A Holiday Weekend & A Detailed Table!

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend!  We stayed in town and logged some hours on the soccer field. 

This is our U9 team after receiving their trophies.  Daughter #2 is 4th from left in the first row.

Daughter #1 with the U10 trophy.  The crazy hair is from the 92 heat and lots of running!
The weather was sunny and hot.  Very hot!  We made it to the pool on Monday, which made the heat more bearable.  And we caught up with friends over dinner.  So it was an enjoyable weekend.
I prepared for the holiday weekend in my store.  I spent some time refiguring the space, moving things around and bringing some finished pieces in.
One of the new pieces that I struggled parting with, was this table.

I love the details and the legs!
Let me show you what it looked like before.

It was already on the table when I realized I needed the photo!  Oops.

This was the top of the table.

With one coat of the white chalk paint.  Clearly, it took another coat plus touch ups.




Details.

Hope you like it!
XO-
Shannon

My Entrepreneur

Every year at this time, life gets especially crazy.  The girls have a million projects to complete for the end of school, a few field trips, some performances and then sports.

In fourth grade our school has Entrepreneur Day.  The kids conceptualize, make and sell a product.  They learn about economics, marketing, pricing…everything that goes into running a successful business.  Then all the kids in the school (2-5), teachers and parents come and shop.

I love this!

The creativity of 9 and 10 year olds is amazing!

Daughter #1 made Duct Tape I pod cases.

To grab attention, Daughter #2 and I made her a Duct Tape shirt.

I doubt there will be a big market for these shirts, but it certainly grabbed folks attention!

Yes, the kid next to her made pigs-in-a-blanket.  I eyed them all morning!

The entire fourth grade raised over $13,000!  Unbelievable.

The money is then donated to several charities that the class selected.  Another invaluable lesson.

Have a fabulous long weekend!

XO-

Shannon

My New Artwork

I found this picture while thrifting.  I picked it up for the frame.

 

Then the picture grew on me.  I began to mentally place it in different spots in the cottage.

But something was bugging me.

The frame.

With a few random strokes with 4 colors of paint, I gave it a French-look.

Doesn’t everyone paint on their stovetop?

Then I rubbed stain over the newly painted area.

Here she is in all her glory.

After all that, she is heading to the store!

Enjoy the day!

Darling Table

While thrifting, I scored this darling piece.

Look at the double pedestal base!

Some lady followed me around the store, telling me how much she liked the table.  She continued with, how much she liked real wood pieces.

Did she think I was giving this baby up?

Not a chance!

Cabinet Makeover

Hi All,
This little gem came home with me from a thrift store.


Most people walked right passed it.  Hubby wished I had walked passed it.
But I had plans.
First, I removed the gate. 
Next, I painted with my new found love – Paris Gray Chalk Paint.  One coat on the laminate top with a few touch ups, is all it took.

A bit of distressing and some wax on the details.

A coat of Poly to protect.
New knobs.

And here she is!


Before:


This baby is off to the girls playroom.  It will hold some of their toys and games.
Have a great day! 
Check out the parties I am joining below and at the Parties Page:

Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper

Booth Update

Hi All,

I wish I had some cool before and after shots to share. 

If you would like to see pictures of me before the soccer tournament, pale and well rested.  I could share.  The after would feature a wicked farmers tan/burn and complete exhaustion.

In Ohio, we have wished for the sun to shine.  It finally does and we sit under umbrellas at a weekend tournament!  Go figure!

Since I did not get a lot done the last few days, I thought I would share my booth updates.

I did cover the bottom of the wall with burlap.  But I snapped the photo before the update!

The little beauty, in Paris Gray.

This baby is pretty cool.  She went from dark brown to Paris Gray with a stain.  The top swivels, so it is also useful!

Hope you have a great day!

XO-

Shannon

Chalk + Wax

Hi there,

I tried the wax!  This time it worked.  I have the dark wax that I ordered with the Chalk Paint. 

My first attempt was awful.

This time I mixed the wax with some Mineral Sprits.  It formed a stain like consistency.  I brushed it on and used a paper towel to rub it a bit.

I am still playing with it, but am hopeful that I have found my new finish coat.

Wax is supposed to be a harder finish, so I really want to make it work!

I picked this little stool up for a song at a church rummage sale this morning.

Look at the very old sifters on top.  They are pretty cool.  And, yes, there is crap all over my garage.  Moving on…

Using the Old White Chalk Paint, I applied one coat.  I did have to hit it again in certain areas.

Did I mention this stuff dries FAST!

Here she is with a light wax.

Of course I sanded it to give it a distressed finish.

The whole project took about an 1 1/2 to complete.  Start to finish.  That includes drying time.

We are off to a soccer tournament, so I am hoping to hit some garage sales in a new area between the 4 games on Saturday and 3 (maybe 4) on Sunday.

Have a great weekend.

XO-

Shannon

A Benefit of Chalk Paint

Happy Friday Everyone!

It has been a crazy week, mainly consumed with kids activities, not a lot of painting or thrifting.  I squeezed in a quick booth update (twice) and had the pleasure of meeting a reader of this little blog! 

I met Cathy via email a few weeks back.  We shared garage sale tips, talked decorating and found we were “kindred spirits in decorating!”  It was great to meet her in person yesterday.

Cathy was interested in Chalk Paint.  Like most of us, we stalk Miss Mustard Seed, so when she announced this amazing new product – Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint, we jumped at the chance to order it.

At $35/quart it was tough to hit pay.  But, as I mentioned before, it did NOT disappoint.

Cathy was able to see a few finished pieces and admits, there is a richness to this paint.  In my book, that is a bonus.  I love it for the time saving factors.

Okay, let me show you what it can do.

I picked this gem up at a Thrift Store.  It is hand painted on the sides with a laminate top.

 

If you run your hand along the paint, you can feel the raised areas.  Does that make sense?  Normally, I would sand it down, prime it, sand it, paint it and then paint a second coat.

One coat of Paris Gray!

I wish this piece was finished so I could share.  But, you will have to wait a few more days.

I must say, they recommend finishing with a wax.  I need to play with the waxes a bit more.  I am not sold just yet on the wax.

Please visit MMS to get a full description of Chalk Paint, waxes and how to order both.

I hope to find some time to paint during another crazy weekend!

Have a great weekend!

XO-

Shannon