French Country Bedroom

When Karli left home I boxed up all of her memorabilia and quickly turned her room into a vision of Black and White French Country. It is a little bit on the "girly" side but it is after all the guest bedroom now. Karli and her husband are welcome to come and stay  anytime they want. 

I think this room shows what can be done with a fairly small budget, several do-it-yourself projects, and some great finds. I do really love to paint furniture black. I started out by painting the oak headboard (probably a sin, but it works). It had been in the room since Karli was in Jr. High. I then found the tall dresser, vanity, and one table at garage sales. One little side table had been Karli's Grandmother's. I repaired as needed, sanded, and gave them all the same paint treatment....two coats of Krylon Flat Black spray paint, followed by 2 coats of Minwax Spray Polyurathane in Semi-Gloss.

The room began with the Black and White Toile Bedding purchased from Target. I made the checked pillow.

                                      
This wonderful old table was a garage sale find. The fabric covered bulletin board and lamp were found at Hobby Lobby. The small picture is of Karli's Grandmother (my mother) Doris Lee as a child and the clock and door knob collection are vintage. 

                                

This small old table came from Karli's Grandmother. The purse, gloves and hat are all vintage but the black hanging and two Eiffel Towers are Ross finds.

                               

The vanity is vintage as are the old make-up jars, tray, and black hand mirror. The large mirror on the wall came from Karli's Grandmother Lois.

                            
An assortment of old frames, an old Victorian picture and small reproduction dress forms from Hobby Lobby adorn the wall beside the dresser.

                               
The tall dresser is decorated with assorted "girly" stuff and a favorite of mine, a suitcase.
The vintage dress form also holds a special place in my heart!

                                        
My decorating projects never end...still on the list for the French Country room is to paint the window trim and doors white. Then I have matching Black and White Toile drapes I am going to remake to fit the windows. I'd also "love" to find an old crystal chandelier to hang in the center of the ceiling. Ooo La La!

~Kandy

Be Brave, Be Daring...Paint That Furniture

Over the years I have refinished literally hundreds of pieces of furniture...some for myself or Karli, some for friends, family or customers, and some for resale in the Antique Shop. I must admit that there are times when, after working days to remove the old paint or finish, you discover underneath it all...it is indeed ugly wood. Then, I have fun and paint the piece, saving it from being a shade of boring brown!

Be brave, be daring. Make that ugly duckling the focal point of your room. As I always say, "It is only paint, and can be repainted if you really don't like it."

This hutch, which belonged to another dealer, is maple (probably my least favorite color wood...yellow/orange.) I painted it for her using Sherwin Williams 6712 Luau Green, in satin. I distressed the edges with a sanding sponge, then applied a coat of clear Briwax.
The piece sold, but not before it was admired and coveted by the majority of shoppers.

The painted green hutch as displayed in the Shop

                                        
Another piece which found new life was this dresser. It became a "Turquoise Taos Treasure" with a coat of Sherwin Williams 6487 Cloudburst. I distressed it heavily to show the raw wood underneath and applied a coat of Tudor Brown Briwax. It sold right away in the shop. I guess that's a good thing because otherwise I was going to take it home and have to "redecorate" a room around it. I was already planning my "Cowgirl Room."
                                                       

The Turquoise Taos Treasure

I like using a coat of Briwax on top of my distressed painted pieces. I really like the character and patina it adds, but another good top-coat is Minwax Polyurethane Spray in Semi-Gloss. The Semi-Gloss finish is easy to apply in a well-ventilated area (garage, with no cars in it.) Just follow the directions about temperature and don't over-spray.

~Kandy

Grandpa's East Lake Dresser

As a child, I have fond memories of the time I spent with my Grandpa Ray playing in his parts and machinery shop. I spent hours ringing up "pretend" sales on the cash register, searching through boxes of nuts and bolts, and exploring the attic. The attic was accessible only by ladder, all the big stuff it contained had been brought up with an old rope pulley. Hidden in dark corners were a strange collection of antiques...an incubator for chicks, an old embalming table (creepy, right?), and an old dresser filled with an assortment of papers, letters, and photos. I was thrilled to find old love letters Grandpa had written to Grandma tied up with silk ribbon in one drawer. 

After Grandpa and Grandma were gone, my parents gave me that dresser from the attic. I was thrilled to take possession of that fond memory, even if it was in rough shape.

It had decades of dust and debris on it but had never been painted, so restoring it just involved cleaning it up, tightening and regluing the joints, and a coat of tung oil. Only one original knob was in place when I got it. I searched antique stores high and low to find the old ebony ones that matched. 

I did leave the drawers in the shape I found them...complete with baling wire on the back...that was Grandpa's way to fix anything!

After I had refinished the dresser and proudly brought it into the house, Karli, (being about 9 or 10 years old) asked me what I thought it was worth. I went into a long "schpeel" about its age, missing glove boxes, etc. and told her that considering all, it was probably worth about $300. I then asked her if she liked it. She informed me that she was just curious so she would know what to sell it for someday!

I think Karli has decided that she does like "old things" afterall. She has grown to have an appreciation for character pieces and especially one with family history. The East Lake dresser now resides in our entry way, but someday it will be Karli's. 

The old photo sitting atop the dresser is one of Grandpa Ray as a child.  

~Kandy