Old Iron fence, Rusty Tricycle, Chalk Paint and Me! Good times!

I've been waiting to show you something. 

My friend/client just made over her daughter's room.

I got to help a little.

But I couldn't show you until her daughter saw it first!

I don't have pictures of the whole room finished, 

just the two things I helped with.

I love them both. Really, I almost got giddy doing them.

Have you ever seen a puppy play with a ball, bouncing one way and then the other...

That was me.

Except, I don't have a tail or a wet nose.

Ready?

 Honestly, I loved the fence before I painted it. Old and rusty and just so very cool! I have 2 sections of this fencing propped up in my flower/weed garden, and then I just put a small section near my front door with some ivy climbing it. Love love L.O.V.E this fencing! The rust and chipping paint wasn't gonna work for this room. It's totally vintage, but I just couldn't let rusty paint chips fall off on to the bed below. SO my task was to make this old fence look old, but be clean and nice for her headboard. 

Here is what I started with...

 The picture above makes my heart race a little....

I'm weird, I know it, I've accepted it, you might want to also :)

I started with a good power wash to get anything off that wanted to come off. Followed that with a coat of Annie Sloan Country grey mixed with a little old white to lighten it a bit. After that I hit it with a smattering of straight Old White to help make the details pop a little. When that was dry..which was almost instantly, I lightly sanded the whole thing with a fine sanding pad just to burnish it a little and give it a smooth feel. Dust it off and voila! 

I have a few more of these fence sections around if anyone local is interested ;)

Now for the second project!!!

My friend used to ride this trike when she was a little girl.

Isn't it sooo amazing?!

Well her daughter thought it was amazing also and wanted it fixed up a little,

you know... cute-ify it a little?

That is where I came in.

Me and Annie Sloan.

Seriously, Chalk paint is so great!

What other paint can you just paint right over something like this without having to use a primer and even then I would have to use paint meant for metal..blah blah blah.

Crack me open some chalk paint and lemme at it!!

One more look at the before.

Before you die a little, I didn't paint the whole thing, just couldn't bring myself to do it.

And after...

 Sorry for the not-so-professional pictures. Sometimes it just is what it is. 

And today, this is what it is...

Alright-y then, I'm glad I could finally show ya..I mean it's been like 5 days! 

I thought I might die, but I made it through. 

On another note.

My studio.

It's done, and I actually am using it!

I'm preparing a class schedule and sooooooon 

Y'all can come paint with me!!

I'm so excited!

Hope you are too ;)

I'm so excited to be joining
"Meet Me Monday"

at one of my favorite blogs!
 http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/

If you stopped by from the party, so glad you came!
Hope you want to stay :)

Roll top desk

When we moved into our new home a little over a year ago I had this office. It was in scary shape for a while, but I will soon reveal it's new identity. After the walls were patched and the floor was finished my in-laws gave us this amazing roll top desk that has been in their home for who knows how many years! I love the desk, but it needed a little something to make it a little more amazing in my new office. As I sometimes do..I forgot to take a "before" picture "before" I started the refinish...but you get the idea...lets just call it a "before it was finished" picture :)

 I was so anxious to et started I didn't even clear off the top yet, I know...silly me. In these pictures I had just started on the roll top part. Obviously the yellowy oak os the before part of the picture :)

Love the detail on the drawer pulls.

The product I used is a product I've used for many things for years. It's not your typical DYI product (sorry) but one I have used in my professional life. I do believe the general public can order it, but I would recommend learning about how it is used and what can and can't be done with it before trying it.

I have paid thousands of dollars over the years taking the training on many products and it has been well worth it. 

The professional products available are amazing, but only when you know what you are doing.

Okayyyyyyy, off my soap box.

I used Vandyke Brown Stain and Seal from Faux Effects. 

LOVE LOVE this product!

I finished it off with some 

Minwax Wipe-On Poly-Great product also :)

Here is my finished desk!

Do you like the new color?

I likey likey a lot! 

I decided to keep the drawers the way they were. I know what you are thinking, it's because I was too lazy to do all of that detail work. You may be right, but you may also be wrong. It may have been because I really like the contrast and didn't want the whole thing to be dark. I think it was the best decision, and it just works out that it did save me some work :)

Tomorrow I will be revealing my new office although you can pretty much see it here.

Promise I will use different pictures.

Promise there will be close ups of my yummy 

reclaimed wood wall..

and a few other treats.

Come back and see!

Don't forget to sign up to follow me,

and hey, leave me a comment so I know you are out there :)

I love to get comments,

It makes me feel loved,

and happy,

and that is a good thing,

just ask Superman.

I died the other day....kinda...

I've been busy as a beaver. 

I mean, I've been burning the candle at both ends.

You know, as in...

 running around like a chicken with it's head cut off busy! 

Get the picture?! 

I have so many projects ALMOST ready for their big reveal...

like what I did with these UGLY chairs i got for $15 each...

 Can't wait to show you!

And then there is my office, which is the home of the chairs above, here is a few little tidbits on that....

Yes, it involves reclaimed wood, and a nail gun!!! 

Makes my heart race!!!

And these are part of the curtains I hung up...or did I??

BUT NOW FOR SOME FUN!!

I'm pretty sure I died the other day. My husband took me to this place. It was out in the middle of nowhere, ok it was somewhere, but nowhere I had been before. Imagine a stock yard with semi-covered storage areas on probably an acre of property. Scattered about were piles and stacks of old, rusty, unique STUFF!!

It took me 20 min just to get into the place 20 feet!

I'm tellin' ya it was sensory overload and my husband was laughing at me but I didn't care, I was in heaven, pickers heaven!!

It was mainly old military surplus along with other metal odds and ends. I'll show you what I found in the short, 

wayyyy too short time we had to wander.

Here's the whole group...

Don't you just love this old army helmet?! 

The guy told me that he usually sells them for $3, but since this one was ugly, he sold it to me for $1!! 

I mean really? Guess UGLY is in the eye of the beholder ;)

 Ok, so I actually picked this up at DI the other day, 

but it fits in so well with the rest.

Some sort of chemical sprayer...old...rusty...cool wooden handle and cute little glass jar.

I talked them down from $25 to $5! 

Yeah, I know how to get what I want!

 Notice my cute little rusty tin? 

Don't have a clue what it was for, but I likey!

DRUM ROLLLLLL!!!!!

Now for my favorite find!

That tall canister looking thing,

it's a mortar cartridge shell!

Like this thing was used in a real live cannon!

How cool is that?

Really cool.

Like frozen grapes and bowls of ice cream cool.

It's soo cool it's frozen.

(this is where my kids think I'm a dork. 

They may or may not be right.)

 It's got the most amazing patina and rust on it, 

makes me want to cradle it in my arms and sing to it.

(Did I really just say that?) 

(Now is when you begin to wonder about me)

Just for fun I have it sitting on one of the amazing pieces I picked up last summer...

This old radio has a great future ahead of it, just you wait and see...

So there you have it. 

Just a few of my most favorite little-non-living things for today. 

Off to finish my roll top desk...oh, I haven't mentioned that...

it's pretty darn amazing I must say.

Till then...

Do you like rusty strange things like me?

Would you find a place in your home like me?

Are you strange like me?

Maybe I'm not strange at all,

Please tell my family :)

Wanna Play?

I have always loved the game "I SPY"

We have book after book of I SPY pictures and I have spent many hours with a child on my lap seeking and finding treasures of all kinds. In the barn demolition I have had the opportunity to play I SPY in the flesh! I know that I have been bombarding you with pictures lately, but it's really the best way to take you along in this journey with me. So what do you say, wanna play I SPY?

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE

Old rusty shutters

Weathered wood that will become amazing tables!

Worn and rusty metal pipes, brackets and jacks~destined to become legs to tables or a curtain rod, or one of many other things I've got in mind!

80-100 year old brackets that held up the

huge rolling doors that came off the

Granite Mill from the Salt Lake Temple construction

A close up of a Mill door bracket...drool..

Window frames from the Mill Doors..going to be the home of amazing pictures of artistic elements from the

Salt Lake L.D.S. Temple.

Any Takers? :)

Old wood, lots and lots of old wood!

3 really old yolks from a wagon, or horse or something like that.

LOVE the old wood and very worn metal.

Just think of all the work these were a part of!

Love love love.

A pile of junk that is actually junk.

There is a dead cat carcass in there as well :(

Old bricks. The top one says "SOAP"

There must've been some pretty tough folk livin'

here if this is what they used for soap!

Talk about exfoliating!

And last but not least... some really old welding goggles!

A neighbor remembers seeing the man who built the barn wear these while

riding his motorcycle around the neighborhood!

Wasn't that fun!? As you might assume, there is sooo much more, but that gives you a great sample. So thankful for the progress, thankful to have this building and thankful for the history behind it all! I am excited beyond words to have this amazing place to be able to create, and build, and showcase, and possibly even teach classes in! One day closer

Thanks for playing