BEIGE BUT NOT BLAND

 I've admitted on multiple occasions that I have a furniture addiction. I sometimes buy more than I have room for, whether at the shoppe, or in my work space. But sometimes ya just gotta get 'em when you see 'em.

And I'm so glad I snatched up this Craigslist dresser! I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Certainly one of a kind. But when I picked it up a few days ago, it wasn't nearly as dapper!

When Mom and I hauled this home from a late night Craigslist purchase, it was pretty dirty....like left in a barn or garage type oily dirty needs a bleach bath kinda way.

Despite that, this piece is heavy, well built, solid wood, and has tons of character.

 

Oh! And one of the best things is that it has all of the original hardware!

After stripping the top and making a huge mess it was ready for priming, painting, and detailing.

Lets not forget that most antique pieces have missing delicate trim. Some people would just ignore this, but I am kind of a perfectionist, so I used wood filler like Play-Doh to replicate the missing trim piece. 

Have I mentioned how glamorous refinishing furniture is? If I haven't, here is an image of my sweet manicure!

Transfer paper is a cheap and relatively tedious way to get an image onto a piece of furniture. But alas, my vision included a Victorian advertisement graphic, so it had to happen.

Several hours and several Advil later, the custom paint job is done! It was a bit of a pain, but totally worth it.

It'll be gracing the shoppe as soon as there's room for it! 

GETTING FESTIVE

This post will be a little picture heavy, but everyone likes pictures! The lovely vanity I just finished fits in the shoppe perfectly! This was one of those pieces that had me considering switching something out of my room to keep it. But I kinda need a bed, so it's in the shoppe and ready for a new home!

I love the etched glass and pineapple detail on the top. It's so unique. Maybe a snow bird will want it for their winter home. With the new aqua coat it screams beachy glamour.

Of course, this piece was deserving of a matching chair, so I fished this beauty out of my growing chair collection and gave it new life with paint and a clean neutral upholstery job. 

 I had to throw some festive bits all around the shoppe, so these bright colored ornaments complemented the soft pastel vanity. You can see wood engraving peeking out, I couldn't bring myself to paint over it, so it's quite the accent

 

I have a thing for old bottles, so it's rare that any make it into the shoppe. But my collection has gotten too big to handle, so these guys are ready for a new home. Perhaps in a windowsill full of wildflowers?

I typically don't like artificial flowers, but these little cherubs can pull 'em off.

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I found room for a tree again this year. It's a Christmas miracle....a bit early, but a miracle nonetheless.

These are not my typical style, but they are just adorable!

Ironstone works for any season!

I love a good deal, so I've been holding onto this tree since a Christmas in July sale! So glad to have it out of the garage and in the shoppe where it an be appreciated.

There seemed to be too many balls on the tree and not enough variety, so I tied some mismatch teacups in and made this discount tree a shabby success.

 

I can never stop at just one tree! This little guy has also been hanging in the garage since July.

I customized this star with some tinsel and an image from the graphics fairy.

 

I love these vintage Santa mugs. I almost snagged 'em for myself to stick with my jadeite for a sweet vintage red and green Christmas. But alas, I can't keep everything!

I'm not ashamed to admit that this Santa creeps the crap outta me! He's a little terrifying, but there is something super charming about him at the same time. It didn't help that his hand clasps a paring knife perfectly and we made full use of that fact for Halloween! 

 A lovely pair of candle holders from another Christmas in July sale!

 I can't believe I found a pink Santa! It was in March, but hey, when you see a pink santa, you can't pass it up! So on that note, I leave you with this: it may seem ridiculous to shop for Christmas year round, but the July sales feel like they just happened! Christmas rolls in quick and if you're always on the hunt, you can avoid a pricey retail decor nightmare!