Pink Power

The Portland Metro area is fairly large. I live on the Eastern edge of the suburbs and find that many of the items I buy or sell are located on the Western edge about 25 miles away. With the price of gas, and taking my time into consideration, there are times I let great deals pass me by. This was one of those deals.

After school I checked Craigslist quickly and someone had posted two grainy pictures of a dresser and vanity. They wanted $100 for both of them. I emailed to ask where they were located and low and behold it was only 18 blocks from my house and a three minute drive. I asked if I could take a quick peek at them. When I saw them I was stoked they were better than I imagined they would be. I did not have the truck with me and I needed to make sure I had the cash at home. Could I call them back in a few minutes to let them know?
I realized these people were desperate to get rid of these pieces. They had to be out of their duplex by 11:00 the next morning and I was the only one who had contacted them (due to their horrible photos). After a half an hour I called back and offered them $75 for both pieces. They agreed and within an hour both pieces were sitting in my driveway. These pieces were structurally sound, but they were dirty (dust, dog hair, grime). In fact, the old owners accidentally left two drawers crammed with clothes and prescription pain killers. Uh oh. We returned everything, but let me just say if these pieces could talk.

I know I could simply clean them up and sell them as is and at least double my profit, however I wanted to do something more. I kept hearing the words, "Antoinette" in my head. You know Annie Sloan's Antoinette. I decided to try and match it to the best of my ability and went with Sherwin William's Rose Bud. Here is how they turned out:

This is the mirror that attaches to the back of the vanity. It is currently on my kitchen table. I had to reglue it to the frame. I wanted to avoid attaching it just for the sake of pictures. This piece is old and I don't want to risk breaking one of the brackets and having to redo the mirror. Yep, I'm lazy. I realized I didn't get a picture of the two pieces together. They are so sweet and are just begging to be put in a pretty bedroom suite that nods to yesteryear or in a cute little girl's room. I am hoping they sell fast as they take up space. I am sure they will find a new home and I hope they have exciting tales to tell!

Contestant Number One

I was strolling in downtown Camas last week as I had to pick up more Annie Sloan and this is my closet option. The Purple Pear in Northwest Portland may be closer, but then I would have to deal with parking and it is a great excuse to visit Camas Antiques. If I could drive as the crow flies Camas would be ten minutes away, but instead I have to get on the freeway and cross a bridge and essentially backtrack....argh. I digress.
So anyway, I wasn't in my normal harried mode and decided to check out a few shops and came across a lovely shop, Lizzabeth A. I was drawn in by the April Cornell products, but soon found myself fawning over beautiful papers. Lizzabeth asked if I was planning to enter the contest. "What contest?" I asked.
She explained that if I used the papers, which were 30% off, in a project I could enter to win a gift certificate prize (actually there are three prizes). You probably can guess what happened.
Yep, I bought three different papers and headed home.
I found this table a few weeks ago at a garage sale. I bundled it with several other items so I can't even tell you how much it was:

It was in great condition, but the top is this awful faux (it may be real) leather with gold trim. It reminds me of....well baby poop.

I decided this paper was perfect for the project. I painted it Annie Sloan Paris Grey and highlighted a carved line with gold to bring out the subtle gold in the paper. I also painted the knobs gold. Next, I decoupaged the paper to the top. It was a perfect...

I ended up getting honorable mention in the contest. My prize is a box of Moonstruck chocolate. I am a bit disappointed, but I'm sure the chocolate will cure my blues. 

Little Red Cabinet (Woowoo)

Did you get my title reference? Little Red Corvette was running through my mind the entire time I painted this cabinet. I was super stoked when I saw it on a Facebook page, but disappointed when I picked it up and the top was laminate. I didn't let it get me down because the size was awesome. I have found that my smaller pieces often sell quickly because many people don't have room for huge furniture. Anyway, I painted this red and left the back cream. I had another piece of paper left from my trip to Elizzabeth As that matched it perfectly. I decoupaged it on the back and loved the results.

I posted this and expected to get a lot of calls, but alas my phone never rang. It seems like my sales are feast or famine. I am selling things super fast or not at all. Today I ended up selling this and a dresser.
I am a painting fool right now as I am trying to get my garage cleared out of all the furniture I was collecting at the end of the school year. I will be finishing two big pieces tomorrow so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

A Happy Mistake

My husband isn't a fan of picking up things I find on Craigslist. He wasn't amused when I asked him to pick up a dresser on his way home from the mall. He is a good sport and gave in to my request a few Saturdays ago. When he brought it home I was in love with the size of the piece, but it was pretty rough. It had at least three coats of paint on it and I didn't want to spend the time to strip it. I will be honest there is no profit in stripping (hahahahahahahha).
I decided to paint it with the last of my Peacock paint. This was a mistake. I literally started scrapping the bottom of the paint container. OF COURSE I hadn't stirred the paint well and it began to get white at the bottom. I realized this too late and had already slapped the paint on the several drawers (Attention: Do not paint with sunglasses on). I decided to go with it and figure it out later. In the end I loved the results.

I distressed parts of the dresser to show the black and red underneath. I posted this on on Facebook and within a few minutes I had several people inquire about it. I ended up selling it to one of my son's baseball teammates. I love it when my pieces stay close to home. In the end I am happy with this mistake. I think the white adds another layer to the dresser and makes it look beachy and worn.

You may have noticed the pots on the side of the dresser. My yard gets very limited sun and as a result I can't grow my favorite flowers, dahlias. I decided to try growing them in pots on the side of the house this summer. We shall see what the results are.
In other news I have been absent from the world of blogging because I haven't had a computer and I was out of town for a work trip. We finally bit the bullet and bought a MacBook. I think I am in love. I am excited to do several blog posts in the next couple days.