First Round of Revamped Inventory

These are just few of the items I have available for sale
in my new retail space. This distressed green chalkboard
was an old oak cabinet door that I sanded down & then
primed & painted with chalkboard paint.

This old chippy door was so cool, the weathered varnish had
more of a golden color in person, it had a ton character. It would look
great in a living room, leaned up against a wall as backdrop for an
armchair or something. Someone else liked it as much as I did, it was my first item to sell!

This is an adorable white cotton matelasse coverlet in a twin size. It was a
total score, in perfect condition - no spots, holes or any defects at all!

A close up of the same coverlet. Here you can see some of the detail in
the raised white on white design.

When I picked up this basket it was cute, but there was nothing special about
it. Just an aged looking off white weave. I hand painted a French grain sack
inspired design in a cool gray.

I love this old wooden crate, it could be used for anything but I have
it staged here as an outdoor entertaining caddy. You could also tuck in an
old canning jar to hold your antique silver flatware, cloth napkins or tea towels.
Or even a few little dishes with crostini, olives & mini cheese wedges. The vintage
seltzer bottle & antique style glass goblets are also available for purchase.

This end of the box is embossed with a Napa Valley logo.

This little table top birdbath / feeder is a great little piece to add color to an
outdoor space. It's perfect for use as a birdbath because the glazed top will
hold water without being absorbed. It would great for a small courtyard or balcony.

This little apothecary terrarium has such a great shape to it, I filled it with polished
pea gravel & faux moss covered stones, This no maintenance accessory would be
perfect for an office desktop or bathroom shelf.

I just thought these little winged wooden hearts were fun. I found them
in the craft section. I painted the centers in chalkboard paint then decorated
the wings in different colors & finished them off with a stick of chalk
tied at the base.

I can't remember whether I've already shown this in a post or not. I
actually picked up this super cute little picture frame at Goodwill with
the antiqued finish already on it. All I did was prime & paint the glass with
chalkboard spray paint (I have a lot more chalkboard items now then I would
normally plan to).


These are the items I wanted to highlight, the ones I really
want to keep for myself!

My mom actually picked up this cute little footed silver bowl for me.
I just added this moss ball "topiary" for some interest.

I am IN LOVE with this vintage style locker basket! I want to keep it so bad but
before I opened I made a deal with myself that I had to be able to part with
all these cool things unless I really had a need for them (otherwise I'd be headed
for the next episode of hoarders). I have to give a "thank you" to Kathy at the Paso
Robles Habitat for Humanity ReStore for hooking me up with the basket which was
cool on its own, but it needed a little something extra to make it stand out. After
looking at Michaels' selection of tags & not really finding anything I liked, I
decided to D.I.Y. it or H.M.B.D.I.H. (Have My Boyfriend Do It Himself). ; ) We
found a scrap of molding we had laying around that he cut to the same
length as the handle opening then drilled a hole in either end. I finished it of
with, what else? Chalkboard spray paint & some jute twine to attach it
to the basket.

This is definitely one of the coolest silver pieces I've ever found. I like the
shiny silver finish against the jagged edges of the center bowl. I don't know what
the heck you would put in a bowl surrounded by candle holders though, I like
the idea of a bird's nest but that's probably a fire hazard. I'm thinking about taking
it back for myself!

And lastly, this vintage seltzer bottle. It has such a pretty embossed design around
the base. I entertain a lot & this would be perfect for chilling sun tea in for serving on
the patio. I kind of cheated on this one though, when bought this I also picked up
an antique French lemonade bottle with a similar design that will be staying at my house!

All the items in this post are available at Reminisce on 14th & Pine Streets in
downtown Paso Robles (except for the chippy door which has already sold). If
you're out of the area & would like to purchase one
of the things you see here you can contact me through my blog & I'll
have it shipped for you.

French Provincial Nursery Rocking Chair

You might remember a few weeks back when I did the post on my friend's daughter's French Provincial nursery furniture. Well, I wasn't able to finish the rocking chair in time for her to take it back home with her. So when I got the call that she was in labor & headed to the hospital, I figured it was probably a good time to start on the upholstery!

When Heather & I started looking for a good rocking chair for her we both agreed that the upholstered ones were a must for comfort, considering the amount of time she'd spend in it. She just didn't want to go with one of those ugly gliders. I saw this hot mess at my local ReStore & didn't really pay much attention at first. After a second glance I realized it had perfect lines to go with the French Provincial style she was going for, the upholstery didn't look like it would be impossible, & it was an antique.

Here it is after, yes that's my front porch it's on - like I said, Heather was in the hospital & at this point had already had the baby. So the chair was out front waiting to be picked up by her step-father-in-law (if that makes sense) who was on his way to see baby Madalyn.

You can't really tell in these pictures but the fabric was a linen color that complemented the white frame really well. It's also complimentary to the fabric she picked out for the bedding (which I will also be making & sharing in a later post).

This is my favorite part of the chair, the frame had such pretty details.

The wood frame was painted in a satin white that Heather had color matched to the crib she had ordered. I Antiqued it with Valspar's Asphaltum glaze (this is beginning to be a pattern) to highlight the turned legs & carved pieces.

The carving added enough detail to accent the other curved lines of the chair but was simple enough that it didn't look fussy.

Nice legs

Im also linking this up to, you guessed it - Miss Mustard Seed's Copy Me Challenge. I figured if any of these projects say MMS it's definitely one with a distressed white frame & linen colored upholstery.

Verdigris Highboy Dresser

So, here's my first large piece available for sale at my retail location. This dresser has come a long way from how it came to me. It was a nasty 80's glossy cherry finish with brass hardware, but it was also built solid with dovetail drawer joints & dust trays (not a huge deal but stuff you don't usually see on new furniture). I painted it a soft celery green that I blended myself then went over it with about a 60/40 blend of Valspar's Mocha & Asphaltum glazes. This produced a dark rich chocolate colored glaze. I primed then spray painted the two "locks" with Krylons Oil Rubbed Bronze, all the other hardware was new from Lowe's also in an ORB finish. The pain in the butt about that was that the top drawers had holes drilled 2.5 in. apart for the hardware & the bottom drawers were spaced for 3 in. pulls - wish I would've measured BEFORE hand. Just about the only kind of hardware I could find without having to special order were cup pulls, the bottom two drawers were easy. All hardware (except the decorative "locks") are by Amerock.

This is what it looked like before, actually not in bad condition but it looks like it belongs to a cranberry & hunter green color floral print love seat - makes my stomach hurt! I do love the curved lines on the feet though & the other subtle details lend interest without looking overdone.

Here's a before shot of the embossed detail on the upper section of the dresser.

Here it is after highlighted with some of that chocolate glaze & new ORB hardware.

And one last shot, showing some of the detailed lines.

I'm linking this up to Miss Mustard Seed's "Copy Me Challenge" , for any of you that aren't familiar with her, use the button below to check out her website, it's been a great tool for me in a lot of the recent projects I've been working on. She has lots of helpful tutorials & even a series on starting a business. Anytime I have a random furniture or business question (or just need some inspiration) I can usually find whatever I'm looking for on her blog. Although about 95% of the projects that are linked up to her "Copy Me Challenge" Are distressed white - a MMS standard, I feel like it's all kind of predictable......Miss Mustard Seed is anything but predictable. So, I thought I would enter something that identifies with the washed out antique colors that she mixes in with her whites.

Anyone interested in purchasing this dresser can contact me through then link on the right hand side of my blog, I can get a quote for shipping & Revamped Home Furnishings now accepts all major credit cards.

I'm also linking up to the following link parties

DIY Cloches - A Tutorial.....and some really exciting news!

 I'm sure you have all noticed how cloches are everywhere in interior design right now,

 I decided after seeing what some of  them are selling for that I needed to see what I could come up with on my own.

       

Here are the items I used to make my cloches, a terra-cotta drain tray for a flower pot, some glass hurricanes (to use with candles) some cabinet door knobs, & two metal lighting pieces (I don't know the right name for them so I'll call them collars). I found all the materials for this project at Re-Store.

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Here's a close up of the "collars" & cabinet knobs, you could also use small wood finials instead of the knobs, might be a little more decorative.

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Here it is finished - doesn't look like it was made from a bunch of random parts all painted to match, does it? 

I started by Gorilla Gluing  the knobs on top of the collars. I don't have a picture of this step but I just centered them then used a piece of painters tape to hold it in place while it dried. After it was dry (1-2 hours according to the directions on the label) I hit it with a couple coats of Krylon's Ivory spray paint in a satin finish. I did this when it was pretty cold outside (California cold-Im guessing around 58-60 degrees) it caused the paint to pucker, or wrinkle. I knew the glaze I was planning on using would highlight the wrinkles so I just went with it. I also gave the flower pot drain tray the same paint treatment.

Next I covered all the painted pieces in Valspar's Asphaltum (black) glaze, you can find this in Lowe's paint department. I like to let it sit for about 15 minutes until it's kind of tacky & just starting to dry. I then take a paper towel & run a very small amount of water on it then squeeze it so that it's evenly distributed throughout & barely damp. I don't apply any pressure & kind of drag the crumpled up paper towel over different areas of each piece (I guess using it similarly to how you would use a paintbrush if you were dry brushing something). You can do this more or less depending on your preference. I always start off light then remove more & more. It never looks as good if you have to add the glaze back on then repeat this step.

 After the glaze had dried I sealed it with Crystal Clear by Krylon.

The last step is to run a very small bead of Gorilla Glue around the top rim of the glass hurricane (which used to attach to the candle holder) keep in mind that you are now going to be using it upside down. If you've ever used Gorilla Glue before you know that it expands so its crucial to use a small amount to avoid bubbles & drips. Which is also why you need to use Gorilla Glue - because even with the smallest amount this stuff creates a serious bond. In addition most hurricanes are pretty lightweight so it shouldn't be a problem when using the knob as a handle.

Next you can either flip the drain tray part upside down or use it right side up - I did both (above) & fill it with whichever type of accessories you prefer. I used succulents, a sprig of lavender, & an asparagus fern stem in these but I've also seen birds nests, eggs, even photographs. Really anything that fits will work.

Left: Here they are displayed on top of my wine cabinet in my dining room.

 

Super easy & quick project - the longest part is waiting for the paint to dry!

**AND NOW FOR THE EXCITING NEWS!**

These cloches will be available for sale in my new boutique opening in downtown Paso Robles!!! Im so happy to finally be able to do what I've been hoping to for so long! Thankfully my family is very supportive & have already done so much to help me get started. The "Revamped" boutique will be located inside Reminisce - "A Village of Shops", at 14th & Pine Streets in Paso Robles, CA . Because I will be in a space that is currently leased, I don't have an exact date that I will be able to move in, but I'm told that it should be around February 3rd! I need to make some improvements to the space before I start staging my products but I figure that I should be up & running no later than Valentine's day.

I'll post more on this later but for now, I need to get to work!

Embarrassing Results & French Provincial Nursery Furniture

First of all, let me say that the "giveaway" I did last week was a total flop (as any of you regular readers have probably seen). Not even one entry! Pretty embarrassing. But no point in dwelling on the past, I have too many new things going on, starting with these French Provincial pieces I did for my friends' nursery. They're expecting their first baby, a little girl & they didn't have a huge budget to work with but we knew that they wanted to go with a French Provincial style. So Heather (the new mom) & I did some shopping for used furniture that could be refinished.

We found this cute little side table at Goodwill, I thought it would be good next to her rocking chair with a little lamp the perfect spot for holding bottles or pacifiers at 2:00 am. The price tag on it said $15.00 which I thought was ridiculous for G.W. (see my post here). So I pointed out the "gouges" which were actually more like nicks in the top & asked if they could do any better, they came back with $7.50 - we took it. It was actually a lot more walnut colored than what you can see in the picture, & plastic looking on the top.

Here it is after: I used an Olympic custom blend white (matched to their crib color) satin finish. I went over the top of it with Valspar's asphaltum glaze. This was the first time I've used a glaze this color. I think it came out ok, but I really wish I had been able to find a gray glaze. The black is obviously a huge contrast from the white & I think it's just a little harsh looking for a nursery. It probably would've otherwise been fine.

This is the dresser/changing table with the same paint treatment I used on the side table. The original hardware is shown here in this picture although I don't like the look of it with the new finish. I'll be replacing them with vintage looking glass knobs & pulls.

Here's a closeup of the legs on this little chest of drawers. It had such cute details. I would've loved to have been able to keep this for my daughter's room, it could double as a perfect bedside table. It also would've been adorable in a living or dining room, maybe with the large bottom drawer removed (one large drawer that looks like two) & replaced with some natural colored baskets to hold books or DVDs in a living room or table linens for a dining room.

This plastic ornamental piece is at the bottom center of the dresser & was painted a nasty gold color before. The white with black glaze looks much more sophisticated.

You'll have to excuse my daughter's sweatshirt covered car seat to the left, they were literally getting ready to carry this out the door when I realized I hadn't taken any "after" shots of it. Heather & Ryan live up North in the Bay Area & were down for their last visit before the baby is born, so I had to get this all finished as well as put on her baby shower this weekend-I'm about 20 hours behind on my sleep! We had just come back from the baby shower, which explains my pathetic attempt to "stage" it in 15 seconds as you can see in the first dresser pic. I had just grabbed a couple decorations I had brought back from the shower that were sitting on my dining room table.

Here it is before, in all it's 1970's glory. It had the typical cream colored paint with gold accents & it was filthy! But then again, we picked it up off Craigslist for $25 bucks. The guy who sold it to us had some sort of Christian charity that helped families in need so we counted this purchase as our good deed for the day.

I also refinished a rocking chair to match the rest of the room. I just need to re-upholster the seat & back. I should have that available to see here in the next couple days.

Lastly, I'm going to have some very exciting news to share with you guys in the next couple days so stay posted to see what I'm up to.