can you use stain over decoupage?

decoupage and stain and old piece of furniture

  can you use stain over decoupage? why, yes, yes you can! i was searching the internet looking for some sort of tutorial or examples of people who had used wood stain over decoupage and found very little.  so in my brave furniture-redoing personality, i just decided to try it for myself. boy, am i pleased with the … [Read more...]

everybody likes a good before and after.

  this amazing antique table has drop-sides and at first i thought they didn't work, but upon further inspection (aka: my husband), we discovered that it had these old pieces of wood that are tucked under the main part and just pull out to prop up the sides.  it is SO cool and old and unique.  i also love the spindle legs and silhouette … [Read more...]

lessons from setting up my first antique booth.

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  saturday was the big day when jon and his dad helped move all my junk-turned-treasures into my new antique booth.  it's located in a fairly large antique mall called The Robin's Nest, located in a nearby town and i'm so excited to start this new venture.  all week, i was painting and waxing and pricing and prepping everything and it … [Read more...]

trip to the coldest place on earth.

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  ok, maybe i'm being a little dramatic, but Indiana at the beginning of February felt like the coldest place on earth to us.  we visited my family for a long weekend to celebrate Sister's fourth birthday (more on that tomorrow) and to pick up some awesome vintage furniture and goods to fill my antique booth. it snowed a lot and the … [Read more...]

Best Antique Shops in Northern Virginia.

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saturday was a mother-daughter antiquing day for Sister and I. we had such a great time driving around and the weather was absolutely beautiful for january in northern virginia. here are the places we stopped at and i wanted to share them with you in case you are local and need some amazing antique finds! 1.  Stylish Patina Barn … [Read more...]

antique sewing machine desk refurbish.

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  **the process of painting and staining this sewing machine desk is very similar to what i did to the tv stand.  read HERE for all the full details**   the clearance paint from Lowes or Home Depot is perfect for furniture redos!  So cheap! sand well and then paint the inserts.  i used a little art brush for the corners and … [Read more...]

DIY furniture paint refurbish tutorial.

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you might remember, when i mentioned that i scored some amazing antique furniture while visiting my family in Indiana. well, today, you get to see the amazing transformation of my $25 tv stand/buffet/hutch thingy. thanks to my sister, Emily, and mom for mostly doing all of the work on this refurbish. i was busy unpacking and corralling kids … [Read more...]

new antiques.

  we are moving into a new house toward the end of this month and while i'm in Indiana, i had to stop by some of the amish antique dealers to search for some furniture. i was looking for things that were solid wood, quality built, had interesting silhouettes (as they will be painted and distressed), and cheap! i found that all in the … [Read more...]

Chicks Picks by Hillary Event THIS WEEKEND!

oh, guys, seriously, i'm so excited about this weekend's antique/craft show by Chicks Picks by Hillary!  May 31-June 2 our embroidered pendants are being sold there--including some of the new designs not yet on etsy. Chicks Picks is such a unique concept, because Hillary invites 50-60 vendors to drop off their products and then she turns her … [Read more...]

antique bed to new chic bench.

oh happy day for me. for christmas, my mom (with the help of my grandpa and grandma) crafted this beautiful bench from an old antique bed.   they used the headboard of a full sized bed as the back. then, cut the foot-board in half and attached it to the back as the side rails.  the seat is removable slabs of wood with a hand sewn cushion … [Read more...]