altered suitcase



Notice the altered birdcage? it turned out so cute so Tattered Elegance!



Hello there!

 if you follow me on facebook then you may have already seen this picture, as I posted it the other day. All these goodies were on the way to the shop and I snapped a few pic in my driveway before we left. but today i wanted to share this fabulous antique suitcase!

I Altered my first Vintage Suitcase



~ lovely ~



 Altered vintage suitcase. 

Painted with annie sloan's Old White. tres chic w/ the chocolate French transfer from the Graphics Fairy,

Beautiful cut pieces of toile fabric decoupage over a paper doily,  a Victorian glove adorned w/ some bling and tulle faux flowers popping out, pearls n beads, a few fabric rosettes vintage eyelet trim and to top it off antique bright green lace wrapped in a bow on the handles. Honestly I couldve kept adding embellishments, I had to make myself stop I didn't want it to be "Too much" { is that even possible :) }

I love altering vintage pieces its always great to give new life into something that might be tired and dull. There is so many cool things people do w/vintage suitcases. check out some of these i saw on pinterest...

Really i could go on and on there is just so many cool things to do with old suitcases! Ive got a couple more stashed away in my garage i just can't wait to get the time to play around with them!

I hope you've enjoyed my take on an altered suitcase.

thanks for looking

Have a Wonderful day ~ Everyday

Erica

Craft projects and Random Shop pics

Hello Lovelies!

My mind is all over the place today ~ here's is a collage of different pictures i hope you'll love.

 

I thought i would just share with you some random shop pics and a few of the craft projects ive done lately.

my space at Time N Again Antiques

A little mini tutorial:

Have you seen these Baseball Flowers, Yet? So easy to do if you happen to have some extra baseballs laying around ( or you could get some at the thrift store). Just pull the leather off the balls ~ you get two "pedals" for each ball and you need 3 pedals per flower.  Simply glue them together (e6000 works best) to form a flower shape. You could paint the pedals or leave them natural or cover them with book pages, then embellish the middle any way you like. For some i used buttons or rhinestone or burlap rosettes ~ you get the idea. I used skewers for the stems. EASY!! and so cute when you have a bunch together



More ASCP French Linen over a gilded antique mirror with accents of Old White



 Just a caption of my space booth #33 at A Unique House Antique Mall

Sorry China Cabinet already sold ~ a new one is on its way!

 Couldn't you just picture this Whimsical Deer Painting in a little boys room?

Twine wrapped Antique Bottles

  I just love trays they are a great way to keep "clutter" organized. I always pick them up when i see them at thrift stored or yard sales or where ever ~ no matter what they look like you can always paint or decoupage or embellish them someway.

ASCP Florence ~ Lovely turquoise color

pottery Barn inspired

The first one is covered in vintage sheet music, the others ive painted then stenciled. 

 did you read my post about this Harlequin Drop Leaf Table??

ASCP ~ French Linen and Old Orche <3

This was a pretty scattered post ( my brain is feeling a bit scattered today)

 i hope you've found some inspiration here and enjoyed some eye candy.

Thanks for joining me in blog world

Have a great day~ Everyday!

Erica

Harlequin Drop Leaf Antique Table

Good Day Friends!

Its been a good month, ive gone to some Fantastic Auctions and have picked up some Fantastic pieces! 

The Hunt is by far my favorite part of "Junking" I absolutely LOve Auctions and Flea Markets i could literaly go everyday if money and time weren't an issue. :) But I also love Painting ~ And Annie has made my life easier and so much more creative. I Love adding decorative touches to my furniture now. ive really been on a kick lately and am having so much fun with Chalk Paint!

Usually i pass up drop leaf tables at auctions especially if they are mahogany. Not because they're too much money but because I don't know they just seem sooo sad and droopy and before chalk paint mahogany was such a pain to paint all that stripping sanding and priming! I Hate the prep work and sometimes its just not worth it. although When i saw this beauty she did seem a bit sad to me she was screaming "make me beautiful"!! So that i did....

 c. 1930's Antique Drop Leaf Table w/ gorgeous Deco carved Legs

 First i stripped the top down to the bare wood then applied Louis Blue diamonds and in the center where the diamonds meet i randomly stenciled a floral vine(Martha Stewart) in Aubbuson Blue. Next i stained the entire top in Miniwax Dark Walnut and top it off with two coats of poly. The legs and apron were also painted in ASCP Aubbuson Blue and finished with dark wax.

 And here she is all nestled in the shop waiting to be loved by another

just the right size to put just about anywhere

I knew right away how i was gonna dress her up. I've been fascinated with the Harlequin pattern lately and couldn't wait to paint it on a piece of furniture and this antique drop leaf table was Perfect!



A section of my space at Time N Again Antiques

Hope your enjoying your summer thanks for letting me share my creations with you!
Have a Exciting Day ~ Everyday!
Erica



Atlas Map Chest

Hello Friends!

Purple Vintage book bundle nesting w/ a pair of partridges

I had a lot of fun with this project can't wait to share it w/ Y'all

I was lucky enough to get the coolest vintage atlas at auction it has a ton of the most vivid pictures and the pages are real soft and just starting to turn that perfect yellowy (hmm Tattered elegance word) color around the edges. I love vintage ephemera.

I had this boring ( sorry no before pics) 3 drawer chest that desperately needed some jazz. So i decided to marry my cool atlas map pages and the how hum chest and voila!!!

 I added those cute lil bun feet to the bottom so this chest would have a bit of height and detail

 Isn't it awesome! I simply decoupaged the pages to the drawer fronts and to the top.

 Here's a tip... When Decoupaging~  to eliminate wrinkles wet your paper first before applying to your project and use a credit card to smooth over the paper to get rid of those air bubbles, and be patient (hardest part for me) let your masterpiece dry overnight before sealing with your final coat of decoupage. And also let dry before trying to trim up edges!!

 So I am all moved into my new space at A Unique House Antique Mall

 Its so nice to stretch out

 Since these pictures ~ the pair of mirrors flanking the fireplace has sold

 And the ASCP Aubbuson BLue/ Old White cabinet has SOLD

 I love my diamond painted floors can you see the flur-de-lis ?

Thanks for sticking around i hope ive inspired you to Decoupage ~ try it Its FUN :)

Have a creative day~ Everyday

Erica 

Aqua Buffet

French Scrip decopaged on old balls then covered with moss

 Hello Friends!!

 I sure have missed y'all!

 Its summer (my fav season!) usually my summer days are spent watching my kids splash in the pool, becoming engulfed in a book, trying to beautify my 18 acres of jungle that is a  landscaping chaos which i do actually enjoy, or simply doing nothing but relaxing on Holden Beach. But Nope not this year! Its been a whirlwind of hunting, cleaning, sanding, painting, moving furniture ( aw my back!) oh and a whole lot of sweating ~ geezs its been a hot one!

Don't ya just love this quote.  Stenciled on drop cloth fabric then wrap around a piece of foam board ~ makes a great wall hanging

 I am trying to grow my business, luckily I was offered the opportunity to practically triple my space at Time N Again Antiques. Its so exciting now with a larger area im able to really spread my wings and bring in alot more furniture. Which seems to fly right out the door! So its been pretty crazy just trying to fill and keep my space filled up.

And then as soon as i had a nice stash of furniture at home patiently waiting its turned to shine in the shop, The Lord opened another door for me.  the dealer next to me at A Unique House Antique Mall where i also rent a space decided to move on so i was able to double my 8 x 10 booth!! So then everything from home went to my booth.  Its a fantastic opportunity to really showcase my junk. :) So needless to say blogging has been on the back burner for awhile.  I do love being busy though! Just wish my office (aka garage) was air conditioned.

Well with all that said i was able in a the craziness to capture some before and after pictures. 

Art Deco Buffet Before:



sanded smooth getting ready for paint



Beautiful Buffet After...

 Pretty Pretty Aqua!  I custom mixed this color and it turned out exactly how i hoped for.

 Miniwax dark walnut stain on top and ASCP dark wax over the aqua and lightly distressed. I spray painted the original drawer pulls silver and on the doors i picked up a pair of silver and mirror knobs at Hobby Lobby. Bling!

 LOVE!!  I only wish it would've lasted a bit longer in the shop so i could have decorated/ played with it a little bit more ~ it was SOLD within a week!

So until next time ( and i promise it won't be so long!)...

Don't work your summer away GO Swimming!!

Erica