HAPPY HALLOWEEN

 
 
 
 
 
 


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ANNIE SLOAN IN VANCOUVER and A BALLERINA DRESSER

 
 
 
Annie Sloan creator of the infamous paint I use so much of was here in Vancouver during
the Vancouver Home & Design Show earlier in October. My painted leather chair was also
making an appearance at the same show and in the same booth.
 
We made our way to the show to see the ladies from TPH and meet with Annie. An unexpected treat
 for us was to meet her husband David. We did get to chat for some time before everyone had to get
 on with their day. Annie still had an interview and a demo later that afternoon and we had many
 stops to make on our way back into the valley. We were able to send a little something home with
 Annie, one of George's man made candles.

 
With so much going on this month I'm happy to report I have even been able to get some work done
on furniture. I started painting and fixing this little dresser months ago. I saw this ballerina graphic
used on a dresser at the Luckett's Spring Market and knew I was going to use it one day.
 
 
This dresser is smaller than it looks but looks even cuter in person. I used antique brass drop pulls on the drawers and double bun feet underneath. The color is a creamy white (50-50 old white & pure white) and it is distressed with a hand waxed finish.
 
 


 
 
 
 


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HOW TO GET RID OF THE SMELL IN WOOD - turquoise chairs and charity results





Last weeks Charity Auction was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who came out to attend the event. The evening brought over $4000 in donations for the Langley Christmas Bureau. This chair went up for live auction and made $250 on it's own.

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ANNIE SLOAN & SUNFLOWER BEDSIDE TABLES - white nightstands


I'm always in the market for a piece of furniture that has been abused. Not ever DIY'er likes to repair
items or are comfortable with working with damage. In this case my night stand had quite a rough
surface from daily wear and tear. When you work with imperfections and want a vintage look
 highlight them, sand them more, help them stand out. That is where the character starts to show.


It is hard for each of us to see it as amazing because it is our own work. We were taught through out
our lives to color inside the lines yet today we covet those beautifully aged pieces be it authentic
age or reproduced by hand. It is all about breaking the rules.


Breaking the rules was the first thing I heard Annie Sloan talking about while she was on stage today
 at the Vancouver Home & Design show. We headed down town to meet up with the local stockist
and chat with Annie and hubby David while they are visiting beautiful British Columbia.


This chair Annie is sitting in was created for this weeks (Oct 24th) Chairs for Charity Auction. Like
 the creators using this colorful Annie Sloan fabric, I had fun working with the bright colors of
 the green jars I painted and sunflowers I used in my photo shoot so I ended up naming them
 "SUNFLOWER BEDSIDES"

I added a cute vintage pair of cabriolet legs to the fronts of each cabinet. The basket where I keep
legs I find is getting very thinned out, I wasn't even sure I had these, but alas they were the perfect fit!!







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FENCE BOARD GREY DRESSERS - working with what you have






I had a pair of these smaller dressers. They had a hard
glossy white finish that was in pretty good shape that I was going to work with. The drawers however had gold detailing around the edge that I was going to change.

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FIXING SHRIVELED PUMPKINS - canadian thanksgiving harvest








Canada's  Thanksgiving long weekend is in October, on the second Monday of the month. Our crops are ready for harvest at this time of the year.


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MY KITCHEN CABINETS TODAY

 
 
 
My kitchen cabinets started as dark dirty brown mdf, very typical for a seventies mobile home.
 
 
To update and lighten the kitchen I added an inexpensive trim to the face of each door and painted them.
They were painted in a cream color semi gloss latex paint, followed by a dry brushing of a darker cream latex on the trimmed area. The handles were changed to dark wood knobs and the hinges were
 painted with an oil rubbed bronze spray. I did these cabinets years ago and I'm still very happy with the look.
 
 

 

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LIFE IS NEVER DULL - repost


This is an old post that an avid follower found last week and inspired me to share it again.
It is written by George pre chalk paint.

I have been asked so many times...."What's it like living with Kristy"? So I asked to write this post.
Well, I could write a book but instead I will donate a brief chapter.


Moi.....in deep thought

Her mind never stops. I can watch her thinking about a piece for hours/days - what to do with it, how
 to approach it, colour choices, embellishments, knobs, spray or hand paint. When all of the pieces of
 the puzzle fall into place (in her mind).....she's off like a shot and almost unstoppable until she
 completes the task. It is a really fun process to watch and I am always amazed with the results. I often
 wish I had that talent to vision artistic results.


Did you know she can paint other things as well?
She approaches every thing as though she is going to keep it. Numerous coats of primer and several
coats of finish paint. All of this after repairs and paint stripping. Talk about patience! And I don't have
 that kind of patience. I say to myself "just throw a coat of paint on it and sell it". But no....That is not
*Miss Do It Right's* mode of operation.


We've been together for 3 and a half years now.....second time for both of us. We made a promise that
 life will be easy and fun. It has been that and more.


Ok....so I have a mushy side

I really enjoy meeting Kristy's customers and followers. And if I brag a bit....well......I'm entitled and
 proud. Life with Kristy is an adventure in itself.


This is Kristy's daughter she is all dolled up here cause she was filming a movie when this was taken.
We are good friends and she thinks I am funny most of the time.
The 3 of us spend some really nice times together.



Here's Kat having a drink of water along side the always present paint brushes. She is the most
amazing animal I have ever met! She has been with Kristy for over 10yrs and has helped her thru
some very tough times. I had to stand up to Kat's approval when we were dating.

Holly (Kristy's one and only sister) and Me again.

These 2 sisters are very different but each share their strengths with the other.

Kristy is a lot like her father - very mechanically inclined.
It is interesting to see them talk, share ideas, and work together on something.

I love the fact that Kristy can do what she is passionate about and be close by. We are never far apart
and sometimes she asks me for an opinion. I always give it honestly even if I don't agree with her. We
 all have different views on what we like or what looks nice to our eyes....don't we? (I have learned
very quickly that interior decorating is not my strong point)

We have a few different interests but we support and respect each others. I can build a house (been
there, done that) but do not have the patience or talent for redoing furniture. I like some sports but
especially hockey and she has little interest. But....she has come to learn and watch some hockey with me.

I hope I have offered an insight into life with Kristy, if anything "life is never dull with Kristy".
George

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FURNITURE MAKE OVERS - before and afters 2

 
 
Here are some BEFORE and AFTER photos from the furniture makeover weekend I haven't gotten
 around to showing yet. This event offered a place to work, access to a skilled professional (that's me)
 and like minded women to meet and share ideas with. I had a wonderful time meet with
 these different women and was honoured to work with them on their projects. They also had passed a
 thank you card around the class during the final day for every one to sign. The truth is I got whiff of it
 in advance and thank fully I did cause it's those darn things that will make me tear up when you
 catch me off guard. Please enjoy these pictures and take away some ideas and inspiration of what
 you can do. I'll start with this short dresser that was already converted into a blanket box. The drawer
faces were fixed in place and the top was hinged. Now there is a great idea!
 
 
 

 

 
 
*************************
 

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