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

Crafting away

Boy, am I ever pooped! I've needed to craft away for my space at Building Character. It's nice to HAVE to craft, though. It takes away any guilt that I might feel for having lots of dust on my tables, dirt on my floor, and general scuzzies in the house.
Since I'm so tired, I need to keep this brief. I thought I'd show you a few things I've been working on. But, you have to forgive me for 2 things:
1. I didn't take before pics. I totally forgot. Sorry.
2. These pics were taken with my cell phone because I was so busy crafting, I forgot to take pics before I put them in my Howsewears space. Sorry again.

Here are some tags. I finally bought a pasta machine to roll them out. Boy, am I ever glad I did!

Here's a lamp (there are actually 2) that I bought at a yard sale and dressed up the shade with...you guessed it...drop cloth material. I added a few rosettes to make it cute. Gotta make it cute.

 On the right side, you can see the hand towel box that covers those Kleenex hand towels. I thought that having the plain Kleenex box in the bathroom was rather boring and not very classy. I asked my dad if he could make a wooden cover for it, and lo and behold. He's pretty fab.
Of course, I had to paint it and put a graphic on it. Yeah.

And here's another wreath.

The picture doesn't do it justice. It's made with dried sunflowers, dogwood blossoms, straw flowers, blackberry lilies, yarrow, red peppers, lavender, status, hydrangeas, globe thistle, and dried daffodils. The flowers were all grown by HubbyDoc and then I dry them. I love that symbiotic relationship.
Well, I think I need to take a shower and curl up with my sudoku or a book.
Thanks again for reading! And, don't forget to "like" my Facebook Howsewears page (more coming up on that as I transition to my new computer)
Fondly, Tami
I'm linking to:
todayscreativeblog
tipjunkie
Hope Studios  
Vintage Wannabe
Coastal Charm
Finding Fabulous for Less
Fingerprints on the Fridge
Remodelaholic

Building Character

Yes, Froggers. I have taken the plunge. I now rent some space in a funky warehouse in Lancaster, PA, called Building Character. It's a great place with unique items, and was recently voted the second best place to buy antiques in Lancaster. Pretty cool.
I'm very excited to start this new adventure. The name of my business is Howsewears and the tag line is "Wearable Art for your Home". I'm specializing in painted furniture with a twist, and custom signs (including subway art). I've slightly nervous, but if I wasn't, that would be a warning sign.
I also have a Facebook page, obviously called Howsewears. I've been so busy with my inventory that I haven't had time to work on my web site (howsewears.com), or the Facebook page, but they'll both be up and running, hopefully by the end of the month. So, feel free to "like" my Howsewears page.
Building Character also participates in the First Friday events in downtown Lancaster, with live music, etc. So if you're in the area, I'd love to see you! Stop in and say, "Hi". 
Here are a couple of pics to give you an idea what my space looks like. I need to do some painting, etc. but it will come along. It looks somewhat sparse because the photographer, who is doing some advertising, has some items at another location.

It's amazing what you can do with chalk paint. These gourds turned out so cute! I wanted to keep them, but alas, I can't keep everything I do.

Here they are with the bureau I did. I like the combo.

And here is my tiny space. I'll get there. I'm pretty stoked, though. I have a zillion and one ideas for things to make, ways to decorate the space. Can you say, "drop cloth curtains???" But, this will do for now.

So, there you have it. I'll let you know how things go.
Fondly, Tami

Oak Chest

Hey, Froggers. I've been busy getting more stuff ready for my NEW SPACE!!! Yup, I've taken the plunge. I've taken over some space in Lancaster, PA called Building Character. I am uber excited about it. My new business is called Howsewears- Wearable Art for your Home. I'll have pics of my space in a future post. Here's the newest item that will be placed in this funky warehouse:

She started out like this:

All in all, she wasn't bad looking.

She was a little roughed up.

She was missing the top key medallion, but never fear. I had a plan.

She needed some filling and sanding.

I started using some graphite chalk paint, having some idea of what I wanted, but I wasn't quite sure.

After much contemplation, a few sketches, several prayers, and some raw nerve, I started painting, using a dry brush technique and some old white chalk paint.

This was a lot of fun to do.

The key medallion was refashioned. I was going to just leave them off, but they added some character.

When I chipped off the existing 2 medallions, one of them was intact, so I used some mold n pour to make a mold, then I made 2 more out of Fimo clay. You can bake the clay in these molds, so that was incredibly useful. To unmold the clay would have distorted it too much.

Since the top didn't look too bad, I sanded her down, added several coats of mahogany Briwax, and buffed to a lovely luster. The top turned out so gorgeous, if I do say so myself.

The flaming is so lucious.



And here she is in her full glory. I'm kinda likin' her. But alas, she must take a trip to Building Character to find a new home. Do you like her?

Fondly, Tami

BTW, I'm linking to:

Somewhat Simple

Brambleberry Cottage

House of Hepworths

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Savvy Southern Style 

Beyond the Picket Fence

My Romantic Home 

Finding Fabulous for Less 

Simply Designing 

Coastal Charm 

Chic on a Shoestring 

Be Different, Act Normal 

Remodelaholic 

Sisters of the Wild West 

Tip Junkie 

Between Naps on the Porch 

2805 

French Country Cottage 

Miss Mustard Seed 

The Shabby Nest

The Southern Institute 

Knick of Time Interiors 

Today's Creative Blog 

Primitive and Proper 

A Diamond in the Stuff 

My 1929 Charmer Blog





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

Chillaxin' in Maine

Hey, Froggers! Well, you caught me at a great time because I'm refreshed from a week in Maine. Yup. It was the first vaca without the kids...well, young adults. We've empty nested (as "empty" as we can be, still paying 2 college payments, picking kids up for breaks, answering phones in the middle of the night about grades, a boyfriend, lack of a boyfriend, etc.). It was a FAB FAB FAB time. The weather was perfect, and HubbyDoc and I did a lot of biking, eating, resting, reading, and crafting (yes, he is a crafter as well).
Since I couldn't take my furniture along (although I almost made HubbyDoc bring home a dresser from a yard sale), I did some other crafting.
So, those of you who don't stamp, you may be bored with the rest of the post. But, for those of you who do, read on, 'cause I think you'll like what you see.
I learned a trick a few years back. I don't like all of my heavy, wooden stamps, and prefer to just have the rubber sitting around for me to mount it on an acrylic block and stamp away. Storage is so much simpler!
Needless to say, I have many un-rubbered blocks sitting around, like this one.

So one day, I was thinking, "They're wood, they're a clean palate, and they're small. They're PERFECT to decorate!" Then I did. Decorate. I love them. They can be tucked in anywhere in your home for a surprise little effect.

 Here's one with Penny Duncan's gorgeous poinsettia.

This next one is done with Tim Holtz's embossing resist technique that is my new fave technique.

Same technique, different stamps and colors:

This one has the wonderful vintagy glitter from Stampin' Up.

And here's the back of the one above:

I used a vintage santa that I got from a site on-line. Gotta love freebies!

And, I believe they look nice as a grouping.

Don't you think that these would make lovely hostess gifts during the holidays?
Let me know what you all think. And, if you creative Froggers have any other ideas, please LMK!!!
Now I gotta go do some housework, bill paying, and furniture rehabilitation. I have so much to do today, that I put myself on a strict schedule. And, I'm actually stickin' to it, except for this little diversion. Back to work!
Fondly, Tami
I'm linking to:
A Diamond in the Stuff
Bella Before and After
Coastal Charm
Crayon Freckles
Embellishing Life
Hope Studios
Ladybug Blessings
Make it Monday

Wax brushes

Hi, Froggers. I have been enjoying some much needed time with HubbyDoc and have neglected my blog. I know, I know. Send the blog police, why don't cha?
I have been reading about the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (which I ADORE) and all of the accoutrements and I wanted to mention something.
If you're anything like me, when a new product comes along, sometimes I feel like I just HAVE to have it, especially when my Blog Idols are using it. Being on a fixed income- meaning that all of my income is fixed to going to college payments for 2, I can't afford to be getting the latest and greatest of everything.
Which brings me to wax brushes.
I do admit that when I started using ASCP, I just had to have that expensive Italian wax brush. But, being somewhat frugal (remember the dumpster incident?), I looked around for a similar brush. I checked several craft stores (you know, the ones with the coupons?). I couldn't find anything that looked like the Big Beautiful Brush that "applies wax so beautifully". So, I bought the Big, Beautiful brush when I was at Luckett's (finding it at On a Whim down the street). Miss Mustard Seed, in her tutorial, stated that the brush will shed some fibers along the way. She was right. Every time I wax (my furniture, that is), I have to pull some of those errant little hairs off of my lovely finish.
Then one day, I went shopping with my mom and daughter. We went to a local kitchen outlet that I have not been to in ages. EUREKA!!! As I was in the bakeware section, I noticed a pastry brush. Not as big as the Big, Beautiful Brush, but it was the same type of brush. The fibers appeared natural (which is probably important), so I bought it.
Verdict? I love it. Since I'm not always doing large projects, I don't always need a large brush. As a matter of fact, when my Big, Beautiful Brush is drying, I use this one. When I'm near it and can take a picture, I will.
So, Froggers, continue to think outside of the box.
And, I read somewhere (from a Frogger, of course), that an economical and safe way to clean your wax brush is to soak it in vegetable oil for a while, then clean it with Dawn detergent and hang to dry. I've been doing it for several months now, and it works like a charm!
That's it for now. I must go continue vacationing. Yeah!
Fondly, Tami
P.S. The Little Cheap Brush doesn't shed fibers any more than the Big, Beautiful Brush. Just sayin'.