Last Year's Favorite Finds

The Painted Drawer started last February with a Dixie french provincial dresser my mother found in a thrift store.  Since then, I have had a lot of fun with many different pieces.  I thought to share a few of my favorite 2012 finds and hope to find many more in 2013!  

This chair I found on a curb in pieces.  After painting it in Old White and with a lot of glue and TLC, here she is (with Baxter modeling) -

Living Room Redo and the French Coffee Table

Part of my living room redo was searching for a "new" coffee table. I found this one and loved the length of it.  That plus the french country lines made it a must purchase for me.

I decided to go with Annie Sloan Old White and to only lightly distress it.  I also decided not to wax it as I wanted the look of the brighter white.  Wax gives the paint a bit of a richer/darker hue.  I'm using the table in my living room which does not get too much use.  If it was in my family room, I would have waxed the top for protection.

(Lucky always likes to hang out with me when I paint!)

Expired Coupon...

Now available on Etsy - my newest find, the lovely vintage drum table with a sweet drawer.  I purchased this at an estate sale last week.  It needed a lot of love but look how it turned out in Annie Sloan Old Ochre...

Caned Chairs and a Living Room Redo

The latest on The Painted Drawer.... here is my new logo! Christine from Great Oak Circle created it for me.  She did such an amazing job and I am grateful that she took so much time to get it just right.

This Christmas, we are having family visit and hence our living room needed to transform from my indoor "workshop" back to living space.  I cleared everything out and decided to start the project with a coat of fresh paint on the walls, Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.  I am a big fan of this grey.  It is a soft, french grey and I already have it in my dining room.

We really needed more seating as all we have now is a little sofa that I scored from Craigslist and slipcovered.  I found a pair of caned chairs in a thrift store for $11 each.  I liked the lines and the caning was intact.  So, into my minivan they went.

Here is a before:

and here it is now after a few coats of Annie Sloan Old White, some clear and dark wax, and a lot of distressing...

French Beauty

My latest and greatest project - this gorgeous french dresser.  Painted in (gasp) latex with gold accents,  I must say it is one of my all time top faves!  I really wanted to keep this lovely piece as it looked soooooo good in my dining room.  However, I am trying to start a business and hence, off to Lucketts today!  If only all three of my kids didn't need braces...oh, the sacrifices a parent has to make :)

Here are a few pics...

Lucketts Holiday Open House

What a week!  On top of preparing for Halloween and creating a koala costume for my eleven year old daughter, I have been preparing for the big Holiday Open House in Lucketts this weekend. 

On A Whim looks amazing!  What creativity - I am always so impressed.

Grey or Gray?

Grey or Gray?  Last week was all about grey.  French Linen, Paris Grey, Revere Pewter... for some reason I had a very grey week.  They say it is the new neutral and I agree.  It is soothing in any room and a beautiful background that allows other colors to really pop.  Try putting a brightly colored flower arrangement on a grey dresser and you will see.

Here is The Painted Drawer's newest addition, this lovely French Linen dresser.  All the drawers open and close easily and have the original hardware (ring pulls which I love) and it's extra deep for wonderful storage.  I also love the detail and the slight curve to the bottom.

Shopping and the "Wow" Moment

Wow.  That is the word that kept shooting through my mind (well, that and unbelievable).

I spent a few hours the other afternoon window shopping.  I thought it would be interesting to compare my vintage finds to the more upscale furniture shops.  OK, follow me here -



My little table which just sold for $195.00 via Etsy (I love it!)...

A Beautiful Find

This post is all about beautiful things.  Lovely things. Things that make you pause for a moment and enjoy.

My latest beautiful find is this lovely, curvy, french side table.  Can you imagine my joy when I found this?  I knew it would be transformed with a coat of paint.  Oh, how I love!

My beautiful table...

On A Whim and Lucketts

Many of you know that The Painted Drawer opened a space in a store aptly named On A Whim in Lucketts, VA.  I spend every Thursday packing up my minivan to restock and refresh my items in The Painted Drawer's space.  Lucketts is known for all things shabby, distressed, vintage and beautiful.  On A Whim is pretty easy to pick out due to the bright pink,  polka dotted silo...

 

Here is what's inside the amazing store...just pretend you are on a shopping spree!

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!