My next makeover project & the weekend

We had a full weekend here.

Between Holiday festivities in town

(A little pre parade fun with Uncle Jon at the Coffee Stop.)

all the candy they got at the parade (and my kids are still zipping around the house) ….

I have also been busy making holiday gifts and filling orders.

So I didn’t get to work much on other projects. I did however find time to play around with my new camera.

The big kids and I went over to my brother in-laws house they helped him decorate the tree and me, I took some pics.

His jelly of the month certificate my oldest gave him last year. we just love christmas vacation.

Some old family decorations ❤ .

He has a great collections of old books and things.

and the tree.

after this I came home and downloaded Kristen Dukes e-book say no to auto. It’s 10$ and worth every penny for a beginner like me.

her book can be found here: http://www.kristendukephotography.com/familyportraits/say-no-to-auto-book/

These dark pictures I snapped at my brother in laws of the kids turned out dark and this prompted the need to learn more.

Cant wait to share what I have learned. I immediately started looking at the lighting and changing my settings here is on pic I took of the boys tree in their room. After reading Kristen’s book.

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My Craigslist find.

She (the chair) has great bones. I have already devised a plan and started making this beauty over. I am stripping the chair with some eco strip I got from my local true value. Will be my first time using a spray bottle with stripper… will take notes and share for sure. I plan to stain this a dark walnut and upolster the top, arms and slip cover the cushion. That makes for easy care with 4 kids. I cannot wait to share. I am taking lots of pics so you too can do yourself.

xoxo

Becky

Dining room chair revamp

I started with 6 of these beauties. How I got this dinning set is really a neat story, I will share when the table is done.

I painted them in chalk paint, pure white. Lightly distressed. And sealed with a clear wax.

No onto the seat cover…

seat covers are not in bad shape and in fact I like the fabric.

But they are a little dingy and dusty from being used a long time .

Re covering a chair cousin is super simple and requires no sewing 😉 A great way to revamp an old chair.

I start by removing the staples, yes with a screw drive, it’s what I had handy and works great.

Then my surprise underneath, another layer of fabric. I removed it the same way & set aside to use as a pattern piece.

The original cushions were in great shape and left as is.

I then took my “pattern” piece and cut a 1/2″ more out around the fabric to allow plenty of extra.

Now here is a tip if working with a pattern or strip fabric I grab my frog painters tape. Then I tape along the edges. This way I can flip cushion over to make sure pattern/ print is placed how I want

Then I stapled the edges & trim excess fabric …

and no she is ready for the chair 🙂

This is one of 6 for my sisters dining room, super excited to do this set for her.

Love how it turned out.

 now I off to finish some orders & strip the top of a desk 😉 Still waiting on the paint for the table to arrive, she is going to be trophy grey , ekk!

xoxo

Becky

Incase you want the same fabric it was about 7$ a yard & great weight for home decor.

Milk Paint Chairs & Local Finds

A few weeks ago I painted this table for a customer.

you can read more about this table here https://junqueinthetrunkgirls.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/shop-local-my-neighbors-table-revealed-a-thank-you-to-miss-mustard-seed/

They loved their table so much they brought me 4 chairs to do in same color as the legs of table. The color for legs was a custom mix of milk paint I made. I had happen to make more than enough to do 4 chairs. I first gave the chairs a light sanding with a sanding sponge from my local True Value Hardware store. And then gave them 2 light coats milk paint and sanded very lightly in between coats.

I then wax each chair, I used a clear soft wax for these. You need just a little wax, it goes a long way. See how little in on my brush 😉

I then sanded each chair right after I applied the wax and then immediately buffed with a old pair of pantyhose (old tees work great too) . This will give a smooth hard fished. Be sure to follow instructions on your wax can. each vary a little and you may want to do two coats wax for added durability.

For this project I used good quality sanding sponges in different shapes and sizes

Please excuse the manicured nails, they badly need one though. But I want you to see a little of how I distress a piece. I paint a story in my head , its not well thought out I let it naturally evolve as I go. Thinking of where a piece naturally wears and scuffs will help it look more authentic .

 And here is one finished, each chair varies slightly in tone and color with milk paint some people don’t care for it but I love it and how it all works together. Its truly your own work of art.

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As the snow starts to fall here and I finished up some dresses I had on order.

I had a chance to hit some local stores Holiday Open Houses and turn my attention back to decorating and tidying up my work space. But for now here are some of my finds.

Country Wicks in Lisbon, OH is one of the very first places I started selling my clothing and bows. The owner Chris is a dear friend and really helped me along the way. I scored this table runner, wreath & battery operated candle, so I can have in reach of the kiddos . I put it with this lantern my mother had handy.

 My husbands Aunt dropped off some goodies this weekend she had pulled for me from her own home. Here is one, this stool, I love it and is perfect for my dinning room. Paired with some berries and a candle.

and lastly wanted to share this great find at another local store Simply French in Unity, OH. I love this rustic light and its perfect for above the sink in my kitchen.

I love these little finds and inspires me to keep sewing , painting and decorating.

I love your emails and feedback, keep them coming 🙂

xoxo, Becky