Worker Bee

I've been a busy worker bee this week and will be taking the weekend off to play with my family and friends.  I have a couple new and exciting products in the works and can't wait to share them with you! 
Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,
Cheree

First Snow 2012

Here in our little corner of the country, we rarely get large accumulations of snow.  Forgive us if we get a little crazy and close our schools when we have but an inch covering the ground.  It happens, yes, I will admit.  However, this first snow of 2012 brought 9 inches to our neighborhood!  We are on our second snow day and there will be a repeat tomorrow I have no doubt.  Bring on the sledding, snowman making, cooking baking and lazy-day movie watching because we are going to enjoy it!

This is the view off the back of the house.  Surrounded by "the forest" as my youngest used to call it, the pond is home to an abundance of critters...especially in the Spring when hundreds of frogs take up residence.  For now, the neighborhood kids (my son included) use the heavily treed area for air-soft wars and flashlight tag.

This is the backyard where our two Pomeranians usually run around.  However, considering the snow is deeper than they are tall, they are inside enjoying their entire family being home.

This is the view out my family room windows.  The snow just makes everything so beautiful!  

I have managed to use these days at home to get some projects done that I have been working on.  First up, a five drawer dresser, solid wood, no scratches or dents.

I chose Annie Sloan French Linen.  I snapped this pic before I began to sand.

 I love the way this piece sanded down.  It was a fun project for a snowy day.

The close up pic prior to this one is a more accurate show of color, my flash washed this pic out.  However, this is how it looks from head to toe :)

And on the second snowy day...

This larger six drawer with a nook is my favorite piece to date (I know I have said it before, but I just might shed a tear when it sells)!  I want it for me!  Is that so wrong?

A mix of Paris Grey, Old White and Provence created a Tiffany Blue that I fell in love with.

This piece would be perfect in a nursery or a master bathroom/bedroom.

I think I'll sit down in my favorite chair, look out at the scene above, have one more cup of cocoa and watch one more episode of American Pickers before tackling the dishes in the sink!  It's a snow day for crying out loud!

Thanks so much for stopping by and stay warm and safe this week!

Hugs,

Cheree

Accent Pieces to Fix Those Winter Blues

Lots of us are left with bare walls and  'Winter Blues' after taking down the holiday decorations.  While the idea of starting off the year with a minimal amount of accessories might sound pleasing, often the result is described as 'naked' and 'blah'!  Sound familiar?  Adding accent tables, artwork, topiaries, table runners and throw pillows around your home will warm up those interiors and you'll love snuggling up in your 'new' space. 

I've been working on big pieces and little pieces of furniture this week and all are down at Faded already.  Here's how it all came about...

Let's begin with the piece in the center of the photo, a telephone table.

Made in Armenia, this antique is my favorite piece to date.  I chose ASCP Paris Grey for the middle of the doors and ASCP Country Grey for the rest.  Distressing this piece brought out its charm.  Hard to give up I tell ya!

Perfect little space for storage inside.

Isn't it sweet?

The chair I found at one of my favorite haunts...no details to distress, so I left it smooth with a protective wax finish.  This is done in ASCP Cocoa.

Get organized with this old magazine wrack, painted in ASCP Country Grey.

Lots of loot for you to hunt through!



Come visit and see if there is anything that catches your eye!  There are many pieces that I have held onto for awhile and they are now marked down!  Who doesn't love a good deal?



Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a terrific week!

Hugs,

Cheree

Happy 2012!

Ringing in the New Year with what I call a great group of friends...

We all met when our now 12 & 13-year-old boys started playing t-ball together at 4 years of age.  That's a long time to hold onto friendships from a little league team, since our sons went onto play for different teams and some onto different sports, but we all just clicked.  And, we've been friends ever since!

And, the girl that is brave enough to host us all each year for the most fabulous New Year's Eve party...Susan!  She AND her husband (I can't leave him out...he is in the pic above sitting on the couch right below Susan),  open up their beautiful home to all of us...including the kids!  This year there were 19 kids and 22 adults!   When we gather in their family room for the countdown, it is really special to have all of us together.  We all find our kids in the crowd to give hugs and kisses to them and its just a really cool experience.   Now that's a partehhh!!

The next day my family and I drove to Seattle, picked up my sister-in-law and drove to Silverdale to celebrate her birthday.  It was an incredible day weather wise and it felt so good to start off the year on such a gorgeous day.

We enjoyed the ferry ride from Seattle to Bremerton.

So beautiful!

And, then it was back to work at Nest and back to painting and sanding furniture for my vendor space at Faded Elegance.  My hands hurt still as I'm typing up this blog!  But, it is definitely well worth it!  I met the cutest couple who purchased the French linen hutch I painted.  They were there to pick it up when my husband and I brought in the newest piece this week.  So much is selling that I am feverishly hunting for the next 'victim' to transform.  I am dreaming of new dressers, side tables and buffet-style hutches! 

Here's what it currently looks like down at F.E....

Still a few Christmas ornaments left  (now 50% off) and a couple of vintage snow sleds.  I was going to bring the sleds home today, but a customer said she is doing a "snow lodge" theme room for her son.  She loved the sled on the left, especially after I told her it was half off!!!  Let's move it out so I can bring in new things!!!

This baby turned out so beautiful that my husband wanted to keep it for our own home!  I promised him that someday I will do a piece for us, but this one needed to be enjoyed by someone with a French-country-style home.   I hand-painted and distressed this piece.  I also waxed it so it has a nice protective finish.  The detail really is lovely. 
All done in ASCP  Old White.

Another cute chair!  I admit that I am partial to these, they are so fun to do and I love the way they sand down so that it really looks authentically aged.

A couple of new things...a shelf I painted in ASCP Cocoa and a new 'Antique Collectors' sign.  Notice, my last chalkboard on the left...I'm hoping the phrase will entice someone to buy it ;)

The turquoise dresser got a lot of comments today during the time I was there cleaning up my area.  I will be surprised if it isn't gone by the end of the month.  And, for some reason this darling side table hasn't found a new home yet.  It is made of barnwood and an antique rusted base.  It's a looker!

Lastly, I lost my wonderfully talented neighbor, Amy Duncan, at Faded Elegance today.  She is moving on with other endeavors and left behind some pieces for me to drool over.  She generously left her beautiful red door that she upcyled into a mantel (pic below).  Also, there is a stunning red rocking chair (oops, I neglected to take a pic) that she did a bang up job with.  I know it won't be the last I see of Amy, she is creative and truly a talent that I will miss seeing every week.  Good luck to you Amy!!!

Amy's mantel made the perfect shelf for showcasing my doorknob hangers.

My home is still all decked out for the holidays, but I have enjoyed this last week of having it remain that way.  I've forced myself to sit down in the evenings and just feel cozy and content...I guess I didn't get enough of that during the month of December.  My trees are also still up, and I guess I'd better turn on some tunes and start the process of taking them down!  Not my favorite thing, but it's got to be done...Boy Scouts come on Saturday to collect them!

That's all for this week!  Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the fresh start to what I hope will be a fabulous year!

Hugs,

Cheree