a favorite new upcycled sideboard

 

I love a good DIY total transformation project, so today I’m finally sharing this favorite one I completed back in December. Thank goodness for loads and loads of white chalk paint, because this sideboard was covered in red paint from top to bottom.

 

Every surface including every inch of the drawers, the back of the piece, and even the bottom of this piece was sprayed with the brightest and thickest layers of red paint.

 

First, I removed the glass doors, because what I was really after for this piece was open shelving to house some of my props and favorite styling pieces.

 

Found on Craigslist, this sideboard was the exact size I needed for the room, and I could see through all the red paint to visualize what I truly wanted.

 

I also removed the handles, that were totally the wrong style and replaced them with chunky wooden knobs. A little wood filler patched up the holes in the drawers, and I drilled new ones for the new hardware.

Lastly, of course, I painted it with a soft white "Chalked" Paint. It took me several days to get at least five coats of paint on this piece, but I'm thrilled with the results. 

 

Now this piece is right at home with the rest of my furnishings and the roomy drawers and shelves hold so much! The top is also a great place to display some of my favorite collectables and acquisitions.

 

It’s also been pretty enough to be a “homey” background for some of my photo stylings. This is one of my latest shots of the new Seaside Collection from Pacific & Rose.

 

This sarong and all the other lovely home goods will be available on the website and at Seaside Gallery this weekend.

 

This Wave Pillow is one of my favorite new products and you saw it here first! It will be available at Seaside Gallery this weekend as well. This new Seaside Collection just arrived from India and is soooo perfect for summer.

 

Please check back on Monday, and I’ll have the whole collection featured for you to see. In addition to the Anchors and Waves, there’s also a fun Crab print and an elegant Palm print!

Doesn't this pillow look so pretty with the new and improved painted sideboard?

Here’s how this look came together. Everything is so budget friendly in this room. I have a few inherited pieces that I love, and I did splurge just before Christmas on a new white sofa, but even that was found at a consignment store!

 

Wishing you a lovely weekend, and I’ll look forward to seeing you again on Monday for all the latest on the gorgeous new Seaside Collection!

 

 

ciao! fabiana

 

 

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an easy Christmas update

Here’s a quick and easy update for those dated Christmas village houses you may still have around from the 1990's,

lol.

All you need is a little white or off-white chalk paint

to paint them all a solid bisque-like porcelain color…

it’s so easy to do!

I painted mine last year and was happy to see them again this year while unwrapping all my Christmas goodies! 

Three of my favorites are set up next to my living room, and I really like them with porcelain trees left green.

A little artificial snow finishes off the look.

Instant Snow-To-Go magically hydrates instantly

and feels cold to the touch!

What I like about it, is it's not too messy and looks so real! 

p.s. I'm working on a copper Christmas tablescape today,

here's a little peek...

do something amazing today! 

ciao,  fabiana

coffee and then ikea

I started out my day having my coffee at my newly set up table in the back yard and contemplated all the spring cleaning and sprucing up that needs to be done out here. Made a list... somehow, that led me to Ikea later in the day. 

I think what really got me there was needing to go to Peinture to buy some more Pure White chalk paint for some of the projects that need to be done. You see, Peinture is very close to Ikea, and I always need an excuse to go to Ikea. 

Once you figure out your way, navigating through Ikea's a breeze! I know right were to go now, and where to find what I’m looking for.

I guess when I got there, I decided that I really "needed" some “blush” dinner plates, in that very, very pale pink color that's so pretty for spring and summer. And they had just what I was looking for, and more. 

The best thing about these plates, besides their gorgeous soft color, is the matte finish. Love these! Here are a few other things I found today…

1.  geometric design place mats,

 that look great with my Serena & Lily chairs.

2.  a nubby raffia rug for outdoors,

this will look great on the patio or on the lawn.

3.  the blush dinner plates,

the prettiest color!

4. a beautiful oval white metal tray,

perfect for serving drinks and more!

5. blush water glasses,

a must have with the blush plates.

Now there’s just a little painting to be done…

Luckily, it’s almost the weekend,

And I might get a little help with the “sprucing up” part! 

ciao! fabiana

moroccan style with chalk paint

If you live in Orange County and have even a little bit of a crafty bone in your body, then you’re probably familiar with Peinture Studios in Costa Mesa at the SoCo Collection. They offer Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, beautiful stencils, and other unique items. They also hold workshops where they'll instruct you on transforming your own piece of furniture with chalk paint, wax and other finishes. 

Peinture owner and designer Deborah Waltz has opened up her Orange home to Orange Coast Magazine this month and shares the secret to her own personal inspiration.

After a trip to Morocco, Deborah was so inspired that she arrived home with a new mission, to bring some of that old world charm into her home. Here’s a little glimpse of how Deborah transformed her brand new tract home with vintage pieces, architectural salvage, chalk paint and distinct stenciling. 

Salvaged Victorian porch columns anchor this space and give it symmetry. New light fixtures are replaced throughout the home with a variety of vintage ones. Annie Sloan Primer Red is used on the back wall. 

I love that the stencil work on the fireplace is reminiscent of patterned cement tile that's so popular right now. Notice all the different patterns used here. 

Two lovely vignettes of favorite gathered treasures. 

I just so happen to have been at Peinture earlier this week picking up a couple of new colors for a chair and a bench that I’m working on. I hope a little of Deborah’s magic rubs off on me and my projects! 

Here’s a shot from inside Peinture Studios. If you’re in the area, stop by and get inspired! 

ciao! fabiana

via Orange Coast Magazine

a christmas update with chalk paint

Do you have any of those ceramic Christmas houses that are set up in a little village? They are pretty on their own, as most of them have the most fabulous architectural details. 

I haven’t put out my village in years, and this year I thought a few pretty white ones would look amazing lit up from within. 

My husband and I decided we wanted mostly white holiday decor in the house this year, with accents of silver and gold and natural evergreens and eucalyptus branches. Well, those dated ceramic Christmas houses are easy to transform with chalk paint. 

I found the perfect color by Dixie Belle Paint Company called "Drop Cloth". It's not a bright white and not a creamy white... it's perfect! It’s actually a mineral chalk paint, and it applied so easily with great coverage on the first coat. 

I did apply a second coat to cover all the nooks and crannies. It dries super fast, so I could add the houses within an hour to my décor.

The detail on these homes is so cute! It makes me just want to shrink myself and jump into that house. I’ve always had a thing about old houses, especially Victorians.  

Well, don’t worry about painting them, because all the architectural style and holiday décor on these houses is highlighted when painted white.

I used a 1 inch wide flat brush and it worked great. It got into all the nooks and the paint was the perfect consistency and so easy to apply. The paint dried quickly to the perfect mat "bisque" finish that's not too flat. 

Here’s the first one I did.

 I had to use a flash. so the photo is not great.

I am soooo happy with the way they turned out! I lit them with the small lights that they originally came with. They are similar to night light bulbs and are sometimes wired together in groups of 3, 5 or 10.

 When lit, the houses really look amazing! I set up a few of my favorite white and silver bottle brush trees as a backdrop to my snowy white village. 

This is my first time using Dixie Belle Paint, and I am so pleased. I have a few of their other colors and can’t wait to paint my next project, but I may be busy painting a few more houses today in this "Drop Cloth" color. 

The paint goes a long way, and I could probably paint at least three more! Hope you’re having a lovely Sunday.  

ciao! fabiana

💕

While I’m here today, I wanted to share some of my "Tablescaping Essentials" with you. I have a whole page on the Amazon website with my favorite picks for setting a beautiful table.

Quite often time is of the essence, and I have last minute projects or events to work on, so I turn to Amazon for one or two day delivery. You’d be surprised at how many amazing items they have to offer! And I'm constantly updating this page with my new favorites. 

You can check it out here, at “Tablescaping Essentials”.

favorite looks from country living

Flipping through this month’s Country Living magazine…

I spotted this cozy kitchen nook.

I love the combination of vintage pieces

from the artwork and the lighting to

the table and mix of fabrics on the pillows.

Chalkboard walls are always so homey in the kitchen.

They are like comfort food for the eyes! 

Well, hello there!

This guy's hideaway is nestled right under the kitchen island,

tucked away and all dressed up in buffalo check and ticking stripes!

I'm always a sucker for vintage maps,

and this room is wall-to-wall maps!

 Modern and organic elements combine 

perfectly in this light-filled dining room.

A grouping of milk glass vases is so sweet.

Ooh, I have to add a few of these to my collection!

ciao! fabiana

fun with chalk ink

A new discovery that I have recently made lately are Chalk Ink Markers.  They are basically chalk in marker form.  Chalk Ink takes your chalk board to a whole other level.  

With them you are able to create beautiful lettering, so it makes them perfect for party menus, decorating furniture and walls, labeling items, place settings… 

the possibilities are endless!  Here’s a little inspiration…. 

ciao! fabiana

a visit to Peinture Studios

This sweet little vintage table was a hand-me-down from my in-laws. I had spray painted it a few years ago, but now I felt it needed some love. With the help of owner, designer Deborah Waltz of Peinture Studios, I was able to transform this little table into a lovely heirloom piece that feels right at home in my living room. 

Deborah suggested a combination of chalk paint, 2 kinds of soft wax, gorgeous gilding wax and new Annie Sloan stencils, and gave me great pointers to on how to complete my project.    
     

I love a little paint project, but I especially love the instant gratification you get by updating a piece of furniture with paint.  No paint is easier to use than Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  It requires no sanding so you can skip all that prep work and just get right into painting.  

We chose to start with Old White as the base.  Deborah has a fabulous display wall in her studio that features every color of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, each on a unique vintage chair.  The chairs are hung up on the wall by rope in a really creative display.  It’s a great visual to actually see what the color looks like on a piece of furniture.
       

We stepped into the workshop of Peinture Studios to assess my table and what fun techniques I could use on it to enhance pretty shape of the table.  Deborah teaches beginner and advanced classes here in her workshop several times a month.    

To start, Deborah suggested I place the piece upside down. That way all the surfaces would be covered, and I could finish off painting it right-side up to get a nice clean look on the top of my table, which is the most visible. 

Here‘s the table back at home, with its first coat of Old White. (It took two coats to evenly paint the piece. The paint dries quickly, so I was able to work fast.)   

Next, I applied the Annie Sloan clear soft wax on the entire table.  I then went in and accentuated all the grooves of the table with the dark wax. All I needed was just a little in the cracks and then it was rubbed off immediately with a soft cloth. 

A little of the colored wax goes a long way.  If too much is applied, it can be removed with clear wax. This tip from Deborah was really important, because it’s really fun to play with the different depths of color, and too much can be easily removed with this method. Using painters tape, I positioned the first stencil in place, the nymph. 

With a really soft touch of my finger and a small stencil brush, I applied the beautiful brass colored gilding wax within the stencil, being careful not to glop too much on near the edges. I did the same with the branches stencil.  (I immediately washed my hands after applying the wax.)

The branches stencil was pretty intricate, so I found that using a Q-tip dipped in clear wax easily removed any excess gilding wax that was not within the design of the stencil.  

The Annie Sloan stencils are an exciting and new addition to the Annie Sloan product line. Peinture Studios has an exclusive collection of them at the moment.

I love how the curvatures of my table are accented with these paint techniques.  I even applied the gilding wax to the little metal claw feet of the table for an extra, but subtle little added shine.

This is how the table turned out, and I couldn’t be happier!  It’s found a great spot next to a comfy cane-backed chair in my living room, and it's now the perfect place to enjoy a little tea or coffee. 

Visit Peinture Studios at SoCo in Costa Mesa for more inspiration, supplies and great creative workshops.  The workshops are so fun!  You get to bring in a piece of furniture and you leave with a custom painted creation made by you!  

I'd love to hear about your projects. 

ciao! fabiana