wine & redesign -

QUICK TIP: Flea Market Art

Today I went “flea marketing” looking for some affordable art to adorn my walls. I was hoping for the best but really only expected the typical 80’s beach scene with a mauve mat board and black plastic frame. I was pleasantly surprised. FLEA MARKETS ARE WHERE IT’S AT! The one I visited had multiple original oil paintings in thick wooden frames ranging from $15-$89 depending on the size. Here are some of my favorites:

This oil painting was about 3’ across with a beveled canvas inner frame. Guess how much it was listed … $39! Can you believe it? And that’s not even after bargaining, (always know you can bargain with the seller at a flea market).

This one was my favorite and I’m currently in “negotiations” with the seller. It’s a beautiful original oil painting with an interesting wooden frame that had wavy chunks cut out that mimicked the artist’s brush strokes. It too was about 3’ across. I love the use of green tones. It was priced at $89, but I’m hoping to get it for $60, (wish me luck)!

This painting was beautiful. Once again - an original oil painting with a substantial frame and intricate brush strokes. This was about 3.5’ across - so a very large painting for a home. It’s price was, I believe, around $60. Considering that all these paintings are real and have beautiful frames, (the frames alone at craft stores cost about as much), they’re a steal of a deal!

The verdict is in - I’m hooked on flea market art. If the frame seems outdated, keep in mind you can always jazz it up by masking over the art and painting the frame a different color. Again, the framing alone sometimes can cost as much as $40, so if you like the art, it’s well worth it.

I’m still waiting for that seller to call me back….come on….give a girl a call!

CHEERS!

PROJECT: Custom Clock

After remodeling our kitchen, I had a big empty space above my cooktop. See below:

Since the majority of my kitchen is earth tones, I really wanted to jazz it up with a bright cobalt blue. I had my heart set on a big blue clock. The down side was that all the clocks I found were either too small, too expensive, or too much of a blast from the past, (ie. eighties - and not in a good way). While at Hobby Lobby, I stumbled upon a clock that was half off, ($60 total). I’m mad at myself because I was a bad blogger and I didn’t take a before picture, (ARGH)! I was so excited I just started painting….

The area I’m painting over had some text written on it. Something like, “Old Clock Co. est. 1842.”

I carefully painted within the clock lines.

Here it is on the wall drying. Then I noticed…the hands disappear!!! So, I colored the clock hands with oil-based silver marker.

The blue looks slightly darker in these pictures than in person. Here’s what it looks like in the kitchen:

Now I need to put out various blue plates to tie it all in. I’m also working on my breakfast nook which carries this blue. See pillow pics here.

WINE RECOMMENDATION: Duck Pond Cabernet Sauvignon, about $14.50 per bottle. This is a friendly cab at a great price. My husband and I really liked the 2009, but the 2010 doesn’t disappoint. CHEERS!

PROJECT: Mirror Makeover

Recently I purchased a Groupon for this great used furniture store in Colorado Springs called Platte Furniture. They had a ton of interesting things, but I fell in love with this old, gigantic mirror:

The mirror was priced at $150; however, with my Groupon it ended up costing me $40 - not bad for a HUGE, intricate mirror. I always think a good mirror can make a room. Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of intricate mirrors like this with white frames:

Below is an example from One Kings Lane. This mirror is actually much smaller than the one I purchased: but, as you can see from the price, it’s quite a bit more expensive.

No worries - this is an EASY fix. The first step is to clean the mirror.

After you are done cleaning the frame, grab some painter’s tape and newspaper to mask off your mirror. I also put a large board on top just for added protection, but thick layers of newspaper should work as long as you tape off ALL gaps. In an open area that’s exposed to outside air, go ahead and spray paint the frame with a primer spray paint.

Allow the primer to dry and then apply your first coat of the final spray paint color. Spray paint is really perfect for this job because the frame is so detailed.

Also, don’t feel you have to go with white. I’ve seen some cool rooms where the majority of the room is neutral and then they add pizazz with a cool pop of color. Something like this (click on picture to go to source):

And here’s the finished product …

I’m still working on my dining room. I want to add drapes and some candle sconces on the wall. One project at a time, though! If you want to see how I made-over the dresser below, click here.

CELEBRATORY WINE: Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, $9.00. This is a light and airy wine at a great cost, (just like my mirror)! It’s also a great summer wine. CHEERS!

PROJECT: Dresser Makeover

I made a bargain with my brother that he could have my cool American flag by Tommy Hilfiger in exchange for his beat-up bedroom dresser. I think I got the better end of the deal, (after the makeover of course), but I’ll let you all be the judge of that! Here’s the before, (complete with nasty brother stains on the inside like shaving cream and gum).

So, I went to work …

First on the list was to remove the handles.

After all the handles and knobs were removed I got out my power sander and began to sand.

After sanding, I cleaned the piece off with some all-purpose cleaner. This removed the dust from the sanding as well as brother germs.

The next step was to start painting and staining. For this piece, I was inspired by the furniture that was both stained and painted. Something like these:

After sanding the top, drawers, and all sides, I stained the top of the dresser. I wanted a really dark stain, so I had to apply three coats. The below picture shows two coats.

While I waited for the coats of stain to dry, I started painting the drawers with a small hand-held roller. I found that there was no need to prime these if you sanded them well.

Possibly the most fun about making-over a furniture piece is picking new knobs. I fell in love with some contemporary knobs by Martha Stewart featured at Home Depot.

You can also see my mirror that I madeover above it. Click here to see how I made the mirror.

CELEBRATORY WINE: A to Z Wineworks Pinot Gris, $13. I LOVE Oregon wine, especially their whites … I also like taking something that’s free and making it look expensive. Here’s to bargaining with brothers and making their stuff beautiful again! CHEERS!