Beachy Bar Stools

Here is what I have decided:  the more I have to actually blog about, the LESS time I have to blog it.  But then, doing anything in a timely manner has never been my strong suit.

Take these bar stools, for instance.  I bought them last summer, before House of White was born.  They were originally a blond wood.  I actually took before pictures, but they are still on my broken hard drive. . . irretrievable.  I painted one right after I got it, so conceivably I could have taken a picture of the other two, which just got painted last week.  But no.

They aren't that old, but I thought they would look cute and beachy all painted up, with numbers on the back.   I liked the rush seats and thought I could clean them up.

 Rob, of course, reminded me that we didn't have a beach house to put them in, but I bought them anyway--for my house.  Then we decided something more nondescript would be better for the space since the table was so close.

I might have made a bad decision. . .

Lisa and I finally got around to finishing the chairs this week.  I discovered that the spots on the seats were wax. . . meant to hold the seat together where it was suffering from some wear and tear.  It was staying.

So I decided to sew little covers for them.

I think they turned out super cute.  I added a little blue ticking stripe trim to the seat, and ties to the back (along with little ties under the front to secure it to the front legs).

They blend in so well with my kitchen that I think I should have kept them!

And even though I screwed up when I painted the first number, and did it off centered, I think the added dot just makes it cuter.

But alas, Lisa wouldn't let me keep them.  So we packed them off to the shop, along with a few other things.  And there they sit, in case they are calling your name--you can go rescue them and take them home with you.

Nothing says summer like a little beachy decor and a pitcher of lilacs.

To Glaze or Not to Gaze. . .

Despite the fact that we are called House of White, I like a little variation in my finishes.  White, after all, isn't really one color--it's a myriad of subtle shades, which don't always make a subtle statement!  So when painting our furniture and accessories, we choose from a half dozen of our favorite shades.  Sometimes I have a hard time deciding if a piece should be creamy white, or pale gray, or have a hint of blue. . . other times it's as though the chair or dresser is whispering "Make me blue!"--like the chairs I am working on right now.

But the indecision doesn't stop there.  Should I keep is a clean solid painted surface? Should I sand and distress it?  Should I antique and glaze it?  I have tried several antiquing glazes and after many not so great results, I found one I liked.  It was a simple glaze found at the craft store in "mushroom" that I added to a glazing medium.  But I ran out recently and instead of making a special trip to the craft store I picked up a different one at the hardware store since I was already there.  It is darker than the mushroom color, but for some things, I think I like it.

Take these wood candlesticks, for instance.  After some debate, we painted two cream (that were peach before!) and two pale blue (that were dark wood before).  And I quite like them as they are.

But I decided to glaze them and try out the new glaze.  They had some interesting details that would stand out more with the contrast.

But after I glazed them both, I decided that while I liked the cream ones, the blue ones were too contrasty.

What about you?  Do you have any favorite glazing/painting techniques?

Victorian Farm Table Love. . .

The week Lisa and I decided to embark upon House of White we went to an estate sale.  It wasn't one of those estate sales where there are experts who find out the actual value of everything and then double it, it was more of a glorified garage sale.  We came away with a vanity and stool, dresser, desk, chair, and this table (all of which we got a great deal on):

It had such cute little charm that we both wanted to take it home for keeps.  So we used it in lots of pictures and hemmed and hawed over whether to keep it as is, refinish it, or paint it.

We had seen a similar table at Camas Antiques that had been painted and it was cute, but I still wasn't convinced.

So it hung around my house for a while getting used as a prop and getting in my way in the garage between shoots.

Then I decided I wanted to use it in our booth to display a small Christmas tree with some of our handmade ornaments.

So I had to make a decision.  I took a cue from Marian and decided the perfect balance would be to sand down the top and stain it, while painting the legs.

I primed the legs and painted them a very pale blue.  Then distressed them a little.

I have to say, I love it more now than I did before.

And because we were rushing to fill our booth before the big holiday open house today, I didn't get to stage the table and take lovely pictures of it.

So you will have to make do with the pictures of it installed in the booth.

If it doesn't sell soon, I may tell Lisa it sold and sneak it home so I can love it a little longer.

***Linking with Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed's 

A Softer Shade of Sunny

Living in the northwest, I appreciate a sunny shade of yellow.  My house is, in fact, painted a pale yellow.  In all the right places, yellow makes me smile. . .

But somehow, these dining chairs weren't making me smile.  And really, are they yellow? Are they gold?

I snagged them at the Goodwill.  I actually had to ask a lady sitting on one if she intended to purchase it, because I wanted it.  Turns out she was just waiting for her husband.  And judging by the look on her face, the brightness of these chairs blinded her to their potential.  But not me.

One thing was certain--they needed a little help before they could really shine.

A coat of white paint, antique glaze, and a new outfit went a long way to brightening this pair up. . . or toning them down. . .

Now they are all kinds of lovely.  Their new, but economical, upholstery gives the pair a more casual style than the gold velvet.

Bleached drop cloth never looked so good. . . unless you count the hundred and one other people who are creating great pieces with the aid of inexpensive canvas and a little craft paint.

As usual, now that the transformation is complete I realize how great they look in my house.  Too bad they are not long for this room.

They are headed to the shop, along with the pillow and cute little drop top table. . .

. . . which used to look like this:

Although I originally purchased it for my daughter's room, I think it needs to sit between these chairs and look adorable.  And in case it isn't small enough, the top has a release knob that lets the top drop to the side and store away in small spaces.

Luckily I took lots of pictures to remind myself how cute they all are.

One of these days I will purchase furniture I can actually leave in my house.  You might have noticed this room is lacking a little somthin' somthin'. . . like a sofa, or a chair or two, or tables.  But the rug? That's staying!

The Best Things. . .

. . . come to those who wait.  (But once you see it coming, jump quick or you'll miss it!)

It may also be true that the best things in life aren't free. . . but some really great stuff is!

And Craig will tell you how to find it.  On a nearly nightly basis I take a quick gander at what there is to be had on craigslist, and my first stop is the "free stuff" section.  Now, you might be thinking one of two things--

If it's free, there's a reason.

OR,

If it's free it will be gone before I get there.

And you will most likely be right on both counts.

But sometimes that reason is merely that someone doesn't want to be bothered with trying to sell it, or they are in a hurry to get rid of it (due to a move or something). . . or they don't realize their junk is REALLY a fabulous treasure!

Usually I look at the location and figure it has been posted too long to still be there or is too far from my house.  Often the poster doesn't want to be bothered and won't respond to emails asking if it is still there.

But one night I hoped on around 8:30 to see a free post with a couch, a chair, two desks, a dresser, and a nightstand.  I liked three things she was offering, it was ten minutes from my house (or less) and it had been posted 30 minutes before I looked at it.  It was an "it's on the porch, come get it" sort of post.

So I did.

Only, by the time I got there the only things left were the two desks--luckily one was super cute.  It went home with me, of course.

And while she may have needed a little help, it was just the kind of help I was willing and able to give.

A little paint and a couple new screws later. . .

And she was perfect.

Sometimes great stuff really is free. . . plus a mad scramble, a little paint and some elbow grease!

The only issue here (which may not actually be such a bad thing) is that once I realized how cheap (or free) you could find things, it's become a challenge to see how little I have to pay for something.  And it makes it easier to splurge when I find something I REALLY have to have, but isn't cheap.  I consider that balance.