Junky to Funky

Okay, there is absolutely no design purpose to posting a picture of this adorable puppy, but as I was scrolling through previous file folders, I stumbled upon it and couldn't resist. 

Now, if that doesn't cheer you up on a gloomy, wet Sunday, I don't know what will. 

I had snapped this shot while walking downtown Holland during their weekly 'street performer series'. 

I am blanking on the name of the breed, but every time I see it, it makes me smile.

Quick post tonight. I have lots more projects in my garage that I'll be working on this week, so I'll be sure to get some before/afters for you. 

Here's a quick insider look at one of the "junky to funky" pieces that needed some TLC 

here at Room for Change.

Start with a $5 estate sale chair that was cracked, chipping and without a seat.

Those legs are shapely, huh?

Paint it with a charcoal grey-"Kendall Charcoal" to be exact. (Ben Moore)

flat sheen.-three coats. Distress the edges and curves with sandpaper.

Using a foam brush, slap on some dark walnut Minwax stain.

Rub in and rub off with a soft cloth.

Have assistant (aka husband) cut you a new seat out of plywood and cover that with soft batting and vintage fabric from the same estate sale where you purchased said chair. 
Enjoy the end product:

I still need to seal it with a layer of Bri-wax this week. Not ready to part with it yet but may be in the booth someday.

I love the fabric the most. I bought the whole bolt. 

Guys, it's so yummy! The damask pattern is dimensional/raised and super thick. Not just a knock-off home dec. fabric from Joanne's.

I promise you'll be seeing lots more items adorned with this pattern soon. 

Hmmm, what can I cover next with it? I don't have enough to sew drapes.

Wouldn't that look smashing? 

Comments...

Stenciled signs and Burning Ring of Fire

I have been having fun modifying these boxed style signs.  This one was a custom order-(size and saying).

Ken builds me the boxes, and I paint and stencil them. 

As opposite as the two of us are, we make pretty decent business partners. :)

For this sign, I painted the entire thing a deep cream color and then layered it with the stencil that I showcased in my last blog post.

(bottom left corner in pic below).

My kitchen island is still my favorite place to work.  Luckily my new porcelain counter top withstands the abuse of lots of washing and painting.

My client requested that the wording at the top fill the board and then gradually taper down to an angle. 

Longer phrases to shorter-

She has this sign hanging up in the entrance to her new home over a front foyer table.

Love the reminder. 

We are all these things and more. 

We are.

You are.

Another client of mine requested a different version of the "It is Well with my soul" signs.

Here is one that sold in my booth last week.

I made a little mistake on this one. I was chatting with a friend on the phone while stenciling and got distracted. The lettering on the right sign, should've been stenciled on the left of the board, not the right. But sometimes mistakes are happy accidents and this one I think turned out okay in spite of my unfocused error (I wasn't about to repaint and stencil the pattern on it again...a little too time consuming). Thanks for being a forgiving bunch and seeing the art in me.:)

Had to share with you one of my best garage sale finds in a while.

Ken and I stumbled on this gazebo/bbq tent on the northside of Holland one Saturday morning.

$50, but I got 'em down to $40.

We've already gotten it's money's worth...birthday parties in the backyard, neighborhood shrimp boils, and as of Sat. night, Michigan football driveway parties. 

Any where it is, there's a party! Such fun!

My mom did some entertaining last week as well in her new screen porch.  She was throwing a canjun themed dinner party and asked for my help with some simple decor ideas.

 After living in this same house for 40 years, they decided last year that it was time to put on the screen porch that Mom always dreamed about. She hadn't yet had the chance to entertain back there.  It was perfect for a night like this. 

 We kept things simple. Black, white and a little punch of gold in the napkins, and flowers-black eyed susans cut from her flower garden.

 I used white butcher paper to cover my paint splattered banquet tables and then rolled a smaller paper over the center of each table to act as a runner. Never mind the fact that mom told me that the green paper caught fire the first 5 minutes of the party when the candles were lit. 
I'm ashamed to admit that this isn't the first time that Pyro Christy nearly set party decor ablaze. Next time, I will have to bring a waver. Decorations are for looks only....use at your own risk. :)

 Mom's extra chairs were painted a country blue and distracted from the crisp black/white color scheme so I covered them with extra burlap bags I had brought over. 

 Drink station was below

The food was brought out to this table (below) and served buffet style in crock pots.

Whether or not Mom asks for help with her next dinner party remains to be seen. I've been told that I like to leave my mark wherever I go. Could this be what that means?

You Champs have nothing to worry about. 

You're in good hands with me.

Just make sure to have a fire extinguisher handy when I suggest the ambiance of candles.

Til next time...

Stay safe.

Comments...

Back to school-Cool!

Hi Champs.
I don't have much to write tonight except that I am so excited for school to start tomorrow! I just reread my last blog post and stared in disbelief that I actually was sad that summer was ending. At the risk of sounding more bi-polar than I already am, I cannot wait!! 

 The temperature just conveniently dropped tonight to welcome in the school year. How beautiful is that? 

My garage is full of untapped potential- (read: dirty windows, cast off furniture and rustic barn boards for sign making).

My teenage girls are precious but are getting on my one last nerve, and I need my ME time! 

For those and many other very important reasons, I am ready to fall into fall.  I am jumping in with arms wide open and can't wait to be productive again.  As I type this from my home office, I can hear a not- so- distant neighbor shooting off fireworks.  I'm guessing it's another Mom celebrating this milestone with me! 

Hip Hip Hooray!!

Quick little tutorial before I head off to make my overzealous to-do list for the week:

I bought this small metal hanging sign from Hobby Lobby last week in order to make a custom sign for a friend/client. She had me customize it with a phrase for her in-laws porch, but I wanted something neutral to be able to sell it in my booth. 
(Picture it without the faint writing on it..oops-didn't get an official 'before'.)

 I selected a font on my laptop that seemed free-handed, and printed out the phrase "Drop Shoes Here." 

I used carbon paper to copy the wording onto the metal sign by tracing the lettering with a pen. (Carbon side down)

What is left is the outline of the carbon that I had traced. 
I took a white paint pen/marker and filled in the lettering with white.

I thought I wanted a little more definition and wanted to tie the dark border in somehow so I traced around the white paint with a black paint marker.

Super easy and so fun to do. 
It's at Not So Shabby, unless it sold this week.  Kind of a quirky, fun way to ask guests or kids to take off their shoes upon entry without sounding too bossy or rude. 

I bought this wooden plaque at Hobby Lobby as well and will do the same on this board with darker lettering. 

You can see a little design on the wood. I first painted it all dark cream (it came unfinished or primed)-and added this stencil pattern (below) by rolling over the entire thing with a softer lighter white.

Found the stencil at Hobby Lobby too.

I'm working on several other signs with patterned background this week and will post those soon.

Sorry for the short post. 

I'm off to the 'back-to-school happy dance'.

Cheers!

Comments...

Must Be Present To Win

New sign I have hanging in my kitchen. I stenciled it as a reminder to not let so many moments go by unnoticed.

 I confess, I've been doing that a lot lately.

 Not being fully present. 

Preoccupied. 

Distracted. 

Annoyed almost.

I know what I gotta do. I just gotta do it.

Breathe in and out. 

What a concept.

My nervous eye tic that shows up every fall is making an unwelcome appearance already.  That too is my physical reminder that I've got too much on my proverbial plate and to step back and reflect on the carefree summer moments that could (and should) linger into fall here in west Michigan. 

A few more sunsets need to be enjoyed. At least another handful of Paddle board rides, and plenty of bike riding will be my excuse to ease into fall and guard my schedule from becoming unbearable.

I love the change of seasons around here. I can't wait for football games, tailgating and backyard campfires, but I am also sad to say good-bye to summer traditions, like camping, garage sales, beach and pool days and our monthly tradition of shopping at Allegan's Antique Fair. We'll hit it for one more time next month, but Sunday was probably the nicest day-weather wise that we've ever experienced. Just perfect!

Of course I had to take lots of pics of the booth display of my 'designer crush' once again. I promised her I'm not a creeper or stalker, but her vignettes are truly artistic in my book.You can find her on FB at "Diane Passi"-Floral Design and Antiques.

ppassi@aol.com

Can you just picture having a barn themed/rustic wedding if she were to stage it?

 {Playing around with the filter on my "Photoscape". Below- So fun!}

 Seriously....this is ART!

With the sun shining down, a cool breeze blowing and the smell of elephant ears, there weren't many booths that day that didn't seem to be calling my name.

I snapped a picture of this dresser there that day because I just saw it posted somewhere (can't remember where) for winning a DIY contest through some newspaper or magazine. Maybe it was a knock off of the one that won, but I loved this idea. Using an overhead projector to transfer an image and then to fill in the design with free hand painting.

Isn't that sweet?

 With all the gawking and envying I did that, I still managed to get some vintage bargains to resell in my booth.  We also hit a few Allegan garage sales that morning to add some more fun finds to my stash.

 Some of the items need some TLC and are sitting in my garage waiting for some attention, but others, I already brought to Not So Shabby and are patiently waiting to make your acquaintance.
Hudsonville Creamery Wire Basket-$35 (Sells in the Pottery Barn magazine for $99).
I have two.

I also dropped of 6 more planked style signs.  Get 'em while they're hot. I can't keep 'em in stock. They make great housewarming or b-day gifts. 

 More faux metal letters

I couldn't part with this baby. Bought if from a vendor at Allegan who said she had it proudly displayed in her house for quite a while. Now it's in my kitchen making me smile-helping to explain to my teenage girls who haze me for my wrinkles and sags, the reasons why I look a little 'worn' .  :)

Comments...