Those All Important 'After' Shots!

I don't know if any of you out there are as forgetful as I am but I've discovered that I frequently, yep frequently, forget to take those all important shots of finished pieces!  The image of the piece above is a prime example...it's the only shot I have of the piece before it made it's way to the market.  

The piece hasn't been cleaned off after the final fine sand.  The top has yet to be 'poly' coated, sanded and waxed,  And, of course, the little drawer is missing.  Darn it!  It  was so cute finished but I haven't done it any justice here. Aside from those issues, you just can't get a total feel for the piece at this angle.

I suspect I thought I would take a shot down in situ at the market, but alas, the wee piece sold the same day.  Note to self:  Don't forget those all important finale shots!

Spruced Up Trunk!

This was a little piece I did a few months ago.  I spotted the trunk at the market & had to buy it.  I love these old trunks and already own a small collection of them that I picked at a local mart in my teens many moons ago!  The trunk was in good order although the case itself was a very battered old maroon colour and in need of some attention.

I gave the piece a good old clean down and painted it with a custom blend of Anne Sloan 'Graphite' and 'Pure White'.  As I didn't want it to be a solid colour when finished, I sanded it out before waxing which gives a more varied patina.  I finished the piece with a 'Lotta Jansdotter' stencil I had and then finished the whole piece off with a couple of coats of clear wax.

I was super happy with the end result and the piece almost didn't make it to the market!  However, I forced myself to load it into the car and, happily, it found a new owner the same day.  It sold to a fab lady and her daughter who, I discovered after a 'wee chat', had bought another of my pieces whilst I'd been on holiday in Texas.  Fantastic.  I'm super chuffed it's going to great home & will be part of the decor in their newly refurbished guest room.  The job's a good 'un as they say!

All The Best,

Wx

Some Cursory Doodles for a New Piece!

So, I picked up a new {old!} piece from the market this weekend and have been thinking about some ideas for finishing it.  This is what I've come up with so far...

The first set of doodles leans more towards a more modern geometric design whilst the second is a slightly more whimsical design created with a dotted leaf stencil.  

The idea with the first design is to allow some of the wood underneath to show through, so the stripes and triangles would be taped off and the body of the piece painted in one colour.  The decision to go with this option will, of course, depend on how well the wood sands back.

With the second set of doodles, the idea there is to use a dotted leaf stencil a little like a {loose} paisley design/pattern, starting more densely at the bottom and opening out towards the middle but stopping from about a third to a half way up with perhaps some loose leafs flying around.

Decisions, decisions.

What do you think?  Option 1 or Option 2?  Don't be shy!

Wx

Up For Sale....

This wee guy is currently 'up for sale' at the market.

It's a handsome little fella {dimensions to follow} painted in 'Bowler Hat' grey and finished with a custom hand painted stencil with some wee additional embellishments.  The body of the chest has been fine sanded between coats and between the final layers of 'poly' layered for extra protection.

The {medium} dark wood top has been stripped, sanded, sealed with poly, and given a final coat of 'Fiddes Light' wax for shine.  The original hinges have also been replaced with some handsome wrought iron top hinges {I'll pop some better photo's of these up shortly!}.

The inside of the box has been thoroughly cleaned, sanded and finished with some Topps Wood Polish....

It's a handsome wee fella who would suit any home!

Price:  £130-

Recently Finished....

These cute little tables were recently finished as part of a custom job for a fab local couple who have bought a couple of pieces from me over the past year.  They were sanded, primed and finished in emulsion [provided by the clients to match their current decor], and topped of with several coats of 'poly' for extra protection.

The wee tables get a new lease of life and the couple get something to match their new interior!  Job Done :)

Enjoy the Day,

W.

Working On A Little Something....

Stag Chest...

A little while back {couple of weeks} I finished this piece.  I almost complete forgot to add it here as I've been busy working out finishes or working on 'wee' projects.  It's a great little storage chest that I was offered by a fellow trader.  I figured it would be a pretty good piece for trying out some more stencils and as it was pretty drab in it's original condition, a lick of paint would do it no harm!

I found an image of a stag head I liked and then simply went ahead and transferred it onto some acetate type paper for cutting.  I used the stencil on the reverse for the opposing heads, sealed the whole body of the chest with 'poly' {sanding between coats} and then finished the top off with a good sanding {going down the grades}, wire wool, couple of coats of 'poly' for protection, and finally, two coats of wax {one coat of Fiddes Light and one of Fiddes Rugger Brown}.

As the interior was in good condition, I cleaned it out {dust, debris, spider webs!}, fine sanded and gave it the once over with some Topp's medium.  This gives it back some colour but also add's a lovely fresh polish smell.

Now I just need some lovely toning tweedy type cushions to rest on it...a roaring wood burning stove, comfy armchair etc, etc!

Incidentally, if a piece has a 'makers tag' like the one below, I often like to go and research it on the web.  Often there are fascinating social histories attached to them.  In this instance, it was pretty interesting to read about C.W.S Ltd {the Co-operative Wholesale Society}...

Update:  Oops!, I forgot to mention, this little guy went to a fab new home quite soon after it made it's way to the market :)

A Bit Late to the Party, But...

Porcelain Pens! Well, I've seen brilliant examples of porcelain doodling all over the internet and was intrigued...of course. Whilst I'm certainly no Da Vinci {as you might have noticed!} I do like a doodle and these pens seem pretty perfect for that.

I was enthusing about them at the market with a fellow stall holder {yep, L!} who suggested we replace our cha mugs with some spangly new ones - adding some embellishment to establish cha mug ownership! Here, here. Also handy 

for noting your cha requirements for whoever is tasked with catering the round!

Anyhoo, they arrived today. L's off with the red and I pinched the black. Too impatient to plan a design, I nabbed a spare plate and the geese stencil from yesterday to see how well the ink worked. Not bad, is the verdict. Fine point works well & is great for hand written script and it can be used on glass too. Endless possibilities.

Now, sit aside for three days before bunging in the dishwasher. Let's see what happens.

{Update...Fantastic! I propped the little plate up on the large old kitchen dresser I have on sale at the market for decoration and a lovely regular customer went right ahead and bought it!}