"Frenchy" Buffet Makeover

I've slowly been piecing my house together since the move last September and constantly ask myself WHY?! WHY can't I just go to a big box store, order furnishings in the latest fashion, throw them against the wall and be done with it all. I have friends with nice homes that move and within a week their new house is as put together as their last so CLEARLY it's possible to not have "set up" take 6 months! I have this constant need to "collect". Collect from flea markets, antique malls, etc. making a room never truly complete but I rationalize it all by saying, "oh, it's coming together organically.". Yea, okay, whatever.

In the spirit of bringing a room together "organically" I want to share a cute little french provincial buffet I found in a California antique mall last summer. I received a call a couple of days before we left for the California coast saying I was going to get to rent my current house and I was SUPER excited. Mostly, I was SUPER excited by the prospect of having a SUPER large dining room that could house a dinging set I had snagged for $50 four months prior that was currently collecting dust in my garage waiting to be redone. While we were antiquing in California I was telling my mom all about how I was going to use ASCP for the first time to redo this dining set and that I was excited to try and give the dining room more of a rustic ranch feel. She attempted to act interested in what I was saying and not annoyed that I was distracting her from finding her own great treasures when she spotted a small french provincial buffet and said, "How great is this?!". "Eh, yea I guess it's nice. I like the chicken wire on the bottom." I replied. To be honest I did think it was a pretty great little piece that could be nicely added in to my dining set with some paint but I also noticed the $150 price tag and I choose not to get excited if I have to let go of that kind of cash on myself. Well, ultimately she sold me on it BUT she did have to promise to throw in an awesome old set of silverware she had bought at a flea market to fill its top drawer. Speaking of which...Mom, I'm still waiting for that set.

The piece was in amazing condition so I'm sorry if anyone is offended by the addition of some stain and paint but I just had to do it! I bought my first ever quart of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and painted it in old white but stained the top a dark walnut to match the dining room table and I really love how it turned out. Also, I now understand why there is so much love for the ASCP now- stuff's GREAT!

Before

After

Still, my favorite part is that chicken wire!

-Andrea

Showing off at Show it Off Mondays and Meg & Mum's

Lark Living

It's no secret that my mom can't get enough of Amy Butler's fabric. Honestly, the woman can do no wrong design in my mom's eyes! It's also no secret that my mom is constantly creating for anyone but herself and yes I am a HUGE contributor toward that. A few months ago I challenged my mom to get rid of her gigantic la-z-boy sectional recliner sofa and create a living room she's actually excited about. The challenge was gladly accepted and within weeks she had found an antique set to tear apart. Not so surprisingly, once it was torn apart, new foam and webbing done she upholstered the pieces in her favorite fabric gals' new line Lark. Take a look (and please excuse the focus on some of the photos - apparently it was an off day)!

Ok, so the last chair isn't from the Lark collection but if it ever feels outnumbered I'll gladly let it take residence at my home!

-Andrea

See you at the Fiesta!

My stressful week is finally over and from now through Sunday it will be nothing but fun at Tucson Quilt Fiesta! If you live in southern Arizona come check out the fantastic quilt show and amazing (especially booth #1) vendor booths at the Tucson Convention Center Friday, January 20th - Sunday, January 22nd. You can find me in the booth with the pink walls, Mad Hatter tea party (complete with custom quilted chair of course!) and fabric galore. Oh, I'll also be sporting a fashionable but rather small hat inside the booth and in case you're worried you still might not find me I've included some reference photos found below. Happy un-weekend to all!

-Andrea

Merchant Square Booth

A few months ago we rented a booth at Merchant Square Antiques in sunny Chandler, Arizona and my mom has been busy keeping it stocked. She snapped a few pictures of it after restocking last weekend so we could share them here with you. Just a side note, the white tufted couch you'll see is 10 feet long and our biggest project to date. Looking at it for too long causes a feeling of remorse for renting such a small bungalow that could, unfortunately, never support such a large beautiful piece.

Our furniture can be found in booth B-119 and at the moment (unless a very large piece sells) we add new items every two weeks so hopefully you'll see something fresh if you stop by more than once!

-Andrea