::Git Yer Wax On (and off)::

PSSSST...I'm no longer blogging here!

You can now find me at

www.acottagegirl.com

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I got my Waxine brush!

Because I'm just slightly obsessed with this whole waxing furniture thing, I do believe I've watched and/or read almost every tutorial available online about how to do it.

And yet, I'm still skeered.  Heck I even used some of Annie's Soft Wax at the workshop I attended a week or so ago, and I'm still freaking out over how to use it.

(me in white with peach tank....raise yer hand if you're surprised at the color I chose to play with..Photo from The Poppy Cottage)

So, in order to save my beloved readers some time, I thought I'd share what I consider to be the BEST Annie Sloan-specific waxing tutorial I've found.  Even better than Miss Mustard Seed herself....and we all know she rocks the furniture do-over planet.

Get excited.

Cindy of Simply Reinvented is specific, she is detailed, and she's supah, dupah cute-to-boot.  I could listen to her sah-weet southern accent all the ding dang day long.  ("when you uh-plah thuh wax...."  LOVE IT.) Since we share the same name, of course I know she's awesome.

And she lives in Nashville TN where my bro lives....which means, well, ok nothing.

Anyway, after watching her video several million times a few times, I feel confident enough to try it on a chalk painted practice board now.

Yay.

BTW, her method is what I learned (but couldn't seem to absorb) from the workshop I took.  It's kinda like when it took 3 tries to finally pass Algebra.

You didn't just read that last sentence.

Things you'll learn from Cindy that you prolly haven't learned from other tutes:

*the best way to condition your wax brush before the first use and after use
*exactly how much wax to use, and how to get the proper amount on your brush
*how to apply it, what the piece should feel like, how to properly remove the excess

Ready?  Here is her video plus the link to the page where she also writes out her method.



She has a couple other excellent video tutorials as well, one for using the AS chalk paint and one for the super scary AS dark wax.  Find them here.

Or visit this page to read her other tutorials on gray washing, lining drawers, etc.  I spent quite a bit of time over there the other night...I think we're in a serious relationship now.  Cindy has a fantabulous blog with smokin' hot furniture re-dos.  I kinda hope to be her when I grow up. Or at least talk like her. Except that she's WAY younger than me.

Might be a problem.

Thanks, Cindy, for sharing your knowledge. We bow to you.  I hope to visit the shop where you sell your amazeballs pieces next time I'm in Nash.

So friends....any other tips you want to add?  I'd love to read them.

::Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Workshop::

PSSSST...I'm no longer blogging here!

You can now find me at

www.acottagegirl.com

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If you follow me on Facebook, (and if ya don't, please do!) you'll know I hightailed it to an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint workshop at the very.last.minute this evening at this new wee shop just down the road from me.  It's called The Poppy Cottage, and well, I'm smitten. 

With both the gal who runs the joint, and the paint she peddles.  

Smitten.  

(Meet Tammy, my new girl crush.  And meet Tammy's banner, my new, um, banner crush.)

I'm fairly certain I totally freaked her and her hubs out with my incoherent ramblings upon entering their shop for the first time earlier in the week, realizing such amazing-ness was a mere 2 miles away from my front door, in a shop I used to work in no less (it was a children's book store when I worked there).  

Serendipity.  

My new word, by the way: Serendipity.  

You might be hearing more of it 'round these parts.  

I've had a run of serendipities...er, serendipitous moments recently.

(via)

It means "happy accident".

(via)

And finding Tammy and her uber-awesome shop was most definitely Serendipity.

'Cause I was actually looking for a stockist for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, having attempted a few DIY versions that left me wondering, 'Oooooh reeeeeally' in my best skeptical Steve Martin voice.

And not only did I find a stockist, but she's like a long lost bosom buddy.  

Yes, I typed that out loud.

(a quart of *cream* ready for action at the workshop)

I just wanted to see what all the stink was about, really.

(There's no stink actually.  I mean, no literal stink to this paint. It's awesome.)

I bought a quart (*provence*, of course), a brush, clear wax, and a waxing brush on my first visit.

And made a brand-spankin' new friend.

With SERIOUS ::cottage instincts::

Serendipity.

(it's playtime girls!)

Stopped back a couple days later under the guise of checking to see if my brush was in, 

.....aaannnnddd picked up two sample jars: *coco* and *old white*.

("laying on" the paint, barely pulling the brush along)

Popped back in tonight for the mini-workshop and might have bought a sample jar of *duck egg* and the bigger waxing brush.

I also may have a wee problem.

(practicing the rustic technique, which looks great after adding the dark wax, pic down the post )

I was impressed.  My DIY versions were nothing close to this paint.  Which is not to say others don't have success with DIY versions....but mine were nothing like the consistency, quality and coverage of the true blue (lettered) Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

(on the left side we did the french technique)

Tammy's hubster Jon actually taught the class, which was really helpful, even though it was taught by a man (KIDDING!). He cleaned all our brushes about 4 zillion times...which is where he was while the gals got their pic taken below.

(my classmates, who all have lovely names that I can't remember.....someone forgot the Dr. Seuss nametags, but I won't name names.  I do remember my name was Vicki.  Don't ask.)

I'm still scared of the wax, especially that evil dark wax, but after I play some more I may come around.
It did look all kinds of awesome on my *duck egg* board....

So, did I mention I've decided I'm going to get serious about starting a furniture painting business?

I may need to call it 

SERENDIPITY

~Painted Funiture and Finds~

Because truly, isn't every cast off, thrifty furniture find a happy accident?

Isn't every trip to the junk shop/estate/garagesale full of mystery and happy surprises?

Serendipity, I'm tellin' ya.

I'll keep ya posted....

Thanks to Tammy and her Hubby Jon for hosting and teaching us all about the Magic Paint.

If you're ever in Fort Wayne IN, get yer rear into The Poppy Cottage.

But leave the cute stuff for me.

ps...I stole all the pics of her shop from her facebook page.
That's what friends do.

Go.

::Brave Color, Brave Bloggers::

As I tenuously dip my toes into the idea of decorating a new house, I find I'm challenging myself to be open to what colors really make me happy.  Ya'll know I already have an obsession with blue and brown.  

Duh.

my current fabric stash...only half-way organized because the house was on the market.

But I also love pinks and reds with yellows, bright aqua and spring green.
I'd even throw a little purple love in there too....

Source: cocorosetextiles.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Maybe it's just because we're on the tippy edge of February's demise, listing heavily into March, which means spring is coiling itself up like some sort of seasonal slinky, ready to burst thru the surface in an array of tulipy, hyacinthy, crocusy goodness.  Not that I planted any, or would be in this house to see the show if I did.
 But, the gray drearies are destined to melt away leaving wide open patches of lovely.
Believe you me. 

As I consider what I already own, what the style of house will be, and our budget.....basically my ::cottage instincts::, I'm listing heavily myself into some rooms full of infused color.
Fun, happy, bright-ish, pastel-ly goodness. 

I do love a frenchy farmhouse look, all grain-sacky and greige and rusty market baskets.  I follow lots of gals who carry that look off to the moon and back.  But I've always craved more color than that, and I will always love the splashy English flowered Ralph Lauren fabrics....which don't really jive with grey.  Call me way off-trend, but I don't like gray/grey/greige.  Love it in other's homes, but wouldn't work for me. Same for chevron.  Over it.  Actually,  skirted around it.

With my mom's passing last fall, I'm itching to use a set of colorful dishes she gave me, and grey DEFINITELY won't work with these babies:

And this shelf from her decor stash, and the rose dishes that were her grandmother's:

Anyway, along those lines, I wanted to highlight a couple bloggesses who are severely inspiring to me with their fearless use of color.

First, Jen of {the cottage nest}, (a fellow Hoosier I might add) pins some really inspiring, colorful cottage stuff (for instance the first shot of the dishes above).  Really adorable.  She lives in a wee suburban village in an old farmhouse and blogs THE most beautiful shots of her interiors. Not that I stalk her or anything.  

Behold this shot from her most recent post about her studio:

That wall color is eerily similar to the color of my cra(p)ft room (which happens to be Spring Melt by Martha Stewart, go figure):

She's all about girly flowers and brights frolicking with pastels and pinks and aquas and vintage yummy-ness. Here are some of my repins from Jen's Pinterest Boards (and I also highly recommend her blog for a plethora of eye candy).

Source: husetvedfjorden.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: suziebeezie.tumblr.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: lamaisondannag.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Seriously fun.  And girly....and living with 4 males (including my male dog)....I need me some girly.

Another Hoosier blogger (yeah we got some style up in here) is Shannan of Flower Patch Farmgirl fame.

She just built herself a new farmhouse cottage and filled it with swoony swatches of flea marketed swag.

And aqua.
Shut the front door.

'Ole Farmgirl also just happens to be one of the best blog writers out there, so hecks yeah, there's way more than corn in Indiana.  Here's a few more shots of Shannan's decor skillz.

Source: flowerpatchfarmgirl.blogspot.com via Cindy on Pinterest

She does color fearlessly (which also happens to be the way she lives her life).  

Both Shannan and Jen are also crafty mavens of the highest order.  As I visited their respective corners on the web, I suddenly realized the other reason I'm inspired by them.  They're the gals I wish I could be, and I'm awed by their ability to live their dreams in the face of real skepticism and fear.

Source: thehomebarn.files.wordpress.com via Cindy on Pinterest

See, it just so happens that they both strapped themselves and their families into an unpredictable rollercoaster ride to make their house dreams a reality, often going against the standard advice, facing stubborn fears, dealing with regrets, backpeddling into their hearts to really connect to their cottage instincts and make their current homes a reflection of their families values.

I dig that.

And in light of our current home trajectory, I soooo need to know others have walked this road too.

Something about company in misery or some such?

Maybe they'll share their 'braves' over the cyber net to be my house birthing doulas?

Ok, that was weird.

I may just begin a series featuring bloggers who I feel follow their cottage instincts in the face of trends and conventional rules of decorating (or house finding).

They won't absolutely HAVE to be from Indiana, but bonus points if they are.

Kidding.

Have a suggestion?  Do you have your own story of bravely following your guts to make your home a reality even if it goes against common sense sometimes?  Or common decorating rules?

Do you use color fearlessly in the face of a Pottery Barn Nation?

I'd love to hear from you.

And I like pretty pictures.

::Refining Those Instincts::

What happens when the house you were sure was supposed to be yours ends up being an obvious dud?

(source)

We toured *that house* again on Monday with a contractor and heard all about the issues, mainly lots of water damage, termites (!), and a pool that is non-functioning.  Needs some work on the sewage (ew), gutters, a roof, and perhaps a new garage.

Here's the pooch I mentioned in the previous post.  We let him in, and he grabbed his rawhide bone and happily followed us around the house.  He was fat and at-his-ease...pretty sure he rules the roost)

We walked away feeling satisfied that we gave it the ole' college try, but neither hubs or I felt like going down that road with that house.  The ruined pool pretty much sank the ship.  And I was totally ok with it as I drove away.  It was an interesting part of this journey, and I learned important lessons, honed my instincts more, even thru the ups and downs....the excitement and the disappointments.  I felt relieved when we closed the door on this possibility, knowing there are others out there waiting to be discovered.

Source: hgtv.com via Cindy on Pinterest

See, here's the thing.  I get all excited and see all the possibilities and believe and hope and dream about a new house every week.  I'm wicked good at it.  Hubs is my grounding force, but sometimes he comes off as a wet blanket. We had some frank discussions (ok, we argued) about how I need him to dream with me sometimes instead of trying to protect me from falling from too high when reality hits. 

Maybe that happened years ago (pretty sure it did), but in my midlife, I can disconnect pretty quickly from the hopes and dreams so long as I'm presented with cold, hard facts.  I don't throw too many tantrums over broken house dreams anymore.

Source: brooksandkendra.blogspot.com via Cindy on Pinterest

So we're moving on.  Actually I had already found another property with awesome potential before we even went on Monday.  I think it was my way of having a back-up plan in case things don't go according to my dreams.  :)

Having passed on *that house*, I again went back to my cottage instincts, our priorities, our wants and needs.  Hubs says our intuition simply pushes us in a direction with no specifics....but our brains engage and take over, assigning specifics that may or may not be where our intuition was leading.  Hmmmmm......

So what if I told you now we're looking at a property that would give me both old and new for even less than *that house*?

Tomorrow we'll check out a one acre property in the city that includes that cape cottage up thar on half and an empty lot on the other where a home had previously lived.  Not sure if it burned down or what, but an empty lot with trees is an empty lot with trees.  And a driveway :)

My brain says, live in the cutie-patootie cape cod and build something smallish next door.  Then rent or sell the cape to our kids.  Way out there, yeah?  I'd get to enjoy the character of the cape, help the kids make it theirs after ours was built, but mosey on next door to my new house with lots of windows and my soaking tub :)

Source: bhg.com via Cindy on Pinterest

But there's potential....that's how my brain works.  I believe the impossible until it proves it ain't possible.  And so many things would have fall in line for this property to work out.  I'm not going into this completely blind to the improbabilities, but I don't let them squash the hope in possibilities.

Just for funsies, we'll be looking at 4 other newly built homes, one that is $100K more than that cute little cottage up there.  I need to step inside and 'feel' them too.  It would give me an idea how 'new' strikes my instincts.

But hold up. I thought my intuition said building wasn't our style.  Upon further digging, (and seeing the reality of an older home) I think I could live in new OR old....it's just a new neighborhood that cramps my style.  The cottage/lot is not in a neighborhood....no restrictions, no one making sure our lawn is perfect, no association dues.  No Jones to keep up with.

And the lot is deep, but narrow, so it limits the type of home we could build there, meaning smaller, which is fine by me as all the homes along there would qualify as either ranch, cape cod or farmhouse.  I'd build something to blend into the landscape...which means cheaper, by about 50 grand that what we were previously considering.  And yes, I've already found another floorplan that would work....the graph paper has already made it back to front and center on my desk.

Source: southernlivinghouseplans.com via Cindy on Pinterest

I was also reminded how this journey began...but visiting a friend whose new home 'looked' old.  And realizing we could afford it.  Which doesn't mean that's what we will do, just that the idea of building shouldn't be completely abandoned if the right lot/style/price can be found.

Source: pinterest.com via Cindy on Pinterest

So I suppose I'm saying my cottage instincts don't lead me down a path to a particular place...but that they keep me true to what I love.  And oh how I love cottages....beachy, craftsman, farmhouse, capes, both new AND old. I love 'em all.  I'm not gonna get stuck on a certain place thinking it's the 'only one'....like some folks do with spouses.  I believe we become 'the one' after we risk and take a leap.  I'm looking for a home that will support our over arching priorities (not spending the upper limits of our income on housing is the biggest).  I'm looking for the potential that it will BECOME 'the one'.  And for every dream home that falls thru, there are always other fish in the sea, yeah?

Source: aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Mumford & Sons is my favorite band right now (my brother happens to be their booking agent).  This refrain is in one of their new songs:

"'Cause I know my weakness, know my voice

And I'll believe in grace and choice"

Source: inmyownstyle.com via Cindy on Pinterest

I still believe in magic (grace).  But I believe we create that magic by staying open to the possibilities that line up with our priorities (choice).  I also believe signs are real, but that they don't necessarily mean specific things....more like general leanings.  I think we have to create our realities after we've done the hard work of understanding ourselves...what we like, what we love, what makes us unique.  

Source: jonesdesigncompany.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Then there are all kinds of opportunities, each with gifts and each with issues.  Kinda takes the pressure off.  No need to worry and fret that we've missed out on 'the one'.  I believe in 'the many'....and for this season, we're gonna hope to make the best choice out of the many, trusting that we have the vision to make any home we buy or build 'the one'.

I hope sharing our windy path toward our next home is helpful to you guys.  I know it can sound like I have no idea where I'm going....but as I navigate my way thru this, I'm learning so much about myself, and I hope it can encourage especially those of you who feel like you can't trust your instincts to guide you.  Even in that moment when I thought "I missed it again" after our second visit to *that house*, I knew my cottage instincts could be trusted...that there must be something else out there for us.

And I believe we'll find it.

So Guess What.

I met a reader who happens to have her own wee shop full of vintage goodness

 not 15 minutes from my doorstep. 

Imagine me attempting to contain myself upon meeting a like-minded junker-fixer-upper who actually chased down her dream of opening her own place, doing what she loves (and has obvious talent for), and passing along the goodness to others.

I know.

So welcome to Amy's Like Yesterday Shop (facebook HERE)

She's only been in this location for a few weeks, so new signage is on the way. 

She shares her space with Moe's Bikes.

(Let's just say swoon-y vintage cruisers were definitely spotted.)

Amy's re-loving of furniture is amazing, her pieces are unique and stylish for all kinds of cottage lovers.

Her prices?  

All you locals better get yer bums in here before she realizes what a steal her stuff is.

She's got another room full of neato kitchy, rustic, vintage-y yumminess.

See here.

(My son's waving at cha)

Totally wanted this signage.

Vintage bottles. Ok, yeah.

Interesting, unique, one-of-a-kind cool stuff.  What's better'n that?

Amy has a love of old toys, like this fella here and several of his comrades.

Totally made me feel like an antique myself as I recognized lots of toys from my own childhood.

I think I'm ok with that.  

Maybe.

Her Hubs helps transform pieces like this with his wicked woodworking skills, 

like adding wheels to this crate.

She stocks lots of painted pieces as well as original stuff with beautiful patinas.

So far, she can't keep furniture in stock!
There's so few little shops like this in our area.

Amy loves color, and the shop is filled with cottagey colors all over the place!

And owls.  Owls tucked every which where.  

My boys had fun playing a version of where's waldo and discovered at least 34 owls in the shop.

No joke.  It's like me with birds.
Ok, not that bad.

She hand paints and stencils some of her pieces too:

My youngest sitting at a fun desk Amy painted, distressed, and stenciled.

Please excuse woman's rear-end.  

If said woman is a reader of this blog, I sincerely apologize.

As I said, Moe's stocks refurbished (and sometimes new) bikes, as well as doing repairs and rebuilds.

I know where I'll be purchasing my new (old) bike!

Amy painted the sign for the bike shop in back.

I kinda sorta covet this bike as it looks like my very first 2 wheeler back in the early '70s.  

Only mine was pink :)

I had such a great time meeting and chatting with Amy.

And what fun to walk in to THIS!

Here's me and the proprietess hereself, all fuzzified and sepia'd.

We're gorgeous.  I know.

Best news:  I might get to sell some pieces myself at Like Yesterday Shop and help Amy with 

styling and decorating!

Not that I'm excited about that or anything. *snort*.  

I'm fairly certain I talked too much and freaked Amy out abit, but she's too nice to say so.

I'll keep ya posted.

Amy's shop address: 

204 North Jackson Street

Auburn IN 46706 

Go forth, you locals, and follow your ::cottage instincts:: to Amy's place.

Amen.