My Favorite Things

 A local The Sound of Music production gave some of my family and furniture a chance to shine!  This antique, French bed was bought for my daughter's room, then she immediately decided that she liked bunk beds and moved in with her big brother.  It was another piece that I had always planned to paint white, but I was searching for inspiration. 

Here is the bed before painting.  I love the upholstery and nail trim.

Painting over antique and carved wood takes guts for me to do, but once I get started I never regret it.  

 It freshens a tired piece up and shows off details that were hiding in the dark wood.

Even the nail heads show off more now!

 Painting around velvet takes some guts too.

 However, I couldn't be happier with the results!

my little star

I also painted these two night stands for the play set.  They needed a coat of fresh white and some gold leaf to add interest.  I ended up painting the entire back side of these pieces shiny gold.  They were used with the backs facing out in the scenes with the nuns at the abbey, and with the white facing out in the bedroom scene.

This was such a great project to be part of; it is definitely on the list of my favorite things!

Many thanks to Walt Jedsiniak Photography for capturing some fantastic memories for all of us!

Star Sofa!

I bought this sofa off craigslist a few years ago.  It was always my intention to paint the wood white, but I moved it into my house and left it alone... for three years.  Sometimes, we all need a little extra inspiration to finish projects.  I found that inspiration when my daughter became a cast member in our local high school production of The Sound Of Music.  

The parents were given a list of ways to help out and volunteer.  I love to be helpful, but I don't have a lot of experience with theater production, so I wasn't sure how I fit in.  I went home and started noticing that I had quite a few Louis XIV, XV,and XVI pieces of furniture stashed around my Aubergine Cottage.  I had always planned to paint them, but most were never started.  With the wood painted white, it would look so appropriate in an Austrian villa set! I nervously asked if supplying the furniture could be my job, to which the director said, "ABSOLUTELY!"  Apparently, people don't fight over that job???

Boom! Inspiration to finish the pieces was back!

sofa before

  I loved the result!  After the production, I was just as excited to move it all back into my house, like it was all new (to me) furniture. 

Sofa After- with my little Klara "Gretl"

 The production was wonderful, beautiful and successful. We have some big treasures in our little town: a truly gifted and caring staff, and incredible kids! My daughter was the youngest cast member and I'll admit I was nervous about a 6 year old spending so much time with 40 teenagers!  However, they were amazing, helpful, watchful and responsible. The cast became like family and Klara cried (and I cried) when it was all over.  

Unpainted

Unpainted

On the set!

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do!!!

Many thanks to Walt Jedziniak Photography 

for sharing these great shots of the kids 

(and the furniture!!!)

Furnishing an Austrian Villa... sort of...

We've had a busy month in this purple house!  I offered to lend furniture to our local high school production of the Sound of Music, which my daughter has a role in.  Most of the furniture already lived in my house, but was waiting for paint and updating.  It was the perfect style for an Austrian villa in the 1940's and that inspired me to finally get these pieces done!  I'm sorting out all of the before and after photos now while my little Gretl yodels "Lonely Goat Herd".  

My Aubergine Cottage is filled with the Sound of Music!

Lingerie Chest

I've been on the lookout for a seven drawer lingerie chest for years.  I rarely see them for sale. Then BAM! One day a very simple chest showed up on craigslist.  I went the next day to pick it up and found it stored next to two smaller twins.  All made by the same craft person, all in beautiful condition and to my delight, all for sale!  I brought all three home with plans to keep the seven drawer and let the smaller two find their way.  A day later I received a message from a client looking for that exact size dresser.  This is how things work for me!  

I refinished one of the 5 drawer chests in Old Pick Up Blue, plus a silver wax, and a white plaster glaze. So depthy.  

 The other was painted my favorite coral left over from my own house projects two years ago. Tip:  Store your paint properly- it lasts!!! It was lightly distressed and then sealed in a gold leaf wax.  

The fun thing about the silver and gold leaf waxes that I make are that from one angle they look like my normal "dirty wax", but then when you move or the light changes, they glisten a bit with silver or gold.  

It's fun and adds depth and interest. 

So now the blue chest has gone to it's new home, and the coral chest has moved to the Old Bank and is currently available.

before

I still need to make a decision on how I would like the seven drawer to look in my house, but I'll share that soon!

Soft Green Night Stand

If my kids would consider getting rid of bunk beds I would place this table between two twins.  It's the perfect size for a shared nightstand.  I found it at an overflowing antique shop in Coventry, CT where it was left outside in the rain and snow! The wood felt very rough and the sweet details of this table were being overlooked.  It just need some TLC and now it's beautiful again.  It's at the Old Bank now getting proper appreciation.

 Come check out what's new!

Stir It Up

Being stuck indoors because of record low temps may make some people stir crazy, but it made me stir up some paint. It was the perfect opportunity to tackle a kitchen project that my friend had been asking for... daily, for 6 months.

Here are some before shots of the kitchen. The builder grade cabinets lacked the personality that had been thoughtfully put into the rest of the room. The homeowner had already upgraded the kitchen with tile blacksplash, granite countertops, stainless matching appliances, warm earthy wall colors. 

before- stock cabinets

 She even planned out the new hardware on the drawers and doors to coordinate.  It all made the plain stock cabinets stand out even more.

before

It is 6 degrees outside which means sanding and spraying these cabinets was a no-go.  We were inspired by Savvy Southern Style to try Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Cream for the base color of these cabinets. ASCP requires no sanding which is a gift, but the wood was thirsty and required 2-3 coats of paint. Also, the paint needed to be thinned because the air is very cool and very dry right now. It was challenging to find the right mixture balance at first, but once I figured it out, things moved quickly. I also had a ton of support from The Purple Painted Lady where I ordered my ASCP.

 Not only did my paint arrive packaged like a gift with extra goodies inside, but she included some very helpful advice about frozen paint.  Remember how it's been 6 degrees out? 

I used a dark stain to bring out the detail in the cabinet doors and crown.  It's a tricky process, but the result was stunning. The flat cream cabinets suddenly had depth and warmth. Next they were sealed with 2 coats of ASCP Lacquer. This also needed thinning. In some areas which still seemed "flat" I added a drop of stain to the lacquer to give it a little more depth and interest. The lacquer adds just a little sheen to the paint and makes the finish feel smooth and silky. It's a great protector of the paint and and easy surface to wipe clean.

Overall, this project took 4 days of painting for 6 hours each day. 

And it was well worth it!

I am extremely happy with the way the whole thing turned out.

before and after

Friday morning mimosas to celebrate a completed project? Yes, please!

Desk for M

Another piece for a friend with a great eye for color and detail.  These desks are all over the place but they don't get much love.  She picked out a Surfer Blue paint that adds just enough contrast in her daughters room and it's a color that she can grow with for years. Lots of drawers for all of her art supplies got a feminine lift with new glass knobs.  The chair was painted with the leftover paint from the walls which makes it a perfect match. 

 after- all settled in 

before- waiting for a new home

Sweet Dreams

I found this iron headboard for a steal, probably because it was well loved by a young girl with a scotch tape habit... It took hours to get all of the tape off the frame, but I imagine that at one point she slept surrounded by taped up photos of her friends, favorite quotes and bits of art.  Although, more likely it was magazine pics of Justin Bieber... ANYWAY, I painted it green! Shocked?

It is full size and has plenty of holes to attach an existing bed frame.  I've always wanted to use one of these as a garden trellis, but this one is too pretty and in perfect shape.  It would also look great on a mantle with a mirror or painting in front of it, hmmmm....

A trendy store that starts with Anthro sells these sets for close to $2000.  I've put it in the shop at the OLD BANK for 5% of that. 

Gotta have more Union Jack!

At the OLD BANK.

I couldn't help it! Once the Union Jack dresser was gone I needed to paint another flag! It's fun and this sweet table was calling for it.  Apparently this is a popular table in CT as I now see it in almost every living room I enter, but none have been painted... yet.  I included a photo of how my furniture looks with a fresh coat of wax on it because it's one of my favorite steps.  Once the wax cures I buff it a little to get it to shine a bit, but nothing about the finish really budges unless you drag the claw end of a hammer across it.  Please don't try that...   

On a side note, we just survived Blizzard Colbie here in Connecticut.  The Aubergine Cottage received 18 inches of light fluffy snow, not that bad all, and very pretty.  This house is quite old so when it's 5 degrees outside it's pricey to keep the temperature inside  warm enough to work with wax.  I use an electric candle jar warmer to keep my waxes soft enough to work with and try to apply near a heat vent.  Sometimes I feel like furniture MacGyver. I love Winter, but sanding and waxing will also be a lot easier when Spring arrives! 

Clover breakfast table

This drop leaf table has a 36 inch diameter of adorable.  

It sat for many years in a lakeside window wearing cups of tea and daily newspapers as well as an occasional cat.  I have wanted to try engraving furniture for years after being inspired by the work of a sweet friend. If you want to see some fantastic work go over to her website Sticks and Bricks.

Here is the Aubergine Cottage corner at the Old Bank Marketplace 

in East Hampton, CT.

It is also listed on Craigslist.

Stop by and check it out!

More Silver Linings

before compass

I posted about this little table when I first painted it because although it looked so much better than when it was all wood it was still missing something.  The twisted legs looked nautical to me so I painted a compass on top and now I LOVE it!  The compass is painted white and silver leaf so as you walk around the table the silver changes from dark to light to almost hidden in the gray table.

It is now at the OLD BANK.

Silver Linings

This 4 drawer dresser needed a little tlc but it was solid wood and all of the drawers worked well.  It's no secret I'm fond of it's original color (bottom left) but it had been brushed on so thick there were lumpy lines everywhere.  I painted the piece in another favorite color and then sanded away the new paint to smooth down the old.  This resulted in the original color showing through in the unpredictable patterns of the first painter. Really fun, but a little wild? So I grounded it with a silver leaf stripe.  I love the way the silver changes with the light as you move around it.

 The color also seems to change and I can't get two photos to ever look the same!

Only one drawer needed to be repaired, but I took them all out to inspect and they seemed to be begging for a little extra attention.  I stenciled the words Imagine, Create, Believe and Dream onto the outside of the drawers for fun.  

You can find this at the OLD BANK.