Translate

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

My handmade drawer pull was featured tonight

So exciting, this drawer pull knob handmade by me with an antique lace was featured by a curator on Etsy, love it!!!!!
vixendesigner vixendesigner
July 13 2011 11:12pm EDT
You have been featured......

A surprise!!!!! Thank you GOD

Hello friends:
TheNateShow.com  Nate from Twitter, but tonight he is on my phone, I cann't believe it. He is sooo sweet. Thanks Nate, have a great time with my family.  We all watch you everyday, and looove you.



We all love surprises, and life brings lots of them. I personally love them, but a lot of people don't like them/

Well, tonight I had one of those surprises that we all dream of but very seldom realized, one of my dreams is to go to the Nate Burkis show, and meet him in person.  I love Nate, I love his style, his personality, his DYI projects, his "curb" excursions, his estate sale finds.  Most of all how he takes something and, transforms it into a beautiful thing. His show is the BEST.
Well, I live far from N.Y. so I didn't get to go there yet, but tonight, I got a phone call and, one of the members of my family was sitting next to him, talking, and they called me. I couldn't believe it, and then he sent me a picture, I couldn't breath. I was so taken by hearing his voice, and all,it was the best surprise.
Of course, he wouldn't know me, little me with 45 followers trying to learn how to paint furniture. But we have something in common I love old furniture, and love to paint it, and we both love flea markets and estate sales.
Well, I couldn't wait to tell you this,I'm soooo excited. My family member was so excited, he is sooo nice, and to think he is a CELEBRITY, one of the biggest in the interior design business.

Well, this is all my blogging today, I'm so excited. SURPRISES ARE SO NICE and they happened when you least expected.

love his "house proud"  from Nate Burkis twitter

love to you all,
Kudos to Nate,
martha

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Brimfield Shows, and more CHALK PAINT

a small view, some neat lamps

lt18
Lamps made of antique whiskers, different no?, I don't think I can put it in my living room, where shall we put this kind of lamp,, comment please I need your ideas.
Read my blog in the next couple of days for more pictures.

CHALK PAINT:  Are you having fun?  Did you watch Virginia's You Tube video?  I'm sure you did, I highly recommend Virginia, she knows how to paint furniture, walls, everything she does is absolutely gorgeous.
She is a sweet lady, and very very helpful.
Here are some pictures of my new projects:  there is such a different when you paint with Annie Sloan's chalk paint that is almost addictive. I don't know if you can see the finishes ( I'm sorry, my camera is cheap, I cann't justify the "Cannon", oh well, its good enough).  Before I buy a $1000.00 Cannon, I use that money to go to Europe and see the real antiques and gilded castles.(Sorry guys, I'm thrifty that way.  To be honest, this little camera is one year old and it does a good job. I feel you need to know how to take pictures and take a course if you are going to invest in the big dollars. I'm just an amateur photographer, you know family, and kids, perhaps this is a theme for a few series of blogs post.  Comments anybody, love them!!!!

This is an antique cabinet door, with very rusty hardware, it has more hardware, I took it off and I used different techniques with this cabinet.  I am very new at this, as you know, but I have a collection of brand new brushes, never used, and every tool you desire.  I inherited all from my Dad, he used some brushes but most are so new, I unpacked a few for the project, of course they are "THE BEST" He was addicted to Lowes and Home Depot.
Anyway do you see that huge brush, I love it, I did a technique called "dry brush" on top of the chalk paint Loui Blue (its another one of my favorite colors, because of its softness, also is a very classy color. I love the classics.
Anyway, back to the cabinet door, first a base coat of the Blue, then a dry brush technique of the white, I left the rusty hardware natural.  Still needs more, and of course the waxes, and distressing. I like it to be a very very soft blue with a little soft white, antique distressing, rusty hardware, and lots of wax mixing with paint, the works. (I'm dreaming, I don't know how to do all of that, that is why we have Virginia to answer our questions.





I had to add the blue mason jar and my flowers to see how it would look. Sorry, I'm an insecure "painter"  My family laughs at my paintings, oh well, I don't care, I like them.  I don't sell any of these, I enjoy them in my house. I couldn't invest all the hours it takes to paint the furniture and then sell it. People won't pay for all the hours Faux painting takes. Remember we are in a Recession, and I noticed people are watching their pennies.  Around here people make choices, its groceries, housing, gas, and maybe going out to eat.  How is it where you live??? Have you felt the recession?? is it afecting your buying habits?? I live in the East coast, and you can see groceries going up all the time, gas and utilities, and of course property taxes.
Here houses aren't selling at all, if you sell you have to give them away. Please comment I love to hear how are you managing the recession in other parts of the country?????

This is an iron architectural shabby piece very very heavy, I'm thinking a little bit of that gold gild that Virginia uses, I don't know, It has a bit of rust in the right places. Its a wonderful piece for over a window, or antique door. It was my mom, so I had it a few years.



The Brimfield Antique Show is this week, I am excited, every time I go, there are new shops, amazing antiques, and I hope to take lots of pictures for you.  Last year they felt the recession, I believe this year they will feel it even more.  Brimfield got hit with the horrible tornado, so this year for every item you buy they need a donation for the needy, they town was totally devastated. I heard that I won't recognize it.  This is so sad, Brimfield is a quaint New England town, dating back to the 1600's very small, and very very pretty.  I cann't believe that the tornado didn't do anything to the miles and miles of the fields.  The first time I went, I kept asking "where is the town?"  I couldn't believe that this is the place that hosts the biggest antique show.  One little pizza place, a couple of motels, an Inn, a bed and breakfast, and a little store.  Really, small, but they have great food at the show, and thousands of people, I mean, you walk and walk, and you carry the stuff, or hire a kid to carry the stuff, and then eat, and walk some more.  You really need three or four days to see all the fields.  The fields open in different days, they don't allow anything but real antiques and they decorate the little stores so so cute.One of the famous fields opens at 10:00 a.m and people are on line with tickets by 6 in the morning.  I hope I can take lots of pictures for you, if I see the queen MS I will try to take a picture, I heard on the news she buys ironstone, and jade bowls, also O was there and she loves the primitive paintings, from the 1600's.  She will find them at Brimfield.  The bargains of course are on Saturday and Sunday, because all these dealers need to take home as little as possible, so they reduced the prices, a lot of them leave early on Friday, but many stay until the end.
I was fascinated with the dealers, some of them bring huge trucks, and they sleep in them. They come from all over the USA. I talked to several dealers, and they shared that they enjoy the Brimfield show so much, they don't miss it ever. I have never seen a show like this one, the owners is a whole family, they treat people so nice, and the organization is superb. Last year I went with friends, and we stayed in our trailer for the night, played cards with a bunch of dealers and ordered pizza.  Oh yes they have a special Pizza for a special prize for the dealers. We had candles on the tables, vintage tableclothes, vintage glasses, of course, music, and it was very very quiet and spooky.

Last year, I stayed until Sunday, I scored a couple of very very old printing blocks from a little town in India, I saw them early but the woman was from NY and she wanted a lot of  $ for them, guess what ,she reduced them 80% on Sunday, she was loading this huge truck all byherself, I couldn't believe it, but she did it. No husband or helper, this is dedication and a "woman in business"

Hope you can go someday, you will never forget Brimfield, I promise.

see you tomorow,

martha

Monday, July 11, 2011

CHALK PAINT VIDEO

Hello Friends:

To add to my series on "How to paint with Chalk Paint"  "Learning from Kate's mistakes"  remember my post two days ago.  Today, I finished the two shelves, tomorow, I will wax and distress.  Watch the pictures.

The important thing on this post, is that  I love Virginia's video so much that I want you to watch it too.  If you do, please, "like" her on facebook, or twitter, also leave a comment on YOU TUBE.  Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwqt8v8aMWI&feature=related

Annie is the Stokist for Annie Sloan.  You can reach her at the Southern Institute of Faux Finishing in Brandon, Missisipi.

.







Tell me what you think after you watch the video,

martha

FLEA MARKET FINDS AND BRIMFIELD WEEK

Hello friends:

Yesterday was a Flea market day and new finds. This week the biggest flea market in the East Coast starts  "Brimfield"  Check the blog for great pictures, we are planning to go and it promisses to be great.

Here are some great flea market finds:
an adorable little linen piece from Belgium.

A great print from France.

Two of these lamps, so industrial they are great for a study.

Great antique quilt in good condition. perfect for the guess bedroom.

A nice little trunk, she wanted too much, I didn't get it.

These are great, I got one, I plan to frame it, cheap and very old.
The Brimfield market is next I cann't wait.  Please send me comments about your yard sales, flea market, estate sales, I will publish your comments.

Here are a few from last week:

Hi Stacey: Thanks for your comment, first of all you can get them on line at the two places I post them. Pottery Barn always gets them right but they are from China ha ha. Anyway, I see if I can find you one, there is an antique shop here she sells them for 20.00 let me know and I can get you one.They are all wood, large and white. martha
   Spam   |   Delete   |   Remove Content
What a cool idea - love that. Wonder where to find some? Doesn't Pottery Barn just always seem to get it right?? Nice post - fun stuff. Stacey of Embracing Change
   Spam   |   Delete   |   Remove Content
Great pictures! I love using oars too and I think they are very romantic and unexpected in the bedroom. I have one above the t.v. in my living room and love it there too.
   Spam   |   Delete   |   Remove Content
Hi: I am learning to make jewelry, do you have some pictures send them to me, love jewelry thanks for the comment kate
   Spam   |   Delete   |   Remove Content
I love yard sales!
   Spam   |   Delete   |   Remove Content
Good to know that you utilized your time by Painting all the furniture's of your house.
By Room Designer on Happy Thursday on 6/17/11
   Spam   |   Delete   |   Remove Content
What cute knobs! Love your store and wish I could nab me a grainsack! I'm a new follower! :)
 
 
I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS  PLEASE WRITE ABOUT TODAY'S FINDS, WHAT DO YOU THINK??
 
DO YOU GET TO GO TO BRIMFIELD?? Last year they saw MS, Ophra, and more of the big decorators, like from HGTV, and Country Living, I didn't see any of them, but maybe this year.
 
love
 
martha