Monday, August 23, 2010

Quick fix for Dated Bathrooms

Thank you Luci Terhune for a great idea. I've recently painted my guest bathroom vanity black and I love it! Stop over and visit Luci's staging ideas at www.bungaloweshomestagers.com As of late, I've been seeing a lot of dated oak vanities in the bathroom. They are usually in good shape and most homeowners don't want to replace them. A good solution is to consider painting in in an Ebony or black finish and adding new hardware like in this photo. This usually updates the bathroom and costs very little. Rustoleum's " Canyon Black" is a good choice, just make sure to prime first.

Shabby Chic Farm Weddings

You will either love this idea or hate it. I personally love it (it makes me want to suggest to Mr. Well Loved Husband that we renew our wedding vows!)I recently had an email from a lady that visited my booth and is planning a shabby chic wedding for her daughter. She is trying to find over 100 chairs for the reception like the ones pictured in the photos. If anyone knows of any for rent or sale..anywhere...please contact me and I will pass on the information to her. She is also having benches made for the ceremony because she couldn't find old church pews. I think there might be a market for barn wedding supplies! I wonder if the couple will ride off on horses into the sunset. I would like to ride off in a 1955 Chevy pick-up. White, of course.



Sunday, August 22, 2010

A farewell luncheon to summer...


Oh, I'm so ready to bid farewell to summer. Won't you sit down for a drink of sweet tea with me to toast to the end of long, hot, sweaty days? I won't miss painting in the garage with the heat index reaching 110 degrees. The paint globbed and thickened and my brushes dryed while I was painting with them. I know that I'm being a bit premature in bidding adieu to summer this early in Alabama, but a girl can dream. I'm dreaming of crisp fall air and pumpkins and the smell of neighbors burning leaves. Swoon. Oh and I almost forgot....football! Roll Tide...right into the fall.

Has anybody seen my Seamstress Goddess?


Carolyn has spent so much time at the beach this summer, I thought I would set up her own special work station down there. Wouldn't it be nice if we really could work where we love to be?

Where we work... a look at Helen Ballard Weeks

If I could order up my decorating style from a catalog it would be Ballard Designs. And Helen Ballard Weeks is the founder and creative force behind the Atlanta based mail order catalog and stores. Helen founded Ballard Designs in 1993. "It brought together all my interests including design, traveling, photography and business", she states. She traveled as a child with her mother and grandmother, who both collected antiques, porcelain and silver. Today, Helen has a busy schedule with meetings, trade shows and photo shoots and spends very little time in her office. She says that her office is her "personal domain" and there she is surrounded by her favorite old chipped mirrors and arts and objects given to her by friends. Her office is also used as a style lab for the business. Many of the pieces are there for product development and inspiration. The room holds architectural salvage finds, paintings, photos, magazine tearsheets, ribbons, and fabric. She calls it her "stylish nest". I thought I would share some photos of her workspace with you.


Thursday, July 22, 2010

When One Door Closes...

...a junker like me is sure to pick it up on the side of the road. I've been decorating with old windows now for some time. Most of you have. Lately I've been seeing old doors displayed in homes in so many magazines. They have probably always been there, but I wasn't seeing them. Saturday, I found an old white beaded board door and knew it was time. I loaded her in my Maxima (it's amazing how creative you can get at hauling something if you're not afraid to look silly) and off we went to break the news to Mr. WLH that he was going to need to hang this monster on the wall. He took it well and hung it with few problems on his end but I didn't like it. The boards used on back to hold it together made it stick out from the wall. ICK. So I had Mr. WLH take it back down and hang it backwards. (Oh yes, and he had to take the doorknob off - which was an old spool- and switch it to the back, too) He rehung it backwards and now it lay flat but wasn't very pretty. Mr. WLH said old barn doors weren't made to be "pretty". Never mind that. I asked him to take off those boards on the back so that I could turn it back around on the pretty side and he laughed and told me that is what is holding it together. So here it is... in all it's gory...I mean "glory". My first door. She's going to take some getting used to but she's growing on me. I don't dare tell Mr. to take it down. Just yet.


MY DOOR


MORE DOOR DECORATING

Thursday, July 15, 2010

New Arrivals at Skyland Antiques for 7-15

Please click on "Shop" to preview the new merchandise I delivered to my booth today.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Lauren's French Country Home...inspiring!

If you haven't seen the awesome blog, Ebay shop or Etsy store of Lauren Ross, you need to visit her at http://www.fullbloomcottage.blogspot.com/. But now you're in for a treat. A sneak peek into this talented designer's home.





Wednesday, July 7, 2010

New arrivals at Skyland Antiques for Wed. July7th

Please click on the "shop" button to preview new arrivals.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

More New Store Arrivals - Saturday July 3rd

There are additional items added to my store at Skyland Antiques. Please click on "Shop" to preview.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Decorating Ideas for the 4th of July!



Happy 4th of July Everyone! Here is a table scape idea for you for Sunday. And by the way, don't you just hate it when a holiday falls on a weekend? Enjoy your potato salad, corn on the cob, and fried chicken on a pretty table by using a couple of yards of denim material (I purchased at Hobby Lobby). White, red or blue enamel cups filled with lemonade (or use red, white or blue paper cups) Silverware from a dollar store is almost as inexpensive as plastic and is reusable. Place it in a toy sand pail or other portable container like these tin berry buckets painted with stars and stripes. Put in a folded dishtowel as a napkin, and add boxes of sparklers for everyone!

New Arrivals July 1st at store!

Please visit the store page to see the new arrivals for July 1st. Thanks for visiting our store!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Calling all Wanna Be Shop Owners!

I'm sure that you have seen pictures of my two booths at Skyland Antiques. I paint antique furniture shabby chic and cottage style. My booth is going gang busters because there is no other shops, booths, etc. in Tuscaloosa that sells this look. If you paint furniture, or re purpose antiques & junk, please consider sharing a booth and selling your wares for a little extra cash! the booth next to my two is currently open and rents for $110 per month. I would love to get 3-4 of us together and split the booth and rent. It wouldn't be a big investment but a great way to get your feet wet and try it. Please contact me asap if interested. This booth won't last long!

Interview with the Decorator from Anthropologie.


Wouldn't this be your dream job? I love, love, love Anthro stores. I go in just to look at the displays they have, don't you? Here is an interview with Keith Johnson "The" shopper for Anthropologie reprinted from the Anthropologie newsletter out today.
When it comes to found objects, what catches your eye?
I always look for integrity. I don't like things that have been monkeyed around with too much - or if they have been manipulated, it has to be intentional, almost ironic. I also look for things with a great patina or things that narrate the experience of where I am.
Have you ever suffered from buyer's remorse? Oh, sure. I used to feel I needed to buy variety. It made me make choices that weren't based on falling in love with something. The thing with found objects is you have to be open to happening upon something and responding to it. If you have too strong of an agenda, you are going to force your eye into seeing things that may not be there.
You have a knack at seeing utility in art-you know how to tweak it into something more. have you always been a Doctor Frankenstein of sort?
It's definitely something that personality intrigues me, but it's a muscle I've built. I've been lucky enough to see the genius in our stores, particularly the displays. They are very inspirational - what our visual artists have done with things they have on hand is so much better than the objects themselves.
In the season premiere of MSG, we see you in Thailand, where you shop in a market consisting of 15,000-plus vendors. How did you not feel overwhelmed?
I love shopping in that particular market - there's a smell of possibility in the air, and it energizes you. You feel like you have all the energy in the world to tackle it.

You're gonna put that where??


I drug home this old battered table this weekend that I fell in love with last weekend. I thought about it all week but wasn't sure if I should spend money on my house when I was supposed to be shopping for my booth. I decided that if it was still in Birmingham next weekend and they would sell it to me for next to nothing, it was meant to be mine. After restocking and fluffing my booth Saturday, I trekked the 50 miles to the little antique store to tempt fate. Lo and Behold, there she was. Waiting for me. On sale. On clearance sale. For next to nothing. When I got it home I immediately started sanding the top in the rain. I just knew there were pine boards under all that paint. Bingo! I left the bottom all chippy and creamy white. Just like I like it. Then I asked Dave to help me move out the beautiful oak lowboy in the living room and move this in. He just gave me one of those looks and sighed. I'm loving my little shabby table.

My junk accumulation becomes a "thing"


If you are an avid junker like myself, you know you get accumulations of little piles of stuff you bought but don't know what to do with it ....quite yet. But you have faith that someday you can put all these little "treasures" together and get something that resembles the pretty pictures on your favorite blog. I have been buying white ironstone and ironstone look-a-likes for about a year now. About nine months ago I added tarnished silver to that list and recently fluted glass pitchers, and bowls. Now I discovered a gray enamelware. At least I think that's what you call it. How can someone love antiques and know very little about what she is buying? I just buy what I think is pretty....or usually what could be pretty. So here is my accumulation of under $5.00 thrift buys. It all came together when I spotted this 48 inch long shelf for $15.00 at the thrift store. It was brown wood and looked very old time country. I bought it and painted it white and distressed it. I found the one empty wall that was large enough for it and the sweet hubby hung it last night. (Twice, because I changed my mind about the height) Then I started dragging out the boxes of pretties that had been waiting patiently over the months and year and ta-DA! I have a thing. It makes me happy to walk by the thing and see all the discards I so adore. I tried to count how much money I have in everything and I'd estimate $110.00 plus a few cans of spray paint.

Friday, June 25, 2010

New Arrivals at Store - Sat. June 26th

Please click on "Shop" and view the latest arrivals making there way to the store Saturday. I may have them there Friday late afternoon if the weather holds out.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

My Store Opening at Skyland Antiques!


Well, okay it's not really a store, but it's not your ordinary booth either. So we'll call it a store within a store. Anyway, it's finally open! It opened Tuesday and today I went by to take pictures and I couldn't believe how much had sold already. I am located on the lower level on the right hand side. If you are local and will be stopping in, please sign up to follow my blog. Then send me an email or comment after any post letting me know you did and I will email you a 10% off coupon. As a follower, you will also get first peeks at what's going into the store for the week. Under "SHOP" I will post the new furniture and repurposed goods before I take them in. Skyland is open Mon.-Sat 9-5:30. Hope to see you there!




Tuesday, June 22, 2010

What to do with all those old bottles? Colored Vases!


I went through a phase a few months ago where I couldn't pass up a good flea market buy on old glass bottles. (And a few not so good buys!) Do you go through phases like that? For some reason, some crazy thing will tickle your fancy for awhile for no particular reason. Then when your fancy isn't tickled by it anymore, you're left looking at all the former objects of your affection wondering, "What the heck was I thinking?" I saw this article in a craft magazine and thought it was a great idea to make my old bottles prettier. Warning...it is a messy job! But the bottles are so feminine looking now. So now I have a whole bunch of pretty pastel bottles (that I still don't have the foggiest idea what to do with!) A girl only needs so many vases, afterall.
What You'll Need:
Glass jars and bottles
Paint - it called for oil based but I used latex
Mineral Spirits for oil based, water for latex

Take a selection of bottles and wash them in warm, soapy water,
Water down your paint a bit - or add a little mineral spitis if oil based paint.
Pour a small amount in your empty jar and swirl around carefully until the paint covers the entire inside surface. Pour away any excess paint.
Let the paint dry completely.
Wash up!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Awesome Furniture Decals!



No, those aren't real headboards! Or lights. They're decals.
As a stager, these are the coolest things I've seen in a long time. Instead of lugging a headboard to a home to stage, why not just put up one of the many bed decals that www.whaisblik.com sells. These would be great in a college dorm or apartment as they are removeable. There are hundreds of really fun ones available on their site. Have some fun today checking out they're site.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Alternative to Painting Ugly Furniture




I've got some a big book full of old sheet music and an ugly chair. I'm trying it!

What You'll Need:
Old Comics, fabric, sheet music, etc
PVA Glue
Clear Matte acrylic varnish
Brushes
Scissors

Step 1:

Cut out small strips from your comics and stick them in place on the chair using a PVA glue, which has been diluted with water to turn it into a thin liquid. Cover the chair completely, making sure the pieces are smooth, and flat with no loose edges or gaps, then leave to dry.

Step 2:
Apply several coats of clear matt acrylic varnish over the comic strips. Make sure you leave each coat to dry thoroughly before applying the next, to ensure a hard-wearing, protective coating.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Make an awesome Birdbath for Cheap!


You don't have to pay a lot for a one of a kind birdbath! A few issues back, Bird and Blooms magazine had an article by Dottie Baltz about how to make a "Leaf Birdbath." First find a plant with a large leaf and and gather a few other materials. I'll give you the exact instructions, but basically you are going to buy a bag of play sand and pour it on the table, cover it with a plastic bag and put the leaf over the sand and bag. Next, mix up a little concrete mixture and plop it on the leaf and spread it out to cover it. Then build it up to about 1 inch thickness. Throw a plastic garbage bag over it and let it dry for about 24 hours. Then the fun part! Slowly pull off the leaf and see the imprint in the birdbath! These are the neatest birdbaths I've ever seen. They would make great gifts and each one is unique.

My Crafty friends Dennis and Carol made one this weekend. I got to watch them pull the leaf off. Here it is before they pulled all of the leaf off. Here it is after the leaf is off and before they painted it.

Here are the specific directions reprinted from Bird and Bloom.Essential Materials
Large leaf
1/2 to 1 bag of play sand
3 to 4 cups of contractor's sand
1 to 2 cups Portland cement
Concrete fortifier

Instructions
1.Choose a leaf at least 10 inches long and 7 inches wide. (We used a hosta leaf here, but rhubarb, burdock, gunnera, castor bean, caladium and elephant-ear leaves also work well.) Cut the stem off.
2.Spread out a sheet of plastic or a large plastic bag to protect your work surface. Pour the play sand onto the plastic and make a pile. Wet the sand slightly so that it sticks together, the way you would for a sand castle.
3.Shape the pile to approximate the size and shape of your leaf, but keep in mind that birds do not like baths that are more than a couple of inches deep. Once the sand pile is to your liking, cover it with a piece of plastic or a plastic bag. Place the leaf vein-side up on top of the plastic, centering it.
4.In a plastic bowl, mix three parts contractor's sand to one part Portland cement. Mix 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of concrete fortifier, and add slowly to the sand until it reaches the consistency of a thick brownie batter. The easiest way to do this is to squish it with your hands wearing rubber gloves. Mix more water and fortifier to add to the sand if needed. Rinse your gloves or hands. Pick up a handful of the sand mixture, plop it on the center of the leaf and spread to the edges. This gives you a solid surface that picks up the leaf's veining while removing air bubbles.
5.Now slowly start building up the thickness of the casting. For strength, keep it between 1/2 and 1 inch thick. Be careful to keep the edges smooth to get a good contour. Once you have it at a good thickness, build up the center to make a pedestal.
6.Cover the mixture loosely with plastic. If it's a hot day, you might want to mist the casting from time to time to keep it from drying out too fast and cracking. Let your project dry slowly for about 24 hours, then peel off the leaf. If the casting feels brittle, let it sit for another day.
7.After the casting has dried for a good week, you can paint or seal it. (We painted this one green.) Or just leave it as is!
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow
Create your own slideshow - Powered by Smilebox
Make your own picture slideshow


I changed my font at scrappinblogs.blogspot.com


Beachy Bedroom

Beachy Bedroom

Shabby Chic Living Room

Shabby Chic Living Room
Powered by Blogger.

Shabby Chic Dining Room

Shabby Chic Dining Room