Primitive Child's Cupboard Makeover....With Milk Paint, Of Course!

We had the most beautiful day today!  Clear blue skies, light breeze and tons of sunshine...  The perfect day to get more done from my pile.

Here's one that I picked to do this morning.  I bought this really cute vintage child's pine cupboard last week and knew exactly where it was headed.  The pine was o.k....but it lacked color.  I did some research and it seems that royal blue was a common color back in the day - and so was milk paint.  That made it super easy to decide which paint I would use.

I chose Miss Mustard Seed's Flow Blue (no surprise there!).  I love this rich blue color and it was perfect for adding a little something extra to the piece.

One coat was all it needed.  I left the backboard alone to add to the primitive feel.

I sanded it down to show the texture and wood.

Then used Hemp Oil to finish it off. 

The color now makes the piece pop!

It will be heading to the Lucketts Spring Market with us in just a few weeks.  Time is flying and I still have so much more to do.....

'til next time!

Antique Farm Table Overhaul

I've been a little under the weather the past several days, but I finally got to a pile of projects for Lucketts yesterday.  This was one of them!

I found this poor little oak table sitting out in the weather at one of my favorite picking places.  It was in such sad shape, but in surprisingly good structural condition.  No question...I snatched it up.

It still had traces of old paint on it....a really pretty soft turquoise blue.  There was also some green paint on the underside.

I wanted to keep it as original as possible and knew that milk paint would be the right choice.  I went back and forth on using a blue or green milk paint and decided that I really liked the blue.

After giving it a good scrub down, I mixed Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Mora with a little Flow Blue to come up with my version...which turned out pretty darn close.

I only needed one coat because I wanted to make it really distressed.  No bonding agent was added, but the wood was so dry that it soaked it right on in....giving it an almost instant patina.

I replaced the knob with a pair of wooded ones I had and gave them a little swipe with the paint - then sanded most of it off.

I sanded the top just a little to smooth it out and finished it off with Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil (I LOVE that stuff!), as well as applying it to the entire piece as the top coat.

One of the reasons why I love this business is because of projects like this.  With just a little bit of time and effort, this once very sad little table is now transformed into a lovely piece for any home.

It will be available in our tent at the Lucketts Spring Market May 15-17!  Remember, if you want The Early Bird Shopping Experience on Friday, May 15th, buy your ticket here.

'til next time!


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Knick of Time - Vintage Inspiration Party

A Plantation Desk Revival

I love Goodwill....and I'm not ashamed to admit it!  I can find some great stuff there...and at the same time, know that my purchases are helping a good cause.  A definite win-win situation!

This is one of those finds.  I almost walked out without it, but changed my mind....knowing I'd be kicking myself for a long time.  It's an old handmade plantation desk or preacher's stand made of pine.

I'll start with the after....

But, this is how it looked before...

It was a really weird orange-red.  I thought about keeping it this color and simply distressing it, but the orangeness of the pine just didn't give it enough contrast.  Plus, I tried to envision what it would actually be used for today and the first thing that popped in my mind was a guest book stand for a wedding.  So, I opted to paint it one of my favorite Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint colors, Shutter Gray.  

I went right over the old paint and sanded it back, giving a pop of red through the gray.

I decided to leave a little of the original and left the inside it's natural pine, just as the previous painter did.

I believe that refinishing it to the natural wood would have been absolutely gorgeous, but I do love this color....and I really don't like stripping paint....

Another piece ready for the Lucketts Spring Market!

Miss Shelby decided, as always, that she wanted to be the center of attention during the shoot....but I couldn't resist taking a few of her, too. :)   Her belly hair still has not grown back from her spay surgery a month ago...but, she loves to have it rubbed, anyway!  Spoiled rotten.

'til next time!

Props, Lucketts Spring Market Early Bird Shopping and Baseball Season

Yes, I'm still here!  I've had to take a little break over the last week to catch my breath and to help a friend of mine with her daughter's photo shoot.  She's a sweet girl getting into the Photography business and I was asked if I could help with providing some furniture props for her portfolio session over the weekend.  I had to rush to get several things ready and spent last week gathering, painting and reupholstering a pair of chairs.  The chairs aren't quite finished, yet...but I think they looked good for the shoot.  I'll be sharing them soon..once I get them fitted with all the bells and whistles.

Here's a sneak peek of her shoot.

I'm also extremely busy gathering inventory for the Lucketts Spring Market that's just a few weeks away.  I have found some amazing things and am so anxious to share with you!  The weather looks like it's going to be beautiful this week, so no excuses.

In case you missed it, they added an extra day this year.  Want to come to the VIP Early Buying Day?  Click below and get your ticket.  $40.00 for the opportunity to get the best picks of the show!

With all of this going on, BASEBALL SEASON IS HERE!!  When our daughter was growing up, this was always our favorite time of the year.  Melissa was big into Little League, then on to High School Softball (being pulled up from JV to Varsity in her Freshman year).  She pitched all five years - the only pitcher for most of them.  When she graduated years ago, there was such a void every spring....until her sons started playing.  Our oldest grandson (13 years old) is proving to be an outstanding player and has already been recognized nationally!  So...needless to say, Dean and shift our priorities to go where the games are.  He's in 7th grade now, and plays on two teams and the schedules can be a little hectic.  

He plays all positions, but here he is pitching....just like his Mommy. :)

Not to leave out the youngest grandson (8 years old), he decided that Baseball was not his thing, so Soccer it is!  This is a new sport for us, but we're learning and he is so adorable out there.  The boy LOVES to run, so this is the perfect sport for him - and he is getting some serious skills!  His first game of the season is this Saturday!

Back on schedule....I am working on some pieces today and will share with you the after of this "beauty" very soon!

Enjoy this lovely weather and I'll share more very soon!

'til next time!

Hello There, Gorgeous! Dresser Makeover in MMS Shutter Gray

It's finished!

I shared this gorgeous dresser with you the other day.  I love the details and the size.  It's bigger than most of the others I've done recently and a good solid piece.

If the veneer was in great shape and I didn't need to do some patching, I would have definitely refinished it!  However, I have to admit, the paint really brought out the beautiful details of the carvings and the handles.  When in its original state, they all seem to be hidden in all of the darkness.

I've been having a thing with grays and blues lately, and I knew what I wanted to do with this one.  I chose Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Shutter Gray, a nice blue-gray shade.

The details were accented with white acrylic paint.  I chose to only do the drapes and around the legs to keep it from being too busy.

I didn't do any distressing, other than the very little that occurred when I sanded it before giving it a coat of MMS Furniture Wax.

I brightened the handles a little by using some gilding wax, giving the overall piece a more elegant look.

I had planned on taking this to Lucketts if I didn't need it at the shop, but I did.  Not a bad thing, though!

It's available now in our booth at R&R Antiques!  The green hutch is sold and will be moved out this weekend, so I'll be on the hunt for more!

'til next time!

A New Dresser Project and An Update On Our New Dog

Boy, have I've been busy!  With Lucketts right around the corner and working on inventory for the shop, my days have been long.  No doubt, though....that's the way I like it.

I'm ashamed to say that I haven't put a whole lot of stuff together for the Market next month because the shop has been getting most of what I've done thus far.  Luckily, I hit the jackpot in my hunts last week and now have a good pile to work on!  It's just a little over a month away and I seriously need to get moving.

Go here for more information on the Market!  They've added an extra day this year - Friday will be a VIP Early Buying Day!

We picked up this piece a couple of weeks ago and it may or may not make it to the show...depending on whether the shop will need it first.  I'm so excited about it - and those carvings!

I've decided to paint it with Miss Mustard Seed's Shutter Grey and Ironstone on the details. I can't wait to see how it turns out!  IF the overall condition was perfect and the veneer was good, I would have definitely refinished this piece.  Since it has some issues, I will be painting it.  But, have no fear.... I'm confident it will be gorgeous. :)

Another thing that has been filling my time, and driving me a little crazy in general, is our new dog, Shelby.  I seriously love her, but being a 1 1/2 year old Black Lab, she's still a puppy,  Very energetic and needy to some extent.  We are working with her and she's making great progress, but my being able to get everything done around the house is on hold for now...  Needless to say that I'm super excited about our backyard fence we're getting next week - where she'll have a safe place to play while Mommy works.

If you ever have a doubt that shelter dogs greatly appreciate a second chance, I would love to share with you the change in our baby in just a few weeks.  The left pictures show when she was first brought to the shelter after being a caught stray, and the right side are pictures that I took last week.  The color differences are mainly because of the weather (cloudy on the left and beautiful and sunny on the right).  She was REALLY dirty when we brought her home and after a good bath, she shined up like a new penny.

But look at the difference in her face and overall demeanor.  The shelter kept referring to her as timid, and reiterated that fact when we went to meet her like it was a problem.  She fooled them all and turned out to be such a sweet and very smart dog.  She was just so scared.

I really should be doing taxes tonight...but instead, Shelby and I are going to do a little painting....

'til next time!