Framed Art

Here's a little project with a long history in the making. I've had this tin ceiling tile for what seems like ages. While working on different JunkFest projects, it never quite fit or created the look I was going for. Low and behold in my "to throw" pile I eyed this glass-long-gone window frame that looked to be about the same size...yesiree - it appeared a marriage was about to occur!Simple nails with heads large enough to grab the tin where attached to the frame and holy cats, folks - I actually had a nice piece of "art"!But I couldn't stop there. Maybe I needed to add a few black and white photographs?

This photo of my little nieces was perfect. I added magnets to some old earrings for a bit of sparkle, even though these little girls don't need any more sparkle - they are adorable just the way they are!

A quick spray of poly so more paint won't peel was the ticket.

***
It makes a pretty big "statement" now all framed in my spare bedroom!

I also glued magnets to these random numbers...I adore the look of black, silver and white together.

***

Sure hope you're having a great junky day!

My Farmhouse Table

See anything you like? MEEEEE TOOOOOO!!!!!!!

That ruff and tuff table with the chippy white legs....she was one of my picks. Yay!

Ironically, it didn't look in any better shape once it was in my barn. :( Isn't there some magic "trailer fairy" that fixes up your junk while in transport? If anyone knows of one please share!

The top was a bit rough so I sanded. And sanded. And sanded.

Then I sanded with both hands! Enough already!

Just look at that chippyliscousness though. So worth it!



Kind of reminds me of my own legs...and their imperfections. HA.



On to the staining. I used my all time FAVORITE stain (with sheen included) in Plantation Walnut.


To my dismay this product from a company that rhymes with MINWAX has been discontinued and replaced with a waterbased alternate....which is no where close to the same color. Uhg.

(I would say a few more things about how I really feel about that particular company discontinuing my favorite stain, but I decided to keep my post clean.)

A few coats of satin poly to make it "eat and drink" ready and straight to my kitchen it went.







Taa. Daa.




Linking to:

Chippy White fireplace mantel

One of my goals for the coming year is to spend more time creating....to nurture my artistic/creative/diy self. This includes everything from paper goods to the blood, sweat, and tears projects for JunkFest. What better way to nudge myself than to join the gals over at CSI (Create Something Inspiring)? Each week they choose a theme and select a winner from tons of entries. My intentions are to be inspired by the upcoming themes and create something new.....either for my home, or for JunkFest. Since I just jumped on the bandwagon today, I chose a project that I had already done, which you may remember seeing here. This week's theme is "white" and the first thing that came to my mind was time-worn, chippy, cottage style. This style might not be for everyone, but it is definitely my favorite and white is the perfect color for it. One consistent color, even in a mix of styles, can create a coherent look. On to the project.

What do you get when you mix 2 old chippy white square columns, some weathered corral boards and a fleur de lis? A fireplace!

Here are the two columns I started with. Don't they just scream "fireplace!" to you? After taking apart the columns, only to discover that 2 of the 4 sides on each had a one inch lip sticking out, I sawed off the lip so that the boards would lay flush side by side.

Next, I layed the boards out flat to determine the width of the mantel....and hope like heck I had enough to make this work! Sketches, rough drafts......even measuring were not part of my plan at this point. I was working purely from the vision in my head...and eyeballing as I went along.
I don't really recommend this, it's just how I roll sometimes.

Next, I flipped the boards over and secured them with some horizontal planks. So far, so good.

After adding the sides, I trimmed the top & bottom and added a thick piece of plywood for the back. Then (this time I measured) I cut the opening in the front. It appears as though the opening is a bit small, but I still had a decorative element to add above it.

Dry fit the mantel, eyeballed some more....looking pretty good. Attached the mantel and a beefy corral board for the bottom. After darkening the top & bottom with a "secret" stain/paint formula, I added the metal fleur de lis to the front to "French" her up a bit.

And there you have it! A chippy-white, faux fireplace mantel.

If you're looking for more "white" inspiration, head over to CSI this week! Just click on the button below. Thanks for stopping by!

Chocolate...it's not just for breakfast anymore!

I recently just finished painting my dining room...wanna see? Previously, it was two different shades of mossy green, divided by a chair rail. It was just okay. I had been thinking about a chocolate brown for some time. When I saw a room in the Bachman's Idea House painted brown, I decided to go for it!



You'll have to excuse my pictures....north facing window, dark color, glare, rookie camera, blah...blah...blah.....
I bought some Martha Stewart paintable bead-board wallpaper for below the chair rail and painted it Antique white to match the trim color. It's quite a sharp contrast with the brown, but I love it.


This is the front of a chippy vintage dresser drawer that I picked up from one of our JunkFest vendors this year.

During our visit to the Bachman's idea house we shopped the store, where I bought this cool bulk scale....now sitting on my dining room table.

I didn't even have to change my window treatments or slipcovers!

I have a collection (3 is a collection, right?) of chippy white columns standing in one corner, holding faux pumpkins that I painted white & stained.

My cream stoneware vases pop nicely against the brown too...

...as well as some architectural pieces that rest on top of some repurposed kitchen cabinets-turned china hutch. I guess I have a few cloches too....

The paint color is Valspar's Earthly Impressions, but it's exactly the color of a Hershey bar. Milk Chocolate.....ask me how I know...