bureau below it needs to be painted! For now, the vintage linen runner softens it a little. The lamp in the picture needs to be polished, and perhaps touched up with a little paint on the fake brass part...there just aren't enough weekends, but I'm never bored!!

What projects are on your list?

Mona Kay