Claire Vanity and Chair

Picking up this piece after an 8 hour day of patience testing left a bad taste in my mouth, but the end results are well worth it!

Tina's Bench

This is Tina's bench,

We searched long and hard to find the perfect bench to fit in her perfect home to provide a spot in the front hallway for her lovely children to have a place to store their hats and mitts and put on their boots.  

We couldn't find it, so we drew a really bad picture and left it in the hands of local woodworkers. They came back with a lovely bench that met our exact measurements! 

So, we did what we do best and painted up a storm.

 
My mom put together a fabulous burlap cushion with the kids' initials on it and soon they will paint their hand prints on the back. 

It is being delivered as we speak. Santa came early :)

A Year in Review

This year was a very successful and educational one.

Here is a rundown of a few of my favourite pieces we did this year. And a few key events in our growth as a business.

This is Harry. A very old dresser with lots of charm!

This was a drastic transformation. It was originally maple with orange trim and out-dated hardware. Now it is perfect for a little boy!

This is Stella. One of the most elegant pieces we have done! And it ended up in a VERY good home!

This is Bartholomew. He is a handsome fellow and a true antique. He resides in a stunning old farm house now.

I loved Bartholomew so much, that I found one like him and painted it to go in my own home!

We tried a market this summer. It was a dud. No one came due to numerous marketing errors by the hosts.

This is Gabriele's desk - a little boy who couldn't wait to do his homework on his new desk. 

Elizabeth is like no other piece we have ever come across. I painted her very rustically while my mother was away at the cottage.

Henry and Nicholas (below) are brother who reside in a basement rec room put together by a fabulous interior designer.

Gaston was the masterpiece of our year. He was glued back together before being painted and put in his forever home with a lovely girl who reminds me very much of myself.

This year we also started putting our work in the One of a Kind Antique Mall. It is progressively getting more successful in sales for our business.

Lyla was a spontaneous act of art creation. She was featured on Annie Sloan Unfolded which really made my day.

This is my own shelf. I found a local carpenter who is now helping me with odd jobs to expand the business, and make my home look awesome!

My New Bed!

I found a local carpenter and requested a new bed from him... and boy, did he deliver!

My bed is made from old panel doors framed with solid poplar. The entire bed fits together without the need for screws or bolts which really helps with ease of take-down and set-up.

He gave me the raw wood bed frame and I painted it just the way I wanted it! And now I want to go to bed just to be near it!

Working on Photography skills

I, by no means, claim to be a photographer, nor will I ever be, but I do like trying to take nice photos of pieces I've worked hard to complete.

Below is a few photos from my own Christmas decorating and whatnot.

It's Beginning to look a lot Like Christmas

We are getting our tree(s)...(yes, I am sneaking in a small one for beside my buffet) next weekend.

We are going to be videoing our day of Christmas festivities for my husband to edit and send back to his family in England as a Christmas gift to them.

However, I just couldn't wait to get started on my decorating. Here is what I have come up with so far.

Gaston

Gaston was named with inspiration from Beauty and the Beast...as it is a beauty...but it was a beast to repair.
I know there was a great debate between my followers on whether Gaston should be painted or not, and then not long after Miss Mustard Seed also came out with a post about painting Vs. not painting furniture.
I totally agree there are times when something shouldn't be painted- Fine wood pieces made from burled Walnut or Cherry for example that have intricate carvings or curves. I do work hard to preserve those pieces.
Gaston had been stripped and restained in the past (not by me). When that took place, all the glue that held him together was stripped away and he required some major repairs. Painting him was an easy way to cover up those repairs.
Gaston is also made of oak, so the grain is very course and not all that elegant. As well, the home he is going to belongs to a young lady about my age with a gracious home. To put a piece like Gaston in unpainted would over-power a room and look very heavy. By painting it, it has a new elegance that is not "in your face" in a room. It is being totally reloved, which is, in the end, the whole point of what many of us do when we refinish furniture.  
If you like it, thanks so kindly. If you don't like it, I can understand why and have no hard feelings.

All the pieces I've been too busy to post about but finished in the past month