Glider Patina

We’re all suckers for surface decoration, aren’t we? It’s a little kick in the head to know that plain old weather and neglect can create more evocative designs than I can with fancy tools or a pedigree . . . but then again, I bow my head to nature on a daily basis.

Sometimes, and by that I mean often, allure lies in the unplanned and unpolished. I may not want to nap here in white silk, but I can totally envision this glider in the garden, adorned with a few terracotta pots of lavender and a tumble of morning glories, or disassembled seat from back and hanging as companion “paintings” in the dining room.

This Lovely was spied at The Tobacco Barn, Asheville, North Carolina.

Oh how mad I was to find you, my pretty. Funky AND functional, with oodles of drawers for untold treasures organized so neatly and for my eyes only. I could shelter the world in you, with endless opportunities to explore and create at my fingertips. Sold Sticker, be cursed.

Spied in Lucketts, Virginia, at Old Lucketts Store

Cline’s Country Antiques is located at 11839 Hwy 49 North, Mt. Pleasant, NC. Open Thursday – Saturday only. Nothing is priced, but Don Cline remembers what he paid, where he found it, and assorted stories about everything on the 15,000 acre property. Bring a truck, and wear shoes appropriate for wading through gravel, long grass, trailers, and old barns.

Love, Love, Love this old blue drawer-turned-chalkboard. One of the easiest upcycling ideas I’ve seen PLUS totally useful PLUS way cool. Funky + Functional. Must make.

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen numerous incarnations of the very desk that once held this vintage drawer. Gotta say: improvement all the way around.

Chalkboard paint is widely available at craft stores or online. A couple of D-Rings on the back, sturdy wire for hanging, and a box of chalk. Go for it.

(Seen at The Cottage, Leesburg, Virginia)

When my husband and I made our first pass looking for a cabinet cool enough to make a statement in our soon-to-be-French kitchen, this happy a-little-too-yellow baby caught our eye. We loved the abundance of glass, the curved front, the little feet, and the odd (and oh-so-French) proportions. The entire thing was only six and a half feet tall, but hey, short is rather European, n’est-ce pas? It was reasonably priced, and well in the running with several others.

By the time we returned after some thorough scavenging, she was still there — and marked down by a third. Sold! We saddled her up and rode her home, and set about mellowing her yellow.

I loved the rough finish, the smattering of chips, scrapes, and bumps, and the uneven paint surface, so the only sanding I did was to remove a bit more paint, adding to the rustic look. I applied four colors, some with a brush and some with a rag — whatever felt good at the time. The bottom layer was similar to the shade of the new cabinets. I didn’t want to match, but I didn’t want her to scream in the night either. Second and third coats were grayed shades of green and then blue, followed by a top rub of the shade I like to call elephant, my all-purpose ager.

And then we hoisted her up on the counter. I’m not a fan of upper cabinets — too claustrophobic — but with her sundancing glass, she looks like a fancy window. Glass on top for the pretty things, and a cabinet at counter level for mugs and uglies. I couldn’t be more in love.

Paint colors used: First coat (yellowish cream) Behr Moonlight White 350E-1; Second coat (gray-green) Behr Contemplation 700E-3; Third coat (gray-blue) Behr Prelude 740E-3; Final coat (elephant) Ralph Lauren Indian Rhubarb NA63. Rub  a little on; rub a little off. Voila.

Bambi

between me and the average squirrel, I’m not quite sure what it might be. I love to run rampant, collect, scavenge, deconstruct, rearrange, discover, and devour. I have a messy nest, filled with all kinds of things that don’t necessarily “belong” there, but that I feel I need nonetheless. I hoard the lovely as avidly as the unloved, absolutely certain that the broken, the rusty, and the chipped have a place in my life. Not everyone loves these traits; thankfully, I am rarely shot at by neighborhood boys. Nutty? Maybe. Inspired? Always. I admit it: I live for Junk.

In these pages I’ll show photos of my finds and what I’ve done with them, as well as highlighting fabulous hunting grounds and kindred souls. A Subscribe Me! button can be found at the bottom of the page.