Taking a Lamp from Gold to Great!

Wendy and I picked up two of these "lovely" gold lamps at an auction. Great lines, but rough colors...70's anyone?? I am such a fan of spray paint...it can add color to ANYTHING with a quick spray. My personal recommendation for spray paint? RUST-OLEUM Painter's Touch Ultra Cover...$3.48 at Home Depot. Trust me, you'll never try another kind again!

I sprayed the lamp semi-gloss black.

Then, of course, I needed a shade. I picked up some utility, linen-like fabric for $2.00 a yard a Jo-Ann Fabrics. I cut the fabric in to 12-inch strips, then pinned them together. (enough to go around the lamp shade with a bit left over) Remember, you will be using the reverse side of the fabric, so the seam will be seen. Be as neat as possible! I then sewed all of the seams. Once the seams were sewn, I put the fabric around the shade to measure size. You can not simply roll the shade on the fabric and cut out the outline. The seams will be very crooked! To do the back seam. Simply pull the sides together and pin a new seam, then stitch. The shade cover should fit back loosely over the shade. I was going for a bit of a messy look, so I tucked the fabric around the shade, pinned into place, cut off the excess, then used fabric glue to secure it to the shade.

 

To get the design, I took a graphic from The Graphics Fairy, printed it on printable cotton twill, then attached with glue and brads.

I think this lamp has a great vintage French look!!

I'm going to do the other lamp the same way....won't it make a GREAT pair??

Taking Away the Blues....French Bistro Table Makeover

We picked up this table at an auction a while back. Good sturdy table with nice detailing on the legs. I also picked up this VERY blue paint at Home Depot....Darn you Home Depot for making colors look WAY different in your light! Anyways, I painted this table the previously mentioned blue. And boy was it blue! So, sadly enough, I had to makeover a table that I had already made over! Oh well, you live and you learn! The table had a nice flat, rounded top, perfect for some detail work!

First, I painted the table gray.

I really wanted the table to have that French Bistro feel, so I decided to paint the top just like a sign right out of a bistro in Paris. I stenciled the letters, then went back over them with a paint brush for a more hand-painted look. I also added some decorative designs to enhance the look. 

 

I also added a design to the middle of the bottom shelf.

Once the lettering was done, I distressed the whole table using 100 grit paper around the edges and 150 grit paper over the whole table, including the lettering. Once the table was distressed, I rubbed a charcoal gray over the whole table. When using stain as an aging technique, I like to rub a heavy coat over a part of the table, let sit for a minute, then wipe it back off. This leaves just the right amount of stain behind.

Here is the finished product. I love it! Looks like it came right out of a French Bistro!

Happy Painting Everyone!

The Shabby Chic Cottage- Transformation Thursday

Table and Chairs Fit For a Princess!

Sydney, Wendy's 4-year-old, was recently moved to her "big girl room" to make room for the new arrival! The room was done in a pretty hue of "princess" pink and an entire wall was painted with a grand castle. Sydney loves to have picnics, so a table and chairs was a must! Wanting to veer away from the harsh lines of a square table and chairs, Wendy and I set out to find just the right round table!

Finding two matching kids chairs can be a task, but alas, I came across these two adorable chairs at a yard sale for $5 a piece! I loved how the top of the back looked like a flower!

The table was a bit tougher. After several weeks of looking, I finally came across this table at Chartreuse & Co. for $20! Look at the claw feet!!

Obviously, the table needed to be painted! With furniture with so much detail, it was much easier to spray paint, so I picked up a few cans of Rust-oleum Heirloom White and painted a few coats on each piece.

Once the pieces were dry, I light distressed them. I then applied stencils to the backs of the chairs and the center of the table using a shade of pink.

Here is the finished product! I think it turned out adorable!! Definitely a table and chairs fit for a princess!

It's PERFECT for Sydney and her picnic friends!

Barn Door Signs

I'm currently in the process of redoing my bedroom and was looking for some inexpensive artwork. I had seen a few different signs that I loved and wanted to create one of my own. I LOVE old doors, especially barn doors. They provide such great texture and detail...a perfect canvas for my potential artwork!

I found this barn door at a local salvage place for $20. It was perfect and even had a blue-ish paint on it!

I dry-brushed the door a creamy white.

I then stenciled one of my favorite quotes on the board. I used 3 inch stencil letters in a rustic font. Be careful of spacing when doing letters! Do a rough guess of where each word will be placed to make sure the quote is centered!

After the stenciling was complete, I sanded the whole door to distress the letters and the finish on the door. I also rubbed a brown glaze over the whole door.

Here is the finished product! I can't wait to hang this over the bed in my new room! When hanging something heavy over the bed, make sure to put any screws into studs!!

It was hard to get a good picture since the door is so large! Stay tuned for the revealing of my new room for a better picture of this sign!!

For some AWESOME painting on old doors, check out Molly Susan Strong!

Linking to....

Thanks so much to Amanda for featuring our Upcycled Photo Holders on her new Home and Garden Section of Craft Gossip!!! Check out our feature.... Home and Garden at Craft Gossip...Thanks again Amanda!!!

I was Featured and Given an Award!

Staci at Just Sew Sassy has featured our Upcycled Photo Holders and Given our Blog an Award!!

Thank you Staci!!

The rules of this award are simple:

Thank the person for the award

Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five (5) words.

Pass it on to 10 other blogs which you feel have real substance.

Well, those who know me, know that I don't sum up much in 5 words, so i'll do my best!!

Recreate, Repurpose, Inspire, Excite and Encourage

These are 10 blogs that I love! (But of course I love way more than 10!!)
Miss Mustard Seed
The Thriftress
The Kramer Angle
La Rose Sauvage
Molly Susan Strong @ Just Be
Primitive and Proper
Keep Home Simple
Crap I've Made
Living With Lindsay
Freckled Laundry

Thanks for the great reading Everyone!!