Jumping in head first.....

Hi all,

It has been a while since I have blogged but that's because I have been busy painting away. The last I left you I had just started Underground Finds & Furniture.  I am happy to say that with a lot of time & hard work we are finally off & running. Since I last blogged I now have a little shop on the lower level of My Sweet Pea in New City, NY. I sell painted furniture & teach classes using chalk paints.

The classes offered are bring your own piece of furniture & use all my supplies while I help you bring your piece to new life. I will be having classes on stenciling, decoupage & more.

I also have a Cameo Silhouette machine that allows me to cut vinyl and personalize almost anything ranging from wood boards, cups, shirts, bags, etc. This has opened up a whole new side to my business.

In the store I also sell antique collectibles. I have my house filled with them!

Here are a few examples of personalized items...

Plastic mason jars w/ ice cubes & a straw. Personalized names in vinyl

 Painted wooden family sign for your home

Personalized wine glasses for a shower.
                                                                   








My website is underway and would love for everyone to go take a   look. All my social media will be linked to my website. Facebook,   Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube  & my blog. Please let me know what you think. Be sure to stop by the store to say "hi". 


http://www.undergroundfindsandfurniture.com/http://www.undergroundfindsandfurniture.com/

Thanks, Mary                                                                                 

Shutters, Shutters, Shutters....

It has been quite some time since I posted a blog so in my non-existent free time I decided to jump back in.  I spent this past Sunday afternoon with my mom stalking garage sales. She swore she saw signs all over but of course I just ended up driving around neighborhoods till she literally saw stuff on peoples driveways.  I probably would have been thoroughly annoyed if we didn't find some fantastic items.

This week's blog will be about the shutters I found.  We actually got several fun pieces at this sale but the shutters were my favorite find.  

I started on them as soon as I peeled out of my moms driveway.

I decided to try a new technique with the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint called dry brushing.  It is pretty straightforward.  You literally just dab the tip of the brush into the paint and blot of the excess. You then paint as much or little of the paint on your piece depending on how much coverage you would like.  I used Annie Sloan's Old White for the shutters.  I really wanted to wood to come through on the slots and edges so you can see that the paint is lighter on these spots.

When the shutters were dry I then sealed them with Annie Sloan's soft wax.

So now that they are complete what can you do with shutters???

There are so many ideas so I thought I would share some with you below....

You can use them to hang pictures frames on instead of just hanging frames on the bare wall.  It also brings in a pop of color if you paint the shutters.

You can use them as an accent piece. Below they have them as the main decor on their mantle.  Adding the wreath gives it some nice dimension.

For the bathroom you can use it as a fun towel holder.  I love this idea!!!

Using clothespins you can simply just display some of your favorite photos.

Shutters in the bedroom either as a headboard or behind nightstands is a unique way of using them.

As you can see there are so many ways to incorporate painted shutters into your home. I love all these ideas.  I had a hard time not keeping these for myself!

Below is the link to my Facebook page & Etsy Shop.

https://www.facebook.com/UNDERGROUNDfurniture?ref=hl

https://www.etsy.com/shop/theunderground4

If you are interested in having something painted please send me a message.  I started this process of upcycling furniture on my own pieces instead of buying all new. Tastes & styles change & painting can give each piece a whole new look.

Thanks,

Mary

Underground Finds & Furniture

I haven't posted a blog in a long while so thought I was due.  For the last couple of months I have embarked on a new passion - painting furniture.  I have always been a big fan of antiques, painting little pieces of furniture & such.  As I moved into my new home I looked around and didn't love some of the pieces I had purchased through the years ( we all have some changing tastes).  Instead of tossing them out & buying all new I decided that I was going to upsycle these pieces and see what I could come up with.  

As it turns out I had such fun doing this & was really rewarded with the final projects.  This allows me to be creative and actually has really helped with my Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Yes I get sore, but I am always sore so at least I feel it's for a reason!

I have enjoyed this so much that I have started a facebook page showing pieces I have done for myself & for friends & family.  I have turned into an estate sale stalker looking for original pieces to paint & sell.  This has turned into a little business for me as I also paint items I find to sell as well as paint pieces that people already have & want a new look.

Along the way I also am selling collectibles I happen to stumble upon on my estate & antique stops. I also have smaller crafts I have for sale such as decorative trays, signs, picture frames & mason jars. 

I primarily paint with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint which is quite expensive but so worth it int he the end.

Below is my facebook page site - Please take a look & "like" the page.

I have also posted some of the items I have done so far.

Check out & follow my site on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/UNDERGROUNDfurniture

This was a estate sale find and old dry sink.  I immediately fell in love w/ this & new exactly what I wanted to do. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint , distressing & wax. Found these brilliant owl knobs & it was a done deal.

This was an antique secretary that I bought several years ago.  I never liked the shiny veneer finish so finally decided to have a go at it.  I couldn't be happier with the final product.

This I got for a steal at an Antique center.  I envisioned it as my new vanity.  Added a pop of color to this one.  It is now settled lovingly in my room.










These side tables I painted for my sister in law Laura.  The inside color of these tables is the color used on one of her walls in her living room to tie everything back together.

 This was another great find at a sale.  This desk was a shiny bright yellow with loud orange handles.  I painted this with Annie Sloan paint & used a dark wax on the drawers.  I also used the Annie Sloan paint to change the knobs.




These are just a couple of the items I have finished.  Always adding new stuff to the site.

I will try to update the blog more often.

x

Mary