Thursday, January 9, 2014

Mid Century Modern in Lamp Black

It is much too cold around here to even think about painting at the moment. But I'm already getting the itch - new furniture, new colors - I can't wait! ... In the meantime, I have a few pieces to share that were completed before winter and this one immediately made my favorites list!

 
 So what do you think ... dresser, buffet, credenza, console, media cabinet? No matter what you call it, definitely a mid century modern beauty in perfect condition!
 

This one was going black and that can be a tricky color to get just right. So I went with a tried and true favorite - General Finishes Milk Paint in Lamp Black. This is not a powder or even a true milk paint, but a water based acrylic. I love the way it goes on smoothly and levels out nicely - perfect for furniture. I buy it at my local unfinished furniture store and it's the only paint they use.


I went with a light distressing and love the contrast of the brown showing through the black.




I didn't even consider changing the hardware, but I gave it a shine with a little Rub 'n Buff in Antique Gold.



 
I finished up with two coats on Wipe On Poly in a satin finish.


This one was done in time for our holiday sale, but it only made it as far as the driveway before it got carried away, literally.

 
I know these men are wondering why a crazy woman is taking pictures of them!


I was absolutely thrilled with the way this piece turned out and I hope it is enjoying life in it's happy new home!
 
 
And while I'm on the subject of General Finishes Milk Paint, I have another favorite color to share - Buttermilk Yellow. It is my favorite yellow for furniture and let me just tell you, it's just yummy!

 
Yellow is another color that is sometimes hard to get right and even harder to photograph. But here are a few blasts from the past (fuzzy pictures and all) in Buttermilk Yellow.
 
This dresser lives at Megan's house and she is a girl who definitely loves all things yellow!


I just couldn't part with this one in yellow and white. It really brightens up my guest room.


This pretty petite dresser has an ochre glaze.


My living room coffee table.
 
 
 


The fine folks at General Finishes recently added fourteen new colors to their milk paint line and generously sent me a few samples to try. Wait until you see Persimmon!


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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Be Inspired Features and Link Party #100

Happy Tuesday! Welcome back for features and party day!
 
Elizabeth and Co.

How awesome to kick off the new year with our 100th link party!
Thank you for sharing your talent and inspiration with us week after week.
Can't wait to see what you have in store for 2014!

Since we took a little blog break over the holidays, most of today's features are Christmas related. So get ready to pin away and start your inspiration files for next year!

Robin from Happy at Home shared a roundup of thirteen handmade Christmas décor projects, each one beautiful and totally doable. You really want to bookmark her entire post for next Christmas!





 
How cute are these glittery bird nest ornaments made from vintage jello molds by Cassie over at Primitive & Proper!


The Pin Junkie created the sweetest little Christmas Sheep from bits and bits that you probably already have around the house!

 
I absolutely love Heath bars, so I was thrilled to see that The Pin Junkie also shared this recipe for Homemade Old-Fashioned English Toffee!
 
 
Danielle from Silver Pennies shared her recipe for homemade Easy Peppermint Bark!
 
 
And Anjana from At the Corner of Happy and Harried shared a Sunny Orange Pound Cake that looks divine. Now I know exactly what to do with that big bag of oranges I just bought!
 
 
Hot chocolate bars are very popular right now and so much fun all winter long.
 
 
And if you stop by Upcycled Treasures, you will find a super cute chalkboard printable that's just perfect for this crazy cold weather that many of us are experiencing!
(This morning it is zero degrees here, with a wind chill of -20, brrr!)
 

This Wild Herbs Christmas Wreath from Meeha Meeha is beautiful and comes with the best story! Meeha Meeha lives in Romania, where wreaths are not all that common and where there are no big craft stores filled with supplies. But she loved the wreaths she saw on design blogs and decided to head outside, gather some natural materials and try her hand at making her very first wreath. She was convinced that it would be a total failure, but I think we can all agree that Meeha Meeha's wreath is simply stunning!



I know you love holiday house tours, so let's wrap it up with one of my very favorites this year. Denise over at Pink Postcard has a real knack for blending vintage and modern and keeping it all so fresh and pretty. Her home is lovely all year round, but it really sparkles at Christmas!
 
 

  


Thanks so much to every one who linked up and linked back!
If you've been featured, feel free to grab a cute little button from the sidebar!
 
Elizabeth and Co.

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

We'll be back next Tuesday with features and a brand new party!

 


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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

A Perfect Holiday and the Top 10 Posts of 2013!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! When I said it would be a little quiet around here over the holidays, I wasn't kidding. I think most bloggers probably share a record number of posts in the month of December. For me, it was the perfect time to take a step back and be totally present in my own life. Sometimes we just need to be still and savor the simple moments of life. The arrival of baby Clare just before Thanksgiving was a reminder that life happens right before our eyes and if we aren't paying attention, we just might miss out on the very sweetest moments. And I for one, just didn't want to miss a thing! From spending time with family and friends to kissing tiny little baby fingers and toes ... we had one very magical Christmas!
 
Christmas Eve ...
 
 
The only present I needed on Christmas morning, my arms wrapped around this little one ...
 

Tiny little fingers ...


A happy new family...

 
Holding the future in your hands ...

 
Oh the wonder of it all!
 
 
From the first moment we met her, this little one simply melted our hearts and took our breath away!
 
So now before we kick off a new year here at Elizabeth & Co., here's a look back at the top 10 most popular posts of 2013!
 
 In June, I shared An Evening With My Book Club, complete with yummy recipes and suggestions for starting a book club of your own. Our little group has been together for twelve years now and I can tell you that our time together is about so much more than books!




In April I made some homemade pink chalk paint for this sweet little nightstand and matching chair.


Then I raided the recycling bin and painted some mason jars with the leftover paint!


Creamy white homemade chalk paint transformed these curbside finds!


This darling vintage dresser was painted with milk paint, waxed and buffed to perfection. I was so excited when a mom-to-be purchased it for her nursery. A few months later, she told me that she decided to go with an all white nursery and was having trouble getting the white paint to adhere to the dresser.  ... Yes, she took it home and put white latex paint right on top of that flawless finish - yikes!


This awesome charcoal gray buffet was another lucky curbside find.

 
It even came with a matching piece that sold so fast I never even posted about it!
 

I loved the color of this curvy French dresser and matching desk!

 
And this pretty aqua corner cabinet in homemade chalk paint was definitely one of my favorite furniture projects of the year!
 
 
In October, I shared Megan's Vintage Inspired Garden Baby Shower. I think this was my all-time favorite party ever!
 
 
 






These coconut sugar cookies are a favorite too and I get asked for the recipe all the time. They really do just melt-in-your-mouth!
 
 
And much to my surprise, the most popular post of the year was my ruffled sheet music wreath tutorial.  I make a few of these for each tag sale and they are always a big hit. They are pretty, fluffy and easy to make, just be careful with the hot glue - ouch!
 


Hope you all have a Happy New Year!
Can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for all of us!

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Fireflies and Jellybeans
No Minimalist Here
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