The Faces Behind RDFCo.

The RDFCo. team was busy packing up another table tonight, so I'll make this short. Shipping our tables across the country can be very time consuming. We take great care in packaging up each shipment so it arrives in the same condition it left us in. And, it's usually a team effort -- so I wanted to introduce the faces behind the Red Door to you:

Creative Director/Blog Manager/All-Around Bossy Pants

That would be me! I primarily handle all of the social media, marketing, sales opps and blog posts. In addition, I love to search for and create unique home decor items, and, of course, paint furniture. I typically do this all with a stylish necklace and glass of wine (as you see in the photo above).

Chief Designer/Master Builder

Jeff. AKA Sparky. He built the first Red Door table many years ago...way before it was RDFC. It's that original table that we are basing our Signature Collection on today. He has final say in all of the doors, design ideas and product. He also gets to operate all of the heavy equipment.

The team wouldn't be complete without our assistants. For the most part, they serve as my wingmen wingdogs. They are by my side whenever I am sewing, Mod Podging or painting. If you can't find them in my craft room, they are probably out hunting for moles. Read more about them here.

Senior Designer

Design Apprentice

There you have it! These are the faces that dream, create, build, sell, package and ship all of the unique RDFCo. items. Some of us get paid in bacon treats. Others with wine. You'll never know who gets what.

Hairpin Leg Coffee Table - Part 1

If you've taken a look at our tables, most of them have square, wood legs. We wanted to switch it up on a few of them, so we've ordered these: 

Hairpin legs

I can't wait until they come in! We'll be making a coffee table and side table featuring hairpin legs. We both really love the look of this table:

Source: hairpinlegsforless.com

We knew this part of a door we picked up a few months ago would be perfect. It is super thick and heavy. We won't be trimming it out and will leave the edges raw. Here's what it looked like when we picked it up and what it's been thru since then:

Original State

Original State -- Dusty and Dirty!

Door gets sanded and cleaned

Signature coat of red paint is added to the back

And here it is today...just waiting for it's new legs! (Forrest Gump movie quote coming soon)

I'm hoping to have it done next week...stay tuned!

Stitched Paper Ideas

Happy Thursday! The weekend is almost here -- what crafting projects are you planning to do? Most of the time, a new project I find requires a trip to the store. This weekend, I'm vowing to use only what I have on-hand. And, create something that's on my to-do list for Strange Folk Festival.

Recently, I've been playing around with stitching paper. It added a pop of color to the thank you cards for our Etsy shop:

Red Door Furniture Co. Packaging

It's an easy and cute way to make my own little banner notecards from scraps of fabric.

I also created some garland out of old maps for a friend's baby shower (sorry for the pic...it's all I have!). It was some trial and error. One thing I learned was to set the machine on a straight stitch, to the longest stitch possible.

Last week I made some of these wine bags, which I plan on selling at the Strange Folk Festival. I want something unique to package them in and remembered a pin I saw recently. In just a few minutes, I created these bags using pages of an old book, a thank you stamp and scrapbook brads. The hanky wine bags fit inside perfectly!

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Red Cross Vintage Suitcase Tutorial

I'm currently obsessed with the Pacific Northwest and during one of my recent internet searches, I came across Seabold Vintage Market. It's located on Bainbridge Island in Washington -- and is exactly the type of shop I would love to have some day.

I absolutely love this Red Cross necklace they have:

Red Cross Necklace from Seabold Vintage

And this Red Cross pillow made from vintage linen...

Red Cross Pillow from Seabold Vintage

All the red cross symbols inspired me to do a make-over on an old suitcase I picked up for $15 at the antique store. It's the third suitcase and/or trunk I've picked up in several weeks. Jeff is questioning whether they are really a trend right now, or if I am just getting ready to move out. I like to keep him on his toes.

I've also been wanting to try out Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on a suitcase. They say you can paint anything with it...so, here's my victim:

It's really sturdy and the leather is rugged and worn. I hadn't even payed close attention to the plate on the front until Jeff pointed it out to me. Amelia Earhart Luggage. Very cool!

The interior was stained, so I ripped it all out.

I taped up everything I didn't want painted. 

Then, I took out my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White and gave the suitcase a nice thick coat.

I printed off the Red Cross symbol on cardstock, taped around the cardstock, removed the template and painted the exposed symbol with ASCP in Emperor's Silk.

Once it was dry, I pulled all of the tape off....and fell in LOVE!

Even Jeff said, "Wow!"

I still have to fix the inside (my Mod Podge plan was a BIG fail), but I loooove how the outside turned out. The paint took to the suitcase very well and totally transformed it! I would love to hear other non-furniture ASCP projects people have done...let me know!

Linking to

Vintage Hanky Wine Bags

Sometimes when you don't succeed, you just have to try again. And, again. And then you end up with something super cute.

Vintage Hanky Wine Bag

Last week, I picked up several vintage hankies at an antique shop. My first thought was to sew pillows with them. I didn't have a pattern...and was just winging it. Let's just say, it didn't turn out (Fail #1). In an effort to salvage the hanky, I ripped the project apart and realized I had enough to create a mini wallet. While it is super cute and holds my business cards perfectly, as you can see, it is a bit crooked (Fail #2).

At the same time, I've been wanting to make wine bags. And, hankies just happen to be the perfect size to wrap around a bottle! I sewed a 1/4" seam at the bottom and up one side and flipped it inside out (so the seams are on the inside). And, ended up with these adorable wine bags. No pattern or cutting required. They'll be a cute way to dress up gifts...or just dress up a bottle of wine we're enjoying for dinner!

Vintage Hanky Wine Bags

I'm linking to these fabulous parties: Beyond the Picket Fence, Shabby Nest, Whipper Berry, The 36th Avenue, DIY Showoff

Favorite Places to Thrift and a Mirror Rehab

I've been hitting my usual thrift and antique store circuit quite a bit lately. The turnover in alot of these places is pretty fast, so when I have the time, I'll hit my faves a couple times a week (don't tell my husband that). My top five favorite places to find deals are:

1. Local Antique Malls/Stores
2. Goodwill
3. St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
4. Architectural Salvage Stores (we have a couple of great ones here in STL)
5. Friends and Family

Up until this point, I haven't been much of a garage sale or estate sale gal. I think it's all the driving around. Not knowing what will be there. And, getting frustrated when it's all junk. However, I recently learned of estatesales.net. You can put in your zip code and how far you are willing to drive and each week you'll get an email of everything that's near you, including pics! I'm hoping to check some out soon.

My find of this past weekend was this guy here. He weighs no less than 89 pounds. Has great detailing on the top (I knew the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint would take very well to this). And, was $20. I literally snatched it up the minute I walked in the door.

I used two coats of Paris Grey (bottom) and a light coat of Pure White (top). After a coat of clear wax, I distressed all the edges. I took the dark wax only to the detail at the top. In certain lights, it looks like gold is coming through. I love it! I can't get over how smooth it is...it feels like butter.

I've considered antiquing the mirror itself. Muriatic acid is involved. I'm willing to bet that acid+me=disaster...so, we'll see!

Have a great and creative week!

Linking to Shades of Amber, Brassy Apple, Singing Three Little Birds, DIY Showoff 

Red Door Signage

Honestly, sometimes it's hard to function when you are inspired. If you're anything like me, it takes over your life. You can't sleep. You can't focus. All you can think about is how you are going to channel this inspiration into something incredibly awesome. Then you make lists of all the awesome things you will accomplish. It's really quite distracting.

My recent inspiration is really a journey...

Inspiration Timeline

Last Week

I attended a conference and trade show for my "real" job. While I was excited to represent my org. and meet some new people, I was really looking forward to one exhibitor in particular: Annie Sloan Unfolded. I am completely blaming them for my recent restless nights and endless lists.

I eased into things slowly...taking a walk over to the display and checking out the samples.

Annie Sloan Unfolded Display

Before I knew it, I was signed up for a hands-on (hour long!) demo. I have the Paris Grey Chalk Paint...and I quickly learned that I've been misusing the paint and waxes incorrectly. I fell in love with the newest color, Provence.

Hands-on Painting Class

As you can see, I took it very seriously.

LOOOVE the new color: Provence.
This was achieved by letting the Chalk Paint dry and then wiping off with a damp cloth.

Monday

I walked away from the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint demos with a looong list of painting projects and a bag full of Chalk Paint samples. I immediately ran to the St. Louis stockist for a new brush and AS soft wax.
 

August 2011

It's hard to believe that we've been meaning to start Red Door Furniture Co. for nearly a year before we officially made the leap this spring. Here's a shot of Jeff with a door we found last year. He sanded off the old finish and stained it a dark brown. While the color looks beautiful, we bought this door not paying attention to how thin the main panel was.  Originally, we wanted to put glass only on the panel, but we were afraid it wasn't sturdy enough to support it. So, we dragged it down to the basement...

Today

One of the items on our to-do list is festival/fair signage. And, of course, we wanted a door! Since this guy won't make a great table and has been sitting in our basement for nearly a year, we knew it would be perfect.

I painted it with a couple layers of chalkboard paint (I also used the spray paint chalkboard paint, which I didn't really like). Then I put on a couple layers of Emperor's Silk by Annie Sloan.

Once it was dry, I used a couple of distressing techniques. From the on-hand demos, I learned that it is best to apply the clear wax before sanding. However, the STL stockist was out of the clear and I was impatient...so, I distressed with some 220 grit sandpaper. I also used a damp paper towel (which I liked best for this piece). Then, I applied a coat of the dark soft wax. The door feels like butter!

I absolutely love how it turned out. We are hoping to be vending at different festivals and fairs in the area, so having a chalkboard sign is going to let us personalize what we say for each venue.

Linking to Serenity Now, The Dedicated House, Domestically Speaking, Sweet Little Gals, 36th Avenue, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Shades of Amber

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