simply vintageous...by Suzan: antique

Showing posts with label antique. Show all posts

Thursday, August 15, 2013

My Flippy Chippy farmhouse table!!!

Once upon a time - before I gingerly stepped into Bloglandia ( possibly even before I knew that it was possible for me to have a blog ) John and I came across this table in an antique shop window.

antique, farmhouse, table, expand, space saver

Every weekend, when we'd walk down to the market, we'd stop and stare at it - and maybe drool just a little bit.
It seemed so perfect with it's age-worn table top - gouges and all

It's chippy paint ( and trust me this was long before I ever heard the term " chippy " it was back in the day when I would have just assumed " chippy " meant happy

and it would have worked because just looking at this table made us both feel happy

Finally one weekend we decided to at least go in and ask how much it was.
I'm not sure if John gasped - but I recall that I most definitely did - this was a very expensive farmhouse table. We thanked the shop owner and made our way down to the market - shaking our heads in amazement at the price - and agreeing that it would be nice except.......................
It was just too much.

Now this would be the point in most blogger's stories - where they say that one day, a month or so later they passed this shop and there it was - marked down at half price.
There is NO POINT IN THE STORY where this happened - except that we did in fact walk down about a month later and paid 1/2 the amount for it - AS IN LAYAWAY...............and went home thinking of all the wonderful places this could go.
Around that time I started redoing furniture.
And realized how ridiculous the price of this piece actually was - far far more ridiculous then we had even thought in the beginning.

So we called the shop to tell them we had changed our minds - and though we were willing to take a credit note on the money already put down on the item - we had changed our minds about taking the table itself.
The shop owner explained to us that this was not possible as she had refused 3 other customers who wanted it over the course of the past month ( remember we looked at this for months and months before purchasing it - this was clearly a strategic ploy on her part )
I told her that was great news - and that she could now let them know they could have it - to which she then replied they were from out of town ( ALL 3 OF THEM - in the middle of winter - prime tourist season for Montreal - NOT )

and so, long story ~~short~~ long - we purchased our Farm House table................and for the last 3 years it's found a place of honor in our living room - and our dining room - last night I put it in our teeny tiny kitchen for staging purposes - anything to make the kitchen look 3 inches than it actually is - is a good plan I think,

BUT - here's the real reason we FLIPPED out over this table...............
( don't look at the inside of the drawers - it's been used for furniture supplies for the last year LOL )

It flips around - and then opens up to become a table that could easily seat 6 people!!!

so you could actually eat in this teeny tiny kitchen

and then flip it back when dinner's over so that you can actually walk around the kitchen!!!!!!!

I gave it a fresh coat of white paint recently ( it was originally a cream color ) just a very light coat

And that's the story of my farmhouse table - we paid far too much for it - we're wiser now - BUT
it still makes us ~~chippy~~ HAPPY.

Gotta run now - John's going to be home any second - have to clear the dishes off that before he actually thinks supper is being contemplated tonight!!!

Have a good one all!
Hugs,

Sharing With

Rooted in Thyme   Common Ground   French Country Cottage
Chase the Star My Romantic Home   Miss Mustard Seed
The Shabby Nest Funky Junk Interior DIY Vintage Chic
The Style Sisters   Classy Clutter It's Overflowing
Coastal Charm Knick of Time Not Just a Housewife The Winthrop Chronicles Savvy Southern Style   No Minimalist Here
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia   The Vintage Farmhouse I Gotta Create
Marty's Musings ( Homework Blog hop )  The Chicken Chick
Shabby Creek Cottage
I Should be Mopping the Floor

Sunday, August 26, 2012

A country vignette

I have my eyelids propped open with paint brushes ( Purdy ) trying to get this post out because I don't think I'll have the time tomorrow to actually sit for too long -

I don't think I ever posted the photo of this dresser - so here is the before ( it's the photo from Craigs list so not the best - as if mine are LOL )

it's a good solid antique piece but had none of the usual character these old pieces have - so had to add some on my own - and I'm not even sure it works - sometimes appliques can kind of look " forced " and not natural to the piece at all, right?

and I definitely posted the photo of this

The dresser did not come with a mirror - and none of the ones I had looked right - so I painted these 2 pieces as a set - using ASCP Pure white and Paris gray
Oh and I have such a great tip for you - for those of you that use Pure white you know it does not cover in one coat like the other colors right? Sometimes it even takes 3 coats and this is expensive paint - so what I do now is I put 1 coat on first - and then I use a coat of Behr Ultra White Flat on top - and if it needs a 3 coat - at least I'm only using the ASCP twice.........................

The shelf has hooks to hang on the wall - but I kind of like it sitting on the dresser - I've include the rocker because they're all painted the same colors and am going to try to sell it as a set.

Doesn't the applique look a little weird on the middle drawer? I had to put it there though because there was an engraved design on that drawer and this covered it..................

It was already painted silver ( I literally took it off the wall in the dining room to put it on the dresser ) so I just dry brushed it with white...........

And once again I used my back plates to add a little pizazz - and glass knobs

this is how the back plates look by the way before I spray painted them

home depot in case you're interested - great value at 1.99 each -

then I snuck into the bedroom to get a basket and tray to " stage " because I simply cannot wait until the morning - and very quietly began to sneak back out - and walked right into the door that had closed behind me when I went in ( ^&%&*$ crooked victorian flats - the doors never stay open!!! ) waking John up -

and trust me, some conversations simply cannot be repeated.
But my nose feels like some damage was done - lol

Looks ridiculous actually doesn't it, lol - definitely was not worth waking him up for, poor guy.

But it does hide the fact that I didn't put the handles in the bottom drawer. It's all smoke and mirrors with me.

Reve - ( dream ) probably what he was in the middle of doing

and definitely what I SHOULD be doing ......................since it's 2.30 in the morning

I have to finish this tomorrow morning - and get it listed for sell - the house is getting crowded again!

Oh and one last question - I'm really curious if this happens to anyone else - sometimes when I plug the camera in - the screen pops up and tells me there's nothing to download - when I've just taken photos!

Tonight it happened 4 times before they finally uploaded.

I wanted to take the camera and smash it into the wall - ( but that's not me talking - that's the menopausal seriously sleep deprived manic mama speaking )

I took a sleeping pill 2 hours ago - and it's definitely working now. ( I know they aren't good for you - but they are definitely the lesser of 2 evils at this stage in my life )

Good night, sleep t...........................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

XOX

Suzan

Friday, August 3, 2012

Do I need an agent?

Ok here we go - another one finished ( oh please let someone like it enough to buy it!!! - I have to win this arguement - I just have to )

Suzan says - ( with great excitement ) come look - I'm finished - do you like it?

John says - You make things too personal

Suzan says - But surely someone else will like it as much as I do?

John says - You should be gravitating towards a more " general " audience

Suzan says - I don't like " general "

John says - But you're narrowing your customer base - your items are getting

too specific

Suzan says - Did I say I needed an agent? I don't recall saying I needed an agent?

Are you offering your services as an agent?

John says - Forget it Suzan, just do what you want, ok?

Suzan says - I always do John, sigh, I always do....................

Suzan says - please do not speak to me for the rest of the day

John says - I've no intentions of doing so.

and 10 minutes later

Suzan says - what would you like for dinner

John says - maybe steaks would be nice.

Suzan says - you don't like my dresser, do you?

John says - it's too customized - it's too specific - it's too

Suzan says - Did I say I needed an agent?

Suzan says - do you want fries or mashed with your steak..................

Suzan says - the last time I did this pattern it sold in a day.

John says - let's drop the subject, shall we?

Domestic bliss? Fuggedaboudit........................I'd find it boring anyway!

Here we go - sorry no before on this one -

Annie Sloan - Duck egg blue ( with versailles peaking through here and there ) and Pure White.

Clear Wax

John says - Why do you have keys on the salt and pepper tray?

Suzan says - because I like how it looks - and I may keep it for a key tray - does that upset

the balance of our life in some degree?

John says - It's PEWTER and PORCELAIN for God's Sakes - you're going to destroy it

Suzan says - relax ex - lax it's just for the photos

John says - NOTHING - THIS IS A FIRST - JOHN SAYS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Oh look at that - 2 handles are missing - lol - couldn't even wait till I installed them to take the photos,

Off to find the drill - not even going to think of asking for help on this one.

But I'm going to make him an extra special dinner this evening - sometimes he deserves extra special

living with me.
He really is a saint - albeit a grumpy one at times - but a saint none the less.

XXX

I'm making the rounds - and partying with these gracious hostesses ( with the mostesses )

Nifty Thrifty Things
http://www.niftythriftythings.com/2012/08/nifty-thrifty-sunday-69.html

Thursday, August 2, 2012

LIttle Miss Muffett

Sat on her tuffet - ok I know this isn't a tuffet ( don't even know what a tuffet is - is it a little footstool?) but if she had this chair I know she would have been sitting on it instead - and children's literature would have been forever changed................

Little Miss Claire
Sat on her chair .................it doesn't have the same ring to it does it? Ok - I'll work on that.

I was actually going to go out today and buy some Curds ( no really I was, I " get " into this, you know )
and then I could have made some POUTINE after I took the photos - and if you don't know what Poutine is please click on the link - this is an extremely popular dish here in good old Montreal - it's actually a heart attack on a plate - but you would die happy, I promise you AND you will not find this anywhere else.
Julie - try this - you'll love it, I swear! And even if the picture of it throws you off still make it. Google the recipe.

Anyway I changed my mind because I would have had to deal with a spider towards the end and that was a little too much - even for me.

Remember this antique beauty I found?

before,after,reupholstered, painted, annie sloan chalk paint

I cannot tell you how much that fabric stunk - God it was bad - I had to hermetically seal it lol ( and the padding underneath ) but the odor lingered in my living room for awhile - I sprayed a ton of febreeze for
a couple of days.

I painted it in Paris Grey and White ( Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - waxed it - - reupholstered it including brand new odor free padding ( and added a little stencilled pattern on the seat )
And here she is now