Before and Afters Archives | Page 11 of 51

Before and Afters

landscape dresser no. 4 reveal

I finished “landscape dresser no. 4” yesterday and had the chance to style and photograph it today. The prop-pickings were slim in the studio, but I love how everything came together to showcase this piece. As a reminder, here is how the dresser started. It really was pretty as it was, but I’ve learned that even pretty wood pieces don’t usually sell for me, so I went ahead and painted it. I would call this a “mixed media” dresser, since I used two different kinds of paint together to get the finished look. I used about 90% MMS Milk Paint and 10% Liquitex artist acrylics. I used those acrylics to add some more intense color where I wanted it and for mixing with the milk paint. I used the milk paint like watercolors, so I allowed them to be translucent and to run and bleed, especially in the sky. You can check

August 31, 2016 47 Comments

Before and Afters

master bedroom nightstands

I don’t show a ton of the goings-on in my house these days largely because there’s not a lot happening as far as home improvements or decorating changes are concerned. We are transitioning the guest room to Calvin’s room, but other than that, things have pretty much stayed the same. We are changing a few things up, though, and I must say that it’s been refreshing for me. I love making tweaks and changes to a space, even if it’s just for the sake of things looking a little different. Spaces can start to feel stale when they are too stagnant, I think. For a while, I’ve been wanting to change out the nightstands in the master bedroom. I’ve been on the hunt for two antique washstands or chests that were about the same size and shape. It’s been tricky to find, but two pieces finally found their way to

August 29, 2016 33 Comments

Before and Afters

The Tricycle Dresser Reveal

It’s been a long time, but I finally painted another red piece… …and it makes me wonder why I don’t do it more often! This piece really wears red well. Here is how it started… It wasn’t bad at all, but the finish was a little tired and a refresh felt in order. I painted it in two coat of Tricycle and finished it with one coat of Antiquing Wax. You can see how I applied the Antiquing Wax HERE. The color is definitely an attention-grabber, but it’s the hardware that is the real star of this piece and I love how the red sets it off. If you look closely, you’ll notice that one of the handles was replaced at some point, but I sort of like the show of ingenuity. That’s something my Opa would’ve done. Mixed this piece with that to fix a broken handle. I had this

August 1, 2016 20 Comments

Before and Afters

soft milk paint landscape dresser | reveal

The “soft landscape dresser”, as I’ve been calling it, is finished! I had to struggle my way through it a bit, but I’ve learned that’s often the way it is with new creative endeavors. My first venture into sewing, my first refinished dresser, my first blog post…they were all a learning process. And let’s not even talk about the first time I attempted upholstery! Anyway, I pushed through and I really love how this one turned out. And I like how the chippiness brings some softness and a sense of age to the paint. You can find the details on the before, colors used, and how the landscape progressed in these posts… part one part two part three I have purchased a few blank canvases and I feel like I might be ready to finally put a brush to them. Furniture feels a bit safer to me, if that makes sense! When

July 24, 2016 No Comments

Before and Afters

soft landscape dresser | reveal

July 24, 2016 33 Comments

Before and Afters

BYOF Workshop Makeovers

This weekend, we hosted a BYOF (bring your own furniture) MMS Milk Paint workshop at the studio. Those workshops are always such a fun time of painting and fellowship and we had a great group of ladies who brought some awesome furniture pieces. It was a good excuse for me to take a couple of days to thoroughly clean and tidy-up the studio and restock our supply of drinks, snacks, and, of course, chocolates! I also brought in some sweet cherries and homemade mini blueberry muffins. I love playing hostess and sharing my creative space with others. The class went from 10:00 until 3:30, so we had a lot of time to chat and work on the pieces. It’s fun for me to introduce people to milk paint and see their trepidation turn to excitement as their pieces transition from the before to the “ugly stage” to the finished

July 17, 2016 13 Comments

Before and Afters

Farmhouse White Dining Room Table

I have been thinking about painting my dining room table top for ages. I never actually went through with it, though. Partly because of time, but mostly because I was a little nervous about painting it. Yes, I was actually nervous about it! I have never had an all-white dining room table and I honestly wasn’t sure if I would like it. As much as I like painted pieces, I am partial to wood tops. The thing with this table is that the top is made out of an old barn door and, if you take off the runner, you can definitely see that. There was a sign posted on it back in the day when it was a door. And, while I don’t think woods used in a room have to match, the top didn’t really relate to anything else in the room. So, I had the house to myself for

July 11, 2016 62 Comments

Before and Afters

Eulalie’s Sky Dresser

If you watched the “prove yourself wrong” video, you already saw how this dresser turned out, but I wanted to give it a proper before and after post. Here’s the before… This piece really was a pretty one as is, but I needed a piece to paint and crossed paths with this one. I decided to use a color I love, but haven’t used a lot lately…Eulalie’s Sky. It’s a happy, pretty color that just seemed to suit the video we were making. Here is how it turned out… As an aside, this dresser is almost identical to one I bought back in February… Even the hardware was the same, which makes me think that might’ve been the original hardware, even though it looks more Queen Ann to me. I replaced the hardware with some simpler bail pulls and I’m planning to do the same with the Eulalie’s Sky dresser. The

July 8, 2016 25 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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