Somerset Gold Antiqued Dresser with Mirror

Happy Tuesday!  Guess what I did yesterday....   well, the guys finished priming early in the morning, so I saw a window of opportunity.  I had no plans for the day other than working on furniture projects and basking in the glorious day, but instead I busted my tail to get my kitchen cabinets painted!  I will share later this week, but here is a sneak peek.  (You can catch most sneak peeks on instagram: cassie8978).

They were still actually tacky here with poly, but I had to sneak a peek with the glass hardware I got from D.Lawless hardware.  As soon as I took the picture, I opened all the drawers and doors.  I also did remove all the doors to paint, but again.... post coming later on that.  I just wanted to share a glimpse.

Anyhow,  I have a fun dresser to share today.... I have had a hankering to paint something yellow lately, and this dresser seemed the perfect candidate.  I bought it from the soccer mom that was referred to me.  Here it is before (minus its mirror).  In this picture you can see I had already removed some hardware and filled holes.  (By the way, I used my favorite filler, Wunderfil from Rockler, seriously the best I have found).

I gave it a good sanding all over and then applied 3 coats of General Finishes Milk Paint in Somerset Gold from Rockler.  Once I applied 3 coats, I used my orbital sander and fine sandpaper and gave it a good distressing all over.  Finally, to give it an antiqued look I used General Finishes Glaze Effects in Van Dyke Brown.

This was my first time using this product and I loved it!  It was so easy to use.  I applied it with a brush and then wiped with a rag.  It dries very quickly, so I found I had to work fast.  I love the finish it gave this piece!

Here it is in its new rustic somerset gold finish!

I love how the glaze settled in the details and keyhole hardware and made them pop!

I don't know why I don't work with yellow more often.  I really love the warmth and energy.... guess I am and always will be team any-shade-of-blue though. :)

Happy Tuesday!  I am off to school today for a volunteer appreciation lunch.  Emmy is pretty excited to have something special for me today, and I am looking forward to having lunch at the school since many lunches these past weeks have been ordered out! ;)



Sharing here:

Kitchen Update (Lighting Choices Revealed) and Weekend Fun!

WOW.  What a whirlwind of a weekend it was!  It all started for me Thursday evening, when Barb Blair of Knack arrived.  We met up at Brewer's Alley for a yummy dinner and great conversation.  Barb traveled with her husband Jon, and daughter, Brynn, and I loved them all!  We all headed back to my house after dinner, where are kids pounced and doted on Brynn who was so sweet and wonderful with them!  The adults all hung out and talked... I could have talked to them forever.  Barb and Jon are so amazing and down to earth, and loved our pups, too, which is always a sign to me of lifelong friends.  And much to my happiness, they are also American Idol fans, so we got to catch the end of the finale together. :)  Friday we all headed to the barn sale, where Barb was signing copies of her new book!  Of course, I got my copy signed!  Here are Barb and I at the barn- a fabulous instagram selfie!

Barb headed out with her family after the signing to go to NYC for another signing!  I love having famous author friends.  Seriously though, I do think that Barb is one of the most inspiring people I know- smart, creative, down to earth, and a heart the size of Texas.

After she headed out, I held down the fort at the barn.  Once the day was over, I headed home to relax. This past month has been full of stress, and it's all finally coming to a close, I believe.  Hopefully I will have some news to share soon, but for now, here I am trying to finally just kick up my feet and relax....

Saturday I headed back to the barn for a full day of work, and then off to a friends' house to hang out with a couple other families and relax by a fire pit.  Sunday morning I stayed in my PJ's til 11 am, which is something I never do... it felt like a treat; a real guilty pleasure!  Once I finally got moving, I met up with Sarah and my friend Terri for some vintage fun shopping at the Lucketts Spring Antique Market.  We made a couple laps around and on the second lap I spotted this piece from a vendor called Olde Tyme Marketplace (they also blog here), which I knew had to come home with me and live in my new kitchen.  The color is a beautiful minty color that the picture doesn't do justice....

I fell in love!  I immediately called Chris to ask what he thought and texted that picture to him.  I also sent him this photo to show him how happy this piece made me feel....

He liked it, too!  So it came home with me and will be in our new kitchen next to the refrigerator!  It's got nice deep drawers and will be great storage.  I just need to give it a coat of polycrylic to protect the finish and seal in the paint.

Speaking of the kitchen, how about a couple updates!  First of all, the tile is in and was grouted on Friday.  I could not be happier with how they look....

This week the contractor is wrapping up his work, and then I will get started on the cabinet painting, and more.  The electrician will also be hanging lights this week, so I thought I would share a couple of my choices from Lamps Plus with you.  Some of you guessed right when I shared some of my favorites with you.

For the dining room chandelier, I ordered the Lacey Round Black Chandelier....

I just love its industrial look!  And for the pendant above the sink, I chose the Warm Bronze Edison Industrial Mini Pendant.

I can't wait to see them hanging! The room is really coming along and I could not be happier!

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!  I am off to run some kitchen errands. :)

Gilded Gray Vanity

Happy Thursday!  I am SOOOO excited today because Barb will be arriving later today!  I am headed out to downtown Frederick with Emmy and Barb's family.  After that I plan to force Barb and her family to watch the American Idol results with me. ;) And Friday we are all headed to the barn for Barb's book signing! YAY!  I am also excited today because our tile is going down on our kitchen floor.... SWEET!  Hopefully Monday I can share some pictures with you- I will not have a post tomorrow, just too much going on; I hope you understand!

Anyhow, before I sign off for the weekend I wanted to share one more makeover with you.  I recently purchased this vintage vanity from a local who contacted me because she heard what I did.  She was the same lady I bought the beachy milk paint dresser from, as well as 3 other dressers that will be coming soon!  Here is the sweet vanity I purchased in its before state...

I am always a fan of gray and gold and have used it on a couple of pieces before, and decided this was a perfect piece for that combo as well.  I painted it with Paris Gray chalk paint, lightly distressed it, waxed it, and then added French Gilding Wax in Empire Gold to make the details pop and add a little glam!  I gave it a buffing all over with a rag, and here is the result.

I love the subtle touch of gold!

Well, I am off to have a fun-filled busy weekend, hanging out with Barb, working at the barn, cooking out with friends, and then finally headed to Lucketts Sunday with Sarah!  Good times!  Hope you have an amazing weekend!

Barn Sale Preview

Happy Wednesday!  It's Wednesday and you know what that means.... flooring starts in our kitchen today!  Actually you couldn't have known that, but just play along with me.  Once the flooring is in I will share some progress pictures.  YAY!

Anyhow, Sarah and I finished setting up our space at the barn over the last two days, so I thought I would share some photos with you....

If this little clock gets left behind, it may end up in my kitchen!  it works, and it is minty!

Love this cabinet Sarah brought in.

That's all the shots from our space, but there are 7 other vendors there with awesome stuff as well!  We are fully stocked and ready for the weekend.  So if you are heading to Lucketts, look for the sign with balloons on Rte. 15.... We are just off Rte. 15, about 20 minutes north of Lucketts, and we will be there Friday- Sunday, 10-5.

Also, I wanted to remind you that today is May 15th, the day that Sophie Lillard should have been turning 7 and celebrating with her family.  Tragically, she and her little sister, Madigan, did not make it out of the fire in their house, just a few houses down the road from us.  Their mother has created an amazing event for today, "Seven Acts of Kindness for Sophie's Seventh Birthday."  I invite you to participate, even if you only have time or funds for one act of kindness today.  Do something to spread love and kindness in honor of Sophie Lillard.

Aqua and Zebra Cedar Chest/Bench; Alternatively Titled "Why Running Early in the Morning is Good"

In the last couple months I have gotten into a routine with my friends.... Tuesday and Thursday are running days.  We do the same 4.5 mile loop at 6:30 AM.  Some days I am tired and lacking motivation, but knowing that I am meeting my friends keeps me going!  One morning, we were on the second half of our run, and headed through a neighborhood, and what to my wandering I should appear, but a sweet little cedar chest with a sign on its rear: "FREE".  Well, clearly I couldn't haul it and run, so I made a mental note and headed back after the run to grab it!  Here it is in its before state....

Sorry for the cruddy iphone picture... it was hard to see what it took out in the sun!  Anyhow, it was in decent shape- just missing knobs and screws for the hinges and the cushion needed to be recovered.  It was also missing the lock, but frankly, who needs to lock up their blankets?  Maybe Linus, but other than that I am not too sure.  I replaced the screws for the hinges, and then got to work.  I removed the cushion, which screws on to the top.  I wanted to give it sort of a beachy look, and I also wanted to get rid of some paint cans that only had a little bit each left in them.  I mixed of Annie Sloan's Old White and Duck Egg with CeCe Caldwell's Alaska Tundra Green and came out with a pretty aqua.  I gave it two coats, distressed it and then waxed it with Annie Sloan clear wax.

The finishing steps were the knobs and the fabric.  I was going to use burlap, but I decided to let Emmy choose from a few I had.  She chose a chocolate zebra.

For the knobs, I needed some that did not have posts sticking out of the back, as I imagine someone will put blankets in this chest, and I don't want them to get snagged.  That eliminated a lot of the choices I would normally use for glass or crystal.  I decided to use D. Lawless hardware for the knobs, as they have lots of glass and acrylic options which have screws rather than posts and nuts.  They had lots of choices, but eventually I settled on the Diamond Cut Acrylic Small Knob.  Not only was the price right at just $1.10 each, but they were the perfect scale for the piece.  Here is the picture from their website.

And now here is the cedar chest, complete with its new paint, fabric, and hardware!

I think Emmy did a stellar job choosing the fabric, don't you?  The zebra adds a nice punch!  She said my burlap choice was "ugly". :)

And how perfect are these knobs from D.Lawless?

So pretty!  I don't think I will ever stop loving glass or acrylic knobs.... kind of like I will never stop loving glitter.  Or tin foil Or anything shiny.

I can't wait to take this piece over to the barn for the June sale, although I am so tempted to put it at the foot of Emmy's bed.... But I won't.  But I might.

A special thank you goes out to D. Lawless Hardware for providing me with the knobs to complete this project!


Sharing here:
JENNIFER RIZZO