Creating with the Stars

Friends, I NEED YOUR HELP!  Seriously, you know I will rock this!  If you have ever been inspired by any of my projects PLEASE help me get into this contest!  It will help my blog to grow so much more than I can do on my own.  It will mean MORE projects, BETTER projects, BIGGER projects. 

A lot of you know that I've had a hard time loving this house we are in now.  It's a rental and I'm accustomed to owning a home where I can do what ever I want!  I've felt like my creativity was being stifled here, but I've decided that instead I should look at it as a CHALLENGE to my creativity.  I'm hoping that this contest will give me the creative jump start I need to make this house over into a home.

HELP ME OUT!  The project with the most clicks will be the 12th contestant.  While I LOVE Phoebe's dresser, there are some amazing entries.  Let's not leave this to chance. . . LET'S GET OUT THE CLICK!

Steps to vote:
1.  Click HERE (or on the graphic at the top)
2.  Scroll down to the bottom of the post and click on my project #152
3.  You'll end up back here, but on the post for Phoebe's Dresser.
4.  Repeat often!

That's it.  They are tracking how many clicks each project gets.

Creating with the Stars

 

I am excited about this year's Creating with the Stars!  I've entered with Phoebe's Dresser.  This year the 12th contestant will be chosen by readers, so be sure to follow East Coast Creative and get your clicker finger ready, I'm going to need your help!

Phoebe's Dresser

I love Seattle.  They have the BEST yard sales.  I wasn't even LOOKING!

This is what I found. . .

Isn't she horrible?  Actually, she is incredibly beautiful. The bottoms of the drawers are made of bird's eye maple.  It's been a long time since furniture was made with such care and quality workmanship.  She was pretty beat up, though.

I sanded down the drawer fronts and the top.  Notice the second drawer down, though.  It had a thick wood veneer in three panels over the drawer front with the grain of the wood going in the opposite direction of the other drawers.  When I stained it it looked strange, so I needed a new solution.

I painted the top and bottom of the drawer the same color as the body of the dresser, then I used piece of sheet metal grating (not sure what's it's intended function was) as a stencil on top of the stain on the middle panel. 

The panels were divided by a thin rounded piece of wood that was originally painted gold.  I painted them red- like furniture racing stripes!  

The knobs were off of a dresser I refinished last year.  I always hang on to old knobs, and here's a good example of why!  A little extra red jewelry to match her racing stripes!

Just a bit of distressing and a top coat of dark wax gives the pale gray paint a bit of age, interest, and protection.

This little girl is in the running for my favorite furniture revival of all time. 

 

 

And I'm rarely organized enough to have a side by side before and after, but since I'm playing favorites anyway!

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Phoebe's Dresser is for sale.  See the Portfolio and Available page for details.

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I'm sharing at:
Today's Creative Blog: Get Your Craft On 
Elizabeth & Co's: Be Inspired 
Restore Interiors: Restore it Wednesday 
Miss Mustard Seed's: Furniture Feature Friday

Mini Buffet

Two weeks ago I drove to Newberg to pick up some chairs that I had found on craigslist.  I was with my mother-in-law and we took the scenic route to Newberg, where there is no cell phone reception.  When we got back down in the valley, about 3 miles outside of Newberg, and about 40 minutes from home, I got a cell phone call.  The man had all ready sold the chair and hadn't realized it.  The word irritated came to mind. . .  but he told me to come by his shop anyway, there may be something that I might find interesting.  Well, what did I have to loose?  I'm so glad I did.

I didn't leave Newberg that day with any chairs, but I didn't leave empty handed, either.

This lovely mini buffet came home with us.  It was in good shape, but just needed an update.  

I painted her body a soft gray.   The top drawer and the doors got painted a pretty Tiffany blue/green.   Then I dry brushed over everything with a wheat color, distressed the living day lights out of it, an finished it all off with a coat of dark wax and a good buffing.

  I used some vintage copper knobs I purchased last year off of etsy.  They looked pretty scary before spending 15 hours in a bath of vinegar and meeting the business end of a green scrubby pad.

They do make fore pretty jewelery, don't they?

She will be going with me to my first show here in Oregon.  It seems appropriate that my first Oregon show should be in my new home town, and so it is.  I will be a vender on Saturday at Artisans in the Grove here in Forest Grove.  If you are in the area I hope you can join me.  I'm working on a few other pieces of furniture, and some fun decor items to take with me as well.

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The Mini Buffet is for sale.  For more information see my portfolio page.

I will be sharing at
The Shabby Creek Cottage's Transformation Thursday
Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday