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Saturday, January 26, 2013

Decorative Accents From the Church

Today I wanted to share with you some of my religious symbols I guess you could call them.  It seems I can't go to any kind of antique show without seeing holy symbols of some sort used to display jewelry or other objects.
I found this Infant de Prague statue at a sale and he was not a very good specimen and probably came from Mexico.  I painted him with latex paint mixed with unsanded grout and then sanded him back to expose some of the gray primer I had first painted him with.  I love him with my religious medal draped around his neck.
I wear this type of jewelry almost on a daily basis when I am working.  I love the old religious medals affixed to beautiful vintage jewelry and beads.
This next can is a very old holy water vessel from Notre Dame.  The patina on this can is amazing.
Even the lid is beautiful.
My Infant de Prague looks very priestly wearing these jewels.
This next photo is an old cross I found at a thrift shop this week.  Isn't it great?  It's old and hand made and most of the paint has worn off, but it was love at first sight when I found it.  It reminds me of the hymn we used to sing when I was a girl, The Old Rugged Cross.
Last but not least, I posted this on my Facebook page today.  I found it on Pinterest and truer words were never spoken.  Sometimes I get so caught up with racing around, I forget how near my guardian angels are to me.
Thanks for stopping by.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Primitive Red Bench

I found this piano bench at my favorite flea market last week.  It was an old wooden bench with a lot of crazing and dings.  I knew immediately I wanted to do my deep red finish on it which is one of my favorite finishes and it goes great with a country French decor.


 
My husband painted the base coat for me of colonial red by Rustoleum.  It used to be part of their American Accents line, but they have changed the name.  You can purchase the color at Home Depot and it comes in spray and brush on.  This is a true blue red, not orangy at all.
Once that was done, I used one of my Maison de Stencils grain sack stencils and stenciled with light ivory acrylic paint.  I then masked off my stripes to widen the look of the image and make it more like a French grain sack.
Once I completed the painting process, I took my sander and shabbied the whole piece exposing some of the dark wood below.  Then I used Minwax jacobean stain and wiped a heavy layer of stain over the whole bench to give it even more of an aged look.
I really wanted to bring out the imperfections of this piece to show the beautiful aged state the bench was in when I found it.  Below is the bench as it looked in its original state.
And here you see it with a decorative finish on it. 
Thanks for stopping by and don't forget about my Ramsign give-away.  I will choose a winner on January 31 so be sure to stop by and leave a comment, and remember, this give-away is for my followers only.


I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Ramsign Give-Away

Hi, everyone.  Remember on Sunday I told you I was going to be hosting a give-away.  Well, it's for none other than a fabulous Ramsign.  This is your chance to win one of these fantastic high quality porcelain signs with a vintage look and feel just like those French enamel address signs we all love.
One of my followers will win this sign or one just like it.  The winner can choose any house number sign (not name sign or address plaque) with one to five numbers of any size and design like the ones you see in this post.
The give-away will run from today January 23 through and including Wednesday, January 30, and I will announce the winner on Thursday, January 31.
To enter, you must be a follower of Little Miss Maggie and leave a comment on this post.  For an additional entry "like" Ramsign on Facebook  and come back and let me know you did.

Just so you know, I am not being compensated in any way for this endorsement.  Ramsign asked me to participate, and I wanted one of my wonderful followers to have the opportunity to win one of these beautiful signs.  In fact, if I want one, I have to purchase it for myself.  So good luck to all who enter, and while you're waiting for me to announce the lucky duck who wins one of these signs, be sure to visit Ramsign's website so you can start picking out your prize.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Christie Repasy Workshop

Happy Tuesday everyone.  I shared with you on Sunday that I took my second workshop with Christie Repasy on Saturday and instead of doing roses our group voted for painting a bird.  It's a funny thing about getting like minded women together.  They instantly bond and become fast friends.  In my first class with Christie, I met three other women who were driving as far as I was to attend this workshop which was 125 miles one way.
It just so happened that they live about 10 miles from me so we carpooled to the second workshop.  The trip went three times as fast and we visited all the way down and back.
In my first workshop with the rose painting, Christie had to help me a lot and, of course, my painting was the better for it.  This time I did it all by myself, and although it's not the best little birdie in the bunch, I am so proud of it because it was all my doing.  The mere fact I did not need any assistance made me pleased as punch.
There were six of us who opted to do the bird and I photographed three of our paintings.  They are all different even though we used the same model photograph.  Mine is the middle one.  If you ever have an opportunity to take one of Christie's classes, please do.  She is a lot of fun and an excellent teacher.  She is totally willing to share her knowlege and skills and boy is she talented.  She will be in Arizona in February doing two days of instruction.
And last but not least, you know I love to do tablescapes, and yesterday I went to Michael's Crafts to pick up some supplies and they had spring colored charger plates for $1.99.  I only bought two each of three of their colors because I will mix and match, but this is a really good deal so I thought I would pass it along in case anyone is setting an Easter table.  They also had pink.

Thanks so much for your visits.
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I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


Monday, January 21, 2013

Time for Tea

I'm still recovering from my weekend activities and Christie's class, but I wanted to share this beautiful tea set and these gorgeous pink roses.
Isn't this tea set sweet?  I found it and the Valentine's candy corn at Home Goods of all places and it was really good.  I shouldn't be sampling the props, but I couldn't help myself.
I also wanted to announce that I will be attending the Haven conference this summer.  I can hardly wait to meet other bloggers in person and I hope I can meet some of you.
I also have an exciting give away coming up so stay tuned.  Thanks for stopping by.
Pin It
I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


Sunday, January 20, 2013

Craft and Hobby Show II

Hi everyone, I have had a crazy weekend.  I attended another art class with Christie Repasy this weekend.  I'll try to get my bird art photographed to share with you this week.  Christie's classes are so much fun and I have made some great new friends in the class and have signed up for another one very soon.  In the mean time I wanted to share some more photos from the Craft and Hobby show I attended last week.

Old luggage, pulleys and vintage scales are very popular these days.  Did you notice what the Eiffel Tower above is made out of?  It's little boxes.  Isn't that cute?  Below I just love this vintage dress form covered with old mattress ticking.
Vintage sewing machines, film reels and old vintage clocks complete the vignette below.
The next photo is a little over the top for me, but if it was scaled down a tad I think I would really like it.  It's fabric roses cascading down a lampshade.  Great concept, but I think less is more might work better for me.  I can't believe I actually just wrote that!  I'm usually thinking if three is good 10 must be better.  Right?
Bird cages, old fans, vintage clocks with big faces are great in this following vignette.  I think I even see another vintage scale here.
Burlap bunnies with huge ears are great for the season.
And last but not least, here are some cute altered bottles and jars.  I finally got my new Facebook page link on my sidebar thanks to Karen Valentine.  Karen is great to work with.  You can contact her through karenvalentinedesign.com if you need a little tweaking here and there or if you want a complete redesign.  Karen also has a great blog, My Desert Cottage.
Stay tuned for more.  You will never guess what an umbrella and a chandelier have in common!  Thanks for visiting.