more furniture to paint…

by | Jan 13, 2015 | All Things Home, Antiques, Artistic Endeavors, Favorite Finds | 22 comments

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I have had a tough time getting back in my groove since the Christmas holiday.  It’s mostly because of this…

No, not an amazing old mill.  The snow!  The boys keep having two hour delays and full days off from school for snow and ice.  I love my days off with them, but it’s tough trying to balance work with two boys home all day, especially on the heels of a long school break!  We’re managing, though.  There’s lots of Lego-building, movies, games, “guy battles”, snacks and lunches and I’m sneaking work in when I can.

 I did get a few days in at the studio last week and I enjoyed them so much after my time away…

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miss mustard seed-4189

One of the top things on my to-do list is to finish introducing the European color line for MMSMP before they are released (Jan 24, 2015), so I’ve been stocking up on some Criag’s List furniture to paint.  I’m still on a streak when it comes to finding Empire dressers!  This one is the best of the bunch…

I love the wheels, the glass knobs and the “booked” veneer on the drawer fronts.  There is quite a bit of chipped and repaired veneer on this piece, but I don’t think it detracts from the beauty.

This one is in rough shape.  One of the sides needs to be glued and the back is entirely missing, but it’s a pretty easy fix.  The chipped veneer on this piece was a bit more unsightly than first one…

…but I am in love with the inlay around the key holes.

I’m just going to paint over the missing veneer and let this piece be what it is.  She’s an old gal and there’s no reason to try to hide it.

This one needs the most help.  It has a pretty decent shimmy going on when you bump it, so it’s going to need a lot of gluing and shoring up!  I hope Jeff can work his magic.  It doesn’t look bad, though.  I do think someone lopped the legs off of this piece, but it works!

And lastly, I’m working on this caned-back sofa…

I bought it originally for the studio, but I’m going to fix it up and send it on to a new home.

I started painting the piece with the pretty inlay and I hope to finish it tomorrow.  It’s still in the ugly-duckling stage with just the first coat of Mora (one of the new European colors), but it’s going to be a beauty when it’s done.

 

I stripped the upholstery off the sofa and Kriste painted the frame in another one of the new European colors.

We also shot some videos for Design Ramblings and we’re working on our first MMSMP commercial!  It’s going to be really simple, but I’m excited about taking this step.  It’s time to do it.

And Kriste and I are also getting ready for the first workshops in the studio.  We’re making hand painted name tags on linen for each of the attendees.

miss mustard seed-4184

Lots of exciting things in the works…

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    22 Comments

    1. Traer

      looking forward to your workshop next week!

    2. Gloria

      How fun your workshop will be girl..I know with you in charge it will be great..I love reading your blog my young friend..I didn’t know you were a lefty..I build a lot of legos with my 4 yr old great grandson..Have a wonderful week..hugs from my mountain to yours, Gloria

    3. Cathy

      I couldn’t make the date work for this workshop but want to attend your next one. Do you post upcoming classes months out. I will be coming from out of state so advance notice would be great. Love your work!!

    4. Sharon Rexroad

      Seeing how you’re painting those cute name tags, have you tried painting fabric on an upholstered piece like I’ve been seeing a lot of ASCP users doing? Would love to see a MMS take on this technique!

    5. Liz M

      Seems like you are definitely back in your groove, Missy!! I love your empire finds! I am also in love with empire dressers but can’t find them as readily in the SF Bay Area as you do, and when I do they are pricey. I don’t like paying more than $100 or so when I am refinishing or painting and then selling them. I am curious to know what you pay in your area.??

      I always feel compelled to either repair or remove damaged veneer, so I am curious to see how it looks when you just paint over the chips. Please take close ups!!

      I, too, would love to see you paint an upholstered piece with your paint!! I have done it effectively before but sort of winged it. I’ll bet you can come up with a great recipe for MMS fabric paint!!

      Can’t wait to see your new colors on your great pieces!!

      • marian

        I usually pay between $50-100 for dressers to paint/fix up.

        Yes, I’ll take pictures of the closeups. I paint over chipped veneer all the time and I like the character it gives a piece. 🙂

    6. Gail

      I love how you transform old pieces into updated works of art. I have no doubt these dressers and the sofa will be no exception! 🙂

      Enjoy the snow! I’m in Texas and wish it would snow every day, haha. 🙂

      Hugs,
      Gail

    7. Kate

      As an avid follower from England, I wondered if you would consider renaming the new paint line “European Colours”

    8. Lauren Baxter

      I just have to say your pictures are always amazing! I love reading your posts and looking and the most mesmerizing pictures.

      As for this post I loved it! So many exciting projects! Cant wait to see ALL of the finished pieces! and the commercial! Good luck on everything!

    9. Jeanine C.

      These are all great pieces with a past and future! I agree, leave the original chippiness, it will just add to its story.

      Quick question: I am wondering how close the new Mora paint ( congrats by the way!) is in color to MMS Shutter Gray? My home has a European style color scheme: creams, linens, light blues, grays etc…. I have a piece I was planning on painting shutter gray, but hmmmmmm… now I may be torn on the color.

      Snow in my little world today too! It’s a good tea day 🙂

      • marian

        Mora is very different from Shutter Gray. Shutter Gray is a mid-tone blue gray while Mora is a pale neutral with greenish/blues undertones.

    10. Jelena

      Oh, I love that caned back sofa! Can’t wait to see how beautiful it would look with new paint and upholstery!

    11. Roseann

      You are an amazing craftier & mother. I bet those boys wish you would go off to work so.o.o.oo they can play. (lol) I’m in the process of re-making my guest/office. It is rather small! What do you
      charge to see photos and give your expertise.

      Thanks looking forward to the new Line!!!!

    12. Jackie

      Hi,
      I have a dresser like one you posted picture of today. The one with the wood scrolls down the front on left and right sides. I would love to know what you are going to do with yours. Are you going to paint it? If so what color. Would you leave the top stained and paint the rest? Love what you do!!!

    13. Winnie

      Just a thought – how would it be to put some interesting wheels on the piece with the legs cut off?! There is such a variety of stylish casters out there these days. I put some spoked ones on an old trunk recently so it would be easier to move around, and they are so cute!

    14. Karen Schaffer

      I have a question about the pieces with chipped veneer. Do you ever try to sand those rough edges before painting or do you generally leave them as is and paint over them?
      I’m asking because I just painted a piece for a customer and within a day she caught the small edge of the veneer and chipped the piece. The veneer wasn’t very bad so I didn’t try sanding it.
      I repaired the piece but for future, wondering if I should always try sanding the veneer smooth.
      Can’t wait to see you work your magic on these beauties.

    15. Ms. B

      Marian, I can’t wait to see the transformation of your amazing finds.
      I’m saving up for out of state travel to attend one of your workshops this year, so if you have a calendar of event dates to share, that would be great.
      Last but not least, would you consider hosting a workshop on running a creative business … I’m just getting started, and need all the help I can get!

    16. Tardevil

      You find the best pieces on Craigslist. Love the caned sofa and the shade of blue on the name tags. Speaking of blue, have you seen the blue and white throw on Oliver and Rust’s Etsy? It reminds me of you every time I see it.

      • Roseann

        Can you share “Oliver and Rust’s Etsy link…..can find.
        Many thanks

    17. Betsy @ Happily Ever After Etc.

      Why don’t I live in Pennsylvania so that I can go to your workshop?! I really just don’t get it! It’s not fair!

      Tantrum over (for the moment) you have so many pretty dressers right now! I can’t wait to see what you do with them!

    18. Jessica @ Dear Emmeline

      The new colors look so pretty! Can’t wait to see the magic you work on all the new pieces.

    19. Liz Knox Anthony

      Oh WHYyyyyyyy do I not live closer? I would sooooo love to take your class and those green velvet frenchy chairs keep taunting me. I am so in love with them.
      I can’t wait to get my hands on the new colors.

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