Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Reusing Bleachers

Prepping some old bleacher seats to go in our office as shelves. They will be clean and white, but pretty rough when finished.

I will share when we get them in.

Mrs. Smith has been painting up a storm with our CeCe Caldwells paint. She's working on something special this week.

Mr. Smith

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Cycling Fan - Tour de France Dresser

I am a cycling fan. I have been known to ride over 100 miles in a day, and I love old bikes too. Here is one I have had for some months, and I just was able to add some new whitewall tires today.


This is a Schwinn Spitfire 24", and it has been saved from a scrap heap. It is ready to ride for some little girl (just not Drama Queen since she is not fond of rust).

But you are looking at the title and your thinking - what about the dresser? And this is a Schwinn, not a French bike.

Well, the Tour de France is coming up shortly. I will not be watching it on the tele, but I will follow it on-line most days. Boy Wonder has been dying to get another "flag" dresser. He cleaned out one of his "wood-colored" dressers today and brought it out to the living room - in hope of a transformation. He asked for the Swiss flag, but in a strange turn of events, I mentioned France and he said YES! Which brings us back around to my tribute to the Tour de France.

Here is the plain-Jane dresser prior to it's transformation...


We picked this up second-hand some time ago. I think it may be a Target dresser - not real hardwood or anything, just particle board and laminate stickers to make it look like wood. Here comes the beauty of painting with CeCe Caldwell's paint. It sticks to anything, plastic, steel, wood, stickers, and apparently furniture upholstery. Notice at the time of this photo I had only Simply White and Traverse City Cherry on top of the dresser. Of course this was when we were thinking Swiss (Red with a white cross). So throw some Maine Harbor Blue in the mix, and you've got yourself a French flag...


As you can see, the wax is still curing. Once it sits overnight - sometime after church on Sunday - I will buff it out to give it a shine, and back into his room to take on a few more years of growing. Sorry for the mess in the background - but you do get to see inside TheSmithHotel instead of the normal "garage scene".

Here it is back in Boy Wonder's room - decor by him, not me.



I wanted to get this out there tonight, because I am about to get pretty busy on TheSmithGarage. I have a lot of furniture to get painting on - including a PIANO!


This is a big job ahead of me, but I am totally excited. I am going to have a piano guy come out and check it out before I get too deep into it. If it doesn't work out, you will see some of this wood going into other projects. If it does turn out to be a workable project, you will see this beauty upcycled back to life - and some lucky customer will love it.

Make sure you come back around to see what we have in store for the next few weeks as we prepare for a great new adventure this Fall.

Mr. Smith

Linked to

Miss Mustard Seed
Primitive and Proper
Coastal Charm
Domestically Speaking
Redoux
Decorating Insanity
I Should Be Mopping The Floor

Piano Ready for Paint!


I am so excited and I don't even play the Piano!

Come back to see what we are planning for this Upright Grand Piano with CeCe Caldwell's Paint.

Mr. Smith

Friday, June 22, 2012

CeCe Caldwell's in Red Bluff, CA

I am excited to share that Erika at Three O'Clock Winds is now carrying CeCe Caldwell's Paint for furniture painters that stop through her area. You can find her blog at:


Erika has a great shop - "Vintage Western Boutique" at the Frontier Village Shopping Center - 645 Antelope Blvd, Ste #16, Red Bluff, CA. If you are in the area of Red Bluff on Saturday June 23 from 10-2, they are having the Frontier Festival Days.

Stop by and say hello to Erika. And get your CeCe Caldwell's paint from her as well! She has some great furniture and other cottage style decor. She may even do some painting for you if you ask.

Mr. Smith

Sunday, June 17, 2012

CeCe Caldwell Display Piece

It has been a few months since I worked on this, but I don't believe I have had the chance to share it with you. Knowing that we would start carrying CeCe Caldwell paints, I started to dream of how we could display the paints, and keep them safe overnight instead of bringing them in every morning and setting up. I came across this 70s octagonal side cabinet - something you might find in a family room of the Partridge Family.


So this is how I picked it up, It was painted of course with an off white, and antiqued with some dark stain on the door carving. Can you see the white knobs on the door here - they blend right in. Wait until you see what Drama Queen does with the doors. Here is another picture of the inside.


This was a great start - as it takes up limited floorspace (always precious when you are trying to sell everything you have at a show). Many shows that we attend, we get a 10 x 15 or even as small as a 10 x 10. We end up stacking much of our furniture, so my thoughts went to HEIGHT. I also came across an old mercury-vapor streetlamp that would top off this piece with some interest. Then my plan came together. I could affix a steel pipe to the base of the cabinet, drill a hole through the top that would stabilize the pipe. I cut out two oak rounds to use as shelves (and use pipe attachments to attach the shelves). I had to buy a few conversion pieces to get from the pipe size to the size of the mercury lamp hole. Of course - no pictures of all this happening, but really - it did happen.

Drama Queen did a great job helping me paint the bottom octagonal piece. Because of it being a display piece, I tried to use several CeCe colors in creating the piece. Here are the colors that were used - Maine Harbor Blue, Vintage White, Simply White, Omaha Ochre, Spring Hill Green, Kissimmee Orange, Carolina Sun Yellow, Mesa Sunset, Memphis Blue, Santa Fe Turquoise, Georgia Clay, Pittsburg Gray, and Seattle Mist. So here it is - the reveal - a few pictures from different shows.


See the detail that Drama Queen put into the door.


A very small footprint indeed. I also added a lock to the the door so I can store items below.


And here it is full of CeCe Caldwell's paint. Lots of fun doing this one. Once again - a piece destined for the dump is restored and used again. If you are interested in trying out CeCe Caldwell's paint for furniture, stop by the shop at www.thesmithhotelboutique.com or see us upstairs at Oregon Street Antique Mall.

Linked to:
Decorating Insanity
Redoux
Mr. Smith

Saturday, June 16, 2012

CeCe Simply White Oak Side Table

Always wanting to try something new that I haven't yet had the chance to do. Mrs. Smith and her dad (Marshal) picked up a pair of Oak Side Tables. They look like the big Oak pedestal tables, only mini... Here is a picture of one before I started in.


As you can see by the pictures - I worked on this while I was at the Mall still - I think this one was Sunday, since Mrs. Smith picked it up on Saturday. Not bad shape - it was a bit dried out, like it had been left outside in the sun or rain, no major damage, although you can see that one toe was missing...

Mrs. Smith has been wanting me to "pickle" an oak piece - especially an oak table. We picked up a full-size oak pedestal a few weeks back, but I wanted to practice before doing that. So to the best of my knowledge, and from reading a few blogs, and from seeing what she wanted in a few pictures...I set out to impress her with my talents.

I watered down some CeCe Caldwell's Simply White (it is the brightest white) and applied it somewhat thinly. I wanted the paint to get into the grain of the wood, but not cover the wood completely. After it dried - here is what it looked like.


Well covered from this picture, but ready for some sanding to get the majority of the paint off. I used a combination of 100 grit and 150 grit to get down to the wood color, but leaving the white that had soaked into the grain of the wood. It actually polished it up pretty nicely. A thin coat of CeCe Clear wax over the entire piece. I apply the wax with a 2" chip brush from Harbor Freight - nothing fancy, just a natural bristle brush does the trick. After letting it sit around for about 2 hours, I buffed and polished the wax into the piece. It comes out with a very high luster finish. Here it is happily displayed for mall walkers to see for the last few hours of the show.


Mrs. Smith was very happy with the finish, "...as am I". The plan, finish the other one with the same finish to have a matching pair to sell. That will probably get finished up this weekend. Then on to bigger and better things - the large oak pedestal table (with a leaf). Be looking for that in a future post. As for this one, we picked this table up for $3 - don't tell our customers - great deal hugh? Just wait until someone sees a pair of these babies in the booth...

Don't forget to be checking Mrs. Smith's blog as well - TheSmithHotel - she actually needs to get a blog post on the "other" table in the first picture and second picture above. (Updated - here it is - Mr.Smith finally let me paint ).

And here is an updated shot of both tables - stacked high in our booth.


...And Mrs. Smith's table at the bottom of the stack (only because it is the largest).


See you next time...this post is linked to...

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special
Domestically Speaking Power of Paint Party
Primitive and Proper
Beyond The Picket Fence under $100
Miss Mustard Seed
Redoux

Mr. Smith

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Another Jack from a Trashed Nightstand

Day 3 at the Mount Shasta Mall. So glad that is over. Had a very productive weekend there painting, but wow did it drag on...and on...and on.........

Mrs. Smith's dad - Marshal, picked up this trashed nightstand. He didn't get a picture of it before he worked on it, but you can see that he used some glue and putty to get it in painting condition.


So I had in mind to paint it in CeCe Caldwell's Portland Rose (a very light pink). I thought it would be a cute girl's nightstand. Mrs. Smith asked that I paint it Maine Harbor Blue - so what do you think I did? ...Maine Harbor Blue...


So having all kinds of time Saturday - I decided to go one step further and paint a Union Jack flag on the top. I used Traverse City Cherry and Simply White.


I noticed that the drawer split just a bit, so I had to take it home to TheSmithGarage and glue it overnight.


Here is is finished with one of Mrs. Smith's little chicks and a mustache man postcard. Very fun and very fast. Freehand painting now since I have done a few before. just used brush widths. Hope you enjoy, Follow and come back for a few more finished pieces from the weekend. And something extra special coming soon - Mrs. Smith paints her first piece with CeCe Caldwell's paint - and it turns out to be incredible! You will want to see it.

Mr. Smith

Linked to:
Kammy's Korner Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday
Domestically Speaking
Primitive and Proper Power of Paint Party
Beyond the Picket Fence (under $100 - yeah - way under $100)
Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday
Redoux
Decorating Insanity

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Lion's Head Nightstand - Destin Gulf Green

Another day at the Mount Shasta Mall - wow these mall shows are brutal - 9am to 9pm. I will have to say I can do quite a few painting demonstrations in 12 hours. I worked on 3 pieces (maybe 4), but I will blog on one tonight - since it's late and I have to get up and go back to the mall in the morning.

Here is the piece - it has a great lion's head brass pull on it.



Great legs, huh? So Mrs. Smith wanted me to paint with Destin Gulf Green (DGG) first, then with Simply White and sand it back so the DGG comes through (totally forgot to take a picture of the DGG). Here it is after the Simply White...


Just then - I had one of our very good customer's (Ms. Tony - we call her Tony, but I wanted you to know she was a she and not a he). Well Tony really liked the piece, but she wanted more of the DGG to come through then what was appearing. So - I went back and painted over the Simply White with the DGG, leaving lots of white...


Not sure I like it - little too "beachy" for me, but I sure hope Tony likes it when she comes back. I had one other person really like it that came by and she was sending her friend back the next day. So we will see who shows up first on Sunday morning. I hope it's Tony and I really hope she likes it.

Here it is under some different light - looks a little more green...


Please let me know what you think - too beachy OR way cool - I want it!

Mr. Smith

Linked to:
Funky Junk Interiors
Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Primp

Friday, June 8, 2012

Antiquing an Antique with CeCe Caldwells Paint

TheSmithHotel (a.k.a. TheSmithGarage) is doing yet another show this weekend, but it is a little less involved with a lot less stuff. In fact - here is what is there...


This is a promotional show at The Mount Shasta Mall in Redding, CA - specifically to get the word out that TheSmithHotel is selling (and using) CeCe Caldwell's paint. One of the great things about this show - is I get to demonstrate the ease of painting with CeCe Caldwell's paint throughout the entire weekend. I selected a piece for this afternoon that Marshal (Mrs. Smith's dad) picked up and used glue and wood-putty to get it back together. Problem is - I didn't get a good before picture - totally forgot. I zoomed in to pick up at least the top - and here it is...


It's the unfinished piece in the middle - with the putty hole from what used to be a lamp stand. I believe this was a reading table (with a lamp) that you might put next to your couch or recliner. So to get the perfect antique look that I was looking for - I started with a base coat of Santa Fe Turquoise.


Then...I added a little Spring Hill Green...a little...



I'm sure the old guy on the couch was thinking..."What is this guy doing to to this antique?" So I had to move fast - only the next part was the slowest part - painting the intricate sides white, then finishing off the rest with white - I used Simply White.


So now the fun starts. I sanded with some 40 grit sandpaper. That was strong enough to get through the Simply White to bring out some of the Santa Fe Turquoise and Spring Hill Green. Then I sanded with 150 grit to get a smooth finish. Then I added Clear Wax, then rubbed in some Valspar Antiquing Glaze.



The finished piece turned out really nice - WOW! I really like it. It took some time, but the time invested really turned out a nice piece - that looks really old and worn.


Do you see my new (well, really old) box that I will be using to carry my paint. I am working on getting some of every color on the box. It fits 20 Quarts, and some paintbrushes. Looking forward to taking this case more places for future demonstrations. Come on out to Mt. Shasta Mall and see what we have.

And come back to see what piece of furniture we do tomorrow...

Mr. Smith

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

French Inspired Coffee Table - Young Kansas Wheat

It has been a few weeks since my last post. Dealing with a few things around the house - along with some fun travel times at work. About a month ago, we found out that Mrs. Smith's dad (Marshal) has esophageal cancer. He is now undergoing treatment and we continue to pray for God's work and healing. Marshal is a great father-in-law, and we are all in the journey with him.

The show season is winding down - one more outing this upcoming weekend at the Mount Shasta Mall . There have been several pieces completed, just haven't had time to get them in a blog form.

So I have a coffee table that I picked up a while ago for FREE - it was a post on Craig's List. It was about 10 miles from our home, so with the price of fuel, I figured it cost me about $3 in gas to go grab it.


The white dresser behind was transformed into the Subway Masterpiece and the black dresser is still awaiting a transformation. I had just received some new colors of CeCe Caldwell's paint, so I was dying to try some of them out on our furniture. I have seen lots of two-tone pieces using the natural wood, so I decided this one would have a natural top and painted legs. I really like the Young Kansas Wheat color - it has a tan/beige look.


So I am trying to find some photos of this table completed. We moved it into the shop right after I finished it, but everywhere we have had it it has been covered up with stuff. Here are some photos I did find with the finished table.


Can you see it down there? It's behind that little white window on the floor. We had a trunk on top of it with a bunch of frames and mirrors stacked (this was at The Burlap Harlot Show).


Here is a shot at the booth upstairs at Oregon Street Antique Mall, I pulled back the burlap runner that mostly covered it. This weekend at The Mount Shasta Mall, I will not have ALL the stuff, just furniture. I will be doing furniture painting demonstrations throughout the weekend. Make sure to stop in if you are local and see how easy it is to paint your worn out and tired furniture to give it fresh new life with CeCe Caldwell's paint. I will have paint on hand and will give you some pointers on application and finish.
Until next time....

Mr. Smith

Linked to:
Primitive and Proper
Domestically Speaking
Beyond The Picket Fence
Primp