Friday, April 12, 2013

Pink for Spring and Painted Mason Jars

As I hit publish on Tuesday's party post, I realized that was post #400. As a blogger who only posts a few times a week (to retain my sanity), that's a whole lot of posts. No matter if you've been here since the beginning or are joining us for the very first time, just wanted to say a huge thank you for being here!
 
 
So now that spring has finally arrived, all of us at Elizabeth & Co. are back in our garages painting again and it feels great! Today's project is a sweet little nightstand that has been patiently waiting under a cloud of dust and cobwebs for an update, along with a sweet little chair to match. And what better color for spring than pink!
 
 
Big surprise, it started out in brown with a colonial style pull.
 
 
And you know I have plenty of chairs!
 
 
I'm still working my way through a gallon of pink oops paint and I mixed it up with the homemade chalk paint recipe. This particular nightstand had a very slick top, so I gave it (just the top) a quick coat of primer.
 
 
I distressed the edges lightly,
 
 
waxed to seal the finish,
 
 
and added a pretty pink crystal knob.
 
 
Love these pint sized chairs!
 
 
And if you were here on Tuesday, you know I featured these beautiful painted mason jars from Danielle at Silver Pennies. Don't you just love the colors? And ranunculus are one of my favorite flowers!
 
 
Well since I was already using chalk paint, I raided the recycling bin in the garage and tested out the paint on two Classico sauce jars.
 
 
You do know there is a cute jar hiding under that label right? Just imagine the possibilities!
 
 
I gave the jars a light distressing and a coat of wax. I'm really impressed with how well the paint adhered to the glass. I tried to scrap it off with my fingernail and it didn't budge. Now I'm going to have to paint a few more. Thanks for the inspiration Danielle!
 
 
So there you have it, a little bit of pink for spring and a cute craft project too!
 
 
Hope it is finally feeling like spring wherever you are!

I'm sharing with...
Nifty Thrifty Things
DIY Showoff
 
 
 
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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Be inspired Features and Link Party #64

Happy Tuesday! Welcome back for features and party day!
 

 No complaints about the weather this week. Yesterday it was so warm I had to break out shorts and a t-shirt. For the next few days we expect to see temperatures in the 80's. The painting frenzy has officially begun! Now let's see what you've been up to .....
  
Robin from Happy At Home shared her beautiful springtime living room makeover!
 
 
Don't you just want to curl up with a good book on this gorgeous bench created from a bed by Kim at Reposhture Studio!
 
  
I love this charming little nightstand from The Weathered Door!
 
 
How much fun is this sunny yellow credenza with an unexpected mix of hardware from Kathy at Petticoat Junktion!
 
 
And Kathleen from Between Blue and Yellow chose yellow knobs that really pop on this bold teal dresser!
 
 
This media cabinet from Kathy at Pearls in Paradise has a great retro feel!
 
 
Love these pretty painted mason jars filled with ranunculus from Danielle over at Silver Pennies!
 
 
Here's a quick and easy recipe for Cheese Melts from Sarah at Alderberry Hill  that sounds so yummy!
 
 
And I'd love to try these Amish Apple Dumplings from Aimee at Twigg Studios - almost too pretty to eat!
 
 
Thanks so much to everyone who linked up and linked back!
We so appreciate having you here. If you've been featured, feel free to grab a cute little button from the sidebar!
 

 
  
Now on to this week's party...
 
* Link up your furniture makeovers, DIY projects, home decor, crafts, recipes, thrifty finds, etc... We want to see whatever is inspiring you at the moment!

* Grab a party button or link back in some way. You must have a visible link back to be considered for a feature!

* And we'd love to have you follow along with us!

We'll be back next Tuesday with features and a brand new party. Now let's be inspired together!

 
 
 
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Saturday, April 6, 2013

Charcoal Gray Buffet

Well we're not exactly having a heat wave just yet, but at least it was warm enough to paint in the garage this past week. I still needed a heater and only opened the garage doors a bit for ventilation. I tried painting in the driveway, but it was just too windy. But I completed four projects and I'm feeling pretty darn good about that. First up, this pretty charcoal gray buffet.


This one was a curb side find, thanks to a phone alert from my friend Peggy. And funny little story ... this particular house has a somewhat questionable reputation in the neighborhood with some odd comings and goings. When I saw the huge stash by the curb, I actually felt the need to ring the doorbell to be sure the furniture was really up for grabs. As we were waiting on the porch, a car pulled up with five young guys. At that moment, I was really glad I wasn't alone. But I have to say, they were as nice as could be and even helped us load this piece (super heavy) before jumping back in the car and disappearing again. Three trips later, I had two buffets, a farmhouse table and four chairs in my garage!


I bought this color last fall when a client requested black for another project. It ended up being a little too charcoal gray, but I knew it would be perfect for this piece. It's my favorite paint - Behr's Paint and Primer in One. The color is Cracked Pepper and I just love it!


I went over the entire piece with a sanding sponge, then washed it down with TSP.

 
I used two coats of paint and distressed lightly.


Then I finished up with two coats of Minwax Wipe On Poly. And be sure to follow the directions and use steel wool between coats, it makes all the difference!


I just love the slightly curvy drawers ...

 
and the pretty doors.
 
 
 
The pulls were classic and perfect for the style of the buffet, so I just freshened them up with a little Rust-oleum Hammered Metal Spray Paint in Dark Bronze.
 
 
 
The door knobs were missing, so I just pulled some from my stash of old knobs and gave them the same finish.


The hardest part was moving this piece. Pictures in front of the garage doors was as good as it was going to get. Then we barely got it loaded back up and delivered to Main Street for our upcoming tag sale. There was no way we could get it up the steps and into the house without help, but thankfully we have some very nice (and strong) neighbors there!
 
 
So there you have it, my first piece of furniture in quite a while - woohoo! There are some showers in the forecast this week, but we might actually see 70 degrees. I feel a painting frenzy coming on!
 
 
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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Be Inspired Features and Link Party #63

Happy Tuesday! Welcome back for features and party day!
 

I definitely had furniture on the brain as I went through the party links this past week. Now if Mother Nature would just cooperate so I could paint some furniture of my own! Here are just some of the awesome projects that caught my eye ...
  
Love this beautiful classic white buffet from Martha Leone Design!
 
 
Korrie from Red Hen Home has been on a roll building her own furniture. This rustic table just blows me away! 
 
 
Love the fresh green and brass combination from Decorum DIYer! I don't think anyone at Elizabeth & Co. has found a campaign piece yet!
 
 
And more pretty brass hardware on this stunning black dresser from Natalie at Sophisticated Yellow!
 
 
The Weathered Door shared an elegant empire dresser in a beautiful combination of paint and stain!

  
This pretty in pink quatrefoil dresser from City Girl Arts is just waiting for her monogram!
 
 
And how about this pretty pink ombre dresser from Picked and Painted!
 
  
Andi from Delusions of Ingenuity created this music themed dresser for her daughter's first college apartment!
 

  
How sweet are these hand embroidered pennants from Queen B Creative Me!
 
 
 And speaking of sweet, Janet from Rosemary & Thyme shared her favorite carrot cake that looks so pretty and delicious!


Thanks so much to everyone who linked up and linked back!
We so appreciate having you here. If you've been featured, feel free to grab a cute little button from the sidebar!
 

 

Now on to this week's party...

* Link up your furniture makeovers, DIY projects, home decor, crafts, recipes, thrifty finds, etc... We want to see whatever is inspiring you at the moment!

* Grab a party button or link back in some way. You must have a visible link back to be considered for a feature!

* And we'd love to have you follow along with us!

We'll be back next Tuesday with features and a brand new party. Now let's be inspired!



 
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