Creating some new things in the Sewing Room

When I am in the mood to sew - I find it most satisfying. Today was one of those days where I spent the entire day in my sewing room, not breaking for lunch until 2:00. After a quick bowl of cheddar and broccoli soup I went back upstairs for the rest of the afternoon. I have tons of "projects" that I need to complete and that is my goal but I'm not sure they will all get done. I have some fabric that I ordered on line that is called toweling and it comes already hemmed on both sides and then you just cut the length you want for a dish towel or table runner and hem those edges. The fabric is very nice quality and I have made both dish towels and table runners. Today, I am making dish towels with a cute sayings on them. My favorite is "all I need today is a little bit of COFFEE and a whole lot of JESUS". I also made some new pillows using paint cloth from Lowe's. The paint cloths are great for all sorts of projects - banners, pillows, curtains, etc. My favorite way to make pillow covers is the envelope style so that you can get the pillow form in and out easily. I will give a tutorial on that soon, if anyone would be interested. They are so easy - peasy and fun to make. I even made time to make a fall banner and Christmas banner. I need to add a few decorations to the banner before I post a picture but I got the best tutorial for the banner from another blog that I will share with you when I post a picture of the banner. We had a nice rain shower most of the day today and it was much needed. Thank you Lord for all of your blessings and may you all have a blessed week.

Frenchy End Tables

My favorite style of furniture is Country French so when I found these end tables a few weeks ago I was so excited and couldn't wait to paint them. Of course I always struggle on what color to paint my furniture pieces. It took me a few days to decide but it actually came to me in the middle of the night when I was trying to sleep. Do you ever do that? I decided to use Dover White, Seattle Mist, and Vintage White by CeCe Caldwell's paints. The finish is Endurance. I chose Endurance since end tables sometime get a little abuse and this finish is the most durable. I have a large French Wardrobe that I'm going to paint next week and I may have to use this same color combination. I hope you have a great weekend! We are being blessed here in Texas with a little rain and hopefully a cool front.

I'm a Fan of Book Tables Too!

So many of the home décor companies sell book tables and they are such functional tables. They are narrow so they can be placed almost anywhere and they hold books! My daughter bought one from Ballard's that is very similar to the one that I painted. I found this one on one of my junking trips and decided to paint it with CeCe Caldwell's Beckley Coal and stencil the top with Young Kansas Wheat. I bought this cute stencil at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to use it. Endurance by CeCe Caldwell was used to give a durable finish. The more I paint with the chalk and clay paint by CeCe Caldwell the more I LOVE it! I always clean my piece with Simple Green and then start painting with diluted paint. I have a ton of furniture in my den, foyer, kitchen, and garage that I am going to be painting the next few weeks - so stay tuned for more makeovers. God Bless you this week!

Black Coffee Please

I love trying new products and I have had Martha Stewart's Black Coffee Glaze for several months sitting in my craft room waiting patiently. I needed the perfect dresser, table, cupboard, buffet, or vanity to test this product. I finally found the perfect serpentine dresser for this "black coffee" glaze. I could see the dresser with a pretty porcelain sink sitting in the middle and used as a bathroom vanity. Not only do I love the name of this glaze but the color is gorgeous - it has a smooth finish with a touch of sparkle. I painted the dresser CeCe Caldwell's Seattle Mist and then added the glaze. I decided to paint the glaze on thick and not wipe it off as I do with some glazes. I think it was because I loved how easily the glaze went on and the color was wonderful. I bought new hardware for the top drawers but I loved the original hardware on the bottom two drawers but they needed a little touch up paint too. So I painted them with Martha Stewart's Metallic Silver and I really liked this product as well. I finished the dresser with CeCe Caldwell's Endurance Finish. This finish needs to be stirred for about 15 minutes to make sure all of the product is mixed well. I stir until all of the sediment on the bottom is thoroughly combined. I apply Endurance with a sponge brush and it's a wonderful finish that I use often.  I must admit I take a little cream and sugar in my morning coffee - but when I want "Black Coffee" I will definitely grab this little jar!
I hope you have a blessed week!

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

Linked to -http://missmustardseed.com/

AFTER

My Love for Drum Tables Continues....

Two of my favorite pieces of furniture to paint are antique drum tables and antique serpentine dressers. But in this post I'm featuring a large drum table.  This table had a few issues - the drawer was missing and the top was scratched. So I decided to paint the entire table with a mixture of CeCe Caldwell's Chalk and Clay Paints - Destin Gulf Green and Santa Fe Turquoise with a touch of Pittsburgh Gray.
I painted another drum table a few months back and you can read about that one here: http://nwalkerscreations.blogspot.com/2013/05/cece-caldwells-pittsburg-gray-and.html . The drawer was missing on this one too! Since most drum tables are mahogany I always seal them with shellac before I start painting. This keeps the dark stain from "bleeding" through the paint. After painting and wet distressing the table I used CeCe Caldwells Satin Finish diluted with water. You can apply as many coats as you want but I usually paint one or two coats. And finally, I took a paper sack and burnish the Satin Finish to get a nice smooth finish.
And so my search for antique drum tables will continue and when I rescue another one I'll share the "transformation" with you! Have a blessed week and keep on junking!!!


Before

Spray with the Shellac before applying the paint.

Antique Secretary Transformation

Have you ever finished a painting project and thought "this may be my favorite so far". Well that's exactly how I felt when I finished this cute little antique oak secretary.  I went to an estate in Dallas last week and I found several treasures but my favorite find was this secretary. It was sitting in a corner unnoticed by most of the shoppers but I had an idea of what I could do to make it look - not so "plain Jane". It was a little pricey so I decided to take my chances and leave a bid (I've never won a bid on anything) but low and behold the guy called me back the next morning and said it was mine and when could I come and pick it up. I was so excited and rushed over the next morning to pick up my prize.  I got home late Saturday and couldn't wait to start painting so Sunday right after church I unloaded my car and began to paint. I knew exactly what colors I wanted to use - a mixture of CeCe Caldwell's Santa Fe Turquoise, Destin Gulf Green, and a touch of Pittsburgh Gray with a gray glaze. The inside was painted with Myrtle Beach Sands and the original knobs were given a face lift with antique gold Rub and Buff.  I must say it was the devil to paint inside all of those small cubbies but worth it in the end. I used a stencil from http://maisondestencils.com  on the desk top. My husband and I loaded it last night and took it to Junktique in Jasper where you can find plenty of great finds! I have been on over load this week and I have painted quite a few projects that I will share later with you.
Fresh will be open Friday, Saturday, and Monday from 9-5 so stop by and see what's new. We are also located in Junktique, The Consignors Mall in Livingston, and J&A Antiques in Hemphill.

BEFORE

Antique Wardrobe Make Over using CCCP

I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Labor Day Holiday. I have been busy, busy, working on my painting projects in the garage and in the house. I got so much accomplished on Labor Day!!! I can't wait to share with you all the projects that I am completing this week. Today I am going to share with you the antique wardrobe that I painted in CeCe Caldwell's Vintage White and Seattle Mist with Virginia Chestnut glaze and it's finished with Satin Finish. This is a dark stained Oak wardrobe and it is in perfect condition so I loved painting it and seeing the transformation as it unfolded. I think the more I paint the more comfortable I get with the whole process. It still takes me awhile to decide on the "perfect" colors that I want to use and what technique I want to use on the piece but I LOVE this paint and all the finishes. If you have been wanting to paint something with chalk and clay paints - you really should try it and you will not be disappointed.  We give classes at our shop each month and you can see our schedule on our facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/FRESH2013

 If you live in our area you know what the dreaded black bugs, (love bugs) are. Believe me there is no Love for them when they arrive.  I HATE them - and they are so annoying especially if I'm trying to paint or work in the garage. This time of year they show up and usually do not leave until we get a cool snap - lord please let that come soon! We got a small rain shower today and that cooled things down slightly but the Texas humidity is a killer - can you tell I'm ready for cooler weather?

Have a wonderful day and stay tuned for more make overs with the all natural chalk and clay paint.
God bless you -