Subway Art Bureau

Hey, Froggers. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can concentrate on what I REALLY love to do, which is painting and designing. I was inspired by some furniture I had seen on some other blogs, and I had the perfect bureau to try it on. I used the same techniques on my other pieces here and here. I'm super excited about how this turned out. It will be for sale as soon as I can transport it to my space at Building Character in Lancaster, PA.  I'm the Howsewears booth (look for the Howsewears banner). If you're interested in purchasing it and are fairly local to Lancaster County, let me know. I can't wait to find a loving home for it.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a before picture, so use your imagination. It was just a plain old brown bureau with some scratches.

This piece is near and dear to my heart since I spent so much time in Lancaster. Some of the landmarks don't exist as businesses anymore, which gives it a more vintage feel.

I LOVE wooden knobs. I can do so many things with them. These are painted with Paris Gray mixed with a little bit of Graphite (as is the top). They're distressed and waxed with Briwax Antique Oak.

The body was painted with Graphite, with Old White lettering. It was waxed with Clear and then Antique Oak Briwax, followed by buffing for a nice patina.

I love the detail in the upper drawer, and accented it with Old White.

It almost seems at home here next to a field in Lancaster County.
It's a delightful size:
Height- 3'4"
Width- 2' 5"
Depth- 3' 5"
And, as always, let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!!!
Fondly, Tami

I'm linking to:

Skip to My Lou
Embellishing Life
Sisters of the Wild West
Today's Creative Blog
Tip Junkie 
Vintage Wannabee 
Not Just a Housewife 
Hope Studios
A Stroll Through Life
Topsy Turvy 
Domestically Speaking 
Trendy Treehouse 
The Thrifty Home 
Fameworthy Shot
Savvy Southern Style
Blue Cricket Design 
Handy Man, Crafty Woman 
Polka Dots on Parade 
No Minimalist Here 
A Diamond in the Stuff 
House of Hepworths 
The Shabby Creek Cottage 
Brandyscrafts 
Centsational Girl 
Miss Mustard Seed 
The Shabby Nest
My Romantic Home
Tatertots and Jello 
My Repurposed Life 
Fingerprints on the Fridge 
French Country Cottage 
Funky Junk Interiors 
Sisters of the Wild West 
Under the Table and Dreaming 
Homemaker on a Dime
I Heart Naptime
Between Naps on the Porch
Meg and Mum's
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
The DIY Showoff
Craftomaniac
Embellishing Life
Delightful Order 
brandyscrafts
sweetpeasandbumblebees
The 36th Avenue
Somewhat Simple
Primitive and Proper 
At Home With K 
HomeSavvyAtoZ 
Chic on a Shoestring 
Creating Really Awesome Free Things
Crafts Keep Me Sane
boogieboardcottage
The Girl Creative 
The GunnySack 
Homemaker on a Dime 
Polly Want a Crafter 
The Southern Institute 
Knick of Time Tuesday 
Singing Three Little Birds
Beyond the Picket Fence 
I Am Only 1 Woman 
Flamingo Toes 
Ginger Snap Crafts 
It's Overflowing 
One Woman's Haven 
DIY by Design 
Designer Garden 
Finding Fabulous for Less 
Be Different, Act Normal 
Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom 
My 1929 Charmer Blog
Embracing Change 
The Vintage Farmhouse

Stools, Stools, and More Stools

Hey again, Froggers! It's STOOL day (which just sounds wrong). I've had these stools for a few months and finally got around to reverse stenciling them. I'm stoked at how they turned out!



And, remember this piece from the last post? Yes, it is Chalk Paint, but there's a twist.

I am a red fanatic. I LOVE red. I have a red checked couch in my living room. And a red leather chair and ottoman. And I LOVE chalk paint. However, the Emperor's Red color is just a little too SCREAMO RED for me. So, I decided to tone it down.
I played around with the mixture and came up with the perfect ratio. This red is a ratio of 1of Graphite to 8 of Emperor's Red. I like making small amounts for my frames, so I use 1 tablespoon of Graphite to 8 tablespoons of Emperor's Red. In a future post, I'll show you some different colors using Versailles, simply because I accidentally bought 2 quarts instead of one. That'll teach me to check my shopping cart before I check out!
Thanks for reading. And, as always, please feel free to leave comments!
Fondly, Tami
I'm linking to:
Miss Mustard Seed
Kammie's Korner
Home Savvy AtoZ 
Primitive and Proper 
Coastal Charm
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 
A Diamond in the Stuff 
Days of Chalk and Chocolate 
Sisters of the Wild West 
my1929charmerblog
The 36th Avenue
No Minimalist Here
DIY by Design
Gingersnap Crafts
Beyond the Picket Fence
Saavy Southern Style 
The Southern Institute 
The Trendy Treehouse 
Tatertots and Jello 
House of Hepworths

Mrs. Goodwill

Don't you all just LOVE Mrs. Goodwill. She's SO generous and loving. She lets me practially STEAL furniture from her. Good stuff. She's one of my besties!

Here's something she gave me while I was dropping youngest off at college. I was apoplectic to find a Goodwill in the very town where we are paying college tuition. The SECOND college tuition.
A few years ago, my dentist told me that after we started paying college payments, a new car payment would look like nothing. He was right.
So, here's the winner from Mrs. G. I call him "Stumpy."

He didn't have any ailments, except for some dry skin, resulting in a few cracks, but I soothed his aching, cracked dermititis with some filler. Then I sanded to reveal the wood, as smooth as a baby's derrier.

Blogspot is not cooperating with my photo uploads, so there's a nice break. Isn't that professional looking? Ugh. Anyway, I liked Stumpy's drawer. The hash marks make him look like he's been in a fight, but I think those are just symbols of the ladies who admired him in the store.

Here's the top. I used the reverse stencil technique, of which I am so fond. He needed a design, and I hope I didn't give him a gender identity crisis by putting on a few swirls.

Again, Froggers, the horizontal lines are not really part of the design.
The paint is Paris Grey and Graphite chalk paint. I distressed this guy a little, and applied clear Briwax. Don't tell him I said so, but I think he's pretty.
Thanks again for looking!
Fondly, Tami
Linking to:
Craftomaniac
Skip to my Lou
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Between Naps on the Porch
Savvy Southern Style
Beyond the Picket Fence 
Knick of Time Interiors 
Miss Mustard Seed
Sisters of the Wild West

Primitive and Proper

Bar stool- Reverse Stenciling

Hello again, Froggers. The title of my post was going to be "stool", but being a nurse, it just didn't look right, so I changed it.
I started out with a plain oak stool that I bought at a yard sale for about $2. It just needed a few minor adjustments by tightening the screws.
I didn't get a full before pic but you've all seen them.
I wanted to do a pattern on the top, and as usual, I just designed a pattern, cut it out with vinyl, and painted over it.
I started out with a black base coat, because that's what color I wanted the design to be (you almost have to think backwards). I used granite chalk paint for this.

I tried to cheat and use contact paper instead of vinyl to increase my profit margin. The contact paper was a little too flimsy. It did work, but it required some more fussing than I wanted to engage in.

Then I painted over the contact paper with old white chalk paint.

Because I was working on a circle, and my design wasn't perfectly symmetrical, I forgot to "square it off" with the legs, resulting in some (*#$@Y#)%   words (or at least thinking about them). So, I painted over it with black and started all over.
It's important to know that I always pull my vinyl up when the paint is slightly wet. The danger in doing this is risking letting go of your vinyl, having it flop back on your design and smudging it. However, those of us who make these kinds of mistakes just call them "new techniques" and call it a day.

Here's what the final looks like:

I'm kinda tickled with it.

Here it is after a light sanding, some clear Briwax, and some buffing.

Yeah. Pretty pleased here.
And, stay tuned for my tutorial on how to use vinyl with your subway art, replete with tips and tricks that I learned after making uber numbers of mistakes!
Fondly, Tami
I'm linking to:
Today's Creative Blog
Not Just A Housewife
House of Grace
The Tip Junkie
Coastal Charm
Blue Cricket Design
Night Owl Crafting
Handy Man, Crafty Woman
Flamingo Toes
Ginger Snap Crafts
Primitive and Proper
Restore Interiors
Primp
Domestically Speaking 
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Beyond the Picket Fence
House of Hepworths
My Romantic Home
Finding Fabulous for Less
Chic on a Shoestring
Designer Garden 
Sisters of the Wild West 
Funky Junk Interiors
Miss Mustard Seed

My Key Coffee Table. I'm in Love Again.

Well, I hate to tell my hubby, but I'm having an affair...with my new coffee table. Yup. I love this more than life itself. Well...not really, but I'm pretty dang pleased with it.
Firstly, I purchased this table off of Craigslist for a very small price. Score.
It sat in my garage for about 2 weeks until I made the absolute FINAL decision of what to do with it. I was inspired by a table I saw on Sisters of the Wild West. I thought it was SO kewl (my teen daughters HATE when I write cool that way, so that's why I'm doing it).
One of the best things is that this table was totally unfinished. Yup. A furniture crafter's dream. The problem is that when you have a piece like that, the sky is the limit. I become paralyzed with decision making because I want it to be perfect!
One day, I took the plunge and just started. And now, I am in love with the finished product.

I don't have a complete pic of what it looked like in the beginning, but just imagine that it was a plain jane.

The other thing that absolutely tickles me about this project is that all of the keys are my original designs. Since I don't consider myself particularly creative, these designs were a boost to my craft ego.

I cut out the vinyl with my Cricut, placed it on the table, and painted away.

I decided to use some lock designs as well.

This is one of my favorite key designs and is the logo for my new business, which will be called Howsewears:

This is another favorite design. They're almost like my children.

And here is the final product.

The base is painted in Old White chalk paint. It's not distressed. The jury is still out on that.

The project stalled when I couldn't decide which stain to use on the top. I experimented on the underside with just wax, oak stain, cherry stain, and walnut stain. The final decision (with the help of my daughters) was to use a cherry and walnut stain mix. I was so pleased with the final outcome. I like the warmth but I don't like it too dark, so this worked well.

Here's a better view of the designs.

I do have to admit that I might have to enter a 12-step program. Hi. My name is Tami, and I'm an obsessive crafter. Nah. That means I'd have to be willing to change.
I hope you like it.
And, if you're interested in fancy-ing up a table you already have, message me through my Etsy shop here, and I can custom cut vinyl keys to fit your piece of furniture!
Fondly, Tami
Today, I'm linking to:
The Shabby Nest
Remodelaholic Friday
My Romantic Home
Feathered Nest Friday 
No Minimalist Here 
The Frugal Girls 
I Heart Naptime
Flamingo Toes
Sisters of the Wild West
The DIY Showoff
Under the Table and Dreaming
Tatertots and Jello
Between Naps on the Porch 
Dittle Dattle
http://creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/
Craftomaniac
The Graphics Fairy
The Tattered Tag
Singing Three Little Birds
Be Colorful
Homemaker on a Dime
Making the World Cuter
A Diamond in the Stuff
Coastal Charm
DIY by Design
The Tip Junkie
Primitive and Proper
Night Owl Crafting
Saavy Southern Style
Handy Man, Crafty Woman
Restore Interiors
Today's Creative Blog
Someday Crafts
Beyond the Picket Fence
Blue Cricket Design
French Country Cottage
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Tip Junkie
The 36th Avenue
The Shady Porch
Gingersnap Crafts
Stuff and Nonsense 
The Trendy Treehouse 
The Southern Institute 
Polly Want a Crafter 
It's a Hodgepodge Life 
Embracing Change 
Miss Mustard Seed 
The Vintage Farmhouse 
Kampenlane 
Elizabeth and Co.
Ivy and Elephants
Kammy's Korner
The Vintage Farmhouse