First Vendor Experience~ WOOT WOOT!

Sunday was very exciting for me. OK, it was exciting and kinda nerve wracking due to the fact I had never been a vendor before. I was given the opportunity to take part in a Sip N Shop at a local vineyard. I had been cranking out ornaments and wreaths for weeks and I wanted everything to be perfect. With not estimating my "loading" and travel time correctly I arrived a few minutes behind schedule to get my booth set up ready for shoppers. But yeah! I do better with a little fire under my butt!!

Here is my little booth- I used a tree branch idea from one of my recent articles to display my ornaments. The silver twigs are just so glamorous! And you wouldn't believe how easy they are to make! With a few funny looks from the hubs I headed off into the back yard with my branch cutter and got busy! I found tons of 3ft long branches to use so I carried back to the house and got to spraying. I used Rustoleum's Metallic Silver finish spray paint to create the high end finish. Hold on to the bottom of the branch and spray until all sides are covered. Total time for this project was 10 minutes tops! I have seen these in floral shops and craft stores for $10.00 each.... mine- $3.00 which was the cost of spray paint. Below you'll find the only downside of working with this spray paint.... metallic fingers.

The show was a success! Met some really wonderful women who were just as silly and creative as me.... and the wine tasting was a definite plus!!! Late I was walking around taking some shots of the lovely scenery and saw an old friend from high school! I was so jealous of his job! He gets to care for the horses and other animals on the farm/vineyard.... and he claims that he is the unofficial wine taster- SO JEALOUS!!!!!!

OH and before I forget the owner of the vineyard has chickens! I love chickens!! I'm almost ready to pack up the family and move out to the vineyard...I'm sure the owner won't mind.

"HUBS!" "GET OUT THE MOVING BOXES, WERE MOVING!"

Aged Ornaments

These little gems were so much fun to make. I knew in my mind what I wanted... just had to make sure I had all supplies to make it happen. Glass balls, Check! Ribbon, Check! Adhesive, Check! Aged Paper... hmmm, no check (frown). So off to the thrift store I go! I was sure there would be a huge stack of old books with a flashing sign pointing to it~ Here Bri~ We are right here!!!! Well.... It seems to me ideas in my head are always cooler than reality. Cause no flashing sign was found... not really any cool old books were found. I did however find an old novel/murder mystery tucked in the back.. SOLD! Which reminds me to tell you if you decide to tackle this project yourself- Please pay attention to the words you are putting on the ornament! Please- For goodness sakes, you do not want the words, "She has been dead for three days" or "he killed his wife" on your lovely, danty ornament. They may think you are trying to secret messages.. totally not the case, but I will say I came very close to letting that happen. Next time I will make sure I pick up nice books, with nice words written inside.

Once I started my ornaments I soon realized that if I just "wrapped" them in paper.. it would look odd. Not that you can't try this method, I'm sure if you pleated the edges it would be really nice. Hence the word "I" the previous sentence; If "I" wrapped them they would look odd. I'm an not the best pleater, (is pleater a word?) Anyway, I choose to tear the pages into smaller "workable" pieces to cover the glass.

As you can you see this project isn't for the clean freaks. Don't worry, because I am NOT a clean freak! After seeing this brush, can you even begin to image what my hands looked like?! I was even using my fingers to spread the glue around to make the paper lay flat.. Again, can you even imagine what my hands looked like?!.. I would have taken a picture, but it was too gross to photograph.

I know a lot of people out there who are Twilight fans so when when I took this picture of my very special glitter I could only think of Edward and how he sparkled in the sunlight. I couldn't help myself~ And if you were wondering- No I did not go and see the movie, I can barely get out of my house long enough to get coffee. So no late night movie adventures for me. OH before I forget, no editing of this picture of glitter was done after I took it. The glitter is made of German Glass and it's FABULOUS!!!!!!!! It ages... it turns.. it makes me happy!

Here they are.. not quite done yet. I wanted to add some black ribbon to set off the look. I had some really cool vintage transfers I was going to try on a few too.

I decided to play around with the glitter a bit more. I added a few transfers to a select few. But the result is fantastic! I went by the shop today and set up a tree and loaded it up with these!! SO PRECIOUS!!! A think this is a perfect gift for a book lover, or anyone who love vintage glam.

The detailed ones are $8.00 a pc. and the plainer ones are $6.00

Look for the Hymanl versions coming soon!!!

Today is going to be a busy day. Between loading up furniture to go over to the shop and getting my house ready for family to arrive on Wednesday.. Oh and kids will be out by Tuesday... Please say a little pray for me that I can get it all done in time. OH Wait! The turkey!.. when does the turkey need to come out of the freezer?? Can't forget that! This 20 lb. bird needs some time to thaw.. oh boy.

Can't seem to get out of my pj's

To be completely honest, I have had gloomy day.. It's raining and I can't pull out the big guns and start new projects just yet. We lost a really close family friend yesterday and I am feeling sad. It doesn't help that I am still in my pajamas in the middle of the afternoon.... Do you ever have one of those days where you just can't get going? I wish I could call my BFF over(who is 600 miles away)sit feet to feet and talk. OK OK... I will move on from this pity party I am having for myself... Let's get to know this new little gem I got a few weeks ago. She was rescued from a little town outside of Lynchburg called Altavista. She had no problems, just was lacking something. She was just down right plain. Not that there is anything wrong with plain... Some days I prefer a turkey sandwich- plain. Do I dare say a doughnut? (I do love doughnuts)but I like them plain. I could go on and on about this (and doughnuts) but I'm pretty sure you get it.

I used my trusty Milk Paint and layered her in two coats of "Linen". I let her dry overnight and then the next morning after a good examination I decided she needed texture. I then dry brushed ASCP's "French Linen" all over.. Once the caulk paint was dry I applied a clear wax in sections. Sanded away the "thickness" and was very pleased with the results. I had mentioned on my Facebook page that I was kind of bummed about the weather and had no choice but to hold a photo shoot on the porch... I had originally pictured a "Beachy" scene... but it's November in Virginia!! So fall arrangement had to do.

Hope you liked it, I am off to finally get dressed and determined to have a better afternoon!

1940's Dresser

There is a story behind this dresser. I found it in a warehouse hiding under a stack of chairs. I had already made up my mind I wasn't coming out empty handed- So I dove right in! About an hour later I came out victorious! I also came out very sweaty and dirty. I want to share that I wasn't sure if I should even paint this dresser. On the back I found the orginal cardboard tag from the company who made it. I pondered on it for a while... then what the heck! I'm going to do it anyway- I'm sure someone will tell me if I made a huge mistake. This is what she looked like after I got home and gave her a bath.

Her lines are perfect, her bones are stong her details perfect.... ok, well I fib a bit. She had a gash in the front that stuck out like a missing front tooth. I seem to be saying that alot- My seven year old son is missing both of his front teeth- I just can't help myself! With some wood putty and some clever sanding she had a new set of teeth... OK, I'll stop. Jackson would not like that I'm still using this phrase. After two coats of paint you can't even tell. I decided to use my Annie Sloan's French Linen again. I have been playing with the wax variations and decided to only cover it in a clear wax and distress. I wanted to keep the look "light".

I have said this a few times today, but I really may cry a little when she goes to her new home. Not all of my creations hit so hard. She is special. I took her in, fixed her up and made her sparkle. I hope she remembers me.... OK, that's enough of the crazy talk.

Until next time, Off to do Mommy Stuff!!

Occasional Table

Let me tell you that this table had issues. It was an outcast, disregarded and forgotten...

To some it seemed doomed. The top is warped, the legs are wobbly.. But to me its pretty special.

This how she looked after a good cleaning and some tightening of the legs. While it was flipped upside I found a carving on the bottom that I had never seen before. After searching the Internet for the inscription I came up empty. So I am assuming this was a handmade table, not by an actual company.

This is after 2 coats of Annie Sloan's French Linen. I wanted the top to be spotty for the final effect... trust me, I meant to do that.

Here she is up close so you can see how wonderfully the dark wax brought out all the grain lines.. or mistreatment.. It made it even more "layered" than I originally thought. LOVE IT! Hope you do too!

I am currently working on an antique dresser.. so I have to get cracking! Friday is going to be a crazy day.. and I want to get a little head start! My daughter will be 5 on Monday.. so trying to prepare myself (and my house) for possibly a dozen preschoolers to ransack our space for her birthday party on Saturday!

Happy Early Birthday

Maggie Malloy!!!!

Juggling it all!

I haven't been doing too much painting this week. OK that's a lie- I haven't done ANY painting this week. Between the kids out of school for Election Day, working on the shop and keeping the dust bunnies and sticky crumbs under control (am I the only person who has sticky crumbs?) ... not much time for anything else.

But I must tell you that lots of awesome stuff is in the works.. The shop for example.

I kinda feel like a moron for not knowing the exact name of the shop. It hasn't opened yet- nor a official sign put up, so I'm safe! The shop which is located at 19204 Forest Rd in Forest Va is called Florist Etc.

Inside the top floor will be multiple vendors who will be showcasing their designs! Yep- And I am one of them!!! Rustic Poppy will even be featured on the sign that will be on the road ( at this point I almost peed myself in excitement!) Me? Advertised on a major highway!? (now picture a screaming giddy 13 yr old girl- that's what I look like right now!

Bella Magazine is a local women's magazine here in Central Virginia who has 10,000 readers across the area and about 4,000 followers on Facebook took me on as a Columnist every month! How freaking awesome is that! Amazed at the fact that I get to write about what I love and what I am most passionate about.... again.. remember the giddy adolescent? yeah.. still screaming!

For the past two weeks I have been spending my time getting the shop together and decorating for Christmas. We are hoping to have everything ready for an open house either at the end of this month or the beginning of December. But here are a few sneak peaks into Florist Etc.

     
This is the tree I worked on today.. I love me a pinky tree!

Something about the "overstuffed" trees I have always loved.

Peekaboo Cherub! These are actually to be hung on the wall, but I wasn't feeling it... so I just stuck it in the tree! A nice little surprise.

You really cant go wrong with decorating a Christmas tree, you like it- it's about the right size or scale for the space.. well... just ram it in! it will stay, I promise!

From the road there isn't too much yet.. But today sweet Carla came by and put in some Cobalt Blue Planter Pots by the entrance.. So if your from the Lynchburg/Forest area and your traveling 221, this is what you will see!

If you see them.. well, you need to turn in the parking lot, come inside and say HELLO!!

More info to follow!! Off to do Mommy Stuff!!!

The Civil Wars at Lincoln Theatre

OK- this post is not furniture related. But it's most definitely music related. I was introduced to The Civil Wars over the summer. Well.. the rest is history. Some of you Taylor Swift fans may already know of them, rumor has it that these two opened for Taylor on tour last year. These two music makers met at a song writers camp in Nashville. Pulled a set of straws and the rest is history! By the looks of these two they seem like a couple. But are not.. I know it's hard to believe.

This night was magical! I was in the company of some lovely ladies- Hi Katie!! Hi Colleen!!

A lovely day in the city, wonderful dinner at Red Rock.. and then to top it off.. The Civil Wars for dessert! Even if the concert sucked (it didn't) I was in awe of the the Theater- Have you been to Lincoln Theater?? OMG!!!! Breathtaking is all I can say!

Oh... I would have posted the 237 pictures I took during the show..... but I was starting to irritate Colleen.."Would you stop! Watch the show!" So here are a few of my favorites.

Joy Williams & John Paul White= Magic!

No backup band.. just them. You almost feel like it's a concert just for you. So intimate.

Joy's voice is haunting.. in a good way. John Paul looks like a mix of Jack White and Johnny Depp. But his voice isn't lacking at all...

I promise you will fall in love with their Appalachian sound.. no matter where your from.

To learn more about The Civil Wars, or take a listen go here

I wanted to share this with you, cause..I love ya, and you deserve to listen to good music!

Next post will be furniture related!

Until Then, Off to do Mommy stuff! Save the world and do laundry!

Oh Coffee Table.. you tease me...

This table entered my life by chance last week. I walked by it once, then twice.. returned the third time and put it in my car. The carving on the legs were sweet and I am a sucker for anything on wheels- Yes! It has wheels!

This is the "before" of the coffee table.. oh I added the cat for effect... but it didnt work. Even with a sweet calico in the shot, it doesnt improve the look of this poor thing.

The carving gets lost in the dark stain. Someone worked hard on this.. I want to show it off. I used Annie Sloan's French Linen and then put a dark wax on it.

This was the begining of the distressing process. I put alot of wax on it, so I knew I was going to be doing some heavy sanding.

I am soooooo in love. .... I'm gonna need a minute.

I will definatly be doing this combo again soon... very soon.

OK, Until then.. Off to do mommy stuff!

Red Buffet- Yes Please!

I have heard the comment a few times.. "Antique people must hate you!" First I was shocked by this statement. But after awhile, I got over it. Taking a perfect good wood piece and  painting it. Well, Yeah! I do! I try not to think that I am ruining an antique, but improving it. Cause no one would want some of the stuff I've brought home. But, this time was diffrent. I felt bad, just a little. I felt bad because I was going to paint over a perfectly good antique. There really wasnt anything wrong with this piece. No finish issues, no missing hardware.. just perfect. You know what else was perfect the price I got for it! Sold- And it shall be painted!!! There, I feel better.

Terrible lighting, sorry. But yeah, it's brown..blah!!

Look at my new wheeled movers! They have made ever so happy! Prop it up and wheel it around!Makes me think of the old days at Pier 1!

 OK - I love red. My husband loves red. He even demanded a red wall in our previous home. The color definitely makes a bold statement. I hadn't painted red in a while, so when I found this buffet at an auction last week I wanted to try it out. Lately I have really taken a liking to Annie Sloan's Caulk Paint. This stuff goes on like a dream! No primer needed, and if the finish is in an OK shape you don't even have to bother sanding. Emperor's Silk is the red I chose from the AS selection. My good friend Elisa let me use some from her stash. Thanks Girl!

This was the next morning, pretty bright huh!?

The first coat was nerve wracking. I kept seeing the brown and was worried I wasnt going to have enough to get a second coat in. But as it dried, it looked better. But man, that thing was RED! I know it wasnt the finished product- I had to put my sunglasses on. OK, that was a lie. It was 10:30 at night, sunglasses were not needed. But you get my point.  Then took a 220 grit sandpaper to even out the finish. Something about the Caulk paint, the more you sand, the softer it gets. Made sure the edges were distressed and made any final touching before I would break out the dark wax.

Talk about exciting! Annie Sloan's soft wax goes on like Vaseline and moves so perfectly into any nook or imperfection and looks effortless. The method is... Well, organic; like to call it organic. You really don't know how to do it until you do it. That sounded insane. But trust me, it's true.
This buffet has one coat of wax now, but tonight after the poppy seeds are tucked into bed, it's gonna get it- (cough), the buffet is gonna get it.
I rubbed and rubbed and I have to say I am really pleased with the result!

American Merchantile in D.C

My last day in D.C. was action packed for sure. I had a few other places I wanted to stick my head in, so I rounded up my mates and hit the pavement.  I love being in the Nation's Capital; so much to see, to do and explore.We walked about a mile and down the "hill" from Columbia Heights to get to the shops.On the way we passed beautiful homes; elegantly landscaped and trimmed to perfection.  I couldn't help by try to capture as much as I could.

Here are a few pics from the stroll.

I saw this on our way to U Street, but on the way back I got to meet the gentleman who lived there. He told me the wonderful story of his door. Originally it was to be stripped and stained. As he tried to remove the 20 layers of paint from previous owners, he discovered a new beauty laying underneath. Long story short he kept it just as it was... it's perfect.

Stunning isn't it.

OK, the next picture is gonna be as random as they come- you ready?? OK, proceed.

I promise I haven't lost my mind.. I was shocked by the sight of a Black Squirrel. I've heard about them.. but never seen one with my own eyes. They were originally living in the zoo ages ago, but got loose. They can only found in a few locations over the United States, and D.C. is one of the few. Really, Bri? a Rare Black Squirrel? Yep! I thought I had seen them in the past, but after investigation; it was only a rat. Boooo! So I got excited when I saw "Leroy", (yes- I have already named him Leroy) I had to get a picture. Well lets just say Leroy was tame. Maybe a little too tame. If I had stayed any longer he would have been in my pockets looking for crumbs.

If you still think I'm complete Banana Sandwiches look here for more info.

OK let me get away from the wildlife now!

This store is called Goodwood.. as I walked by I mistaken it for GoodWill. I was very quickly corrected by my cousin. This place was exotic to say the least. It had vintage finds along side worldly treasures. Very Cool.

I feel for this quick... It's soooooo me! I have been on a streak of decorating my house in cream, designer white and black. I wanna put this in my kitchen so bad. I know it would be perfect on the counter... sigh..

I really should start carrying around a bib. I made a mess on myself while admiring these "paper roses". They are made from newspaper and old paper prints.

 Look for my Rustic Poppy version in the future!

This is an old leather sofa settee.. HOT HOT HOT!!! I had to be dragged away from it. Always said I would have a white sofa in "my" room one day. "My" room may only be an over sized closet, but I'll make it fit!

Even the Columns are amazing! I'm so glad I snapped as many shots as I did.. inspiration city!

Oh, and pretty cool vintage clothes, my girl Katie snagged a vintage Coach bag! Heavenly smelling candles, oils were elegantly merchandised along side the treasures. Please forgive me for ever mistaking this place for a GoodWill.  

If you would like to learn more about this store, you can check out their website-

GoodWood An American Mercantile & Dry Goods Store

Located at

1428 U Street NW

Wash DC 20009

My last post about my trip will be about

 The Civil Wars concert at Lincoln Theater. This duo is too wonderful to overlook!

 I promise I haven't given up one the painting. I've been scouting furniture all week- so excited to show you what I plan to do with it!

Until then, Off to do Mommy stuff!!