Reveal #3

Here is the third piece of furniture that I have transformed

with Annie Sloan paint & waxes. This little chest was given to me

years ago by my great aunt Meg. Originally it was unfinished with wood

handles. I painted it a dark blue and added small brass handles.

It had been in my son's room not really being used, so I decided to paint

it & use it as a jewellery chest on my dresser.

Before

After

It is working out well in it's new life. Onto the next project,

a little chair.  : )

Morning Glory

We have a few Morning Glories that still bloom on our fence.

The neighbours planted them some years ago & they keep

coming back each year though in fewer numbers.

They are so pretty.

Purple is my favourite colour.  : )

Homemade Pickles!

We have been getting quite a few large cucumbers in our CSA Boxes

lately and we just couldn't keep up eating them all. So.....

I went online to Martha Stewart and looked up a really easy quick

pickles recipe. We didn't have quite enough white vinegar so we added

a bit of seasoned rice vinegar. WOW! It makes all the difference!

I have to say these pickles are really tasty! No problem eating them up.

We only made 3 jars and already one is empty!

These weren't even the right kind of cucumbers recommended  for

making pickles but they still taste great! YUM!  : )

Birch Tree Painting

I finally finished this painting. I put it away for a while & got it

out, knowing that the deadline was here.

I painted this picture for a friend of mine who likes Birch trees.

It is her Birthday very soon, so I had to

finish it so I could give it to her in time.

In progress...

Finished...

Hope she likes it.  : )

CSA Box #13

The Farmer's market seems to be winding down. 

Only 7 more weeks of our boxes left. : (

Love the apple season.  : )

Brown Dog Obsession #2

This brown dog was custom made for me by the very talented fabric artist, 

Valerie Weberpal of Harvest Moon.

He is made of Brown wool, recycled sweater, buttons & various recycled fabrics.

He makes me smile.  : )

The Second Big Reveal!

OK. Here is my second piece done with the Annie Sloan chalk

paint & wax. This chest of drawers has been in my family for

as long as I can remember. It started life as an unfinished piece & 

was painted white for my nursery room. It stayed white for many years

& when I took it with me when I moved out it was eventually painted dark blue

to be put in my son's room. It stayed that colour for many years & now

it has finally come into it's own.

Before.

I painted the chest old white & used clear & dark wax.

The drawers I painted Paris Grey with both clear & dark wax.

I put new handles & castors on from Lee Valley.

After...

Haven't decided where I am putting it permanently yet, here it is in it's

temporary home in the corner of my living room.   : )

CSA Box #12

Another week of fresh produce...

Roasted Beets with corn on the cob followed by apples & cinnamon.

YUM!  : )

Pyramid Head???

My son went to FanExpo last week with some friends. This is a huge event

downtown at the Metro Convention Centre. People come

from all over to see their favourite actors and see displays etc.

It's theme is Horror, Games, Comics and Social Media.

Some people dress up as their favourite characters from these different media.

My son made this costume completely by himself, which included 

a huge 6 ft. piece of plywood painted to look like a giant sword.

I drove him to the Go Train and fled. LOL!

In case you are wondering, Pyramid Head is a character from

a video game and movie called Silent Hill. This character apparently

comes after those who need punishing for their sins? Not too sure.

Anyway, he said he got stopped and asked for a lot of photos while at the Expo.

Be good....   : )

The Big Reveal!

Alright, my first piece of furniture painted with 

Annie Sloan paint & wax is finished!

I got this medicine cabinet when I was visiting a friend's cottage up 

in Muskoka at a little antique store in town. I added a little piece of trim to the top

 and put new closure hardware on the door. I painted it

with Annie Sloan's Old White Chalk paint and did a coat of clear wax,

followed by a coat of dark wax. Finally another clear coat of wax to seal it.

Before

After

New closure hardware

New trim along the top.

Close up of the finish on the side.

I was really panicking when I first applied the dark wax. it was really

coming out dark. So I mixed some clear wax and tried to buff some of it off and then 

I sanded it. It really textured the finish. I like the way it turned out.

Here it is in it's new home.

The Japanese dog bank belonged to my Dad when he was a boy.

The vintage metal powder tins & medicine bottles came from My Grandfather's Drug store.

On to the next piece, a chest of drawers...   : )