before and after french provincial dresser

BEFORE  ok -but a little boring - and awful handles

AFTER

this is the "truest" color match from my camera

I bought 4 glass handles for the top 2 drawers - and could not find anything I liked for the bottom - so
I " stole " them from the buffet / hutch I purchased last week - ( since I will be changing those as well ) and
painted them from brass to silver.

I used ASCP - old white - and the blue is a mix of duck egg and old white - my favorite color so far.

Listing it tomorrow - wish me luck - the weather is so nice that I'm thinking people will be in a spring
cleaning - decorating - changing rooms frame of minds, and I so see this piece in a nursery. ( that seems
to be a recurring theme of mine I think, lol )

Suzan
xxx

Linking to Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

I see a white window and I want to paint it black ....................

New obsession for this week - which once again entails black..................

If I am going to paint the living room and dining room white - then I think I will paint the windows black..

Tommy Smythe - via THE LENNOXX.COM



Have a great weekend - spring has sprung in Montreal -

xxx

Door Plates - before and after

Today I painted 20 door knob plates for Nella's doors - they went from this

Ughhh - nasty looking things 

To this

and a close up

OMG - I so want these

Talk about Art Deco at it's finest - aren't they something else?
Now I realize there are only a select amount of people who could get excited about this -
but I am definitely one of them -
These are very costly to buy - I have seen them from 49.00 to 129.00 ( and one site listed
them at 349.99 but the handles themselves were art deco shaped as well )
THERE ARE 20 OF THEM........................even buying the cheaper ones at 49.00, the cost
would have been 1000.00 dollars -

Hmmm - maybe there is a business opportunity here, lol

I used Rustoleum Satin Nickel finish - what do you think?

xxx

Party time! Linking up to these gracious hostesses

Miss Mustard Seed http://missmustardseed.com/
French Country Cottage http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Decorating Insanity http://www.decoratinginsanity.com/

Progess on Buffet / Hutch

Well the work has begun -

I started of wanting to use completely different colors - leave my comfort zone - and I have ended up using my " go to " color from ASCP - Paris Gray once again.  Creature of habit I suppose - and I really do love
the Duck Egg Blue and Provence but I cannot see them in my dining room - and it is going to stay here for
a little while - at least until it's equal comes along and I cannot see that happening for the price I paid for quite some time............

It had gold metal grids in the glass panes - but for some reason the metal grid was outside the glass doors - making cleaning them impossible...........I was going to remove the glass completely and just leave the grids,
then I pondered removing the grids completely and leaving only the glass panes but I really think they belong on it - so I painstakingly removed everything from the frames - spray painted the grids with Rustoleum
Universal Advanced Formula ( first time using this particular spray and love love love it ) in a satin nickel -
and when I reinstall everything I'll put the grid on the inside of the glass - so at least the outside can be cleaned.

Here are a few pics - but it is nowhere finished yet

satin nickel finish

original color

added a couple of details 

in progress

and that's about that for this evening - think I'll go to bed - this will be an early night for me - 1.30 in the morning, lol

xxx

Drawer interiors

We went to pick up a couple of dressers from storage earlier this evening - what a nightmare that was -
one of the dressers was completely in the back - and underneath 2 other dressers - we had to empty out
the room - dig them out - and reload the room.............
Exhausting
Then when we got them home - the liners that I had put in them ( mac tac purchased at the dollar store ) had lifted - like the glue disappeared - some things ( most things I guess ) are second rate - and will not purchase
that from the dollar store again..................so what to do - it was like 10.30 at night - nothing is open - and the dressers are going in the morning -
So....................ta da - I really do like it so much better - this will be my new drawer interiors in the future - I used a flat paint so the wood can still breathe and of course my trusty frog tape ( could not live without it )
What do you think?

Before

after

I thought " Oh, I would love to open my drawers and see this  "
and then realized they will be covered with clothes
I can be such a DINGBAT sometimes
Oh well
WHATEVER

I had all kinds of touch ups to do on the dressers also - they get banged around when moving them
all over the place.............John was an angel tonight - worked hard right along with me.  Off to the
consignment shop tomorrow.

xxx

Linking up to the following Friday Parties!!!!

Miss Mustard Seed  http://missmustardseed.com/
French Country Cottage   http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Decorating Insanity http://www.decoratinginsanity.com/

It's the little things.................

I am always searching for unique drawer pulls for the pieces I do - glass being my favorite.............

I came across these tonight  - at 31.50 per pull - they are pricey - but what an impact they would make
on a dresser. Furniture jewels really

 simplyknobsandpull.com

And that got me thinking of all the little things I would like to get for this place - like these

I spent a fortune on our last place for switch plates but they were nothing like this

Perfect for my victorian flat, don't you think? Except it would cost just under

2000,00 to do it. ( spent about 500.00 dollars on our last place and thought that was over the top!!!!

And while I am at it I should get these

in pewter to go with the switch plates,

and these

these would also cost just under 2000,00 

( I think they are worth it, am I nuts? )

aren't they gorgeous?

if you just bought 1 at a time, lol?

Suddenly the glass drawer pulls don't seem so expensive.

xxx

Vanity Insanity ( reveal )

Remember this?

She now looks like this

I am using another bench ( art deco like the vanity ) but wanted to show the fabric which I had
already put on this bench previously....................
This was a dress I bought for my daughter on a trip to Paris once, she is a complete Tom Boy ( at 29 )
and just looked at me..................." as if " and it did not fit my other daughter, so...........................
I wore it once and it hung in the closet for years - until I got my scissors out, isn't it pretty?

I adore this vanity - her name is Veronique - and she gets her clothes from Paree!!!!!!!!!!!!

Off to Nella's - I am there so much I think I'll just say OTN from here on in

Happy Weekend to all!!!!!

Linking up to French Country Cottage ( http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ )
and Decorating Insanity  ( http://www.decoratinginsanity.com/ )

The stars were aligned..................

It's mine - picking it up on the weekend -

I am thrilled!!!!  Now I really have to move my butt!!!!!

xxx

I want this.....................

100.00 - have sent the owner an email but I am afraid I may be too late - don't know how
I will pick it up - but I want it...............

Isn't it fun going through my journeys with me?  I must give everyone anxiety - I know I give
myself a big dose of it - and I am afraid John has to get afflicted with it too.
But ohhhhh - look at the bowed front - and I did sell the last buffet/hutch like he told me to, lol.
I would be happy to fix it up and store it in my dining room for oh say 6 months to 5 years.

xxx

I've been busy

Believe it or not - I am still painting black doors at Nella's - I am using oil based paint for durability - and each door needs 2 coats - with a 24 hour wait ( some of them took 48 hours ) between each coat..............

10 doors - 2 coats - on 2 sides - that 40 times............................again my incredible math
skills come in handy, lol - almost finished now.

And I have started on my dresser

and then in the midst of this - I have decided I have to do some kind of quick mini face lift for the kitchen.

I can't look at it anymore really - and do not want to do a big change in there because I think next year we
will be relocating it entirely - we have a small office off the dining room and would like to have the kitchen
installed there - makes more sense, which is going to be major work, indeed.  ( back in the day builders thought it was smart to put kitchens at the end of very very long hallways - and the dining rooms near the
front of the house which would work if you had a cook I suppose like a mini downton abbey, lol )
So have to do a little magic that does not cost too much money for now.  It is very dark and dingy - and the decor is horrible - the previous owner had very peculiar taste to say the least................

I am painting the cupboards - and putting a stencil pattern on them................the walls are being
painted white - and that back splash - oh God how sickening is that,  will be changed for this

and I will have a jar of old cutlery - love it - and a spritzer bottle laying on it's side too, lol

from Home Depot - 20.00 a panel but they are large and I don't think I need so many - I am
going to try to install these myself - hopefully it won't be so hard to do.

my next dilemma is the counters, they also have that sickening orange tile on them ( I refuse to
call them terracotta )  what can I do on the cheap?  I was thinking of a granite tile perhaps.
Or even a laminate of some type - they are usually a good price - and at this point anything
would be better than what is there - a sheet glued on would look better - astro turf would
look better - a pc of plywood - anything except those tiles - I am crazy enough to have a slab
of quartz installed even if just for a year - but I have to stop doing things like this - it's just plain
stupid and a complete waste of money ( still - the thought is very very appealing to me and if
it wouldn't cause world war 3 I think I would )

and if that wasn't enough on my plate I have started working on this too!

hmmm - see what I mean about the hoarder looking space?  nice clean mirror too.
the top of this piece had tack paper all over it - with that faux grain wood, lovely.
have peeled it off -

when I say I am out of control - I mean I AM OUT OF CONTROL - nuts -
and ready for a vacation.

xxx

Mirror, Mirror, on the ....................

I love mirrored furniture - really really really love it.............and am looking for a mirrored chest to keep
my t.v. on in the living room - I think every home should have at least one item of mirrored furniture in it - if not for the sparkle, then for the sheer glam of it, don't you?

All of the below images are from HORCHOW  ( http://www.horchow.com/ )

O.M.G. - just a bed and this in my bedroom would make me very very happy

buffet

Wow, they all leave me speechless.
Pier 1 also has some nice pieces - called the Hayworth line - they have a beautiful
mirrored headboard I would love to buy.

The linens look pretty forlorn on such a pretty bed, don't they? What were their stylists thinking?
I want to rip that off and remake it, that bed deserves so much more!



On another note,  it looks like winter has finally arrived in Montreal, 3 weeks before Spring
is due, it's a winter wonderland out there - for the most part it has been abnormally warmer
with small patches of snow here and there - which were all but nonexistent yesterday
but today looks like this

Have a good Saturday! ( I have to dig my boots out again )
xxx

You do the math....................

Ok, so I have 5 pcs that are for sell strategically placed around the house, 2 of them are leaving this weekend to go to a consignment shop -
4 new pieces were delivered today.....................
Let's see, that makes...................far too many for my house, lol...................
Out of control but these last pieces were bought a month ago before I agreed to take on the job of Nella's redo.
I am hoping the dressers will sell quickly at the store - so I can bring another 2 down there quick!

Here are the newest ones.........................

I bought this dresser for me - I have had mine for longer than I can remember and am fed up with it,
I love the "fluting" down the sides and the curves of this dresser.

John gave me some resistance buying this piece, but I think it would be so beautiful in a little girls room, the scale is just perfect for a little one.....................I love it.

doesn't this speak for itself? 15.00 - absolutely could not walk away from it -

and finally this - I know it's ugly, but with a little bit of paint, hardware, tlc, ok - a lot of love and tlc,
but maybe it has potential ( actually I bought this with a little niche at my Mother's in mind but don't even
know if she will want it ) this is the only pc I am second guessing.

whoa, is that ugly or what - that screams 70's so loud to me..................pls don't look
at the sheets and blanket covering the chair behind it - that's what happens when you have
a little dog/princess who does not understand the concept that chairs are for humans -
she had 3 beds - but prefers to curl down on this!
Oh and what is that peaking out to the left of the picture?
Never sold!
Perhaps I should just put a sign outside my front door, because it really is starting to look like
a shop in here..................

Have a wonderful weekend, hopefully I will have some before and after's next week.

xxx to all

Copycat - my new nickname

I was checking out Miss Mustard Seed's friday linky party and came across this

from http://savvyyoungsomething.blogspot.com/2012/02/herringbone-side-table.html and fell in love,

before I even had a chance to look at another photo - I ran into the living room and did this

And I am in love, isn't it darling?  The table was already painted white - so just had to tape off the herringbone

stripes.

It pays to follow these blogs, I tell ya, lol

Thanks Sarah!!!!

xxx