Super Sale: Buy A Dresser, Get a Horse

Posted on May 6, 2013 by

When you buy a dresser from a Craigslist seller, you get a horse. No, really, I know it’s hard to believe, but you do. We all have our Craigslist stories, and this one is fairly hilarious. I laugh whenever I see my horse.

When I called the seller, she seemed to be a little slow on the uptake, but I tried to be understanding. Maybe she was tired. When I met her at her storage unit, she was actually quite inebriated. Oh, she looked normal, but she smelled like a distillery. Her eyes were glazed, and she talked a lot, only slowly. It was 1:00 in the afternoon. Okay, I’m just underexposed to this sort of thing, I guess.

But there was the dresser, and I had already painted it with my mind. Also in the storage unit were open boxes of her belongings, some of which were actually quite cool, including an old Barbie-sized leather-covered horse that my wandering eyes laid upon immediately, which is odd because I don’t like Barbies or horses. It was a little beat up, but it was looking at me with its half-closed eyes. Sort of like its owner. I checked out the dresser and paid quickly because the woman was telling my husband how “beautiful” I was. Huh?? My husband looked down and said “Oh, look at that horse!” She immediately said, “You can have it!” What?! I was afraid my husband would refuse it, so, quick as a flash, I picked it up and thanked her. Score! At this point it was really time to load the dresser and go. But I had my horse! And my dresser!

Here’s what I left with:

Garland Dresser Before

Worth enduring the odd seller, huh? At this point, the finished reveal seems almost anti-climactic. I layered it with two colors of milk paint and it turned out really well, I think. I named the piece Garland Dresser, after the gorgeous polished brass hardware that the seller had tried to charge extra for, and it does the horse proud. Not to mention the goose.

Garland Dresser

Garland Dresser 3

Garland Dresser 2

And the horse? I named it Susan, after the seller. I hope she’s not reading this. Neigh.

DSC_0325

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Look for this piece in my shop (I’m keeping the horse, though).
Linking up with Elizabeth & Co., Miss Mustard Seed

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Copper Show Stoppers: Instant Impact

Posted on April 29, 2013 by

Wood and metal are such studies in contrast. Warm wood, cold metal. Wood gives, metal resists. Wood dampens sound, metal amplifies it. Most of the furniture pieces I do are made of wood, and my paint treatments do wonders for them. Sometimes, a painted wood piece lacks a little pizazz on its own, and metal comes to the rescue!

Take this piece–very functional, solid, neutral, and appealing.

Mid Century Bookcase, Bar or Buffet $275

Mid Century Bookcase, Bar or Buffet

But I wanted it to have more impact. And, I seemed to have some sheet copper lying around my garage. So what to do? Cut the copper to fit and install it in the too-neutral painted piece for instant impact. Wow.

MCM bar buffet

Here’s another example: a finely crafted antique fireplace mantel. Fashioned from heart pine boards a hundred years ago, this warm, wonderful wooden piece had ambered, as old pine does, and lost its lustre and detail.

Heart Pine Fireplace Mantel before

A new, lightly distressed, charcoal paint treatment brings out the egg and dart moulding, corner curves, and linear detailing, and makes it much more beautiful. But the impact truly arrives with a piece of raw copper inset into the opening.

Charcoal Fireplace Mantel

Oooooo. Now it’s not just a mantel, but a statement piece with instant warmth that doesn’t even need a fireplace. Opposites do attract!

Charcoal Fireplace Mantel 3

Charcoal Fireplace Mantel 2

Linking up with Miss Mustard Seed
Marbleized floorcloth by L. Howard.
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You can find these pieces in my shop.

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Little Black Dress(er): Worn With Pearls

Posted on April 21, 2013 by

Black is the new black; it’s always classic. Everyone looks good in it, including furniture. This dresser had such a good figure that black would only complement it further, so black she became. Here’s how she started:

Little Black Dresser Before

Simple, elegant, great bones. Solid maple, no veneer. In her ’50s, I would guess. Unattractive hardware, even worse color. All characteristics that make it perfect for a new outfit. So, I put her in black, but every little black dress needs the proper accessories. And what goes best with a little black dress? A necklace of pearls–large, shimmery, white pearls.

Little Black Dresser with Pearls4

Now this cute little dresser looks elegant, sharp, and finished. The hardware has touches of gold, and the pearls have subtle hues of green, pink and shadow grey. Not too fussy, and with a sense of humor!

Little Black Dresser with Pearls2

Little Black Dresser with Pearls3

Linking to Elizabeth & Co., Domestically Speaking, Miss Mustard Seed
Original Painting by L. Howard, “Mountain Lake”.
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Mediterranean Sea Suite: Banish the Brown

Posted on April 11, 2013 by

At any one of my favorite thrift shops, I can usually find something great to paint. This particular day, I picked up two items that I had previously passed by on several occasions. I just didn’t have a vision for them. They were very well made, and, other than surface scratches, didn’t have too much wrong with them. Except that they were from another era, an era when furniture was mostly heavy and brown. 1970 was a pretty good year, but not for color. I guess even other thrifters passed them by, too, because there they sat.

Mediterranean Side Table Before

Mediterranean Coffee Table Before

Drexel made them and named them Esperanto, elements of a suite. They really don’t look like they belong together, but I thought I would use turquoise and teal, like the sea, shine up the brasses, and see what happens. I like what happened. I think color and polish does wonders for furniture, don’t you? Of course you do; that’s why you’re here! Take a look:

Mediterranean Side Table

Mediterranean Coffee Table

Now, the coffee table, whose back looks identical to its front, has a thoroughly modern take in bluegreen and turquoise paint with glass in the doors. It can serve as a media console/tv stand, or even as a bench in front of a window. The side table has a whimsical view now, in deep Mediterranean Sea colors, and the hardware on both are solid brass and polished up gorgeously. A pretty nice find, all in all.

Mediterranean Side Table2

Mediterranean Coffee Table2

Linking up with Miss Mustard Seed
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If you are local to St. Petersburg, join me for a Vintage Painted Furniture Open House Sale April 26-27. Email me or join me on facebook for more information.

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Quatrefoil Dresser: Pretty Fantastic in Pink

Posted on March 26, 2013 by

As a kid, I always loved Legos. My dad insisted on short hair and brown leather lace-up shoes for my sister and me. I never wore a single dress in high school. I don’t particularly like sappy movies or chick flicks–give me a good spy thriller any day. I didn’t have any daughters; I have three sons. So, why is my favorite color pink? I have pink sweaters, pink shoes (yay), pink shirts, and even a pink skirt that I actually wear.

Now, I have a pink dresser. But it’s not for me, ironically. It was kind of pink when I found it. That deep, glossy burgundy that sometimes looks brown:

quatrefoil before

Boring, scuffed, peeling. But hit it with my favorite color, pink, and it takes on a whole different persona.

Quatrefoil dresser

Add a quatrefoil, hand-painted white swirls shadowed with grey, a spot for a monogram, and it’s almost irresistible. What lady, young or old, wouldn’t want this delicious berry colored piece in her bedroom? Well, pink haters, I guess, but forget about them. This one is too cute.

Quatrefoil Dresser Top Detail

Quatrefoil Dresser Side

Available for monogram, contact me directly, see my Offerings. Also available in my Shop.
Linking with Elizabeth & Co., Domestically Speaking, Miss Mustard Seed
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Milk Paint Charmer: Sunny Success!

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

This is the story of a very old, sad, dresser that has, I think, a very happy ending. This poor thing had endured abuse during its 170 or so years of life. Once upon a time, a very talented woodworker took some wide pine boards and constructed, with his own hands, a very useful dresser. He dovetailed the drawers by hand, hand-beveled the drawer bottoms, doweled in the knobs, affixed bun feet (probably), and put a wash of off-white milk paint on it.

Then, at some point during the very long life of this workhorse dresser with the three handkerchief drawers on top, someone subbed out its original feet (perhaps some had broken off at the dowel) with machine-turned ones from maple, replaced the apparently sawed-off knobs with large, out-of-proportion British-style knobs, and sanded all the milk paint off, except for what was visible in the cracked side boards. Then, the offender committed the ultimate sin: slapped on thick, drippy polyurethane, which aged and ambered and turned it into the orange eyesore I found:

Old Pine Dresser before
So sad. It endured even more abuse in the ensuing years, in the form of dents, dings, and many scratches in that horrible poly finish. At some point, inappropriate molding was nailed around the bottom and then broken off. The poor thing definitely needed cheering up. So, I chose a bright yellow milk paint for the body and juxtaposed a modern, not-too shiny charcoal chalk paint for the top. New, better proportioned knobs got the charcoal treatment for contrast, as well. So now it looks like this:

sunflower dresser
sunflower dresser 4
hanky drawers

My dear mother-in-law, who only really understands mid-century modern design, unwittingly gave me the ultimate compliment: “It looks like it came out of a barn.” Ah, yes. Success!

Look for this beautiful piece in my shop.
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Original painting by L. Howard, “City Girl”
Linking to: Elizabeth & Co., Domestically Speaking, Miss Mustard Seed

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Diamond Dresser Redo Part II: Striking Strikes Again

Posted on March 9, 2013 by

Remember this guy? Remember he has a brother?

Midnight Diamond Tall Dresser Front

Well, a customer fell in love with him and requested that I paint his brother to match so she could take them both home! I was delighted to oblige because I was having trouble thinking about how to paint the low one. This gorgeous mineral color just really seemed to suit the solid cast brass hardware, but I couldn’t decide–just like any other mother of twins–should I dress my babies alike, or differently? I put off the decision until this special order came in, and I’m so glad because he is just as much of a jewel now as his tall brother. Take a look:

Midnight Diamond Low Dresser

Midnight Diamond Low Dresser Tambour

Midnight Diamond Low Dresser drawers

And now the twins can live happily ever after, dressed identically, together! Striking, isn’t he?

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