The Big Transformation

Shortly after Hubby and I moved to Warrenton in October of 2011, I discovered a cool consignment shop where I bought this funky little table.

My funky little table.
My funky little table.

I loved it. Hubby hated it. The high-gloss white was a bit much. As were the furniture tacks around the edge. But I thought it had character. And I knew I could paint it one day.

Fast-forward a year.

Hubby removed the tacks for me this morning before I left the house with the table.

Table with tacks removed.
Table with tacks removed.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, today was a big day for me. My very first chalk paint workshop at The Empty Nest.

The Empty Nest , 92 Main Street, Warrenton, Virginia
The Empty Nest , 92 Main Street, Warrenton, Virginia

The Empty Nest is a delightful shop owned and operated by Janet Metzger, a woman who is as nice as they come that LOVES painting, sewing, and just about anything else crafty. She’s quite talented.

Janet is a proud stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP). It’s that paint which first drew me to Janet’s store. I was beyond excited when her store opened last July. I even made sure I went to the grand opening.

I’ve always liked decorating furniture. And ASCP is the perfect furniture paint. It requires no sanding, no stripping, no priming. Heck, you don’t even have to remove the hardware if you don’t want to. It’s easy peasy. As long as you know how to use it.

And today, FINALLY, I learned how to use it.

I’ve experimented with it before, without a whole lot of success. So I was really ready to see how things were supposed to be done.

That sweet Hubby of mine bought me a gift certificate for today’s Bring Your Own Piece Workshop. Which is where my funky little table and I spent the day.

Ready to paint.
Ready to paint.

There were five other women in the class with me. None were keen to have their faces appear in photos. I hate having my picture taken, too. But I did manage to capture some shots of their projects to share.

Color Board
Color Board

The first step was deciding what color or colors to use. I chose Graphite for the top, Old Ochre for the base, and two accent colors, Emperor’s Silk (red) and Arles (yellow). I wanted to add some unique color but, for Hubby’s sake, didn’t want to go too crazy. He’s a little more conservative than me.

Okay, a lot more conservative. But anyway…

It was fun watching fellow students transforming their own pieces.

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Of course, Janet was there every step of the way. She consulted on color choices, demonstrated techniques, coached, chatted, cheered us on, etc. She fed us lunch, too, which was provided by my favorite Great Harvest Bread Company.

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Have I mentioned how much I like Janet and her shop? Just about every person who has come to visit us in Warrenton since The Empty Nest opened has been dragged into her store. She’s going to get sick of seeing me one day…

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One of my classmates was kind enough to take some pics of me. So I could prove that I really did participate.

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Do I look like I was having fun? I was. Really.

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Stencil on clock.
My experiment worked.
My experiment worked.

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LOVE this red chair!
LOVE this red chair!

 

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What a pretty clock!

 

Cutest little nightstand ever.
Cutest little nightstand ever.

Every single student left with a very cool, hand-painted piece of furniture. It was awesome. I couldn’t wait to get home with my “new” piece.

My "new" table.
My “new” table.

See how cute it looks in my foyer?

I am really happy with how it turned out.

Here’s a shot of the table in the foyer from a couple weeks before Christmas…

Before shot.

And here’s the table after its big transformation…

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It fits my style and decor so much better than the glossy white table. The Old Ochre color is so much warmer, and it lends itself much better to the whole distressed look.

I like that color so much, I think it’s going to go on my dining room chairs, too.

See, Janet? I will be back soon. I have to buy more paint!

So… what do you think?

 

Painting Furniture the Empty Nest Way

Tomorrow is a big day for me.

A day I have been waiting for since July, which is when The Empty Nest opened as a brick-and-mortar shop right here in Old Town Warrenton, Virginia.

I wrote about the grand opening back in July.

I was excited then. And I am still excited today. Because since July I have visited The Empty Nest many times. It’s a lovely store run by Janet, an even lovelier woman. And tomorrow, through one of Janet’s Bring Your Own Piece Workshops, I am going to learn how to paint furniture the right way.

You know, so this doesn’t happen any more.

We’ll either be using chalk paint or Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint. Or both?

Either way, I am excited.

Look out, world. ToadMama is going to be painting! 🙂

I’ll be sure to share more after the fact.

Wish me luck!

Christmas Eve Captures

We got a bit of snow in Warrenton on Christmas Eve. It happened during the day, but I was delighted. Because I love snow. And seeing it on Christmas Eve made me happy.

You gotta take happiness however you can get it, right?

Of course I had to go for a walk and take some pictures.

Red Truck Bakery during the snow event.

 

I had the dogs with me as I usually do when strolling through town.

Walking behind the bitches.

 

I’ve been taking lots of pics during my nightly strolls lately. The town just looks so pretty at night.

Here are a few examples.

Art gallery window.

 

Window at The Empty Nest.

 

Strolling past the Black Bear Bistro.

Camera phone pics are okay. But on Christmas Eve I decided to venture out without the dogs and with my SLR camera to capture some “real” images.

I used the tripod, too, which is critical for clear night shots that don’t use a flash.

Here are my favorites.

Fauquier County Courthouse in Warrenton

 

Fauquier County Courthouse in Warrenton

 

Fauquier County Offices at Warren Green Hotel near Town Hall.

 

Fauquier County Courthouse in Warrenton

 

Red Truck Bakery in Warrenton

I am pleased with the results.

Yes, three are of the courthouse, but I just love the way that looks all lit up.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

 

Snowy Day After Christmas

We got some snow on Christmas Eve, which was nice. I LOVE snow, so that really lifted my spirits.

And then today, we got more snow. Woo hoo!

I just HAD to take a walk. Really.

Wanna see what I saw?

Read on to join me on my morning walk through Old Town Warrenton…

Can you see me now?

 

"No, Mama. Don't leave us!"

 

Our House

 

It was just enough snow to make things look pretty.

 

68 Mane (hair salon)

 

It was cold.

 

 

The Courthouse

 

Amy's at Rhodes (gift shop)

 

My favorite bakery.

 

My favorite quilt shop.

 

Another angle on the cutest little quilt shop ever.

 

Mural Building

 

Old Mill House

 

Who said Pansies aren't tough?

 

Can you see me NOW?

 

Piccadilly Ltd. (gift shop)

 

Warrenton Post Office

 

Cold

 

Main Street Sidewalk

 

That just looks cold, right?

 

Main Street

 

My favorite furniture shop.

 

The Empty Nest

 

The Virginia Gold Cup Association

 

Cool red doors.

 

I hope you enjoyed the stroll. Now, it is raining, miserable, and raw.

Like Hubby just said to me… it would be a great day for soup!

Meeting Miss Mustard Seed

This past weekend, in addition to visiting with my two best buds, I also got to meet a celebrity of sorts. Marian Parsons, aka Miss Mustard Seed, the owner and artist behind Mustard Seed Interiors.

According to the About page on Miss Mustard Seed’s web site,

Mustard Seed Interiors LLC is a small business that was born out of a love for antiques, decorating on a budget, and giving old pieces of furniture new life. While the primary focus of the retail business is painted and refinished furniture, MSI also carries upholstered pieces, found objects, vintage-inspired painted signs and handmade accessories for the home.

Marian visited The Empty Nest here in Warrenton on Saturday, so I bought her newly-published book and had her sign it for me.

Y’all remember The Empty Nest, right? I went to — and blogged about — the grand opening back in late July.

I’ve been back quite a few times since then. It is the cutest little shop run by Janet, who is just the nicest lady…

I am so excited for 2013. It’s going to be my creative year. I have lots of painting projects that are patiently waiting in the wings and driving my husband crazy! To get myself jump started, I am going to take a painting class in January.

I am SO excited. Oh wait, I said that already.

Anyway… back to Miss Mustard Seed.

Carol, Tracey, and I got a later start than expected, so I didn’t have much time to hang out with Janet. Her store was pretty busy anyway. And since I’m just around the corner, I can visit whenever I want. I’ve even taken the dogs in to say hello.

 

 

I actually bought the book on Friday evening so I could have a chance to look it over before the signing.

 

 

I wish I could have stayed longer, but I still had some visiting to do.

 

 

I just LOVE looking around Janet’s shop. There’s always something new to see. I even managed to find a snowman.

 

 

He was just hanging on his hook whispering, “Take me home. Take me home.”

So I did. 🙂

Now he’s in my tree looking right at home with his many snow brothers and sisters.

If you ever come to Warrenton, I’ll have to take you to visit The Empty Nest in person. Okay?

Drum Roll, Please…

I don’t have sound on my blog so you’ll just have to pretend you hear a drum roll, okay? Cause big news is about to be shared.

Ready?

Hubby has completed  renovation of the master bedroom closet.

Why renovate the closet in a six or so year old house? Because neither of us have ever liked that closet. We’ve sort of gotten used to the fact that you have to walk through it to get to the master bathroom, but we never liked that there was carpet on the floor in there. That just seemed very odd when the bedroom has a hardwood floor and the bathroom is tiled. And the shelves were arranged in the oddest configuration. There was a built-in ironing board, but no electrical outlet. The switch for the light was in the bedroom instead of inside the closet where it should have been.

It was just a stupid little room. So, since that man of mine is not afraid of big projects and actually enjoys wood working, he made built-in cabinets.

I told you about the closet plans back in March. First, there was the making of the sawdust. This isn’t just a little bit of sawdust, folks, because Hubby buys unmilled wood.

You know how a two-by-four only measures 1.5″ x 3.5″? That’s milled wood. Hubby buys wood by the board foot then cuts them down to size. My making of the sawdust post explains that a bit more. And had pictures.

Then there was ripping the old closet guts out or “deconstruction.” There was another  phase — installation of the hardwood floor — I somehow did not manage to capture.

Anyway… it is done. And it looks REALLY good.

This is what the closet used to look like…

Closet "Before" Shot

And here are the after pictures…

Standing in the bedroom, looking through the closet and into the bathroom.

It’s hard to take good pics of the closet because it is a rather small room.

Overhead storage with two cabinets on each side.

 

My side of the closet. Lowest cabinet houses hamper baskets.

 

Looking from bathroom, through closet and into bedroom.

 

Hubby's side of the closet.

 

Same side, different angle.

 

My side of the room.

 

Hubby's side holds the linens, too.

 

Hubby's side of the room.

 

Hubby's full hamper baskets.

 

So there you have it. Thoughts?

I need to run and finish doing that laundry. My baskets were both full, too. Since my girlfriends were here for the weekend, the laundry didn’t get done until tonight.

Be sure to let Hubby Mike know how you like his craftsmanship.

Now that the closet is finished, I can finally paint and decorate the bedroom! Woo hoo!!!