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

Adventures in Painting Fabric!

 As I continue experimenting and trying out new products & ideas I decided to dabble with painting fabric. I had seen this technique discussed in Annie Sloan's Color Recipes book so I decided to watch some videos & research a bit online.

This fabric bench was in need of a transformation so it was the perfect piece for me me dive right in.

I decided to use Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in French Linen.  This is a great neutral color that can blend in with any color scheme.  I filled a spray bottle with water first and lightly sprayed on the area I was painting.  You really have to get the paint in there because it does absorb a lot.  It took 2 coats to get a nice even look.  It took the whole quart of paint as well.

I let it fully dry for 2 days & it definitely felt really course & rough.  My next step was finishing it with Annie Sloan wax.  I did little sections at a time making sure to rub any excess off.  

After this dried the texture definitely changed.  It now has a more leathery feel to it once I buffed it. I decided to paint the legs in Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Antoinette ( a very light pink).

This would be the perfect piece for the end of your bed!

So my first try at painting fabric was a success in my eyes.  I loved this transformation.  

Below is the links to my Facebook page & Etsy page.  Please follow for updated items & blogs.

https://www.facebook.com/UNDERGROUNDfurniture

https://www.etsy.com/shop/theunderground4?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Thanks,

Mary