Reclaiming the 1950's Vanity with Chalk Paint

At a flea market, I came across this 1950's vanity. What is so unique about it is the bench is still intact. We find these everywhere but few still have the seat. My friend had just bought a new house and needed a piece for her 12 year old daughter's room. I sent her a picture and she wanted me to pick it up for just $100. It was in great shape. I painted it with chalk paint which I made (so recipe below), distressed it with sand paper and sealed with wax. After a year, she still has so many people be in awe of the piece. I love it.

After picture:

Before picture:

 

This was just the piece for her room. I love the fabric! Her daughter picked it out after I took her to Atlanta to Forsyth Fabrics and Lewis and Sharon Textiles. We had a blast that day. She picked out all her fabrics and helped me do everything from the painting, sanding and sewing. I will soon post pictures of her entire room. It looks just like a tween room.

 

Chalk paint recipe:

 

2 cups paint (I use Behr with primer in eggshell from Home Depot)

1/3 cup Plaster of Paris

2 Tbsp water

 

Mix well and apply with sponge brush. It may take a few coats but sanding is much easier and it sticks so well that I don't ever sand before application regardless of the original finish. I have tried different brushes but I feel the cheap sponge brush is the best.

 

You can glaze it at this point if you like.

 

Seal with Paste wax from minwax found in the stain section at Home Depot.

 

I will be posting other furniture reclaims I've done over the past year. I would love to see your pictures too.

 

Happy Reclaiming!

Mom's Hand Embroidered Dish Towels

I found my Mom's dish towels. She embroidered these when she was a teenager in the 1940s and put them in her hope chest (that's another blog). I washed and starched them and then framed them. I put them in my laundry room. I love them and smile every time I enter the room.

They also help me hide the fuse boxes. Hope you find a treasured heirloom and please share your pictures.

Estate Sale

Estate Sale: It rolls off the tongue a lot easier than yard sale. It also brings in a completely different set of customers than a yard sale. I had things left of my Mom's, Thomas' mother, and our things.






We have completed the estate sale. It was a huge success but I still have a lot of things left. I had many options on what to do with these things.

1. Have auction company come pick up what is left and sale it at a commission.

2. Donate to charity.

3. Yard Sale.

Well I have decided to have a yard sale. Since it is July and it is getting hotter, I decided to wait until fall. That will give me time to continue to clean out my house and add to it. Since it is so hot, it is easier to stay inside and get the cleaning done. I have already cleaned out my utility room, which is very large, and have already added several boxes full. I am pricing as I pack to make the yard sale much easier.

It was so emotional to go through this process, but Lynne Brown was so easy to work with. She had no emotional attachment to anything. It would have taken me years to accomplish what she did in one month.

Since it is over, I am starting back on my bedroom and I have some great things going and I can't wait to share these over the next few weeks.

Distractions

Distractions are always felt to be negative. However, I have be given a God given distraction. I have embraced this as positive. One month ago, I signed a contract with Lynne to have the Estate Sale this weekend, only to learn in a few days that our close friends were visiting from Arkansas.

Thomas immediately wanted to change the date of the sale, but I said NO. Our friends would understand. We would be out and about with them and away from the house. A God given distraction. I embraced it and I now know it is just what I needed.

I am now looking around. Our distraction has arrived. Everyone has gone to bed and it is just me. I walk through the estate sale looking at everything. I want to make sure that there is nothing I want to keep. I find 3 things, that's all.

As I put them aside, I am surrounded by Neena and Meemaw. I can feel them everywhere. But it is peaceful. They are telling me it is Ok. Enjoy your distraction and let go. As I sit here all alone with them, I smile and feel so comforted.

Tomorrow morning I will wake to my distraction. I can walk, no run away, and toward our new memories. I can't wait for the next phase that God has in store for us.

This distraction does not have any feeling of negative. My close friends are with us, helping us to let go. As we make the next step in our lives, we are focused. We continue to dream.

I will wake up to helping Thomas cook breakfast, hugging on our friends and their children. Letting go with the best distraction ever.

This Ain't Nothin

Going through this estate sale has been so emotional. I'm reminded of Craig Morgan's song "This Ain't Nothing". He tells a story about a man whose house is destroyed by a tornado. It really puts into perspective things, stuff, etc and memories. I keep playing it in my head.

What would my feelings be if a tornado came and destroyed our parents stuff? We have memories that are priceless, that no tornado or estate sale can take away,

Now I have a renewed prospective. This will get me through watching people rummaging. They are only a tornado.

Freeze Frame

How many times in our lives do we just freeze frame. I was working on my master bedroom and this happened.

I knew I had some things in the garage that belonged to Thomas' and my Mom that I wanted to  incorporate. But where to find them?

I have a three car garage that is filled with their memories. It took me this long to deal with their deaths and all their memories that I inherited.

Initially, I wanted to build a shrine to honor our parents. So I could not rid myself of their stuff (memories). So fast forward 3 years:

I now have all their memories. It took me this long to grieve and to realize that what was precious to them was not precious to me. I know they were minimalists and would not want me to have this burden.

Yes, it is a burden to have these memories inherited to Thomas and me. Where do we start, what do we do?

When I started on my bedroom, I started digging. Then I realized it is bigger than me. I started with ebay, and I couldn't get any response to what I asked (remember that this is memories that have emotions attached and not just stuff).

So I freeze framed.

I searched and found someone who does estate sales. Lynne Brown. She has come in with everything in boxes, not knowing what is in there (nor did we). She has been so respectful. Yet everyday we come in with our nightly to do list. It has been tiring.

The sale is this coming weekend. I have worked so hard.

The girls came over and spent 2 weekends going through the attic and their rooms. I have loved seeing them find things that were lost. Heart broken at the things that they chose to trash. This is their stuff not mine. That was huge for me. To let go of trophys, medals, pictures. I thought I would go back and pull these things out of the trash and WHAT? Put it in a box for them to throw out when I'm gone. Letting go. Its hard.

So I freeze framed my  redecorating to deal with these memories.

I will post pictures in the future.

Its OK to freeze frame. 

Reclaiming Cordele

Today I went to Crimson and Clover in downtown Cordele. It was like stepping into Antropologie (which is one of my favorite stores). I was looking for things for a brunch. They have paper runners of different designs and colors. These are perfect for parties.

 







They also have coordinating placemats and napkins. The table runner and placemats are heavy duty paper and the napkins are cloth and last through 6-8 washings.

They just bought Devae Smith's invitation business. Thank you Whitney for all your help today.

We are so lucky to have stores like this and Sakari, Three's Company, Judy's Small World, Savannah Rose, and Flint River Pottery. All are locally owned and operated.

Shop and buy Cordele.