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.

Old World on a New Armoire

This was so fun to work on.  It's nice to find an armoire that has doors the whole length of the front, a very functional piece of furniture with great storage.

Thanks for the photo, Tina!



It had bun feet on the bottom which needed to go but the rest was solid wood.  Even the back was 1/2 inch pine. This one became a favorite after mixing three layers of different blue plaster paints, sanding it back a bit and then adding a dark wax.  I love it! Now it lives in a terracotta dining room where it really feels more old world.

before

after

Touch of French Linen

I bought this table for the chairs that came with it, but once I got them all home and cleaned them up a bit I started to love the table too.  It was so water stained that the wood was starting to split in spots, but it was a Heywood Wakefield table so it was built to last and deserved a try.  I painted the legs a soft blue and the top a fresh white. 

 I added running stripes on the top to mimic French linen.  It's so sweet now.  Definitely a softened rustic feel because the top isn't completely flat.  I need a larger dining area, this table opens up from 5 1/2 feet to 8 1/2 feet. I'm bringing it to the shop at Old Bank Marketplace. 

Each of the 3 leaves has it's own quilted storage cozy.  

Carly demonstrates how such a table provides adequate shade.

Turquoise desk

 This desk was found in Connecticut but if I tried to find another one like it I'd search through Mexican/ Southwestern style furniture.  It was sweet without paint, but it was going to live with a 6 year old so it needed more sweetness.  My friend picked the paint and she picked one of my faves from a sea of greens, blues and in- betweens.  A bit of plaster, distressing, and dark wax later, it was looking ready for a new home.

The desk chair was my favorite part, solid oak and worn in all the right places as if an English professor sat there for 50 years of office hours and novel writing in between.  It didn't need paint, but to match the desk it was painted the same turqoise and then whitewashed, distressed and waxed.  

Knots and All

I try not to be afraid of painting wood.  Pine isn't the prettiest wood but the seat on this bench is so substantial and beautiful, knots and all.  After hours of sanding to find it, I couldn't paint it.  The rest of the bench shows off nicely in a colonial red with a dark wax