SOLD & Finds

My coastal charm desk sold. I listed it on Craigslist on Thursday and had a call first thing. The woman seemed legit. We agreed to meet at Home Goods (who doesn't meet up there) so she could check it out. She loved it and away it went.
I was surprised by how many calls I received on this desk. I admit I loved it, but you know Craigslist. Another woman offered to pay more, but I went with the first person because I would have been mad if someone sold something I planned to buy. I believe in karma. This woman may have me paint a desk using the same color. We shall see.
With the money burning a hole in my pocket I decided to invest it in some finds. Here is what I scored.

This table was a steal. I have big plans for it. Wait for it.

I love the lamp. It is old and will be a perfect addition to Ms.Delia's new pink bedroom. The globe will be sold or recreated into something wonderful. Ohhhh, I just had an idea. The stack of Christmas plates are destined to become cake stands, the lampshade is going into the bathroom (ticking), and the picture just spoke to me. Actually, I am not into pirates (or ships for that matter), but this picture is well done. With a little work on the frame I plan to sell it packaged with two Pottery Barn pirate pillow cases I have left from Drex's bedroom. I couldn't pass up the wicker basket.

This chair is divine. Well, it will be. It is in structurally sound, but the wood is rough. I have a few ideas brewing. It rocks too!

I think this is coral. I don't really care because it looks great on my beachy table. It is over 12" long and six inches wide. I paid $4 for it at a thrift store. Funny, I paid $3 for a tiny piece of coral this summer in Cold Springs, New York. Oh wait, I am pretty sure that was because I was a tourist.

Staycation Fun

I am breathing a sigh of relief. As a teacher Spring Break is imperative to my mental health. At our house we NEED it. Friday I took the Dickey boys to the airport. They headed out to sunny Arizona to take in some Spring Training baseball games. Delia and I hung out at home and prepared for her birthday "party". Saturday evening we celebrated her day with friends (roller skating and slumber party=one tired mom). Then we headed to a historic hotel two-and-a-half miles down the road. We enjoyed the outdoor soaking pool (SOOOO beautiful), a lovely dinner, room service and mommy/daughter time.

Our room's door was hand painted.

Our room's namesake. Each room was named for a different resident of the county poor farm.

We ordered room service for breakfast

A view from one of the gardens back to the hotel.

If you are every in the Portland area check Edgefield out. Since it is so close to home we often take it for granted. GREAT beer, wine and spirits. The food isn't the greatest, but you can't beat the atmosphere. It boasts a spa, golf course, several bars, beautiful gardens, historic buildings, artwork, concerts, movie theater and more. One of our favorite places in the area.

We came home and had my family over for dinner. My nephew Hudson loves the chickens.

He even hand fed them.

We plan to get two new chickens this weekend after we return from a short trip to Central Oregon. Alas it will be time to coop them up. I cleaned this bed the other day and this is what it looks like after the chickens got into it:

The boys returned today and I managed to create this little ditty. I attempted a new crafting technique. I used the freezer paper to print onto fabric. I can't believe it worked the first time! STOKED. Here is what I made (thanks to Flamingo Toes for the tutorial):

Here is another view:

I'm not a huge fan of the faux flowers, but they are what I had on hand. I bought the wreath at Dollar Tree and added some birch limbs from a neighbor's yard up the street. In true Portland style I "put a bird on it". If you haven't seen IFC's Portlandia check it out.

I also attempted a lampshade. I struggled with this on many levels due to the shape of the shade and the materials I chose. As my mom would say, "It'll work for now".

Actually, it looks better in real life. It looks horrid in this picture. Then again so do my country blue tile counters.

Easter Decor

Last Sunday I cracked open my Easter boxes and decorated. Easter used to be my second biggest decorating holiday, but Halloween/Fall is now WAY in the lead. I think I mentioned this is a previous post, but I am in a holiday decorating transition phase. When my kids were younger I had many kid oriented decorations. As they get older I have passed many of these on to my nieces and nephews (#best Aunt ever). I also decided to get rid of a few decorations that I am tired of repairing every year. I had a lovely 14" bunny statue, but his head fell off. I have glued it three years in a row. Guess what happens every time I open my Easter boxes? I find his head detached again. I finally let Ichabod Crane have it. Here is a peek at some of my decor:

The chick side...

 The bunny side...

 All together now...

Attack of the fluffy bunnies...

The mantle. Still not feeling this, but I have some weekend plans.

 Instead of buying cut flowers I started to go to the garden center and buy potted ones. These hyacinths were $2. They will last longer than cut flowers and I can plant them in my yard afterwards so I can enjoy them for years to come.

This little ditty I created last year. She was cheep.

That's all folks (had to get the Bugs Bunny quote in there).

My Hand Hurts

I have been a painting fool this past week. So much so that my hand hurts. I'm talking cramps in my right hand. Next week is Spring Break and I plan on taking it easy (if you can painting my daughter's bedroom taking it easy).
I have been trying to knock out a few painting projects in order to be able to have some inventory for a stall in an antique store. I feel like I am almost ready to make a go of this.
I picked up this piece at a garage sale this past summer. The price was right and I liked it. My mantra is I better like whatever it is I am picking up. Even if it is free on Craigslist if I don't like it or have a vision for it I shouldn't bother with it. Here she is before:

Here is what she looks like finished (why do I call all my pieces she?) :

I painted this piece with a coat of homemade chalk paint. The base is March Wind from Sherwin Williams I accented it with some silver using my handy dandy paint pen. I think it would look great on a counter to display things. It could also be set on top of a table or even on the floor. What about mounting it in a corner? The possibilities are endless. I hope to sell it soon so I can pick up some more projects. After all, my hand will be ready to paint again soon.

March Winds

Usually by this time of year I shift my focus from crafting, decorating and "inside" stuff to my garden. However, this year the weather S.U.C.K.S. I apologize if you find that word offensive, but with it currently pouring outside and temps in the high 30s I can't think of anything else to say.
My garage painting bonanza continues. I picked up this chair a year ago off of Craigslist with two others for zip. I am finally getting around to making them purty.
Here is the finished product:

I painted it with March Wind by Sherwin Williams. I busted out my handy dandy paint pen again and highlighted some areas with silver. I covered the chair in a fun spring-like print left over from outdoor chairs I did last spring (I will show you those later..so cool). I seriously like this chair, but have no use for it so it can be yours for a price.

Coastal Charm

I have wonderful neighbors. We are fortunate to know each and every one of them. Last summer we held a garage sale and Brazil Grill from across the street (Her real name is Vicki and she owns a restaurant by this name, thus our nickname for her) decided to do the same. Day one was successful, but when day two rolled around she got bored and hot. She finally told my kids  if they wanted to sell her stuff they could take keep money they made. Additionally, she said we could take anything we wanted. SCORE.
I took this desk:

Sorry for the bad photo, but I had to use my phone for this one. Notice the lovely damage to the top of the desk? It is called a six-year-old and stickers.

Originally it was plain wood. My dad painted it white for my daughter's room. She enjoyed it for awhile, BUT she is a hoarder. It is a Dickey characteristic. There wasn't enough room in the small drawers for all her junk treasures. I realized I had a desk sitting out in the garage with ample drawer space. I painted it and moved it in. Check out my post http://dickeysdecor.blogspot.com/2012/02/phoenix-rising.html.
This baby went out to the garage and sat for a month. I had some Watery (Sherwin Williams) left over from my entry table and decided this would be a great paint for this desk. I made my own version of chalk paint and had at it. I also spray painted the hardware silver to match. I roughed up the paint a bit to show the white underneath and finished it off with a coat of wax. The drawers were already lined with faux vintage newspaper so I left them alone. I added a wicker basket I had on hand to the middle compartment. It fit perfectly. Love it when that happens. I have to add the other knob to the top drawer still. The screw is stripped and I am having a hard time getting it out.
After finishing it I realized it would be nice to have a matching chair. I pulled one out from my collection and painted it to match. If I had been thinking I would have actually used a different chair with the same lines, but I had already painted it grey. Darn it. Oh well, this one will work. Don't the make a cute couple? Sometimes opposites attract.

I still need to cover the chair pad and will be looking for a fabulous beachy fabric for this. This piece is dainty and would fit in small spaces. A great looking beach type feel. It brightens up my garage well! I am planning on selling this piece. Interested?

My Makeover

Last fall I spotted an ad on Craigslist for this china hutch.

It looked huge and the price was RIGHT. I emailed the person hosting the ad expecting to find it was already gone. A day later I received an email back. If I was interested and could pick it up within the next few days it was mine. I convinced Mr.Dickey to come with me and we headed out to the opposite end of the Portland suburbs to pick it up.
Craigslist can be a gamble. Pictures never tell the truth. Sometimes items look great and are actually in terrible shape. Other times the items don't look great, but they are fantastic. This piece was better than I imagined. The glass shelves and doors were still perfect. The doors shut, the lights worked, and it was free of any damage. Yahoo!
This lady came home and sat in my garage all through November, December, January...you get the idea. I finally started work on her this week.
I decided to paint her with March Wind from Sherwin Williams. It is a stellar shade of light grey. I happen to be in love with the guys at my local SW. I also love their quart size paint. When they have a sale I can pick up great paint for $5 in any shade I choose!
Usually I am a just-paint-it-and-get-it-over-with kind of person. I decided for this lady I was going to take it slow. I taped the glass, the metal inserts in the doors and primed. I decided to use a spray primer for a smoother surface.  Then I began the transformation. The paint went on well and my trusty Purdy brush and I had fun in the freezing cold garage with various 90's tunes playing. The name March Wind was apropos for the weather outside! We have had snow flurries several times this week.
After the paint had cured I rubbed a coat of Minwax over the entire cabinet and buffed. I sprayed the hardware to match the goldy-bronze metal inserts on the door and scraped the glass of a few dabs of paint.
Now if she was going to stick around my house I wanted her to have a vintage flair. I envisioned old music scores lining the back of the back of the cabinet. How cool would that be? I would love it, but would other people shake their heads and ask, "Why did she ruin a great piece doing that?". I compromised by cutting  pieces of foam core board to insert into the cabinet. The new owner can simply pop these pieces out for a new look OR they can leave them in to make a statement.
A Dickey tangent: Do you own a pair of electric scissors? My brother-in-law gave me mine as a Christmas gift a few years ago. I looked at them and thought, "Okay. When will I use those?" Let me tell you they are the best thing to use when cutting chipboard, foam core, and other heavy duty paper materials. I couldn't live without them. Thanks Jono!
After a polishing the glass this lady is ready to show off her new look:

I am really happy about how she turned out. I thought about distressing her. I thought about adding some metallic accents to the detailing. I thought about adding some white accents to her. In the end I decided to leave her pretty plain. Sometimes less is more. I felt this way she would appeal to a broader range of people. I am hoping to sell her either on Craigslist or perhaps at an antique store. I am in the process of procuring a stall at an antique store. I think I am ready to take this venture on. Now I am off to nurse my aching hand. Too much painting makes for me.

Peat Pot Baskets

My entry into the world of blogging began with The Graphic Fairy. I happened to stumble across it while searching for vintage Halloween images. My life was never to be the same. I salute you Graphic Goddess.

I have spotted some of these in Blogland and made a few for Valentine's Day. I decided to make some for Easter. Unfortunately, my printer is running out of colored ink and the pictures didn't print very well. Shucks. If I was a patient person I would have waited until I could pick up a new cartridge and reprint the pictures. I am not patient and on my list for Tuesday I had "Finish buckets". Alas, I proceeded. Damn you lists.

This little chick is on a pale yellow basket. I topped it with pink, cream and yellow garland. I added a green glitter border as well.

This is my favorite one. I love this lamb baby. The blue on this basket is lovely. I was excited to use my velvet ric rac at the bottom and my never ending supply of vintage Lily of the Valley. Some tinsel and vintage buttons top it off. This one will head to Arizona with Mr.Dickey when he goes to see his aunt who is LAMB crazy.

The lighting on this picture isn't great. The bucket is pink. I added some silver glitter to the pussy willows in the picture. I also glued on some glittery leaves. Lovely.

If I can get some better pictures I may put these on Etsy. Speaking of pictures we are now in the market for a new camera. Wahoo. Now I can't use a crappy camera as an excuse. Looking forward to a weekend of Irish celebration. Sunday the Easter decorations will be busted out. What will I do after Easter for decorations? The next holiday I decorate for is Fourth of July. YIKES.

Swiss Miss

I was putzing around in a neighborhood 17 miles from home (okay I was checking out an estate sale where I scored an amazing amount of ELDERLY sheet music for $3) and realized the Goodwill Bins were only blocks away. Not wanting to waste gas on a trip late (okay I totally planned this) I had to check it out. It was Saturday and it was packed. I don't do crowds well so this was a simple scan and grab trip. I picked up a few things, but hope to return when it is less crowded. ANYway, I did pick up a great basket for about $1.25. I don't know exactly because at the Bins they weigh your stuff and charge you by the pound.
I realized as I pulled into the garage and tried to find a place to put the basket I have a basket addiction. I need another one like I need more coffee. While folding laundry the basket talked to me and told me what it wanted to become. It had a vision and it wanted to become Swiss. I had to listen. Here is what it became:

I imagine this filled with birch logs next fall next to the fire. I imagine this filled with big fluffy yarn balls. I imagine it catching junk in the basement. Maybe I need to imagine selling it.

Think Pink

I have been experimenting with my Sherwin Williams Pink Amour. I painted Diva's chair with a faux chalk paint I concocted (check out my post Pinkified). It worked, but the verdict is still out. I think it would have been better with two coats, but who has time for that?
For this piece I simply painted. The paint job on before was horrid. If I was going to sell it, or place it somewhere it would be highly visible, I might have taken the time to strip it. However, since it is in a certain persons room (who is hard on furniture) I didn't think the investment of my time was worth it. 

Here is the before:

It has been freezing here so I choose to paint inside. Here is the after:

I swear the paint is a pale pink. I used the silver paint pen to highlight the details. I love the way the silver makes them pop. I ended up leaving the inside of the "shelves" the original white to contrast with he pink.

Next project for Delia's room is to paint her mirror frame, pink of course. I am on the hunt for a slip cover for her chair in either white or pink. The plan for Spring Break is to paint her room, put up some shelves to display her "treasures", hang new curtains, and possibly add some crown molding. Of course we have some decorating to do and we hope to explore some fun shops in downtown Portland to find what we need.