Eastlake Armoire

This Eastlake Armoire is an old knock down wardrobe circa early 1900's, and was found at an auction in Centerville.  The knock down was designed for the ease of moving a large piece of furniture at the beginning of last century.  Wow, never thought I would ever say that.  This one is made of oak and quite heavy.  Having been stored in a barn for years rendered its original finish non existent. The hand carved beauty had been hidden away for quite possibly decades with layers of grime and neglect.  What choice did I have but to bring it to the studio to begin its new life. After a week of scrubbing and sanding I chose a cream and leaf green crazed finish with translucent gold and vineyard grape juice purple accents.  I love the detailing on the top, Eastlake has always been a favorite of mine.  The rest of this story tomorrow...

Black & Silver Bomb'e Chest

A little bombe chest from Belgium, brought to me by a good friend.  This little chest had a very loose top and a badly damaged finish.  I felt it was my duty to find a new life for this sad little guy...after all a tree had once been sacrificed for him and that is no small thing...to me.  I chose a hand painted rubbed black finish with champaign silver  detailing.  It occurs to me now that the tiny stripes in the border are not clearly seen in this photo.  I will take a detail shot of this to add later, because I think they are fun to do and see.  I have allot of fun with these quaint little chests.  Thanks for stopping by to see my work...

The Frog & The Lady Bug

The bottom photo is a canvas that I designed and painted for an antique swivel top game table.  The tables original green felt was way past saving...and the top would no longer turn to open into a game table.  Layers of black paint were the glue holding it together.  I found it in a local antique emporium, and I fell in love with its graceful lines. The two chairs were found in Tennessee...and had seats of burlap with a chalky white paint.  The carvings were so similar on both that I had to introduce them to each other and see what path we might find ourselves upon.  My favorite part of this whimsical set are the frogs and lady bugs in the fabric and on the game top.  It nearly broke my heart when they went their separate ways... the table one way the chairs yet another.   Each found their way to a new home, bringing along a bit of whimsey of their own. The top photo is a faded image is the finished set.

Piano Chair

This sweet little piano chair came from an auction in the northern part of the state.  I had my eye on it all day...along with a few other treasures. The little chair was mostly in pieces with absolutely no finish, but I could still see the graceful lines of its past, and wanted to do something about it.  Someone was talking to me when the chair went up for bid, and as I turned around I noticed that someone had placed "my" broken bits of yesterdays grace in a box of junk to sell them together, and a gentleman with the winning bid was walking away with it...The nerve!

I walked up to ask the man the fate of my little chair...only to learn it was headed for the kindling pile. I nearly fainted. The man then kindly offered it to me for six times what he had paid for it...so yes, as I was retrieving the thirty dollars from my pocket he had a good laugh.  I still feel as though I am the one that won that crisp fall day.  Such a big story for such a tiny chair...

Vintage Buffet

I painted this buffet for a client that I have done quite a bit of work for. The buffet is a vintage piece from the 1920's era, and was in need of some serious help. There it was...the finish was very worn...the chipping veneer ...it was just daring me to approach it with a paintbrush.  The nerve!  You can see here who won that battle.  In this fuzzy photo from the archives, is also a glimpse of the corner of a vintage farm table that I finished to go with the buffet.  The soft finish on the walls in this dining room...also done by me.

Baby Bomb'e Chest

This Baby Bomb'e Chest is one of the pieces that a friend found for me in Belgium while hunting for fine antiques.  This one was not so fine...so it went into my shipment...I always love finding a piece that needs me for something that I love to do.  The combination of red, green and a tiny bit of gold on a small piece for a big statement. The detail photo shows the crazing that I created to keep a vintage look.  I think that this would look oh so nice flanked with a pair of Gothic Chairs...what do you think?

Silver And Gold Bench

This is a newer bench on which I did a gold and silver leaf technique, with a clear crackle finish.  I also had some flumpy pillows and a loose cushion made for the seat. Here, it is in a setting for a photo shoot that was being done at the time.

Vintage Black Toile Chair

Vintage oak farm chair rescued by a hand painted distressed black finish and a comfy seat upholstered in a black and cream toile.  I found two of this chair, so I made a matched pair.