10 Painted Furniture Before and Afters

I've got back into painting furniture in the last few months, both for myself and to sell. I have been experimenting with a  variety of paints, including latex, Annie Sloan chalk paint, Fusion mineral paint and home made chalk paint. I think I like the Chalk paint the most, but am looking for an Australian made product, and one that I may be able to sell in the future. Let me know of any recommendations!

I do list everything I'm selling on my Facebook page (click the link at right or go to kittenvintagemackay), but I thought I'd show you all a few before and afters.....

1. This one was for a client's daughter, home made chalk style paint and beeswax, hand painted lettering (sold)

2. An old kitchen cabinet I found on gumtree, sanded, sealed and feet added (sold)

3. Old meat safe, replaced mesh, sanded, decoupaged and sealed (sold)

4. Old dressing table, stripped, sanded, painted, sealed and new handles (for sale)

5. Cane bedside table for a client, sanded, painted with gold, distressed and waxed (sold)

6. Old dressing table, sanded, painted in home made chalk paint and waxed, new handles (for sale)

7. Small lamp table, painted, distressed and waxed (for sale)

8. 1920s timber chairs, contact removed (yes contact), sanded, repaired, seats painted and sealed (sold)

9. Small laminate bedside table, painted in chalk paint, waxed and new handles (sold)

10. 1970s carved timber cabinet, painted and waxed with dark wax (sold)

I try and paint every day, weather permitting as I work outside....for now!

I have been working on staging and found a spare wall to photograph against, and things have sold faster. Here's another photo of a dining set I painted and sold the first day...I just don't have a before photo.

Hope these inspire you to get painting!

Deb x

Fashion in Art - 1935 Gown & Cape

Today's painting is Portrait of a Young Woman, painted in  1935 by Meredith Frampton.

Frampton, 1935

The sitter was Margaret Austin-Jones, then aged twenty three. Her dress was made up from a Vogue pattern by the artist's mother. The vase, made in mahogany, was designed by Frampton himself, and he said he made this painting as 'a relaxation from commissions, and to celebrate an assembly of objects... beautiful in their own right'.  

The dress is a little like this one (available on ebay).

1935 Vintage Sewing Pattern

But the fuller skirt is more like this one.

May 1935.

The caplet top maybe separate from the dress too.  Caplets and small capes to hip  length were popular in the 30s, like this Cape and Dress from about 1931 by Jean Patou.

Cape and Dress, c. 1931 

Jean Patou

This is a sweet day dress pattern with a similar cape.

1930s Dress and cape pattern

I found a little black cape recently at the op shop ($3). I think it's going to be perfect next time I go out on a chilly autumn night!

You can see more of Meredith Frampton's work here.

Deb xx

Summer at the Beach

Having some technical difficulties today, so instead of my prepared post, just some Summer images.

I have been walking the dogs on the beach each morning and afternoon, as I build up my strength before returning to work.  The afternoons are busy, for here anyway, but in the mornings I am the only human on the beach. Despite the grey clouds, it is very hot, and humid - perfect swimming weather if it weren't for the jelly fish, and possible sharks and crocodiles.

Our busy local beach, Lambert's Beach, Mackay

I love to remember my time in Sydney at the popular Bondi or Manly beaches, or even Melbourne's St Kilda Beach, and compare the amount of people!  Even one hundred years ago Sydney's beaches were crowded - but isn't it a lovely painting.

Manly Beach — Summer Is Here, 1913, by Ethel Carrick Fox. Manly Art Gallery, Sydney.

Here is another Sydney beach scene by Fox.

On Balmoral Beach, 1913, by Ethel Carrick Fox. source

Born in, Sussex in 1872, Ethel Carrick was the daughter of an English draper. She was trained at the Slade School of Art, London, under Henry Tonks (1862-1937) and Frederick Brown (1851-1941) between 1899-1903. Carrick first exhibited her work in London in 1903, and in 1904 commenced exhibiting in Paris, which she continued to do for many years. She married my other favourite artist  Emanuel Phillips Fox, in London in 1905. They travelled extensively, visiting Europe, Africa and Australia.

Mr Fox painted my all time favourite painting in 1909, Bathing hour (L'Heure de Bain), which is thought to depict a beach on France's Channel Coast. Luckily it's owned by the Queensland art gallery, and I am able to visit it every time I go to Brisbane (I do own a small print of it to).

E. Phillips Fox | Australia/France 1865-1915 | Bathing hour (L'Heure de Bain) c.1909 Queensland Art Gallery

So even if it's cold where you are, I hope I brought you some summer cheer!

Deb xxx

Two Dogs & a Deck Makeover

We have two dogs.  Chino is a two year old American-cross- English Staffy and Diva is an almost five month old border collie.  They get a morning and afternoon walk, have each other for company when I am at work for 6 hours a day, and have more chew toys than I have shoes. Almost.

Chino and Diva

Yet, in the last week they have taken to chewing things.  Like my back doormat. And a cushion of the couch on the deck.  Coming home after only two hours away, shopping, I found the cushion in about a thousand pieces, so I decided right there and then than their time of freedom on the deck was over.  Their couch, the one with the missing cushion, would move down stairs, and the deck would become ours again.  Nothing like a makeover day for the first day of Spring!

Here is the deck as it was.

The couch and one chair went downstairs, and the other I repainted.

Painting cane, what fun!

I also painted the four chairs and moved the bench seat behind the table down to the pool area, and brought up two chairs that I recently painted. I decided a little storage was needed, so I moved up the chest of drawers I had just finished painting.  I didn't have time to repaint the whole table, so I just dragged on a bit of white here and there, especially over the bits the puppy had chewed.  I really need some aqua place-mats now!

The late afternoon sun make everything look blindingly white, but it is actually all distressed looking!  Next to the comfy chair seemed a great spot for the new pots with lemon tree, chillies and basil - a father's day present for tomorrow from the kids and I. The yellow and aqua fabric on the chair is the original 70s cover.  The side 'table' is a tray made by my eldest son for fathers day 2007, painted white, on top of a vintage suit case.

 

On the drawers are a timber candelabra that was a wedding present many years ago, a sweet little English vase and a bird egg cup that  use as a candle holder.  Now to do something about that rusty giant fan.....any ideas?

Deb xxx

A celebration and a new color scheme

Yes, we're celebrating!  The house is sold, contract signed, and the contract is also signed on the new place (the cottage in yesterdays blog). Now it's just paperwork, building and pest reports, and then packing and moving. Here in Queensland settlement is only 30 days, so there's lots to do and not long to do it.  I am getting some small cardboard boxes from the wine shop across the road to start packing books tonight.

We have already started de-cluttering, but we intend to get rid of lots of furniture, since we are moving from five to three bedrooms and a small living room.  At present we have two modular corner lounge-suites and two three piece suites, plus a two seater and a four seater couch, occasional chairs and a bamboo three piece suite.  That's what happens when you shop at thrift stores!

I am also planning to change colour schemes.  At present we have a lot of red, with some black and autumn tones.  Our new house is basically a country cottage near the beach, with lots of internal timber and it's quite dark.  I envisage a colour scheme that is light and airy and beachy - lots of white and natural fabrics, with touches of sandy beige and blues and aquas. I want to paint some of my old dark furniture white, and recover sofas in either white or cream cotton duck or even pale denim.

Some inspiration from some great blogs:

  source

I love the Ottoman idea - we all put our feet on the coffee table anyway, so I am definitely going to do this.

 source

More white wainscoting, and a lovely blue rug and couch.

 source

The white painted panelled walls and French doors with sheer curtains look lovely - my dining setting is not this lovely, so it may get painted.

 source

The same room from a different angle - love the couch and the blue throw.

Here's my first project - an old chair I picked up from the op shop a few months ago for about $5.

The seat cover is old green and white vinyl, and I am going to paint the timber white and distress it, and cover the seat in a blue fabric.  Update next post.

Deb