Old Paris Frames

Hello to all the DIY loving people,
how are you today???

 I'd like to show you something smaller and different from what I usually do.

Ever since I saw Gesso Magic post at Villabarns by Rosemary,

this'd been on my to do lists for a while :)
What Rosemary does is just amazing, I love her work:)

According to Wiki, there are 3 kinds of gesso.
Traditional, Acrylic and Soy-based.
What I used is Acrylic gesso, probably the most readily available kind.
I'm not going to bore you by pasting detailed info here from Wiki,
 so if you're interested in learning more about gesso,
here is the Wiki contents about it :)

I bought 2 old frames with different flower inserts,

and I got acrylic gesso in white at a local Michael's store.

This is the Acrylic gesso I bought.

First, I painted the frames in grey.

This was regular latex paint from Behr.

I dried it with a hair dryer ( cuz I couldn't wait until it dries itself...lol)
then slathered on some gesso.

Then I wiped off some excess with an old sheet,
added more gesso where I felt needed and kept going like that

until I achieved the look I wanted.

Then I framed them with Old Paris images.

I just love Paris!! (who doesn't?)

So anytime I want some images or words that I'd like to add to my project,

it tends to be Paris or French related.

Oh did I mention my husband is French ( Canadian though!)? lol

Anyway, here are the finished products.

Aren't they lovely?
Those images are sealed with Mod Podge, by the way.

I love the old look gesso can create,

I'm totally smitten with the result:)

Have a great weekend everyone!!!



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Bring The Sunshine In! ~Yellow Side Table~

Hello friends!!

February is almost over and I can hardly wait for spring :)

Today, I'd like to show you a happy looking,

very spring like side table that I just finished.

It looked like this in the beginning.

I liked the drawer front and the flower handles.

The shape was just so feminine and that was why I decided to

refinish this side table.

Since I can't wait for spring, I painted it yellow which reminds me

of the sunshine of the season.

Yellow is such a happy colour and definitely one of my favourites.

 I wanted to have the *dipped legs* look on this one,

I painted the end of the legs white.

I wished I could just dip the legs in the paint but I didn't think it'd work nicely

so I flipped the table and painted,lol

Also I added white line on top using Frog Tapes.

Hand waxed the entire table and

here's how she looks like right now!!

Doesn't she just make you smile??? :)



I love the front, it's such a happy look.

I added vintage images inside the drawer,

using my go-to-glue,Mod Podge and sealed with it as well.

Isn't she perfect to bring the colour of the sunshine in your home? :)

Hope everyone will have a wonderful, great week!!!

Yay!! This side table was featured at

  http://elizabethandco.blogspot.ca/2013/03/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-59.html

Thank you Sharon!!!

  

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http://littlemomprairie.blogspot.ca/p/blog-round-up.html

                                               

From Froggy to Romantic Beauty

This dresser had been in my closet after I painted it

in the summer of 2011.

One drawer guide was missing and
I was planning to fix it....
 but I needed more storage in my closet,

so I decided to use this dresser as a *temporary* solution.

.....Year 2012 had come and gone.....

Year 2013 has come.
The other day,my hubby said

"Do you want me to fix the drawer guide?

So you can sell it?"

Well.... I thought in my head
"It's such a pretty dresser ( I think so..)
but no one can see it because it's in the closet....

Very convenient to have extra storage

but I guess it's time for this dresser to go where it can be appreciated."

So, I said OK and he pulled it out and fixed the drawer guide.

Thanks honey:)

I used to call this dresser "A Froggy Dresser."

Because when I found it, it was sporting a frog sticker on top.

*The beginning*

Remember, this was 2011.

Pre-chalk-paint-world.

I sanded the whole thing.....

(I don't want to go back in time...nooo!!...lol)

First was the drawers.

Doesn't it already look better?

Primed and did trials for the color.

I decided to go with black.

Added was furniture applique on one of the drawers and

crystal knobs.

It was OK but I felt it wasn't quite done yet.

So I added stencils.

On the sides and the front.

Then I hated it!!!

It looked way too busy.....

So I toned the stencil down with black paint.

ahhhhhh, much better :)

But I still didn't like the knobs.

I changed them with smaller flower knobs, didn't like it.

I tried the original round ones,painted white,hated.

Distressed and still hated....

Then one day, I saw this pretty white flower pulls at Winners.

I knew they would work.

The moment I came home I tried them on the dresser.
Perfect.
The size, the look, the color, everything worked.

I absolutely loved it :) :) :)

Do you know it's so hard to take good photos of a black painted furniture?

Well, I did my best....

Minimal distressing on the edges.

Anyway, that was.....2011.

So today,in February 2013, I did the last thing to comlete this project,

adding the liners to inside the drawers.

It went pretty good so I'd like to show you how I did it.

First, you cut the liner to the size of inside the drawer.

( I used the self adhesive,sticker type)

Place it inside then put a heavy book on it so the liner will stay in place

while you try to stick down the first part.

Grab one end and peel about 2 inches strip off the backing.

You stick this part first then it'll stay nice in place.

Peel it off....

Stick it down in place.
(now you can remove the book)

Bring the whole liner to one side and start peeling the backing off  little by little.

Keep peeling while press the liner down, make sure it's spreading smoothly.

A little more to go!

Done :)

Now it's finally finished :)


Wow, this turned out to be a long post!

Thanks for reading:)

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http://twelveoeight.blogspot.ca/2013/02/pretty-things-party-8-is-live.html