Where Rustic Living Meets Refined Elegance

Friday, May 21, 2010

Thank you Miss. Mustard Seed!

For anyone who hasn't seen one of Miss. Mustard Seeds tutorials you've really been missing out.  She recently posted one on making vintage "grain sacks".  When I saw it I was thrilled.  So simple yet I hadn't thought of it before. 

I have these two vintage french cane back chairs I bought some time ago.
As you can see they came with some ugly "pleather" seats.  One had a small tear which turned into a huge rip so I stripped off the nail heads and used the icky "pleather" to make a pattern from a well washed drop cloth.  (some of my favorite fabric to work with!)
Then mixed up some blue and black acrylic until I had the right blue and painted on the stripes
I have an old set of vintage French monograms I bought on ebay so I made a photo copy of the two I wanted to use, then taped them to a window and used a graphite pencil to trace the back of the design.   Then laid that down on the fabric where I wanted it and rubbed it onto the fabric.  It was really faint but it gave me a layout to work with.  Then with a tiny liner brush I painted on the monograms.
Then I gave them a good spray with clear matte spray to make them hold up.
A few carpet tacks and we're in business!  I can't believe how good these look and how simple it was.  

Thank you Miss Mustard Seed!!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

I'm not the only one ready for Spring

We have been having some crazy weather this year.  Eighty degrees this last weekend and then a couple of days ago....rain.  Go figure.  Our lab Duchess spent most of the day looking out my office doors while I worked at my desk.
 It made me sad to watch her sitting there just looking out.  But she won't go out in the rain, no way no how.
She's ready for Spring.

Monday, May 17, 2010

The Gilded Barn goes to Italy

So lately I've been focusing on the gilding of the barn.   I previously posted about my guest bath or the half bath and said it was becoming my favorite room in the house.  It is broken up into two parts.  The entrance, aka the sink room, and then farther in the toilet room.  Well when working on the house I just had to have an arch so my brother, Left Brain, worked ever so painstakingly to create a little arch over the sink.  I had no idea how much work went into making an arch!  Several times I felt bad about how much trouble it was but interestingly never bad enough to say "Oh forget it, just make it a flat ceiling".  No way, I needed an arch.  And this is why......
I really wanted an "Italian" fresco.  And here it is.  The pictures don't really show the detail.  It's much more aged and distressed than in the pictures.
So when you are washing your hands this is what you are standing under.
A few oranges and a swallowtail soaring overhead in the distance.....
Just the tree tops poking through......
Definitely my favorite room in the house.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall......

So I finally hung up my plastic mirror I got at Goodwill some time ago.  It was a hideous fake gold so I originally painted it white (you know the whole shabby chic thing) but soon got tired of that, so  recently I saw a picture in a magazine (can't remember and now can't find it) of a beautiful kitchen with a gorgeous silver and gold Louis IV mirror hanging above the stove and it gave me an idea.  If I silver leafed my mirror with a tiny bit of gold I could do the same thing!  So Voila!

 I LOVE IT!!

 I know, I know, it's going to be a pill to keep clean but I just can't help it.  It looks so good how can I take it down?  Eventually I'll have to when we put in the stove hood but until then.......
I see a step ladder and lots of Windex wipes in my future.

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