The Fab Four - REVEAL

My Craigslist Find ~ Lottie and the Fab Four

Craigslist. What can I say. It's like having a billion awesome thrift stores at your fingertips!

This is Lottie and The Fab Four girls. Lottie (the armchair) doesn't have a spot in our home yet. She came with the Fab Four, who actually do have a spot - which you'll hopefully get to see sooner rather than later. But she's so purdy I think I'll have to find a special place for her.

This is their 'Before'. Stay tuned for their 'After'.

All 5 for just $100. I did drive to another state to get them but it was only an hour and a half away. We even stopped by the beach just for the fun of it. I fretted someone might steal my chairs every time we stopped.

Very Duncan Phyfe-ish, no? All I know about these chairs is that they previously lived in Rhode Island before their big move to South Carolina.

And, they are older than me. Which I just love. Can you imagine if these chairs were the ones doing the talking over dinner? Oh the stories they could tell!

Painted Wallpaper - Ordinary Wall to Extraordinary Hall

Even if I wanted to hang wall paper, I wouldn't know where to start. So when I saw someone else paint theirs, I was excited to try my hand at it. But where?

One day, while cleaning out the linen closet, it hit me. Why not right here in this hall.

It's just an ordianary hall, right off the family room but visible from almost anywhere.

There's an adorable picture of my first born just floating in the doorway. I figured it deserved some dressing up, a special backdrop.

I've seen people do this with an entire room. I'm not sure I'd have the patience. I used a stencil that I made and just eyeballed the distance between each traced line.

This is what it looked like when I was done. I'm not sure I looked any better. This was the tiring part.

But it's always worth it when I get to the painting part.

A special picture now has a special wall to hang on.

I found Harriett in a junk store with junk piled on her and so much stuff piled in front of her she was hard to see. But I saw her.

I'd been in the market for a kitchen hutch but after looking at their price tags, I knew I would not be buying one. When I saw Harriett I knew she was exactly what I was looking for.

Apparently, the junk store owner had gotten her at a garage sale. The previous owner built and used her as an entertainment center. Junk Store Man put her in his garage and stored garage junk on her. And when he didn't need her anymore he put her in his junk shop for sale. Poor Harriett.

Originally, I planned to strip her of her stain and paint her. Majority of Harriett is good, strong, solid wood except her doors and drawers, which have a wood veneer. OOOOHHHHH Wood Veneer. What will I do with you?

I thought about having new doors and drawer fronts made for her, and one day I will, but I wanted to finish her up quickly and get her into her new home. I have plans to accessorize her later but for now I want to put her in a new, pretty white dress.

This is one of my new favorite things. I have used it on so much and it works like a dream. I lovingly call it Zinny.

It is an oil based primer by Zinsser I found at Lowes that STICKS TO ALL SURFACES WITHOUT SANDING! And without stripping, because you can't strip wood veneer. Plus, you can put anything on top of it. It doesn't have to be an oil based paint. It just gives you a beautiful blank canvas.

One coat of primer and two coats of white paint were all it took to give Harriett the new, beautiful look she deserves.

And these days it doesn't matter what I put on her. Whether it's Christmas decorations...

various project suppplies, or my Etsy shop items waiting have their pictures taken.

One of these days I will get around to getting Harriett new doors and drawer covers and I might even give her some cubby holes for storing cool stuff, kind of like the one pictured here. But for now, Harriett is happy in her new white dress.

EAT ~ A Tutorial

This post should start out...

Hello. I'm Jamie and I'm a Projectaholic. Because I'll do a project at anytime, for any reason (or no reason at all) and I cannot help myself.

Back in January I discovered a blog called Shabby Chic Cottage. Apparently Gina is a genius at making simple fabulous. She is such a genius she was featured on the Etsy blog, I think it was, and that's how I found her.

I had been seeing these large, metallic gold, letters at Hobby Lobby for forever. I loved how big they were and the font was great but there was just something about that gold. It was too much like brass (which I hate) and I honestly don't really care for gold. You know, unless it's weighted, like in karats.

Anyway, I didn't really have any intention of buying any until I saw Gina's. Gina was going for silver. Well, I don't need silver either, though I like it ever so much more than gold. And that was that. I was over it. Until...

These letters are 50% off almost every week at the Hobby Lobby. And now every time I walk by them I think about Gina's. Then one day I thought how can I pass up doing something with $5 letters?

"Whitewashing" Letters Tutorial

At first I tried sanding them. Not so much to remove the gold, because I actually want it to show through a bit when I'm done, but because I know paint is not going to adhere well at all to this surface. BUT, I DO NOT recommend sanding them for two reasons: 1)It doesn't do any good! and 2) It smells funny when you do and I'm thinking that might mean it isn't safe. But that's okay because I have another plan.

I cover it in a light coat of Delta Ceramcoat in Magnolia White (I love this color!).

After that's dry I do another coat. It's great because the paint doesn't completely cover what's underneath so it gives it a whitewashed apperance without all the work.

I like how this looks but I want a little more contrast. My kitchen is a honey yellow with robin's egg blue accents. So I decided to add some blue. I use Folk Art's Sky Blue because it's what I have on hand.

I don't want the letters to BE blue I just want some highlights here and there. I use a dry brush technique and stroke on some blue very lightly in random places. If I get a little too much blue in one spot, I go back over it in white also using the dry brush tecnhique.

Once they're dry, I, VERY lightly, sand just the edges. I really like how the gold comes through. Gold in smalls doses. That I can handle.

THEN, and this is important if you don't want your paint to scratch off every time something comes in contact with them, I put on a coat of Mod Podge. Did you know you can use this stuff on everything! I love it.

Now. If you figure your letters are never going to be touched again once they're up and hanging, feel free to skip this step.

(Letters are hanging above Harriet. More on her later)

I think they turned out quite nice for $15, some paint and very little elbow grease! How about you? Wanna try it?

What was on my Work Desk Wednesday? A Project, Of Course!

Here I go breaking the rules again. But really, I think the grass does count as your work desk. It does today anyway.

Putty. Sand. Putty. Sand. Sand. Sand. I'm ready to paint, paint, paint! I cannot wait!

Tutorial & Reveal Coming Soon

Gahhhh Don't you love her??? I love her. She needs a name.

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Say Hello to Wednesday's helper. Helpfully rearranging Mommy's magazines while she blogs.