To the BeAcH!

I'm sure you've seen this Pinterest tutorial countless times posted by several different bloggers, so I won't bore you with the overplayed details, but I wanted to try my hand at transforming these Hobby Lobby paper mache letters into Anthropology metal letter knock offs.  I followed the steps posted on a site I googled  and got to work in my stuffy garage/workshop last week.

Here are the unfinished letters. $2.99 each. I usually only buy them when they are half off, but I was anxious to get more 'smalls' in my booth at Not So Shabby, so I bought them full price.

 An old dingy pool towel becomes a drop cloth after several years of use and away I go:
First step, painting them with a bronze paint that (NO LIE) I've had sitting in my garage cupboard for 11 years. (I know that because I remember buying it for a project I had, two houses and two moves ago).

 Here's the gallon to prove it. What I didn't know was that this paint had fermented and it would NOT dry (for hours)! First coat proved to be a nightmare, but I was NOT going to give in and buy more. Plus, the hardware store was already closed for the night. :)

 Second step was to spray the entire letter front and back with metallic spray paint,  (of which I also had in my cupboard waaaayyy past it's due date) and the nozzle kept getting clogged.  I was not going to accept defeat and simply found a new spray can and replaced the nozzle. 

Because the bronze first coat wasn't dry underneath yet, I could easily take an old rag and wipe off the wet silver to reveal the darker paint underneath. I also took a fine grit sandpaper pad and roughed it up wherever I felt it would look aged.

 Upon the advice of one blogger, I dabbed a little orange paint on the corners and edges to give it a rusted out look. (sorry, must not have snapped a pic of that).

 Here's the finished product. The pictures really don't do it justice.  I have to say that it really was pretty convincing as metal. Must've been 'cause they sold right away at the booth. 

Fun project to do but I will be replacing the bronze paint before I attempt this again. The paint was still tacky the next morning! But they finally dried!

And off to the beach I go. Paddle board loaded up, camper full of gear and bike tires filled with air for Kennedy and my annual 100 mile trek up to Pentwater for vacation this week!

 Stay tuned for a beach blog when I return!  Enjoy your lazy days of summer, Champs! YOLO! :)

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Retail Wednesday

Just got home after a big day working my 8 hour shift at my favorite store in town..."Not So Shabby".  It's so fun to be there to chat up customers, walk the floor to see what's new & observe what the hot sellers are in my booth.  Here's a few things that didn't last long at Room for Change and some others that are waiting for a new place to call home. 

This sold today right when I walked in the door!

This old chicken coop coffee table won't last long but the new owner will be one who loves urban rustic decor!

 "Fun" to display on a bonus room or playroom wall.

Teal colored star is gone already, so is red thin cabinet.  Lots of vintage items, signs and pillows still there!

 LOVE these honeycomb printed pillows, do you?

 Antique Rustic Shovel: gone.
Bright cottage style pillows: Here today, gone tomorrow. :)

 LoVe banner sold a few days ago, along with the beat up barnwood birdhouse. Several rustic pallet board signs are left. They make a great textured accent over a headboard in the bedroom.

 Antique Fans are always good sellers. I'm shocked the white antique radio stand hasn't sold yet.  No storage space inside is perhaps the reason, but I think it's great eye candy even though it's not so functional.  Use as a side piece with a trendy lamp and photos on it in the foyer.

 Black primitive side table sold right away.

Allegan Antiques Find:

Letter "D" sold the hour I went home for dinner today. Don't know who bought it but she was going to put it on her front porch. Sweet.

I'll be replacing it with the giant metal letter "N" soon. 

 Nienhuis, Nardin, Nykamp, Negelkirk-have a wall for it? :)

Love the lines of this wing back, (laundry line pillow sold right away), but I had already slipcovered it once and don't have the energy to do it again. I was thinking it would look so fetching reupholstered with a dark charcoal grey fabric with nailheads or a light shabby chic linen. Wait...I want it back now. :)

Love this primitive piece on wheels. This didn't last but a day.

Lots of little reasonably priced accessories.

This light grey dresser would make a great changing table for a nursery or a side piece in a small dining area. 

Below is something I spotted at Allegan Antiques. 

Again, this piece didn't last long. I thought it would make a great jewelry display.

 I brought it 5 more planked style signs today.They're probably my best seller.

 Can't remember if I saw this still there today or not. I think it might be gone, but I'm making another one soon. Email me if you want it before it gets 'put out on the floor'.

 Sweet little Pier One birdie print. Totes Adorbs.:)

 One more shot of the super stylish and uniquely repurposed coffee table.  Do I make a better crafter than I do a saleswoman?

. Not working there again until August 6 from 3-7 but I'll post pics soon of other vendor booths and some things you might think you need. :)

C-

A shout out to one of my favorite "Chumps/Champs", my SIL, Shar who stopped by to visit me today. Made my day, sis. LOve you.

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Mom-Candy Monday

 Yeah, I know. You've seen this baby on Pinterest before. 

So had I before a client/friend ordered one from me, but I still had to toot my own horn about it. 

A fellow DIY-er and friend lamented to me a while ago that with this day and age of Pinterest, Houzz, Etsy, blogs, books and t.v. shows, there really is no new original idea under the sun. I have to agree.  Everything is just copied, or tweaked or slightly spun off from the original. And who had the original idea to begin with? That's debatable. I'm as guilty as anyone of hijacking ideas from the web.  As with many other things in life. This information age is a blessing and a curse. But I digress...

Back to this particular Pinterest-plucked idea:
My client supplied the old pallet wood that my handyman (hubby) cut down to a manageable size.  I dry brushed it with antique white paint and hand cut the stencil using card stock and an exacto knife.

She gave it to her brother in law as a wedding gift. 

I thought it was a precious sentiment to celebrate the day and not so large that they couldn't find a space to hang it. 

It measures 12x28"

In the spirit of swiping, let me know if you want to copy and have one slightly similar for yourself! :)

My Realtor friend, Rebecca often asks me to make custom signs to give as her 'closing gifts' to her clients. 

I gladly oblige.

Here's a couple:

I also wanted to show you curious Champs an oak kitchen remodel that my former neighbors and dear friends, Doug and Jackie completed last year. 

You really would have to see the before pics to believe that this is the same medium stained oak kitchen they previously had but I think you'll be wowed nevertheless with the quality of the workmanship. 

Shout out to Jon Sterk from JP Sterk Painting, LLC.

(email me if you need more info.)

These were OAK! 

Yes, I'm sure.

They really were!

This guy is GOOD!

This new black island wasn't oak, but I had to show you how great it is.

Doug (the homeowner and my uber talented friend) crafted this.

And almost everything else in this room.

Like this sunroom addition:

And this barnwood table:

Aren't the wood floors amazing!? Handscraped barnwood floors!

And this new fireplace:

 And this creamy white built- in wall unit:

Bummer this guy isn't for hire. This woodworking gig isn't even his day job, although he does have a workshop attached to his garage that my husband salivates over every time we stop by.

So often clients will ask me what can be done to downplay the grain of the oak cabinetry.  I do think that if they're sick of oak altogether, that having the cupboards professionally painted will not only breathe new life into the kitchen, but will give it a timeless look that will last many years going forward.

It's worth the discussion anyway.

See you back here next time to share more "passed around ideas and crafts"!

I like to think of it more in terms of a creative co-op among 'artists'. :)

Til then,

The artist formerly known as "C"-

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Scrapbook Sunday

Last time I posted, I told ya I'd meet ya back here right away, but an amazing holiday weekend of sun, family, friends and fun took precedence. 

We started out bright and early on the fourth to hit the annual "Burley Park" swap meet and flea market in Howard City (about an hour north of us). 

Ken was so excited to be able to use his (new-to-us, but old-and-grungy-garage-sale- purchased- burley) for all the treasures we were hoping to find.  You can see in the pic below he was trying to make a mad dash away from me so that I couldn't document the moment with my camera. 

Gotcha anyway! :) 

He gets plenty of hazing from me about his need to be uber-organized but I must admit his foresight came in handy after finding a handful of awkwardly sized 'smalls'  for my booth.

We were concentrating on finding accessories and one of a kind vintage items but it was slim pickin's that morning-at least for what I was looking for. 

The morning wasn't without it's usual sights, sounds and smells though. He's a quick sampling of what we spotted that day:

I'm embarrassed to admit, we thought these "Caveman Roasters" that were for sale were hilarious and can't wait to reveal them in a few weeks on our annual camping trip up north with my sisters. (so sorry if my immaturity offends you). :)

After a few hours of hitting the dusty paths at Burley Park and witnessing "Americana" at it's best (and worst), we were ready to relax pool side with my parents, Ken's folks, the girls and my sister, Holly.

The night of the 4th, we watched some pretty cool fireworks displays on Lake Michigan with my sis Lauri and her family:

The next day, we woke up early and drove up to meet my other sister, Cherie and her family who were renting a cottage on Glen Lake. 

Did a little tubing, paddle boarding, shopping, eating and lounging. 

 Saturday morning, we were awed by Sleeping Bear Dunes and had fun snapping some pics and walking the trails. 

That same afternoon, we drove 1/2 east to Traverse City to take part in the Cherry Festival that was wrapping up that day. Sooo fun!

Capped the weekend off by picnicking, paddle-boarding and watching the sunset at our favorite summer place of all time...Pentwater. 

Brecken on the S.U.P. on Lake MI.

Hoping you had a restful, relaxing, reinvigorating holiday weekend as well.  I am looking forward to a week of meeting with clients and re-purposing some of the junk piles in my garage. I'll be back here soon to share the transformations.  Happy July!

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