Tuesday 28 May 2013

Antique sewing machine...with a twist.

I'm sure you have all seen them. 
The antique sewing machine. 
You know, the treadle ones. The oh so pretty ones that no one really uses anymore. But the ones that don't break and remind us of times gone by. 




There are so many things you can do with the base that it's really hard to pass up. I've had a few myself and have one waiting for attention at the moment in my basement. 

But last week I was confronted with something totally different. 

 Doesn't look like your average antique machine now does it?
 LOVE all the details. But since my client wanted it all brought back to natural, I had great fears.

 See how it folds open the same as the Singer models?
 But all the "guts" are hidden behind a door. Such a cool idea here.

 First things first...I had to get that ripped and warped veneer off. Two layers and we were down to wood! 


Lots of stripping, sanding and staining later....we have a finished product!

 Who knew it was solid oak under all that old stain? The flash makes this look lighter than it really is.
 See how wonderful that top came out? I don't miss the veneer even a little bit.

 Everything is as smooth as butter. I love that!
 Now for the inside. I did NOT refinish the inside. To do a proper job I would have had to remove everything (disassemble it) and I had great fears that I would somehow mess it up and it would no longer work. So I left it alone.
 I ok'd it with the owner before even starting so there would be no surprises. She was good with that :) PHEW!
 Now check out all those details...ohhh yes. Love it all.
Sometimes you just need a small break from painting, and this was a perfect piece to do that with. 
Hope you all enjoy your Tuesday. :) 

Sharing:
Coastal Charm
Savvy Southern Style 
Elizabeth and Co.  
  


Monday 27 May 2013

Wonderful weekend!

It's here and it's gone....spring that is.
We get a week of fantastic weather and then a week of brrrrr cold weather.
I'm not sure if it's the end of May or the beginning of March!

BUT I scored some great finds over the weekend and just had to share them with you all. 

 Check out all the wonderful frames! And that door. Solid wood and very heavy! 
Can you see the old school desk? I'm done that one already!
 Something just for me :) I love cameo's It's a private addiction.
 And all these wonderful pieces. Some have found their way to my booth already. The dresser and desk are waiting patiently for me to finish some other things and that little box that has a cat on it is done and in my booth. I totally forgot to get pics of that one. 

Here is the school desk all done up. 
 Done in a burgundy red with the top stripped and stained.

For some reason I see this going to a college kid for their laptop. Oh my how times have changed eh? 

Did you go out to the wonderful yard sales this past weekend? If so, what did you find? 
I almost can't wait to go again this weekend. But first...I have to finish some of these projects :) 

I've been featured on A diamond in the Stuff. 
Head on over there and share the love :) 
 
Sharing here:
A Diamond in the Stuff
Coastal Charm 
  


Tuesday 21 May 2013

Outdoor antique bench

A LONG time ago I was given a bench to re do.
The person owning the bench told me "no rush" You know that's a very dangerous thing to say to me because I will take you literally! I tend to push those projects to the back and then rush to get them done.

I need to learn to just get them done and then wait for the owner to pick them up when they need them.

This was the case with the bench.

Great bones don't you think?
What a pain though. Thousands of staples and nails and parts of nails and holes to pull and fix.
I love these old pieces...I don't love the work involved.
But it's worth it in the end.
My client wanted this to sit by her pool and she wanted it black with a splash of light.
So this is what I came up with.

I love the combination of wood and paint and it just turned out so well on this project.
Now each detail pops...I mean really pops!



I really love both looks..but I'm leaning more towards the flowers, which is so NOT me.
What do you think? Stripes or flowers? 

My client was super happy with the results and can't wait to get it into her gazebo :) 

Sharing here:
Domestically Speaking
Savvy Southern Style 
Elizabeth and Co.  
Coastal Charm 
A Stroll Through Life 
PJH Designs  
Miss Mustard Seed 
  

Monday 20 May 2013

MIA, Sorry about that.

Wow how time flies. 
I've been MIA for the last couple of weeks, and I'm really sorry about that. Does it help to tell you I've been swamped here getting the cottage open, the house spring cleaned and projects going out the door weekly? 
I know I know...no excuse. 
I'm sorry. 
I promise to make it up to all of you. 

To try to make it up allow me to share something I love...my tall boy dresser. 
My husband loves it too...so much so that we discussed selling it, but decided to keep this beauty. 

 It's a bow front dresser. Probably from the 1920's But look at how it's been abused.
 Not as bad as some I've worked on...but scratches all over the place!
And dirty. OMG...dirty. It was hard to touch that without wanting to wash my hands and use bleach!

I removed the hardware which was in GREAT shape. Soaked it all in vinegar then scrubbed it all to within an inch of it's life. 
I stripped the whole thing down and just didn't have the heart to paint it. So I stained it and sealed it to allow it's natural beauty shine through. 
I hope you agree. 

 I have no clue what this wood is. But it's all hard wood (can totally tell when sanding it)





Isn't it majestic? I LOVE IT! and I'm so happy I didn't paint it. It's just perfect the way it is. 

Thursday 2 May 2013

Fun places and things

We are having a wonderful time in the Southern USA. 
We managed to rent a cottage on a lake that is really a home away from home. I would strongly suggest this way of traveling if you are planning on staying in one place. 
 We woke up one morning to the lake being totally fogged in, through the fog we spotted this Canadian goose and just had to snap a picture.
Of course when the fog isn't in, we enjoy this view from our back deck. 
 We have plenty of places to just sit back and relax. Which we do at the beginning and end of each day.
But for the most part we are off enjoying the area.
The first couple of days were spent with friends of ours from New Jersey. 
But they abandoned us to go back to "work" Lame excuse I tell you...really lame..lol 
So we went exploring. 
 The town of Aiken South Carolina is filled with random horses.
 We found one that says "mustang" which is my husbands favorite car...so of course we had to have a picture.
 And for some reason he wanted a picture of me.
Then a sweet couple who were picking up a wedding license agreed to take our picture together. 
We explored some historical homes, and this one was a summer house but is now a museum, we hope to go inside today. 
I'll post pictures of some of the places we saw yesterday in another post..
Hope your week is as amazing as ours is. :)