Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Nimbus cloud table and Tremaeu mirror

Mirror mirror on the wall.....what color would you like to be, after all?  I painted this mirror black, dark gray, cream, and finally decided to pair it with this sofa table and finish them in the color of choice for one of my favorite customers, Kamela.  She chose Nimbus Cloud for her vanity (blog with pics coming soon) and it was just so fresh and clean I thought it would be perfect for these two as well.  

With a good sanding, two good coats of primer, two good coats of Nimbus Cloud, a heavy application of wax, new hardware, and....yellow chevron fabric lining the drawers-yum, they are done!



 





They have a much more modern feel than I usually do but, I love how clean and fresh they are.  

Have a fantastic Tuesday!
Lisa

Saturday, June 11, 2011

A few new things

Things have been really busy around here.  It's the end of baseball season, the kids are out of school, I'm ready to fly the coop and head to Texas to the ranch, and we have baby quail hatching in our laundry room.  But everybody is busy, right?!


Several of these are going to need a little more explanation but for now you'll have to get the short version....


Today is a BIG baseball day for us.  My Handsome Hubby will be coaching Cowboy's team in the championship games(s).  The first (and hopefully only game) will be at 9:30 and depending on how that goes we will either be the league champs or play again at 1:30 (HOT) to try again.  Either way, at the end of the day, this year's baseball season will be over for us and the Rangers will be 1st or 2nd in their league.  Go Rangers!  


I've been finishing projects left, right, and center but forgot to take pictures on several (thankfully my wonderful customer said she would send me some), and I just haven't been able to sit down long enough to write things down coherently...that might still be a problem;  please hang with me!
We have quail eggs hatching in the laundry room and they are just about the cutest things...more on that later.


AND then these showed up in my driveway!  I know what you're going to say....more chairs?!  Yes, more chairs!  


One of my husband's coworkers said to him the other day, "Hey!  I know you've said your wife has a thing for chairs.  We're getting rid of a few things, do you think she's want a couple more?"  John didn't even hesitate and just brought them home.  How excited do you think I was to walk out in the driveway and find these treasures?!?!  Dan and Missy, I owe you, big time.

 Of course, they do need a little love and some wood glue too but, before long they will be splendid.
Kudos to the Handsome Hubby!  You just have to be happy about a husband that supports you in all your adventures, especially the ones he thinks are a little crazy!


With baseball over after today, maybe I will be able to catch up on some great makeovers blogs!  And finish up some more projects too. 


Wish us luck!  Have a great day and let me know if you're interested in a chair or two!
Lisa







Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Silk Damask and balloon chairs

When they put these chairs on stage at the last auction my first thought was "if I bring home more chairs, my husband will kill me!" but that was shortly followed by, "those could be SO beautiful!".  The bidding started and my hand shot up!  It was totally uncontrollable and, honestly, there weren't too many others that saw the obvious potential of these beauties!
They were Uuugly (notice the capital) and they got much worse before they got better!  As we started ripping into them, dirt or decomposed filling, just plain nastiness, started pouring out.  I had enlisted the help of my sister but pretty soon she was bowing out!

Yes, that is my kitchen floor....I had NO idea this was going to be such a nasty job!  I knew I didn't want to think of where all that red velvet had  been before my kitchen but, then the grossness behind the velvet was almost more than my sister could take!  We moved outside VERY soon after this picture was taken.

Once they were all taken apart, sanded, and primed, they got a couple coats of heirloom white.  I didn't want to distress them but I did want to add a little depth to the pretty but plain cream so I very slightly glazed them with a beeswax and stain combination.  It adds just a little shine, smells great and is easy to mix the stain into to give the look of antiquing.

Then the really hard part started.  I thought these would be a very easy upholstery job but, they WEREN'T!  In fact, after starting on one, I got so frustrated that I left them sitting in the living room for several days.   I usually don't do projects in the living room (kitchen - yes but living room - no) because there is just too great a chance for dogs, kids, husbands, etc to mess with my project and besides, it's not really fair for my projects to take over the entire house, yard, and garage too is it?  Anyway,  I needed the TV's distraction to actually get these done and when they were finally finished, I was SO glad.  

I was so glad in fact, that I loaded them up and took them to the booth so that no one in my house would touch them (or "look" at them with sticky fingers, or sniff them with drooling lips...).  Just as I was unloading them I realized I had not taken after pictures so, I took some in the parking lot!  Not the best after pictures for such beautiful chairs but, better than nothing!

Why is it that the "easy" projects are always the killers?!?!

Here they are from start to finish!




 I'm so glad I got these chairs that night and that I was able to make them beautiful again. Oh, and that night I came home from the auction with 12 new chairs......Handsome Hubby is convinced (more than ever) that I have a chair problem!  I love the idea of having a great place to sit!

Have a great day!
Lisa




Sea-Glass side table

When I first saw this little table I loved it but the garage was already overflowing with projects.  I walked away but just kept coming back.   I loved the detail on the sides and that it looked like braids with little cut-outs.  I also thought it was a great size and liked that it had two levels.  Finally, I just figured, “Why not?”! 


I brought it home but couldn’t decide what to do with it.  Hhhmmm……I painted it cream…..and it just looked plain ‘ol vanilla.  I added a beautiful teal blue color to the braided parts only…UGH!  So, I moved it to the back of the project list and kept on moving. 

Then last week I had a custom project I was working on (HERE) and decided that I should paint several items at once.  The client asked for a blue/green color so this is one I’ve been calling sea-glass yummy!  I got her table painted and then pulled out a mirror and this little table;  perfect!

Before:
After:





Beautiful mirror with curvy frame!
42"W x 34"T
$65

Beautiful Bassett Table
$65

I'm SO glad I caved in and bought this table.  I think she turned out lovely and this is the color she was meant to be.....for now at least! 

I hope you have a wonderful day!
Lisa

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Curvy Mirror

This  mirror with the great curvy frame would add just the right sparkle and light to almost any room.  

The mirror is in great shape, the frame has been painted a beautiful sea-glass color, and then slightly glazed.   If you're interested, please e-mail us at ArtichokeAlley@hotmail.com. 


AFTER:



BEFORE:  
42"W x 21.5"T
$65 

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Ethan Allen Table

This adorable Ethan Allen table will be customized for Sara  and will be beautiful in black!


18.5"D (without leaves) x 34"L x 30"T
3 leaves - 12"D each for a possible extra 36"D (54.5"D x 34"L x 30"T)

$135 refabbed (painted, distressed/glazed ) 

Barrel Chairs with Cane Sides

This barrel chair with cane sides is now available at Artichoke Alley.  With a little love, some fresh paint, and new upholstery, they can be customized just for you and your home!  If you're interested, please e-mail us at ArtichokeAlley@hotmail.com.




$90 refabbed (painted, distressed/glazed, reupholstered with your fabric without tufting)
SOLD! 

Pair of high backed green chairs

This pair of high backed arm chairs found a new home with Rebecca!


$120 for the pair (refabbed)
You provide the fabric and we will reupholster, paint, and distress/glaze (as desired).