A PAINTED CUCKOO CLOCK !

Hi Everyone !

I've been wanting a cuckoo clock for the little guest room but these things are very expensive!!!

Upwards of 200.00 ( and very upwards in a lot of cases ) 

I didn't need a fancy one - I didn't even need a wood one for that matter - so when I came across this on Amazon I jumped on it !

Because I figured that within an hour or so of receiving it - it would look like this !

I knew it would look very plastic-y in the dark brown - and it did - it looked like someone dipped it in chocolate actually - mmmm - an Easter chocolate cuckoo clock 

I taped up the mechanisms

Stuck a plastic glass over the clock parts - 

and spray painted the entire thing - chains and all with white primer

I then gave it a coat of ASCP Pure White chalk paint because I wanted to give it a little texture - however once I removed the glass I really didn't like the brown plastic ( had it been black I would have left it ) so I painted over the entire clock face as well

I'll stencil in the numbers one night this week - but for now I painted the little doors in ASCP Antoinette - shabby doors  ( the paint is still wet in this next photo )

and I carefully - very carefully - painted the clock hands too -

and voila - a cute little cuckoo clock for under 30.00  ( I didn't want to take out the battery - so the pendulum is blurry )

Here's the cuckoo ( complete with sound and all )and when I put the numbers on the face I'm actually going to paint the wings blue - crazy I know but I want a blue bird - the wings flap every time it chirps " cuckoo "

John says - Don't tell me we're going to have to listen to that bloody thing every hour
Happiness and sunshine - really he's all about happiness and sunshine.

So the batteries have been removed - but I know what to do now when he drives me crazy

And they will be going back in whenever the little ones are here - I know they'll get a kick out of it.

I certainly do anyway lol

Then I cleaned the paint brush and started on the plank wall - this is just the first step - ASCP French Linen
haphazardly brushing it on - I do NOT want perfection on this wall................and don't worry I'm not going to give you little bits of this every day - I was just so excited that the wall was actually up !
I'll do it all - and then I'll do a tutorial ( it kills me when I say that - ME giving a tutorial is just hilarious )  I want it to look old and weathered and rustic because something quite glamorous will be adorning this wall.
( give to me your leather - take from me my lace )

Oh - and nobody reminded me about my giveaway for reaching a million views !!!
Saw it yesterday - but I think it happened a week ago - sooooo.......................PIORRA MAISON  has agreed to join me in this milestone - stay tuned - I'll let you know all about it on Friday.

And I also just realized that it's Wednesday - I'm supposed to be featuring a house - Oy Vey.................

Have a great one - I HAVE to get back to that wall don't you know !
Much love,

I'll be at these fabulous parties this week - join in if you have something you'd like to share !

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Headboards behaving badly

Good morning everyone !!!

When I last left you with this dresser I showed you the headboard that went with it

Often - more often than not actually - I have no idea where I'm going with a piece of furniture until I sit down in front of it - I know it sounds ridiculous but furniture speaks to me ( I'm a furniture whisperer didn't you know )

Sometimes the direction it takes me in is not a direction I would have considered at all - the brush has a will of it's own almost - and when it comes face to face with a petulant headboard all hell can break loose, I swear ( by the moon and the stars in the sky )

in this case it wanted to have a little fun
I argued with it
I told it it was being silly
I told it I had a reputation at stake

but it insisted

what the hell was it thinking?
this has to be the ugliest headboard makeover I've ever seen
stupid thing - and I'm even stupider for listening to it in the first place.

John says - I like it - I really like it
( well isn't that just typical ? )
Suzan says - I hate it - I really hate it
John says -  Leave it a day - see how you feel tomorrow

Today is tomorrow - I hate it more

John says - Why don't you list it with the dresser and see what happens
Suzan says- I CAN'T do it - it makes me sick
John says - Why do you have to get so dramatic over everything?  For God's sakes - just list it - if it doesn't sell - change it
Suzan says - Can we say YOU did it?

But I just couldn't live with it - I ended up changing it when he went to bed - it's blotchy because the paint is drying............not because I tried to make it look like brushed suede LOL

Ok the reason I'm showing you this fiasco is this.
It's OK to make mistakes - ( especially with chalk paint - because it's so easy to sand off )
It would be nothing to even bring it back down to the wood with this paint - so don't be afraid to try!
AND do not listen to furniture - listen to your gut - them's golden words friends :)

Here it is dried -  and ready to stand with it's partner - the dresser ( you can see the dresser HERE - who, by the way, was far more complacent..............)

Headboard says- Hey stop it - what are you doing?
Suzan says - Ah - shut up already...............

Sometimes a little tough love is in order.

Well not that tough I guess - I did add a little something something in the end.

And that's the story of Headboards Behaving Badly - stay tuned - the 2 spoiled little end tables are coming up next

Suzan says - OMG - I forgot to paint the finials for the top of the bed posts - where are they?
John says- WHAT the hell is a finial?
John says - WHERE do you come up with these words?

God love him

You can see this transformation

to this ( HERE ) still my favorite one

Have a great day all
Much love,

Come join me at these parties!!!

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Buffet Makeover ( with wallpaper )

Good morning everyone!!!

I wallpapered my kitchen buffet :)

On Tuesday I showed you our buffet HERE - that I couldn't work on because John was very busy doing undercover work for the American Government - ( he still won't admit it to me )

Here it is as it was ( well after it's first transformation a few years ago anyway ) I had started painting the interior with Duck Egg Blue ( ascp ) and then gave up - probably had to paint something for a client you know that old adage - the Shoemaker's kids went without shoes?

As much as I loved the chicken wire - I removed it to keep peace in the house - John was constantly cutting himself on it ( clutzy I think - since I never did - well I may have once or twice but I just sucked it up because it looked nice )

John says - THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU
Suzan says - for what?
John says - for removing the weapon you had installed on the doors

And because the kitchen is black and white - and because I had that roll of wallpaper left over from the bedroom ( you can see that makeover HERE btw ) and because Danni from SILO HILL FARM -
whose favorite colors are black and white - DID NOT WANT IT -

I decided to try it out on the back of the buffet :)

Danni told me she has never wallpapered anything in her life -
How is that possible?
Not even ONE botched attempt?
So although I'm absolutely positive the rest of you know how to wallpaper - this one's for Danni - God love her :)

Tools of the trade ( for many years I used to just use the bathtub and a sponge and run up and down the hallway with soaking wet pieces of wallpaper, seriously. and I wallpapered many a wall like that in my youth )
All of these can be bought at Home Depot - or a paint store - they make the job quite effortless

and a wallpaper tub ( also from Home Depot )

You simply thread the wall paper under the rod and the whole sheet comes out perfectly wet ( no dreaded dry spots that leave bubbles everywhere )

You measure and precut each piece you'll need and slap it on the surface :)

Then press out the bubbles going in a diagonal direction first - then up and down  ( have a rag ready - because glue will come out as you do this - a LOT of glue actually )

Next you cut off the excess edges - by using your exacto knife - and " scoring " down firmly along the edge

and then you use the roller to make the seams look " seamless " by pressing firmly and rolling up and down several times

it really does work!!!  ( sometimes better than other times lol )

It made a big difference for the look of the buffet

I gave it a fresh coat of white paint - and even got ambitious and painted the inside of the doors
( something I was too lazy to do previously )

and filled it up with a few thotchkes and lots of dishes

My soup tureen ( from the Salvation Army - 25.00 - did they rip me off? ) takes center stage now

Having lights in it makes for a very pretty " night " light - unfortunately it only lights the top because I installed wood shelves in there ( it didn't come with any shelves at all - but originally they would have
been glass to allow the light to filter through to the bottom )  Glass would, however, be far too fragile for constant every day use with dishes and glasses.

It's served me well - actually very well - since my last kitchen had very few cupboards -

Did I mention that I paid 37.50 for this piece originally?

But that was when it looked like this - I painted it right in place when we got it home !!!

I included it in the sale of our last place - but the new owners didn't want it - maybe it isn't as pretty as I think it is LOL

One more item checked off for the kitchen - now if only the window would get here - I'd be one happy camper ( oh and the floor - I'm getting ulcers looking at the freaking floor HERE.

Now that I'm looking at the photos I'm thinking the chicken wire should go back on LMHO
He'll kill me -

Have a great Thursday everyone
( Danni - get yourself a piece of plywood and wall paper it lol )

Much love,

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Classy Clutter

Me, Myself and a little black paint..................

la la lalala la la
da dum di dum di
boom chucka lucka
a tisket a tasket
na na na na na na - hey hey
Shirley Shirley bo birley bonana fana to firley

What you guys doing today?

I'm painting in the kitchen - you know those little touches .....................

And I have the C.D. player blasting - and I'm humming and I'm singing

John says - Can you keep it down, a little, do you think?
Suzan says - Why does it bother you if I sing a little?
Suzan says - If I'm singing I'm happy -
Suzan says - Would you rather I be witching ?
Suzan says - Why do I have to be quiet anyway, what are you doing?
John says - Trying to read the paper

Suzan SCREAMS - Reading the freaking paper?  There's a house with a million things to do in it!
Suzan sings as loud as she can " I READ THE NEWS TODAY, OH BOY - ABOUT A LUCKY MAN WHO MADE THE GRADE..................... " ♪

Who lounges around reading the paper when you've just bought a major fixer upper?

I love this little old window - ( there's a matching one in the bathroom - that's been covered up by tile - have no idea why - but it'll be exposed when the bathroom gets renovated - and the reason I KNOW there's a window there is because there's 2 of these on the outside of the building )
If it doesn't work in the bathroom, I'm going to have it transferred to a perfect little spot in the kitchen.

It's become a little redundant since we updated the kitchen - the configuration doesn't allow it to open more than a few inches - but still I wanted to keep it right where it was ( the new window will be the one that gets opened up to allow those gentle winter breezes to form pretty icicles on my dishes...............:)

The glass is old - very old - and wavy and dimpled and I just love the little bit of original character it
brings into the room - hoping it'll look ok with the custom French Chateau window we've ordered ( which will be black as well ) because they're on the same wall - I think I'll have to plant a lilac tree or bush outside this wall - just ignore me - that was an internal thought as I was typing away.

I also painted out the wood trim that acts as ledge against the marble tiles and then " sealed " the marble ( including the floor thresholds I used as a back splash ). Fingers are crossed that it holds up for at least a year :)

Here's how that view looked when we bought it by the way

Next I painted the back door - still singing - until John rudely put the T.V on super loud..............
I silently painted.  ( well singing on the inside - but that doesn't count really )

The only reason I have the window covered ( and it's temporary ) is because the mud room off of
it is in a terrible state - I used these panels I found once at the Dollar Store - 2 in a pack
( I did a post on them a long long time ago - when the earth was green )

They come in different patterns of which I have all ( OCD anyone? nah - not me ) haven't a clue which box they're in so used what I could easily find :)
They attach by little rings in those holes you see along the perimeter - you simply hook them up to the size you need.
I put them on a little rod  - and hung them on the outside of the door

and voila - a little privacy and no hardware to look at - for under 5.00

Doo ♪  - Doo - Doo ♪ ♪
Lookin' out my back door......................

( it's too cold out - otherwise there'd be happy people dancin' on my lawn, don't you know )

EVERY girl should have a little black dress - AND a little black window :)

Much love,
Moi

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