French Inspired Transformations

Warning ~

French inspiration ahead!

I've been painting like there's no tomorrow.

Well...I hope there's a tomorrow.

I've got more painting to do!

I've been working on some poor, ugly ducklings

for my friend, Georgina.

She owns Doster Emporium ~
a vintage grain elevator/lumber mill
she turned into a fabulously quaint antique shop
- full of trinkets and treasures -
with a very interesting history behind it.

The Doster family has owned it for over 100 years.
Georgina knows all of the history behind this beautiful old building,
and gladly gives tours of the building and it's beautiful surrounding property.

She's been giving me pieces of furniture and odds and ends to paint

so that she can sell them on Craigslist this winter,

as well as in the Emporium when it opens again in the spring.

(Or you can call her and she'll gladly open up the shop for you!
1-269-664-3231)

We plan on being vendors at the Allegan Antique Market at the May 2012 show
and will be taking a lot of my painted and her unpainted furniture with us.

Debbie will be coming down again and bringing some of her sweet things to sell, too.

Oh yeah, baby....
we're going to have the best booth there!

So....this is what I've been busy working on in my studio disaster-of-a-basement.


Project #1 was a historical desk that had beautiful French bones,
but was stained a very strange orange color.
Orange?   
Really?

I failed to take a 'before' photo of it.
You wouldn't have wanted to see it, believe me...

But this is how she turned out with a little ASCP-love
and a couple repurposed porcelain knobs that used to be on my kitchen cabinets.

ASCP in "French Grey" with "Old White" accents

Project #2 was a very old ho-hum rocker/glider.

Yikes!  Is that straw...or HORSEHAIR....?

With a little ASCP in 'Old White', Clear Wax, cushy new foam padding, and a piece of drop cloth,
it morphed in to a delicious French rocker/glider

with a faux grain sack seat.

I'm kind of getting into this reupholstering thing.

I love ripping into those old seats to see what's under there.

I loved the way she turned out,
and almost considered keeping her...

I used FabricMate pens for the first time on this drop cloth seat.

Those things are sweet!  

Very easy to use and much more realistic looking than fabric paint.

I didn't even have to use the painter's tape.
I just lined up my yardstick and drew stripes with the chisel tip.

Project #3 was a lonely looking, boring dining chair
(which I started painting before I remembered that I had to take a 'before' photo for you).

She morphed into a luscious French side-chair
with a faux grain sack seat made from more drop cloth ~
and yup, another FabricMate pen.

ASCP in "French Grey"

Are you still with me?

Ok, then.....

Project#4:  Can you say ~ "ugly pea-green mirror"?

Pea-green.  Really?
Good grief.
What are these people thinking....?

It was lovingly transformed into sweet French chicness.

ASCP in "Old White" with a drybrush of "Paris Grey".

Yes, believe it or not,
there's a Project #5.

Next up was an old gold frame that I whitewashed with ASCP in 'Old White'.

I added a French script piece of scrapbook paper,

swished a little chalk paint on the cardboard backing peeking out behind the large photo,

and inserted a couple vintage photos Georgina had at the Emporium.

The brown resin frame you see behind the picture

was just drybrushed with more 'Old White'

to create a pretty patina.

The old vintage oval mirror tucked in the back
was dressed with 'Old White' and a little distressing.
It's a beautifully made, heavy mirror. 

And last but not least,
a plain, old wood sconce was turned into a
sweet, Nordic inspired sconce
with a pretty blue tea light
(that smells like the ocean).

ASCP in 'Old White'

A little paint + a little layering of color +
a whiz of a palm sander + a rub of wax +
a lot of elbow grease buffing to a satiny sheen =

French inspired transformations
perfect for your home.

Like what you see?

Look for these treasures (and MORE!) at Doster Emporium 
 on Facebook.

We'll be listing them on Craigslist very soon, too!

(or just give Georgina a call!) 

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