Painting, Stenciling and Glittering!

Bonjour Mes Amis!

To me a perfect day involves just what you see in the title of this post! Add in plenty of cold Diet Coke, a decoupage project, and a glass of Pinot Grigio (or two!) at night, and I am a happy camper!

So with that, I thought I'd share with you a few of my recent projects.

 I just love finding trays to transform, and have made over quite a few in the past few years.

So when I found this one recently, I was super excited!

Well, not so excited at the "before", below!

While I am sure that whoever painted the fruit on it thought it was a masterpiece, I couldn't wait to get home and begin the makeover!

I am quite particular with the trays that I purchase to redo.  Often I will find them made of very flippy, flimsy balsa wood.  I don't even bother with those!  What I do look for are those that are sturdy, have a nice weight to them, and are very well constructed.  If they have neat handles on such as this tray, it is even more of a score!

 So, I ended up painting it a creamy taupe chalk paint, then added one of my favorite French patisserie stencils, from DecoArt.  I must say I am happy with her new look!

I've put this puppy in my Etsy shop if you care to take a peek!

 In these photos, you will notice my little collection 

(three or more of anything constitutes a collection, right?)

of vintage demi John's.  I just love them and have them on display in our kitchen.  I've found them at yard sales, though not nearly as often as I would like!  The one on the left is my recent score, at only $2!!

 Moving on, I wanted to share with you a custom order that I just completed, for an Etsy customer who was decorating her baby girl's nursery.

To me, it is such a thrill to play a little part in someone's lives like that.

Or when I know that my work is being used at someone's wedding or shower.

Anyway, she was looking for open back ornate frames (and you know how I love ornate anything!!).

I lucked out and found these vintage beauties, which were all actually "gaudy gold" when I discovered them at an antique mall.

 I've painted them vibrant aqua, and the largest one white, some of the colors she is using in her nursery.

 Love!

 She also commissioned one of my stenciled crates in the same color.

I love painting and stenciling crates for my shop!

 And another favorite was this sweet large oval framed "S", for her daughter's first name.

Look closely, and you will see that the letter is covered in fine silver glitter 

(you can never have too much glitter!).

Fine creamy lace and silk flowers add a feminine touch.

 I had so much fun creating it!

 Ok, one last thing to share.

This is the "before" of a sweet little petite chest, which I am currently working on for 

DecoArt.  I've got great plans for her, which involves, you guessed it, paint, stenciling, and decoupaging.

 It's not vintage, but I did find her at the same antique/consignment shop that I purchased the frames at.

I'll be sure to share her reveal to you in a future post!

Au revior!