Vintage Cabinet Reveal

It's what's on the inside that counts. Right?

This vintage glass-front cabinet was one of the first pieces I found for the shop. I painted it with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Boxwood and finished it with hemp oil. It has just minor chipping and distressing.

He's a handsome fella...but, hasn't drawn much attention since we've opened. I decided to add a little surprise to the inside (it was a little dark and dreary). I enlisted the help of our Facebook fans and got great suggestions (lots of people wanted to see the inside orange or a bold pattern). I opted for a coat of MMSMP in Grain Sack to brighten it up. I painted over a selection of vinyl arrows (I'm loving arrows right now, aren't you?).

Vintage Cabinet by Red Door Furniture Co.

I love how it turned out! Just the right bit of personality to dress him up. I gave it a light sanding to distress the back and arrows a bit.

Vintage Cabinet by Red Door Furniture Co.

He blends in more with our style and has been getting more attention. We thought about taking him home. I've got the perfect spot and think it would make for a great display for cocktails, glasses and barware.

He's going to stay in the shop a bit longer...hopefully someone will walk in and fall in love with him like I have!

Vintage Cabinet by Red Door Furniture Co.

Milk Paint Makeover: Goodwill Dresser

During the week, I have two mornings I dedicate to picking, thrifting and stocking up on items for the shop. I usually make the same route, making about 5-7 stops. (Not counting picking up lunch at Starbucks). Some days I score big (today I was able to stock up on a ton of cute containers for a DIY event I'm planning).

A couple weeks ago, I made a last minute stop at a local thrift store and spotted this guy:

Some would say, "Yuck." Obviously that's what the previous owner thought. I, however, immediately grabbed the price tag and sprinted up to the cashier. (Keeping an eye on my dresser while I waited in line). "That's a good find you have there," said the guy behind me. Back off buddy. It's mine!

When possible, I like to leave some unpainted wood on a piece of furniture. All-over color is too much for me sometimes. If I'm able to show off the top, I prefer to leave it alone. Usually with cast-offs, the top has some sort of damage. Nothing a quick sanding and restaining can't cure.

I chose Miss Mustard Seed's Kitchen Scale milk paint for this piece. Because the front had more feminine curves, I didn't want it to be chippy. To be on the safe side, I added bonding agent and finished it with antiquing wax.

Dresser in Kitchen Scale Milk Paint

Dresser in Kitchen Scale Milk Paint

The top cleaned up beautifully! After I sanded and restained, I finished it with a coat of hemp oil. No traces of the scratches and water marks!

Dresser in Kitchen Scale Milk Paint

I scraped the paint out of the top carving a bit, to make it stand out more.

Edges were lightly distressed and new knobs from World Market were added.

Dresser in Kitchen Scale Milk Paint

What was someone's cast-off will make for a beautiful dresser, buffet or bar for someone else. It's what I love most about restyling furniture!

 This dresser is now available in the shop, as well as all the materials I used for this makeover. Stop in!

Linking to:

Shop Envy: Seabold Vintage Market

I've had a serious case of Shop Envy for years. Eight years ago I walked into a local, popular home decor shop and thought, "Now, THIS is the type of store I would like to own. Someday." 

What started as a fleeting thought eight years ago is now a reality. As we were getting our brick & mortar ready, we scoured photos of our fave shops for inspiration. Having a little Shop Envy is what pushed & molded our business. It gives us the inspiration to step outside our boundaries and grow creatively and professionally. Until we started this journey, I didn't realize just how much work it was. We have a long way to go, but it's been exciting, stressful, crazy, and exhilarating so far. 

Whether you are hoping to start your own business, or currently have a small shop, or love to travel and visit unique, small boutiques...this series is for you:

Our little shop has changed so much in just the few months we've been open. Here's what it looked like when we signed the lease:

And this is what it looked like 30 days later:

We like to think of it as our starter home. We opened small, with our own savings and no loans. There's alot of our ultimate vision we've had to put on hold. As we grow, we hope to make our shop bigger and better for our customers. (And, hopefully a separate space for Jeff to build tables. Dust has taken over my life.)

One of the very first shops I started following was Seabold Vintage Market from Bainbridge Island, Washington. We are eyeing the Pacific NW for retirement, so I think I happened upon SVM while looking for retirement homes (yes, I know that's like 35 years away. It's never too early to start looking). They offer clean, fresh vintage finds.

Seabold Vintage Market

They also have a love for the red cross (not to mention ironstone, antlers, vintage grainsacks and cutting boards). It's on my top 5 shops to visit. Maybe top 2. (Technically, they do markets and online vintage sales. So, my goal is to visit a Pac NW vintage market they are apart of).

Seabold Vintage Market

Seabold Vintage Market

Editor's Note: A certain someone's birthday is coming up. The necklace above would make an excellent present. If that certain someone's husband (and business partner) happens to read this, you can follow the links provided in this post for more information.

I don't know why I'm drawn to the red cross...I just am. The red is so bold against the bright white. I love it. SVM inspired me to do these pieces.

 

Red Cross Suitcase

The dresser sold quickly and after two years, the suitcase is finally for sale (I've had a hard time parting with it). It's hand painted on a vintage Amelia Earhart suitcase. Love it!

Let me know...what are some of your favorite small home decor boutiques to visit?

5 on Friday

There's been so much going on lately, I thought I would do a 5 on Friday this week to give you all a little recap.

1. It's hard to believe its already been a week since Vintage Market Days! It was a crazy few days. I was blown away by all the awesome vendors. Not only beautifully handpainted/handcrafted goods, but just the great eye for unique finds all of the vendors had. We were so happy to be included with everyone.

It can be challenging to showcase our work in these venues. I always hate to hide Jeff's tables under the smalls we bring along. I'll definitely be working on design for our upcoming shows. Here's a peek of our tent on Saturday/Sunday. Most everything you see here sold!

This large farmhouse table got a lot of attention, but we ended up bringing it back to the shop. We're happy that just a few days later it sold! It's a beautiful color and will look great in the new owner's space.

We sold a lot of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint and it's been nice to see some follow up shoppers stop in the shop this week to pick up new colors.

This was the first smaller dining room table Jeff made. We get a lot of comments on how people love his tables, but they just don't have the room. This sold on Saturday and he plans on making more soon.

I got to do a little shopping myself on Sunday. This necklace from Cottage 360 was perfect for me (there's a little paint brush on the back of the J). The Vintage Farmhouse was right across from us and I loved EVERYTHING they had. So happy to have found these little flashcards.

2. I saw this on Facebook this week and had to laugh. I go through this with nearly every project. It's hard not to get caught up in things when they don't work out. I'm one of those people that has a specific image in my mind and gets flustered pissed when things don't go as I thought they would. I'm trying to go with the flow more (the wine helps with that).

3. Spring is finally here! Flowers and trees are blooming and we couldn't be more excited. If you've been following our blog, you know we recently built a house. We downsized and moved into a new urban planned community that we love.

Our yard is MUCH smaller. But, we're ok with that. We're getting a fence installed so the pups won't run off. I've been scouring Pinterest for small yard ideas, so you'll be seeing more of our progress in the coming weeks. Here's where we are today:

4.  With that said, we're finally ready to start concentrating on indoor projects, too. Since December, we've spent all of our time opening the shop, our grand opening and then VMD, that we've neglected our own house! There was actually a point where we didn't have tables (yes, I know we make them) and had our alarm clocks on the floor. (pathetic, I know).

Here's a few shots of the main level I took on my way out this a.m. We definitely need to paint and get some color in our breakfast room.

5. Last, but not least, I'm looking forward to an upcoming event: Clothing Swap for Perennial. We were introduced to Perennial last fall when we participated in their ReMake competition. We were given three windows and had to make a usable item for the home. Jeff came up with this small table (which was then auctioned off):

When we opened the shop, we talked about supporting a local charity whose mission and values are close to our heart. Perennial offers educational programming in creative reuse and sells creatively repurposed home furnishings and eco-friendly supplies for reuse projects...it's a natural fit for us!

If you are in the STL area, check it out on May 18th. $10 gets you in the door and swapping your old clothes for new ones (well, new to you). There will be bloody marys and mimosas ... and it all goes to a good cause. Hope to see you there!

DIY: How to Get the Weathered Wood Look on New Wood

I'm excited to share this post today. About a week ago, we delivered a custom farmhouse table that Jeff handcrafted from an old door. The new owners, Stephan and Samantha, stopped by our shop back in February and just happened to be looking for a dining room table. Jeff talked with them at-length during their first visit and we were so happy when they emailed us soon after saying they wanted a table.

Picking the perfect door was easy...the hardest part was getting the color just right. We knew generally the finish they were looking for: the weathered Restoration Hardware look. I'm loving this look right now. Here's the inspiration:

To start off, we mocked up 6 different examples for S&S to choose from. We used a variety of techniques on a cast-off piece of their door. From milk paint stain to white wax to just orange wax.

Once they picked the finish, we then had to replicate it on the rest of the wood that was used on their table (Douglas Fir and Pine). Getting it all to match wasn't easy! We tested and/or used 6 different stains before we found the right mix. Here's what we did: 

Custom Farmhouse Table

For the door, we used Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Curio as a stain (we mixed the milk paint and water at a 3:1 ratio). It gave us the look we needed on the door, but didn't have the same effect on the newer wood. (you can see below what we were going for and what the trim around the table looked like).

For the base of the table, I needed a stain to knock down the yellow tone of the wood. Rust-Oleum makes some great weathered stains and we settled on the Weathered Gray (they also have a Driftwood that we tested out).

Next up, I put on a coat of Minwax's Provincial.

As you can see below, it was a pretty good match. However, it had just a very light purple tinge.

I went over all of it again with a coat of Minwax's Special Walnut and that did it...a nearly perfect match!

Here's a grainy iPhone shot before the glass was on:

And, here it is delivered!

It looks gorgeous in their new home and I can't wait to see the chairs S&S pair with it! (My photos don't do it justice!)