Precious Pairs

I worked on this adorable little pair several months back but didn't have a chance to show them off then, what with other bigger pieces getting the spotlight. But these are just too cute to pass over.

They were originally a tired and dilapidated couple of wobbly end tables. My husband did the clever work of sturdying them up, and I took a few days to cover the evidence. The top of one of the tables was in obscene shape with waving, warped veneer. That took some intense mudding and sanding.

But it was completely worth it. Pieces like this are worth the little extra love needed to give them a new life.

I did a soft white base with a dark espresso glaze. And some distressing to highlight those cute curves and turns even more. 

Here they are in their cute new home! And I made a lovely new friend in the process of working on these. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Wedding Bells

My cousin tied the knot over the July fourth weekend, and as I was remiss in actually sending a wedding gift after I had placed a selection in my online shopping cart (I don't want to talk about how often that happens), he and his lovely new wife got a custom Hazelnuts piece instead.

My new cousin-in-law (is that a thing?) has a great vintage-chic taste, and her inspired wedding decor reflected that. I can't wait to see the pics. She also has a strong eye for envisioning potential, so when she bypassed all of the eye-catching French-provincial, shabby, and mid-century pieces I showed her and dug out this chunky vintage end table I've had lying around forever, I was so excited. I love this piece.

Having been around from the 70's and having seen a lot of wear, it needed plenty of love to get it back into a state fit to grace a newlywed home. But I think we got there.

Celebrations

The son of one of my dearest friends turned one this past weekend. Baby Z (who's not such a baby anymore) celebrated in style with a fantastic circus-themed party that his clever mom planned up.

The stage was set early on when these fantastic custom hand-drawn invitations arrived. My friend commissioned Shortcake Signs for the invites (ok, I may have sung the praises of Shortcake Signs since she happens to be my sister), and they turned out so cute!

My friend thrifted a great old, slightly rickety cherry high chair that she envisioned in antique white for Z's first birthday party. After a lot of sanding old cherry stain away and tightening old screws and adding new ones, here's the chair ready for the center ring! 

I used a soft ecru white with a dark espresso glaze over some pretty heavy distressing. It's a piece that won't mind seeing a lot of wear and tear!

This was a project that was so special and meaningful to work on. Happy birthday and much love, dear Z!

"Samantha"

This is an adorable antique vanity upcycled in a marshmallow white with seafoam accents and moderate distressing. It has a light coat of burnt umber glaze to age it back a bit--not that it needed any help on the aging front.

It's an ancient piece with the original wooden castors. That's old. It was in pretty bad shape with the veneer coming off in strips and the wood layers rippling and bubbling along every seam and corner. So after weeks of mudding, wood filler, and sanding, I got it mostly smoothed out.

I said mostly. Don't look too close...

The drawers stick. But cute paper lining the drawers makes the stickiness inconsequential. Kind of.

To add a little more color, this piece also got the stencil treatment.

Isn't it fun? I have another antique vanity similar to this piece but in better condition if you are interested in having one for your home.

Thanks for stopping by!

It's Thyme--Sold!

It's time to relinquish boring old chrome and bamboo racks and rows of spice jars.

It's time to bring an air of whimsy and subtle sophistication to your herbs.