villabarnes: October 2011

Monday, October 31, 2011

Studio Vignettes

I've been buried in my garage and studio. I think I'm making progress with the organizing I shared here. I took a few photos while working on small projects in my studio these past few days.

I love the way the finish on this little metal frame turned out. I'm making lots of small chalkboards. You can see my technique for the frames finish HERE.

That little key rack started out as a small piece of weathered wood. It was a section of an old window that has fallen apart. I used my vintage stamps for the letters, and added embellishments. The hooks are galvanized nails I aged a bit.

My redesigned frames are piled on one of my favorite tables. It's a primitive that I can fold up when I don't need it.

My magnetic board is actually the back of an enamel top from an old table that is long gone.

I've had this doorstop for quite a while. I've used the finish on it as inspiration for many projects.

I made the piece on the right with a wooden lamp base, and a finial.

I bought these rusty metal hearts at a garage sale earlier this year. I'm envisioning them as ornaments. I'm thinking about adding a little something to them.

I have tons of projects to complete this week. I'll be sharing along the way. See ya soon.

Sharing With:
At The Picket Fence: Inspiration Friday
The Shabby Creek Cottage: Transformation Thursday
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party
Passionately Artistic
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesday
House of Grace: Twice Owned Tuesday
Faded Charm: White Wednesday
Homework: The Inspiration Board
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia: Tuesdays Treasures
Between Naps on the Porch: Metamorphosis Monday

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Chippy Storage

If you like chippy finishes, you'll love this. If you don't, oh well, lol. This is the piece I gave you a sneak peek of.

I partially stripped the finish of this cabinet. I used the same technique seen here. I needed a storage cabinet for my work space, and this is perfect.

This is what I started with. I could see little hints of color peeking through, and knew I wanted to reveal more.

The feet were wobbly, and I didn't like them. They were just nailed in the bottom. So, I removed them.

This is what the back looks like. Love it.

I left the interior as is. I just gave it a good cleaning. I only have the before shot.

Seal the finish, and that's it. I love the chippy finish now, with the green and grey showing.

I added a small nail to the door, for hanging random items.

It's the perfect addition to my nearly organized work space. I'll be sharing my progress, and many other projects soon.

Sharing With:
Funky Junk Interiors: Saturday Nite Special Best of 2011
Thrift Decor Chick: Before and After
The Shabby Creek Cottage: Transformation Thursday
From My Front Porch To Yours: Treasure Hunt
Passionately Artistic
Primitive & Proper: Piece of Work Wednesday
Faded Charm: White Wednesday
Sassy Sites: Trash to Treasure
Between Naps on the Porch: Metamorphosis Monday
The Girl Creative: Just Something I Whipped Up
Homemaker on a Dime: Creative Bloggers
Dittle Dattle: Amaze Me Monday
The DIY Showoff: DIY Project Parade
Tatertots and Jello: Weekend Wrap up Party
Remodelaholic: Remodelaholic's Anonymous
My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday
The Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home
Miss Mustard Seed: Furniture Feature Friday
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
The Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday
At The Picket Fence: Inspiration Friday

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Random Vignettes

While taking on the uphill battle of organizing my garage and workspace today, I paused for a moment, and realized that I had created several random vignettes. I've been casually searching for my next home. Just my luck, I'll fall in love with something in the dead of winter. I simply have to get things straightened out before the cold really takes hold. I have to figure out what's staying in the house, how I'm organizing my workspace, how I want to stack and pack in the garage, etc. I'll spare you any wide shots, it's a little too scary.

Haven't decided what I'm doing with this table yet.

Stuff, stuff, stuff.

I forgot I had these little shakers.

This is but a tiny drop of what I'm dealing with here. After I'm done frustrating myself and making no real progress, I'll be back to show you what this is and what I'm doing with it.

See ya soon.

Sharing With:
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
2805: Potpourri Party
The Shabby Creek Cottage: Transformation Thursday
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party
Faded Charm: White Wednesday

Monday, October 24, 2011

Weathered and Worn

I love weathered and worn paint finishes, and I love to experiment with techniques to duplicate that look. Can you tell which of these finishes occurred naturally over time, and which were my handiwork?

Have you guessed yet?

OK, if you read THIS POST, you know that's another one of my swag panels. So, yes I gave it that weathered finish. The only items here that have aged over time is the carrier, and the old window underneath. Everything else, although vintage, were grunged up even more by me.

I painted the frames and candle holders a while ago. The candle holder above had been painted multiple times. Yesterday, I decided to do an intentionally bad stripping job to get a certain look for a few vignettes I'm working on.

I wanted some, but not all of the paint to be removed. Afterwards, I gave everything a good scrubbing with mineral spirits to clean up the residue. Then, I washed, rinsed, let them dry, and went over the finish with a sanding pad.

Here's one of the frames and the panel during the bad stripping process. I didn't apply the stripper correctly, cover the entire area, or let it set long enough.