A New Sewing Room

Hello all! Last weekend, Linwood and I moved into  a different house in Yuma. The August/September months here are NOT ideal for that, but it cooled down a little bit because of the rain. I am so tired of boxes that I could scream! We are definitely not finished yet, but today I've gotten a lot more done. We are now living in a house that belongs to a couple that are serving a mission for our church. They have been given the assignment of family history/genealogy in Budapest, Hungary. They are pretty amazing and will do a fantastic job! They didn't know what they were going to do about their house while they were away, but it ended up that we were invited to live here to care for it while they were away. So Linwood and I didn't buy a house like we thought we would, we waited till now and moved. Pros- No rent and we can save more money for a down payment. We can also get our student loans paid off, and third- if there is a transfer opportunity, we won't be stuck with a home. Cons- I can't personalize my space, because it doesn't belong to me. Yep, only one con and it is SO not even comparable to the pros. So, I am trying to figure out my new sewing room at this point and I have finally put my fabric into my Beatrice Amoire! I know, it's so exciting! If you don't remember, this is what it looks like!

 

 

So, now it's in the new place and the bottom two drawers are how I want them, but the top is still a bit of a mess. My in-laws came and I was just trying to keep things out of the way, so I filled it up.

 

 

I painted a desk with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint a while back and I was so prepared to love it. However, I hate it so much that I've invited Haley to come over in October to help me strip it and re-paint it with Miss Mustard Seed, like this amoire. I followed the instructions and read so much about chalk paint that I thought it was going to be a breeze. I used it and the texture, the finish, the wax, the process- I hate it all. I say kudos to anyone who likes it and uses it though! Well, that's it for today, I need to get in that room and sew, but its hard when my house needs to be organized and things still need unpacking!

~Rachel

 



Chippy Barn Hutch

So I had a lovely post all written before my internet decided to crap out on me.. as it does pretty much every hour or so. Nice.. especially since I can see building of which my service comes from my back yard.. not saying any names. BUT seriously?!! NOT COOL!

Oh well onward and upward! I have about 20 furniture projects I am itching to work on but I have a couple of projects that have deadlines and must be finished ASAP! this has been motivating and a little daunting as I have been working on some old antique pieces that need quite a bit of work! I have however, made quite a bit of progress and should have them done soon! Upcoming I have a hutch to be painted red, a three piece antique set all of which is getting stripped of its current yellow paint and stained a lovely rich brown, a dresser that has been laughing at me for weeks as I decided how to "finish" it, and a armoire for Rachel that I will be painting a color I have been dying to try!!! These are just the pieces for others, and don't included that stash I have waiting to be painted and placed in my own home! So stay tuned for what is to come! I will have plenty of projects to keep me busy all summer long!

But today is all about this amazing hutch! My sister-in-law is the Crafty Queen! Yes, this is true! she recently found this amazing hutch on craigslist for under 100 and allowed me to work my milk paint magic on its exterior. This hutch was rather sassy and at first rejected the milk paint more than I was hoping. So much in fact that the top which I painted first, was nearly naked by the time it had stopped chipping away. I decided to re-group and sanded the entire thing and then went back with the milk paint. This ended up working out perfectly and I can honestly say this is my favorite piece to date! I think it looks like it has just been plucked out of an old rusty barn home. She is now sitting in my sister-in-laws adorable craft room and is home to all sorts of lovely craft goodies! Sorry for the picture over load but she was just to adorable not to share all of her chippy goodness!

This hutch was sanded, then painted in Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint in the color Grainsack, and finished off by being sealed in MMS clear wax.

-until next time!
-Haley

Linking up at:

http://missmustardseed.com/2013/07/furniture-feature-friday-favorites-a-link-party-24/
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Winston My Latest Furniture Makeover

Today I would like you to meet a friend of mine His name is Winston. He once lived with a painter. When I picked Winston up he was a grouchy old man being that he is over 70 years old.

Before:

 

 His hardware had layers upon layers of grime, and he had never once been refinished in all of his years. Though I must say he looked pretty dapper for the time and tales he had endured. Being that he lived with a painter it is only natural that he had splatters of paint on his drawers and scars and dents acquired over the years.

 

After:

 A few hours in my little shop and a custom coat of paint and let me tell you Winston is a new man. I knew he had a younger soul than he let on and that you may see reflected in his beautiful new coat. His color is a custom mixture of Miss Mustardseeds Milk Paint including two parts Ironstone and one part Shutter Gay. Overall he is a light blue with gray undertones. Winston is all ready to be loved by someone special. Perhaps a little boy or couple, a single college student or maybe perhaps even another painter.

I hope you like my latest friend! I have some exciting news! I sold my very first piece this weekend! My lovely Grainsack colored dresser is now being loved by a set of twin girls! How fitting!! I hope they love her lots and use her well!

Until next time!
-Haley

Linking up at:

http://missmustardseed.com/2013/06/furniture-feature-friday-favorites-a-link-party-23/

Milk Paint Dresser Makeover

Hey All!!!

BEFORE:

I spent the better part of my morning hanging out in my garage with Carrie Underwood and Cassidy Pope.. Ok not really but their music did fill my neighborhood as I started working on a new furniture makeover. I can now say that Milk Paint and I have officially made up. After our little tiff this weekend we are now friends again. I know aren't you glad? I sure am!

AFTER:

I will be the first to admit that I have a bit of a control issue.. I may or may not have banned my husband from EVER folding laundry.. I know, how selfish of me to keep it all to myself. But it is true, he isn't allowed to touch it, It pains me to even let him put the detergent in the washer machine. I know its a problem... I will say I have learned to let other little things go you know the way the dish washer is loaded, the way the carpet gets vacuumed, you get the picture I have come a long way! I have really! Unfortunately I can't let go of the laundry thing. But seriously I don't think my husband is in the last bit upset about this little "problem of mine" No I cannot recall him ever saying he wished I would just let him do some laundry. Nope...

 

 What I am getting at is Milk Paint is BOSSY!! Yes That's right it is very bossy!! It does not let me make the decisions and that freaks me out just a little. The three projects I have tried milk paint on thus far have made me a little more than uncomfortable. But the two successful projects have ended up being better than I could have hoped for. If I had been the boss and told the Milk Paint what was what it wouldn't have turned out as good. Yes Milk Paint you were right, you chipped in all the right places, and crackled way better than I could have ever hoped for. YOU WERE RIGHT OK?!!

 

Now that we have that all cleared up here is my latest project. and Yes I LOVE milk paint!! It rocks my socks off and it adds so much more dimension to a piece than I could have ever conjured up on my own. Seriously try it out!! I ordered mine online from Reinvented Vintage, they ship super fast and they have wonderful customer service. I have used them a couple times now and am thoroughly impressed! I just ordered some Maison Blanche chalk paint from them and it should arrive tomorrow!  

 

I found this bad boy on Craigslist. and I didn't prime the dang thing one bit! I just dusted it off and started painting. It is now looking all pretty in the color Grainsack. Which is a white with a bit of gray undertones. I am loving this color! I would say I used about 8 Table Spoons worth of the milk paint powder to finish this entire dresser. It goes a long way which I really love. Especially since it does not start out opaque, you really have to give it a good couple of coats to get the entire thing completely covered. I finished it off by sealing it with the clear wax also from the Miss Mustard Seed line. I opted out of the dark wax on this piece because I think it would have been overkill ya know? I think it is absolutely shabby happy without it! Enjoy!

the furniture for sale tab is now live! check it out if you are interested in purchasing any of the pieces I have re-finished.

 

-Haley


linking up at:
http://katherinescorner.com/2013/06/12/thursday-favorite-things-blog-hop-92/
http://imprintalish.blogspot.com/

http://missmustardseed.com/2013/06/furniture-feature-friday-kathleens-favorites-a-link-party-2/