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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

French Country Hutch

One of my latest furniture projects had a mind of its own…but what else is new?? Red Hen Home French Country Hutch 3 I have been in love with this hutch (below) for months and months…in fact, I have it pinned to at least two different Pinterest boards!

I haunted Craigslist for days/weeks/months/(who knows) to find a similar piece for a good price, and finally came across this one:
Red Hen Home French Country Hutch before
It was $75!!  The only problem…it was in Kirkland, WA, while I was in Portland, OR, for spring break!  The owner was moving, and it HAD to leave on one specific day, and I wasn’t going to be available.  I fretted over that for a while, until an elegant solution occurred to me.  I was supposed to paint a small chest of drawers for a client that she was picking up IN Kirkland!  I made a deal…if she would pick up this hutch for me, I would paint her chest for free.
Everybody wins!
So the hutch came home in April, I think…and then it sat….and sat…and sat…until finally I was ready to do something with my dining room.
Red Hen Home French Country Hutch 5
I tried my best to re-create the look of my inspiration picture.  I painted the body with a DIY chalk paint made from SW Creamy ceiling paint!  I distressed everything heavily, and also glazed it with a dark walnut stain .
Red Hen Home French Country Hutch 4
I had a different vision for the backing other than beadboard, but I had to bring the hutch inside before I got to it in order to keep it “safe” from other garage projects. 
  Red Hen Home French Country Hutch 7 I placed it against the dining room wall that was supposed to be it’s new home…and promptly hated it.
Red Hen Home French Country Hutch 8
It was too. darn. big.
Sadly, I knew right then that it wasn’t staying.  I decided to use beadboard for the backing, painted a couple of shades darker than the rest of the hutch.
  Red Hen Home French Country Hutch 2
After putting it all together, I could appreciate that it was a pretty piece…just not for me!  It has moved on to a new home now.
<Sigh.>  Better luck next time!

Linking up here:
  Elizabeth & Co.
Primitive & Proper  
Friday Remodelaholic The Scoop!
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special The DIY Show Off
Miss Mustard Seed
Beyond the Picket Fence  
Knick of Time  
Common Ground My Repurposed Life
  Mod Vintage Life

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Home Theater Signs

The power supply on our main computer died, and it’s just not as easy to write blog posts on my “vintage” laptop!  But I thought I’d pop in to show one of my latest projects.

Back in 2011, I participated in “Crafting With the Stars” and knocked-off the Ballard Designs home “theatre” signs (you can see the original post here). 

I multi-tasked for this project, and used the signs as a Christmas gift for my sister! (They look better in her house than in mine, shown below.)

CWTS 007

A friend of mine asked if I would make another set for her, and I agreed to do everything except the film reels (never again). 

2014-10-08 17.10.45

I “americanized” the spelling of “Theater,” and changed the ticket number to one that was meaningful for her.

2014-10-08 17.10.56

It was fun to revisit an old project!

2014-10-08 17.11.10