new foyer lamps + how to create a “zinc” finish
Three blog posts in one week, can you believe it? I’m still behind on laundry by three loads, but I have to say, it feels soooooo good to be back to blogging on what I hope I can make a regular basis! On the heels of Wednesday’s post, I still have lighting on the brain,…
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faux finished walls: would you ever?
Faux finished walls…..those three words conjure images of sponge painted and rag rolled walls that were popular in the 90’s and make me cringe a little. The thing with faux finishes on interior walls, for me at least, is that it has to be done absolutely perfectly in order to not look cheesey or fake…
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high gloss
Want to know a little secret? Of all the coffee tables, cribs, consoles, dining chairs and side tables I’ve stained, painted, distressed, whitewashed and drybrushed over the years – and there have been quite a few – not once have I been asked to do a high gloss or lacquer finish! I’m finally getting my…
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diy: antique brass paint finish
My favorite DIY’s are those that take the least amount of time and are virtually impossible to mess up. This paint technique satisfies both requirements and the results are pretty impressive! I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about Modern Masters metallic paints and have been wanting to give them a try for a while;…
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diy: weathered wood paint treatment
After posting a few sneak peeks of some Queen Anne-style dining chairs I was working on a few weeks ago, I got a TON of emails asking about how I created the finish. Seriously, you guys are the best with all your sweet comments and emails and even though I was originally waiting to reupholster…
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before + after: porthole mirror
I’ve always loved round mirrors and if you do, too, you know that larger ones are pretty hard to find on a budget, so when I spotted this porthole mirror at Target a few weeks ago, I grabbed it for Baby Girl’s nursery without a second thought. I loved the shape and the size, but…
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whitewashing vs. dry brushing
I get a TON of emails with questions about whitewashing furniture – mostly wanting to know the difference between whitewashing and dry brushing and how to choose which technique for a piece. I’ve posted a step-by-step tutorial on how to whitewash furniture, but thought I’d give a breakdown on the difference between the two and…
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how to create a “zinc” finish
There is this little alcove between the tub and shower wall in our master bathroom in which we want to put custom built-ins, but since we are getting ready to finish our second floor, I thought hanging a full-length mirror would be a much better use of funds for a temporary fix. We don’t have…
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before + after: whitewashed brick fireplace
When my clients asked me to help bring their 1972 ranch home up-to-date, the first thing that had to go was the bright orange/red brick fireplace. Their family room gets so much natural light, yet the floor-to-ceiling brick seemed to glow. Instead of painting the brick completely, I decided to whitewash it, instead, to tone…
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diy: how to make new wood look old and weathered
In yesterday’s post, I showed you how I made my own custom picture frames for nautical charts and today I thought I’d show how I created the weathered stain – it’s super easy and very inexpensive! I wanted to create a finish similar to the mirror and candlesticks on my fireplace, since the frames will…
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