Making the most of what one has often requires optimistic eyes. Welcome to Rose Colored Glasses, a blog all about realizing the beauty, and often hidden potential in creating home design on a budget.


Friday, October 29, 2010

The icing on the cake...

Remember this old end table I picked up a couple years ago for $15? Then I painted it a creamy white to go in my bedroom. Well that was then... and this is now. Yes I added a little glaze :) Isn't it lovely?
And this one I picked up a few weeks ago at a thrift for a client. Luckily for me she could see its potential as well and trusted me to do this...

I primed and painted it white then distressed a bit and of course added the glaze afterwards. Don't mind the missing hardware, it's drying right now ;) Oh how I love the detail on these little cabinet doors!


So, are there any of you out there still unconvinced of the power of glaze on a piece of furniture? I know I'm sold!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Unfinished business...

Hello everyone! I have been so busy lately and have a long list of "to dos" but have a few sweet finds laying around and thought I would try something a little different. I am showing you the unfinished pieces so you have the opportunity to have them "customized" for you. You see rather than painting it what I want and then trying to find a specific buyer for that color/style/finish, I want you to tell me how you want it! To do this you have to put on those "rose colored glasses", so go ahead, put em' on!
And here they are:
a cutesie little rocker. (I will also provide a cushion) an upholstered (I would reupholster it in the fabric of your choice, and paint it) chair fit for a little princess. (Also perfect for you child photographers out there, or as a vanity seat. SOLD!!!

and my personal favorite, a charming pedestal dining table. Oh how I love these! There is one at Pier 1 Imports I have been drooling over for the last 3 years! Too bad it's way over my budget.

and last but certainly not least, I have one of these end tables. I had several buyers interested in one of these at the craft fair (I sold it's pair there) and thought I had already sold it as well but turns out I have not heard back from the buyer and so back on the market she goes. SOLD!!!

Please email me with any questions or to commit to a piece complete with the customization for for you/your space. (www.lemonsqueezing@gmail.com) I can also give you price quotes upon request. (The price will differ depending on what you want done with the piece). Thanks everyone and I look forward to hearing from you :)

Monday, October 25, 2010

I am in LOVE...

My husband surprised me with this find a few weeks ago (he knew I wanted it and bought it for me) and I have been dreaming about the possibilities ever since. Then I began working with a client who needed a coffee table for her basement... So I made plans to paint it red for her space. Needless to say, her plans changed (shes going to wait a while to do it) but I decided to paint it anyway.
Can I just say I am in love and might not be able to let this one go...for REAL!

I love it in my livingroom. The warmth from the color really livens up the once tired looking space.

Anyway, if I do decide to sell, I am asking $100 for it but for now I am trying to convince my husband to let me keep it :)

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Craft Fair Results!

First of all, welcome to any new followers and a BIG THANK YOU to those of you who came and said hello, or purchased items from me :) I had a blast! I thought I would post the remaining items that did not sale, or did not make it out of the car in one case...oops! This old ladder was only brought out in the afternoon, after I sold a smaller mustard colored one. I am asking for $45 for it. It is very shabby, and very cute. It's great for displaying quilts or using to stack books on :) Here's a closer look at some of the detail.
These are the remaining items I have for sale...yes I sold everything else! The lamp is $35, the clay vases $15 (for set) and the end table (which I forgot to get out of my car), is $30. The blue frame is $5 and the distressed magazine holder is $12

Some closer looks...

As always contact me through email to purchase any of these items: lemonsqueezing@gmail.com
Thanks guys!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Jewelry Peek

My friend Alyssa creates the most beautiful jewelry and as I mentioned earlier this week, we are sharing a booth at the craft fair this weekend. I hope some of my stuff sells next to this cute stuff! Even if you aren't really a jewelry person (like me) Alyssa will have something that appeals to you. She never duplicates anything and she is a master at soldering. Here's one of my favorites she's done below. It's hard to tell in this picture but the soldered circles spell "unique". She recently started incorporating some fabric with her designs and I love the results she's coming up with. Fun huh! Love the vintage feel of this one...

oh, and this one too. Well, like I said she has something for everyone and if she doesn't have just what you need she can personalize something for you. Anyway, I just wanted to give you all a peek at her talent. Be sure to check out her stuff at the craft fair.
Better get back to work now :)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Let it Shine!

Who doesn't love what lighting can do for a space? Lately I've been having some fun creating and fixing up these pieces...this shot below is a chandelier I picked up at a yard sale for $1, that's right, ONE DOLLAR! My good friend Alyssa had just learned she was going to have a baby GIRL (her first) and was on the hunt for one. Every little girl needs a princess room, right? Here's what it looks like spray painted black in the soon to be nursery! I love the bling garland Alyssa added, she is so creative and incidently is sharing a booth with me at the craft fair this weekend. She creates the most beautiful jewelry...stay tuned this week for a peak at her talent and what you can expect to see for sale on saturday from her.
These lamps are some I will be selling this weekend at the craft fair. I hope to have a couple more finished but time is ticking and, well, we'll just have to see I guess. I picked up all of these at thrifts (including the shades), and have painted them and given them a second life so to speak. I still have to finish some of the shades as you can see :), but you get the idea.
Here's a close up of this shade. The fabric is velvet and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I have a feeling I will find a use for this on something else as well.
Here's the other one. My friend told me she had seen some shades done like this and I love the shabby look this gives...so fun! Reminds me of my rag garland I did last year for my Christmas tree :)

Well, if you want to see more I'll see you saturday (I'll be in the hallway) :) How's that for a tease?

Sunday, October 17, 2010

A Lovely Accent Table

I just finished painting this little accent table last night and I have to say I love how it turned out. I ended up sanding it just a bit then spraying a very light coat of Bauhaus Gold spray paint from Krylon. After that I got out a stencil and painted this damask pattern in a bright turquoise color. Afterwards I sanded it to my liking and wiped on a dark brown glaze. Love it.
Since the bottom was in pretty good condition I left it untouched (except for a good cleaning). I had bit too much fun editing this, but you get the overall idea :) I am loving the character in this piece. I am asking for $29. As always, email me if you are interested at lemonsqueezing@gmail.com. Otherwise I will take it with me to the craft fair this weekend and I hope to see some of you there :)!

SOLD!!!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Oh how I love Fall!

I have taken off the last couple of weeks with regard to furniture fix ups. The break has been nice, I have to admit, but with three new jobs (work for other people) ahead of me I will be back at it this week and with the craft fair in one week I am starting to stress a bit! The last couple of weeks I have been busy canning with my mother. I am so thankful to live close enough to her to do things like this and I still have so much to learn from her! We did apple pie filling last week and this week canned a tomato soup base which I just love. Anyway I am still in the process of embellishing the jars so that I can give them as "Apple Crisp" sets. One jar holds the filling, the other holds the crumble topping ingredients. I think they will be perfect for neighborly Christmas gifts this year and Better Homes and Gardens make the cutest jar caddies I plan to use with these. I think canning is one more reason to enjoy this time of year!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Glaze Addiction!

A little peek...
I was pleasantly surprised to find this shelf/table at a local estate sale last week and even more excited about the price. I knew this would need some work beyond sanding and painting: it needed a back, the legs were shot, and something about the middle shelf looked out of place. Still, it had great lines, great potential. First I cut off the legs. I did this for two reasons: The first was because they were beyond repair for my skills and second to make the piece slightly shorter to better accomodate its possible future use behind a sofa. Then I cut a piece of wood (trim) to cover the middle shelf edge for a more finished look.

Then the fun began, and by that I mean the decisions on paint color and the application. I ended up using aqua and tan paint with a small touch of light green as an accent color. Then I glazed the whole piece in a brown color. I love how the glaze transformed this piece by drawing out the character in the architecture and giving it the added antiqued look.
Of course I added some handpainting...how could I resist :)? I am asking for $50 for this piece. Email me at lemonsqueezing@gmail.com if you are interested. Thanks!

SOLD!!!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Now hand painting YOUR furniture!


Do you have an old piece of furniture stashed away that you don't know what to do with? Maybe you were given it by a neighbor, or found it cheap at a yard sale and just never have gotten around to fixing it up. Maybe you aren't really a DIYer? As most of you already know I have been transforming my own furniture finds for some time now but just recently have begun taking on others' old projects and customizing them with my handpainting to suit their space. For instance, the shelves you see below belong to a friend of mine. The drawers belong to a chest that has been sitting in her garage for a very long time. When I was recently consulting with her concerning her living space she wanted to purchase a piece to go in the corner of the room. I saw this piece in her garage and talked her into using it instead of buying something new and more expensive. Because she has some experience painting she is going to paint the body of the piece black herself (saving herself additional costs) while I do some magic on the drawer faces with some handpainting...notice the photo below. This is what I am working on right now for it and I am loving it. I picked the colors that will best coordinate with her room (right out of the travertine fireplace surround) and chose a design that I feel also suits her style and overall vibe in the space. I can't wait to see this one finished in her space!

I am also excited about the potential business opportunities this type of specialized skill could possibly create for me...so, if you have an old piece that you would like custom painted let me know. I am charging for the freehand time only ($15-$20 per hour) depending on the complicity of the work I am doing. Email me if you have any additional questions at lemonsqueezing@gmail.com. I can estimate the cost for you before you commit if you send me a photo of your furniture piece along with some kind of idea of the design you would like on it. The sky is the limit here. Thanks guys!

P.S. I have been getting some questions regarding the cabinet/chest I recently posted about here with regard to price and I have decided to sell it for $75.00.