i {heart} pine...

I am hoping to get a little makeover to my home office completed this month. Notice I say 'this month'...I am always amazed when I visit a blog and see someone complete a room transformation in just a few days. How do they do that?? I have to sneak a few minutes in here and there between client orders, working on the house we are flipping and the never-ending laundry pile. Please tell me I'm not the only one that takes this long??

Anyway, I use the smallest bedroom in our home or my office. The room is only 10x12 and the interior wall that is only 10 feet, has 7 1/2 feet of closet on it. The two outside walls have huge windows on them. Each one is 4 ft wide x 5 feet tall. Those are big windows for such a little room, so it makes furniture placement a little tricky. 

I have an 'odd' corner between those windows, and nothing every really seemed to work right in that space. I walked in to the room last week, and I decided it was time, literally, to do something with this room. I have those moments...I ignore a space and then like flipping a switch I decide its time to change it up. As in RIGHT. NOW. My hubs probably thinks I am crazy. But, he goes along with my whims without saying a word, so we drove to my warehouse to see if I had anything on hand I could use. 

And there, buried waaaay in the back I found this old girl...

I picked her up at an auction last winter, hoping I would find a place for her - someday. 

I cannot tell you how much I love this cupboard! The perfect piece to go with my crisp white walls. Thank goodness I never sold this piece. I can't wait to fill her with pretty things...

Since we are on the subject of my home office....I'll show you a few inspiration pics from my Pinterest files that I am using for this space. 

I also found this exact.same.desk while I was dragging things out at my warehouse. It is solid oak...an old teacher's desk from our school district. It is being painted white as we speak, I hope to have it finished up and in place this weekend. 

Above the desk, I am thinking I need a bulletin board. I rather love the 'unstructured' style of this one...

Maybe that would help tame the 6,247 pieces of paper that somehow accumulate on the top of my desk. 

Well girls, Happy Wednesday to you! 

I am off to pack Etsy orders. I loaded the shop with some new things last night and they went so fast! I am going through the treasures from my grandmother's home right now...so if you see a lot of roses this week, that is why. She loved her pink roses!

a happy accident...

I normally wouldn't post such an ugly pic...but I just had to show you the "happy accident of the day"...

Remember my last post where I showed you a photos of the cabinet with all the small drawers I picked out of the trash?? Well, I know some of you wanted me to leave the original finish. And trust me, I would have if I thought I could. I {LOVE} me some chippy, old paint!!

 BUT, since it was in a printing factory all those years there was ink all over the bottom half of the cabinet. Someone either dropped a big jar of it, or a machine was continually splashing it in the direction of the cabinet...whatever it was...I hated it. It just looked so gross and killed the look of the cabinet.

So I took my palm sander to it this morning, and look what I found!!

(See...I told you that ink was gross. Blah.)

Each drawer has a number underneath, and the gray paint lightens and brightens to be a PERFECT shade for my office.

Isn't it wonderful when something works out even better than you planned??

Ok, its back to the sander for me, girls! I can't wait to get this one finished!

what I'm doing today...

First order of business...Midwest girls - can you BELIEVE this weather??

A-MA-ZING!!!

I feel like I am living in the South! Shorts and flip-flops in October?? I love it!

I am doing yard work, painting trim, getting my flower beds in order for winter...so being a procrastinator hasn't proven to be a bad this this year after all!

Anyway. just thought I would check in and give you a tiny peek at what I am going to work on when I have some spare time this week...I know she is not much to look at now, but she has such potential! I have always been a sucker for cabinets with lots of little drawers.

16 drawers of loveliness...

{sigh...} I think I am in love.

old, chippy gray paint that needs a little 'sprucing up'...

not a full paint job, because I love the character of this one...but a fresh look is in order for this old girl

{removing old stickers...a dry brushing of a fresh gray paint...and old maps to line each drawer}

she served an old printing company in my city for over a 100 years, then was discarded and headed for the landfill. I rescued her and can't wait to give her a new home in my office!

Back to work for me, girls! The huge tree in my front yard decided to drop every single leaf it had overnight.

Anyone want to help me rake?? 

mary...mary...

 

My namesake.

A beautiful dresser with curves and carvings...and she is painted the most beautiful shades of gray and white!

My friend Michelle...from Vintage Junky...gave new life to this antique beauty. One day last week she posted a note on Twitter saying she needed to come up with a name for a piece she was finishing. (She names all the pieces she paints, isn't that the coolest thing? Why don't I ever think of things like that??)

 Anyway, I of course responded that "Mary" sounded like a nice simple, yet vintage name. Hee....hee!

Wow. As I just typed that I realized even my first name is considered 'vintage'. My Mom knew what she was doing!

Anyway, that crazy girl Michelle did name her Mary!! And I love her. Every inch of gray paint and chippy-ness is just so "me", so I would say the name fits perfectly!

I love how she lined the drawers...

The contrast of the gray and the white is so beautiful...and those handles??...beyond fabulous!

Now, who lives in Tennessee and wants to adopt me...I mean 'Mary'??

I wish I lived closer, because I would scoop her up for my guest bedroom. I hear she is waiting patiently at her new home at Winchester Antiques in Franklin, TN so if someone makes the drive to take her home, I want to hear about it! And just so you know, I will be jealous.

Oh, and did you all know Michelle has an incredible Etsy shop, too!? Well she does...so click over and take a look at the goodies she has to offer. I've got my eye on a couple of things myself! She has an amazing collection of milk glass and tarnished silver that makes my little heart go pitter-patter!

Ok, I am off for another day at my warehouse. I have 2 huge trucks that need to be loaded with furniture on Thursday, so I have to get the finishing touches done today! I hope to have a photo preview of what I am bringing to the show on the blog by Friday.

Wish me luck!

Oh pottery barn, how you inspire me...

It was a long day today...it was soooo cold and cloudy and we were in the-middle-of-nowhere Iowa working on the "barn project" again today. And the wind?? What the heck, I felt like I was an extra in the movie Twister!! Just so you know, it is VERY hard to handle 16 foot long, solid oak boards in 30 mile and hour wind. Ugh. But so worth it, because that wood is going to make some gorgeous furniture!

 (If you are just tuning in, the meat-and-potatoes of the story is that my hubs and I are taking down a 100-year old barn to salvage the wood and galvanized roofing for some new additions to our inventory for our little furniture biz.)

So anyway, where was I??

 Oh yes, long day...cold...windy...blah...blah. I jumped under my down comforter the minute I got home because I was frozen to the bone. I was toasty & warm, reading the Pottery Barn catalog that came in the mail today when I a mini-freakout when I turned to page 95.

I instantly fell in LOVE with the vintage-inspired wood lockers that were staring back at me.

So, since I am a resourceful girl...I swipe their ideas take inspiration from their gorgeous full-color glossy catalog, draw up some plans, buy some wood and get to work building my own!  In all honesty, I saw something similar to these on a blog last year, and have been wanting to build a set ever since! Seeing these just gave me the boost I needed to get to work!

Soon, my husband will be off of work for 3 weeks!!

I could not be happier...because look what he is going to be building...

I am trying to get everything photographed for my upcoming Etsy shop...but I have to take a little time out so we can build and finish a few of these vintage-inspired wood lockers!

I am in LOVE with them!

I don't have anywhere to use them in my home at the moment...so we are building them just for the fun of it. Just because we love building and creating and painting furniture...so crazy, right?? We really need a hobby that isn't like work...but we love it so much, we just don't want to do anything else!

Hmmm...maybe I should offer a pair in my Etsy shop, just for fun??

Goodnight, my friends...I'm off to curl up again under my cozy down comforter to see what other things Pottery Barn is going to make me dream about tonight!

Oh, and my hubs just yelled to me from the other room...plans and a shopping checklist are already drawn up for the lockers!

I love that man.

I have plans for the barn wood!!!

Oooohhh...I found my first project for all that barn wood I am soon going to have!!

If you missed the post about the corn crib (we will call it a barn just because it sounds so much cuter...) that was given to me for the wood...read my previous post...here.

And yes, it will confirm that I have lost my mind. A 35-year old girl is not your usual "gimme a hammer and pry bar I am going to rip down your barn with my bare hands prospect." But, if you know me...it totally makes sense.  

Ok, so back to my inspiration...I am so stinkin' excited! I was in Restoration Hardware yesteday and I had one of those "moments." You know what I mean...where you are totally across the room and you see it out of the corner of your eye. And somehow you push your way through the crowd of Labor Day shoppers to throw yourself at it..not even realizing you knocked over 2 displays and threw a pile of pillows to the ground in the process??

Yep.

 It was one of those moments.

Isn't it gorgeous???

I can't decide if I want it for a patio table or a kitchen island.

Hmmm...maybe I will make one of each!

Did I even mention that we build furniture, too??

That's right...I am not just a painter of furniture, when I get the whim....I design...and my sweet hubby builds me whatever my little heart desires.

Sometimes we sell it to stores for display pieces...some I will sell online...and every once in a great while you may see a piece at one of my shows.

But, since we are only 2 people...and we refuse to outsource anything...those pieces are few and far between.

But now, I have a good feeling there are going to be lots of cool pieces made from salvaged wood popping up around here! I officially cannot wait to get this barn down and get my projects going.

Oh...and project #2 is going to be a cabinet for my work room that looks like this.

I am crazy in LOVE with all those drawers!

Oh, Restoration Hardware...how I love thee.

Thank you for the constant inspiration...and prices so high it drives me to use my own to hands to create something I will be proud of.

~ smile ~

Happy Tuesday, friends.

I am still recovering from a whirlwind weekend of a super-busy flea market show and birthday celebration dinners, parties and shopping trips!

I will be back soon with the cabinet reveal!
(You know the cabinet...the one I promised you the reveal of 2 weeks ago! Well, lets just say I have been busy.)

a little peek...

Whew...another show at the Kane County Flea Market has come and gone.

It was hot.

I am tired.

I loaded, unloaded, lifted, moved and loaded furniture some more...for 2 days straight.

But, it was a blast as usual!

I made so many little girls smile from ear to ear with a pretty new girly bed...a gorgeous newlywed couple that just started their life in the city were so happy to find a dining room set...and there were oodles of dressers that went to adorn expecting Mom's dream nurseries. When people ask me what I do I always feel so strage saying "I paint furniture"...but today I think I am going to change that to "I help make peoples house pretty and them happy".

I never. Ever. Show photos of my booth at the show on this blog.

Why, you may ask??

Because it is just not "pretty". The logisitics of selling at a show like this are much different than a show where you actually have time to set up and do a "pretty display". Oh, how I long for that! But, it is what it is. I have literally 1.5 hours to unload 2 huge U-haul trucks, put up my tents, get my walls up, hang mirrors and frames, arrange it all and make some sort of display out of 83 pieces of furniture until the customers storm the gate and the games begin!

So here is it in all its un-pretty glory. 

And yes, you are about to see a LOT of white. Hope it doesn't hurt your eyes. Lets just say my customer base in the Chicago area wants white. Bright white. So I give 'em what they are asking for!  

Lets take a little tour, shall we??

Interesting that I see a man contemplating one of my pieces. His wife must have sent him.

This beautiful 1920s bedroom set went to a gorgeous couple that was looking for the first "big girl" bed for their little girl. It was the first to sell, literally within 32 seconds of them stepping in my booth. They have been looking for a couple of months, but this time they came early enough to snag it before someone else did. I am so happy it is going to their home....Thank you Alicia!

This was the tall dresser from the set. Someone else grabbed this one, just as Alicia and her hubby  were securing the rest of the set. I am a little sad it didn't stay together, but it made someone else happy, so that's ok.

The chairs went to various homes, mostly with desks that I sold...but the table was the very last piece to sell. It was so sad sitting there by itself...silly me forgot to show that it had a leaf for expansion. As soon as I got it out, it was gone. I blame it on the heat.

If I had 10 of these dressers, all 10 would have sold. Everyone seemed to be looking for a long dresser this time around. Note to self for next month to bring a couple more...oh, and see that gray mirror?? I am kicking myself for not keeping it!

~ sigh ~

I loved it so. Old gray paint...beautiful shape.

What was I thinking selling that one??

This dresser is done in my new favorite color "Sea Salt"...thanks to a little inspration from Miss Layla over at The Lettered Cottage. I fell in love with the color when she put it on the ceiling in her Reading Room.

This frency headboard was another piece that so many people were drawn too. Isn't that crown fantastic??

This is the dining room set that is going into a little apartment in the city. I was told by the newlyweds that bought it that is was very "Crate & Barrel"...Ha!! They were so excited when they loaded it into their little car.

Bookshelves are ALWAYS popular. Any size, any shape. This one is tall and slender, a rather unique piece.

And last but not least...my favorite dresser. This beauty will be adorning a baby boutique that will be carrying some of my furniture. I love, love, love the mirror!

So there you have it. A little peek inside what happens in my life the first weekend of every month.

When you get it all together in one space like that, it is rather white, isn't it??

Oh, how I love what I do.

And yes, all the furniture in my house is white.

Except 2 pieces.

Husbands ask me that question all weekend long.

~ * smile *~

little miss sunshine...

My friend Annie, over at The House That Jade Built, graciously awarded me with the...

Why thank you, Annie...it is so nice to know I bring a little "sunshine" into your day! She has such a fun and colorful blog, speaking of sunshine, so pop over and pay her a visit!

So I am adding my own little twist on this award post. I had many readers email me after my last post to as about my furniture painting business. So I am going to give you a few answers...but I'll skip typing out the questions...because it is late...and I am tired...and I inhaled a lot of paint fumes today so my brain needs a rest. Here it goes...

1. I have been in business for 10 years - this month is actually my anniversary. Most of you seem interested in how I got started doing this, but that is a whole other post - long story. Lets just say it involved a car accident, a foot surgery that kept me from going to work and a girl that can never sit still.

2. Yes, I paint furniture as my full-time job. I give a makeover to around 60-70 pieces per month. 

3. When I am not painting rest of my time is spent dumpster diving, cruising Craigslist, stalking the neighborhood on trash day, going to yard sales, auctions and flea markets, prepping, finishing and selling the pieces. I hope that helps explain why I hardly ever show photos of my work. It is out the door as soon as it is done...and quite frankly who has the time? I'm wiped out by the time it is ready for delivery or shipping!

4. The color of furniture the most popular with my clients is...white. A crisp, clean bright white.

5. No, I do not spray my furniture. I have tried it in the past, may try it again in the future, but my clients have come to expect a certain finish from me...and I am not one to disappoint! I find the extra time it takes to use a good quality primer, brush and paint is so worth it. But who knows, I would love to spray to save a little time...but we will see.

6. Yes, my husband helps me. And no, he never complains. He has his own busy career, but if I need a repair or a custom cabinet built, he is right there to help, no questions asked. I swear I could never do this business on the level that I do it without a helping hand now and then. But I will say, he refuses to paint. He is my handy-man and my delivery help. It ends there.

7. Yes, I do ship my furniture and it is much more reasonable than you would think!

8. The furthest I have ever shipped something is Asia...I have a store there that buys from me regularly. It is so weird to see my coffee table in an ad with Chinese lettering all around it!

9. No, I do not paint in my garage or my basement. Thank goodness! In the early days I did but I hated the mess and I never had enough room to work. I had to rent 3 storage units just to keep my stock in - crazy! So a few years ago I had to move the operation to a warehouse. Much better.

10. YES! All the furniture in my house is white. All but one gorgeous European pine sideboard from the early 1800s...I could never paint that!

I think that should cover all the questions I received, if not...remind me and I will post the answer!

I am off to bed. I have a list of estate sales to make the rounds to tomorrow and an afternoon date with an armoire!

Sounds like a perfect spring day to me!

progress...

Ok, ok...I know I keep going on...and on...and on...about that slightly-oversized Opera House cabinet I have been working on for my living room, so thought I would give you a little sneak-peek.

It is in the home-stretch...I have to do a little distressing...install new glass shelving...and put the sliding glass doors on the front. But I could not wait to show you a little peek.

I am soooo happy I decided to leave the areas that were raw pine natural!

 It is such a beautiful contrast to my white ironstone collection that will be on display inside.

I am in love with that bowl in the center. I have never...ever...seen another one like it. It is a rather large size and has a metal rim...so cool! Anyone out there know what it was for? Maybe it had a lid??

I am not sure about the handles...I left them in their original state for now. They look black in the photos, but they are old, and solid brass, so have a great dark brownish-bronze patina to them. I may keep them this way, we'll see.

The inside of the cabinet has a little writing here and there. No idea why...but I love it. I could never paint over it.

Now, did I happen to mention that my beloved cabinet seems a bit too large for my room??

Yeah. Just a little snag in my plan.

It is just so massive, it makes everything else look a little small. I had a feeling that would happen when I bought it, but had to take the chance anyway. My room is 33ftx16 ft...so rather bowling-alley-ish. The scale of the cabinet really needs a much larger room...but it is what it is.

And I love it. So it is staying.

For now.

I'm off for another day with the paintbrush. I have a coffee table, 3-drawer bombay chest and a full-length mirror to get done today.

This is a piece I delivered yesterday. Let me tell you, there is nothing like a girly white dresser to make a little girl soooo happy!

 Oh, and Happy St. Patty's Day, girls!

happenings...

You girls are the best, you know that??

Thanks for all the "where have you been?" emails...I really didn't think anyone would miss me if I was gone from blogland for a week! You sure know how to make a girl feel good!

I have had a lot going on around here...some small things...and some really big things. I am trying to tie up loose ends on something super-exciting so I can make a little announcement to you all next week.

It is something fabulous but scary all at the same time. Aren't those kind of things just the best??...ok, for me only when I look back on them, NOT when they are happening! 

I've been trying to get a few new projects projects started...and finished...around the house...

I've been painting furniture for clients like a crazy woman...I just finished piece #13 this morning...I need a break. And some Girl Scount cookies.

While the paint is drying on those pieces...I try to sneak in a little work on that g-i-a-n-t cabinet I told you about a few weeks ago...I am soooo close to having it done. Hoping to finish it tomorrow and so I can have new glass shelves cut and have it loaded by next week. Here's hoping...

On top of house projects and furniture painting...spring is right around the corner and I am trying to figure out a landscape plan. Lets just say I am much better at painting furniture than designing a landscape. I decided today to hire someone. I just don't have time to do it all. I do need sleep, afterall!

Note to self: Next time I buy a house, I will NOT rip out every plant, every bush and every weed until I have a plan on paper for how to replace it. My poor old house was being swallowed by bushes when I bought it, and I got a little happy with my girl-sized chainsaw.

(all photos from here...I am totally obsessed with her work)

Oh, and I am on the hunt for a spiffy new pair of Hunter rain boots...did you see the ones on Oprah last week with warm little liners you can take out? I fell in love...so Zappos, here I come! I will be needing them when show season rolls around for me in May! It always seems to be cold and rainy that first show of the year! Now...what color to get...hmmmm....

Happy Monday, girls.

Its good to be back.

how sweet it is.....

Today I get to spend the day with a few of my favorite things...

a fresh gallon of paint in my favorite shade...'cloud white'

a brand new paintbrush

and a radio playing my very favorite tunes

I don't have much of a post today...

 because I have a dresser

one gorgeous frenchy armoire

a changing table

 grandma's beautiful old rocking chair

and a side table

waiting for a makeover

oh, and a chandelier I have to remove all the crystals from before I can paint it white, too...

I think I have stumbled on my very favorite client...

of all the clients I have worked with in the last 10 years

a wonderful husband who is having me paint all the furntiure for a very important nursery...

a nursery for his very first little girl

(all photos from here...)

  he wants to fill the room and surprise his wife when she gets home

~ a nursery full of girlie delights ~

I have a feeling the 3 of them are going to have a happy life together.

That is one sweet man.

change is in the air...

But then again...when isn't it around here?

I make it that way.
I am a change junkie.

My husband comes home from work and finds a new coffee table in front of the sofa about once a month. A few weeks ago we went to bed...he turned his lamp off...and about 30 seconds later says "I see I have a new nightstand." It doesn't even phase him anymore. Although he does think I should donate some of my extra time to being a case-study for a college Psychology class somewhere. He thinks I have some yet-unknown metal disorder that make a person constantly change their surroundings.

Thank goodness he so easy-going...because I need that constant change. That is one of the pit-falls of painting furniture for a living. Few things stay in the same place in my house for more than a couple weeks. But it feeds my craziness that I can do something different each and every day. Lets just say I am not a girl that can sit behind a desk in an office 8 hours a day. I have tried. Trust me on this one. Oh how I yearn to...I want to wear the cute clothes and killer shoes. It would be much better than the hoodies with paint all over them you would normally catch me in. I miss seeing people at work, the gossip, the day-to-day chat. It is just me, a radio and a paintbrush most days.

This year alone I have painted and sold over 500 pieces of furniture. Maybe doing this is what has made me a change-junkie. I am always needing to do something different...and better than the time before. Is this how extreme-sports get started? Mountain biking becomes boring after a while until you are doing it at high speeds next to a cliff? Will I soon be seen on a reality show for Extreme-Dining-Room-Set-Painting?

By now I am sure you are asking where the heck I am going with this long winded chat about change...so let me just say there are new things going on in my life right now. Professionally, that is. Exciting things...things that are keeping me up at night. And once I do fall asleep I wake up thinking about them as soon as I open my eyes. I'm plotting and planning. I can't tell just yet, but I want to soooo badly. I am busting to let it all out. I work so hard, it is such a wonderful thing with life rewards you with opportunity you didn't even see coming.

I am definitely a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants girl, but ironically, new things make me nervous.

 So, to escape all this stress of these big changes...I am making a pact to finish all the reno projects I have started during these winter months. To tie up loose ends, to vow to keep a piece of furniture in one spot for a long time. (Don't tell my husband just in case I relapse on this one.) I am going to finish my home rather than always work on other people's spaces. And I promise to take photos and post my projects as I go.

Whew, I was soooo good to let that all out. Sorry it was such a long one. That happens when I don't get much sleep.

Off to finish project #1. The hallway. How hard could that be?? Wish me luck. I am painting it the fourth color since I have lived here. Yikes!

(photo found here...)