Speaking of Wax...

This lady took her eye of the [wax] ball or tin, so to speak and ran clear out.  Since we don't have any stockists locally, I'm patiently waiting for my new tin to arrive.  Please Annie and Postie...don't be too long getting the good stuff here!

Wendy  x...

2 over 3 Chest of Drawers...

So work is progressing on the '2 over 3' chest at last.  With two coat's of ASPC blended paint {French Linen and Old White} and a day or two to rest, the piece was read for some smooth sanding.  Although Annie recommends waxing prior to sanding {better control and less dust} I still prefer to sand both between coats, and prior to applying the wax.  I don't lose all of the paint texture during the process and, personally, I love the colours that appear as you smooth sand it.  Also, it's nice and easy to get the wax on and off and the sheen once buffed is superb.  

If you remember the previous post, I'll be finishing the piece with these stained and waxed wooden buttons....

As usual, I hope the post finds you well,

Enjoy your day...

Wendy  x...

The Anatomy of a Little Stand Refurb!

Quite a while ago {you might already have spotted it here} I was given this little stand.  I think the owner had been using it as a plant stand.  It wasn't very exciting as it stood and I definitely wasn't that interested in working on it straight away.  However, one afternoon, I decided to start sanding it while I waited for the paint to dry on another project.  Well, I loved the grain of the wood on the discs.  Loved it.  So, I kept going and here is what the piece looked like when I finished.

It sold pretty quickly at the market.  I love it when something discarded and unloved get's a new lease of life and I really hope it's in circulation for a good few years to come.  I enjoyed this little project so much, I thought I'd share some of the refurb shots with you.

The little stand dismantled with the edging on the discs painted...

Re-assembled.  Before the addition of the butterfly and after...

The paint used was Fired Earth 'Oak Apple'.  I sanded the painted edgings with fine grit sandpaper until the wood was visible through the paint then finally added the butterfly silhouette's.  The silhouette was copied from an image found on Google, which I transferred onto contact paper and cut out with a craft knife.  For the colours, I used Dulux 'Breton Blue', and the white was Dulux matt emulsion.  The whole stand was then sealed with poly {a water based quick dry matt varnish} all over with plates getting several coats for protection.

Thanks for popping by...enjoy the day,

Wendy  x...

One Very Lovely Chair...

From Anthropologie...

Wendy  x...

More Furniture Hardware...

I absolutely love it when something you've been hunting for {at a reasonable price!} practically falls into your lap.  I'm always on the lookout for old furniture hardware...brass cup handles, index tag holders and the like.  Well, a couple of weeks ago one of my fellow stall holders turned up with these beauties...

I was pretty over the moon about it. For most, this might not be that exciting a find but for me a was a real boon. It's pretty rare to stumble on, or even find these items locally and if I do happen upon them the price tag is usually pretty inflated. For example, the last time I stumbled on cup handles at an 'antique' store locally, the owner quoted £6 per handle! Yep. That's 6 British pounds. My guy passed these gems on {the entire find - 10 handles, 10 tag holders} for £15. He charged £1 per handle and threw the tag holders in at 50p each. You cannot ask for fairer than that. Bought at the 'antique' store, that little booty of cup handles alone would have set me back £60. Now I can pass that saving on! 

As usual, have a great day...whatever you're up to!

Wendy  x...

Ceramic, Glass or Wood Buttons?

So I've been working on some pieces at the moment...a 2 over 3 set of drawers, a coffee table and a set of side cabinets. I've been dithering a lot over the handles for the drawers and moved back and forth between glass, ceramic or wooden buttons.  There are so many options out there.

{clockwise: yellow mix from 'These Please' ebay store/Druzy Knob from 'Anthropologie'/mixed glass from'These Please'/clear glass knob from 'Indigo 11'}

However, I need 10 buttons for this piece, so at this stage I need to watch the cost.  Hence the reason I've focused on the wood option.  However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.  I love the contrast created between grey tones and wood tones - dark or light.  For example...

So I plumped for some traditional round wood buttons which I've stained in 'American Walnut' and finished off with Fiddes Wax. Probably unnecessary but I love the sheen on wooden handles. Here they are...simple and uncluttered looking but I'm hoping that they will sit well on the piece which is painted in a custom blend of Annie Sloan's 'French Linen'.

Have a great day,

Wendy  x...
p.s. 
Apologies for missing out the image credits...but if you need them you can find them all on my Pinterest pages.

The Stall...

So recently I've been trying to get my stall into some kind of order having wholly neglected it whilst I was finishing my last year at Uni.  First on the list was sorting out the huge old wooden,  ex-shop display stand cited in my stall space.  Too big to move - well, no place to put it really - I decided to make better use of it rather than ignore it!  When I first moved in to the market, short on time, I covered the display stand [and piles of miscellaneous books] with some 'curtains'.  They served their purpose and looked neat enough, however, I really wanted to put it to better use.  

So, I grabbed an old pot of ASCP in 'Chateau Grey' [if I remember correctly!], lightened it up with some white, and painted out the back of the display which had been attacked with a permanent marker!  Once that was done, I decided to add some stripes.  I often finish my furniture with stripes, so I figured I would keep the tradition going.  I darkened down the colour for some contrast, taped out the lines, and painted them in.

The top of the dresser, which you can just see in the photo, has a strip of black.  This was a rather ugly strip of oddly coloured veneer which looked pretty out of place on the piece.  Rather than remove it, I gave it a coat of blackboard paint making it a useful place to pop info or a contact number etc.  

Voila, a mid-paint shot of the old display cabinet.  Definitely looking a lot healthier than it did before.  Now, what's next, I wonder....a shelf or two?

Enjoy your day,

Wendy  x...

A Couple of Small Items Completed....Phew!

Despite the recent weather, I managed to get a couple of pieces finished today.  Hooray!  Usually I opt for regular emulsion paints when I'm working on furniture, which involves a lot of prep and finishing work.  However, as the weather's been pretty erratic around here, I cracked out some Annie Sloan paint.  It's not my usual choice and I'm a definite neophyte when it comes to these products but I had fun today experimenting...and the bonus...both pieces are done.  Which means they'll be making it in time for the market this weekend.  Even better news!

Apologies in advance for the quality of these photo's...snapped in haste on BB!

 Wendy  x...

Some Pieces in the Pipeline...

Have a fantastic day...

Wendy  x...