Pretty Poodles

I have never been fond of poodles (sorry if you are a poodle lover) but when I came across these two I couldn't resist them (especially since they were only 50 cents each! These chalk ware poodles are all chippy and shabby and look great sitting under my church bench.  In the picture you can see they are sitting on a nice little chair.  The chair is a vintage metal lawn chair I found for 10 bucks at a resale shop. I took it home and cleaned it up and gave it a fresh coat of red spray paint.  The chair I am selling at the shop where I consign at but the poodles I guess I am a poodle lover after all!

Worth The Wait

The Graphic Fairy is the best resource for vintage images, if you are on their mailing list you get daily emails with new graphics. I have used several and they always look fabulous. I painted this wooden watering can and it sat around the house just waiting for the perfect design to grace its front. Then it came one day in an email and I couldn't wait to print it out and Modge it on. I had this little Geranium plant just sitting in my stash and thought what a perfect match!

Shabby Chic Prims

I finished some projects this week and thought I'd post them so you can see them, I hope you enjoy seeing them. I love to share and hope you love to look. I know I love to see the things other people make I am always amazed and inspired.  The first project I worked on was a candle holder I found at a sale.  It had a stained finish so I thought I would paint it and use a design I found on The Graphic Fairy to give it a new look. 

http://www.graphicsfairy-diy.com/search/label/French%20Chic

In the backround you can also see a tray I painted shabby white too, it already had the cool Paris them going on all I had to do was update the paint job.
I found this cloche-her is some infor on the word "cloche" I never know how to say it! The definition really doesn't cover the idea of cloche like mine but it is what they call them.

[KLOHSH] French for a bell-shaped woman's hat, cloche refers culinarily to an unglazed stoneware, bell-shaped cover used in baking bread. This baking cloche is soaked in water, then placed over the bread dough prior to baking. When heated, the water-soaked clay produces steam, which coats the dough and gives the finished bread a crackling good crust. Cloches, which are about 10 inches tall, are available in gourmet shops. An unglazed earthenware casserole dish can be substituted.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/cloche#ixzz1VVR1SbQ4 at the G.W. Boutique for 3.00 and grabbed it up.  It was originally for cheese but I had other plans for it.  I found a nice chunky spindle piece and base and glued them all together with my favorite Gorilla Glue.  Then I did the shabby thing-black undercoat, white, and then a dark glaze.  I think it will be great with a vignette setting inside. 

Two Dollar Shelf-Million Dollar Make over

Well maybe I exaggerate, yeah I do but I take artistic license...I keep telling my husband that I don't think I have yet to convince him. Back to the shelf it really was only 2.00 I love the 2.00 range first the stool now the shelf.  It was in need of a make-over, the brown finish was worn and I knew that with a coat or two of paint it would be good as new!  I undercoated it with primer then flat black my favorite thing to do, then painted it with a white flat paint.  After all that dried I gave the shelf a coat of black-brown glaze and then a top coat of poly coat. I took it to the shop today I wonder if it will sell I hope so I have plans to make more stuff and will need the room! LOL!

Mon peu défraîchi français tabouret

I went to the shop to deliver some goods and there sitting out in the sun all by itself was this stool and the selling price was only 2.00, even I can afford that! Wow what a deal.  So I took it home and glued it back together and set to work on a design.  I decided to undercoat it in a flat black so I could take more time to deliberate and come up with a plan.  After the paint dried I knew that I wanted to paint it a shabby white and use a post mark design, I really like the Parisian influence on art world!  I had seen a project online (wish I could remember another thing I need to work on along with the before and after pictures!) and came up with a design that fit perfectly on the top of the stool.  I used a brush to sponge on the 2 circles and then stenciled the words and date.  After everything was dried I painted on a black-brown glaze and then sealed the stool with a poly-coat.  I love how it came out and sure hope to do more with the post mark design so keep watch I promise not to disappoint!

Vintage Shutters

I love shutters especially the old and worn ones that graced the front of old farm houses.  I had great fortune to receive some last summer from a friend.  She said the were going on the burn pile and thought that she would give me a chance to salvage them.  When I used to sell at our local flea market everyone knew me as the "salvage artist" or the "queen of junque" so they would bring me all their unwanteds and I would take them home and wait for inspiration and make whatever into something new and interesting. So here are they are all painted and grunged.  I thought one white and one aqua would be fun.  The look great just leaning up against a wall, they have such character.  I always prefer to decorate with vintage, how about you? I would love to hear what your favorite look is!

Lucky Dice

I bought a set of country painted blocks at a garage sale this summer and decided they would be very cool painted up to look like dice. I wish I had taken a before picture and certainly will on my next projects so you can see the transformation it really gave the blocks a new life. The country motif was very out dated and I just thought the dice theme was a hit out of the park.  I have another set I bought last year so if these sell I can make another set. Business has slowed down becaue of garage sale season and I am taking advantage of it and getting my booth stocked to the max.  I just have to be working on something I can't seem to stop! Keep watch for more of my handmade pieces I know I will have tons more to show you and even though I didn't do "before and after" pictures this week I promise I will next week.

A Good Week

I had a wonderful week and got so many projects finished and ready to take to the shop.  I even made a doll and I haven't done that in quite a while.  I had this vintage baby dress  and knew it would be so sweet on a doll. I make my own patterns so I made the body to fit the dress.  I had some wings I bought a long time ago and decided that she would look nice with them especially after I grunged them up.  I gave her some antennas too because she is part doll part butterfly....well now you know how my mind works I see things and I admit sometimes they are bizarre but I still like them.  I buy stuff because I see what they can become.