Faded Farmhouse Charm and Harpers Ferry

The Painted Drawer...faded farmhouse charm.  What do you think?  I am busy coming up with ideas for my new logo design.  It pretty much sums up the "look" that I adore.  All of my pieces would fit perfectly in a gorgeous old farmhouse.  Not necessarily french or scandinavian, cottage or beach -  just any farmhouse, anywhere! 

My latest projects, the vintage sunburst chest of drawers and this lovely old chair I reupholstered in burlap, are quite "faded farmhouse"...

Fall Finds

I went to Lucketts yesterday to restock and, wow!  I am so happy that many of my pieces have found new homes.  I brought my latest unique vintage find - the lovely federal style dresser.  I love keyhole drawers and it was amazing to see the key actually taped inside the drawer.  These are usually long gone!  Painted in pale green milkpaint and lightly distressed, it's a beauty.

Lovely Lines

The absolute, without doubt, funnest thing in the WORLD, is finding that hidden gem buried amidst junk at a yardsale or thrift store.  I just grin from ear to ear when I see something that will transform into a beautiful piece for the home. 

Another love of mine is perusing the blog world, pinterest, and magazines for design inspiration.  I love all design.  Sometimes, when I see a really beautiful picture, I actually get teary eyed!  I love beautiful things and wanted to share a few of my favorites.  You can see the lovely lines that I look for and imagine my joy at finding them and bringing their beauty back to life. 


Christian Dior hat and gown, Paris, 1954 (gorgeous) and the lines in the ironwork on my table...

Kingfisher Blue

Does this kingfisher know how french country he is?

With summer drawing to an end comes the anticipation of cooler days, soccer games, school activities and - my favorite - the beautiful autumn leaves.  Keeping in mind the brilliant colors of fall, this past week I spent working on a few pieces in those true gorgeous french country colors of blue and yellow.  These are such vibrant colors that can add a pop of charming color in any room.

I am about to add a deep red to my color scheme this week with my beautiful desk/chest of drawers set to have its makeover.  I can't wait to post the pics in the Projects page as it comes along in the next few days.







from ThisLilStashOfMine via Etsy

Williamsburg and Back to Work

We had a great time looking around historic Williamsburg this past weekend.  This plus a day at the Busch Gardens park was an excellent way to end our summer break!  I took a few pics in Williamsburg to share.  I love that my furniture would actually look modern here :)

End of Summer and Progress!

The crepe myrtles are just ending their glorious summer season.  We have three large crepe mrytle trees surrounding our house inside and out with their pink blossoms.  Such a lovely view!

 

Summer is almost over. The kids are back in school next week and I am both happy and sad about it.  Happy for the fall and a schedule to follow again but sad because I love having them home...although it is a lot easier to paint when they are not running around falling off their rollerblades or playing Let's Make a Deal with my curtains "What is behind Curtain Number 1?" and generally being kids!

The Painted Drawer had a very productive week!  The lovely plank table sold out of On A Whim.  Very happy about that :)  Another piece that has found a new home is the French Country Provence Dresser.  One of my favorites in that gorgeous Annie Sloan provence blue, it is a real "statement" piece.  It will make its way to Brooklyn, NY on Thursday.  Bill, the shipper who delivered the vintage bench to Staten Island, is doing this shipment.  How great a find is he!  I now have two movers who I know and trust which is so important.  I'm also making progress in figuring out the winning combination of small vs. large items for my space.  All part of the learning curve!

Now that we've had our Eastern Shore crabs, we are on our way to Busch Gardens for our last dash of summer fun.  No, I do not ride the looping rollercoasters but my 13 year old can't wait!

Suzanne

The Eastern Shore and a French Country Table

I just returned from a quick beach trip with my kids to my brother and sister-in-law's house in East Ocean City, Maryland.  The kids had a great time with their cousins and Lulu, their new sweet kitten.  This was a very relaxing weekend of boardwalk fun, swimming in the ocean, cousins catching tadpoles and coffee on the porch!  I am staying out of the sun :) with my hat and sun umbrella.  Gone are the days of tanning on the beach!

The eastern shore of Maryland is truly beautiful.  I have added a few pictures of the fairytale house we found and a few more...

While I was away relaxing in my brother's porch, not a whole lot of work at The Painted Drawer was happening.  I was, however, able to finish the plank table before we left.  It is LOVELY in milk paint and glaze! Just beautiful!  It has french country, curvy iron legs with a gorgeous spindle running through them. The plank top is heavy and has great curved corners and the milk paint has given it a translucent, light finish. The whole thing turned out so well and I am really pleased. It is great when a project just comes together!