natural slate

favorite finds for the home

| circadee

I’ve never properly shared my newest vintage obsession in my home.  That bright orange industrial school locker nestled between vintage French country toile curtains and an amateur ship captain oil painting.  None of it makes any sense but it doesn’t have to, does it?vintage locker, mohair chair, woodstove #vintage

And would you believe my number 1 picker and brother found that flaming orange locker on a curb?  No shame in his game.  Or mine since I paid him for his haul.  Destined for a landfill no more, my friends.  It now houses all of the wood stove accoutrements.

woodstove + orange locker

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we?  The wood stove is a brand new addition this winter.  It is serving us well as our primary source of heat.  Ryan installed the slate tile hearth and I must say that he did a bang up job bringing the rustic vibe I was seeking.  We picked up the iron log holder on our last trip to Brimfield.  I love this cozy corner in our home which is an eclectic mash up of so many vintage styles.  It has set the tone for the direction of the rest of our house.

woodstove, slate hearth

And do I need to mention the vintage walnut & mohair chairs again?  Because I will.  American furniture designer Ward Bennett for Brickel Associates circa 1970.  They go for about three grand on 1st dibs.  Unbelievable.  Let’s just say I paid less than 1% of that and didn’t have an idea of their value until I researched the label.  Neither did the seller obviously.  My most prized find to date!  It certainly pays to buy (or trash pick) what catches your eye.  Always trust your gut when shopping for vintage.

reclaimed wood plant stand, ward bennett mohair chairs, kilim rug

roar & a look book

| circadee

Lots to share today!  First off, I am loving this sweet little tricycle red chair.  Lately I have been experimenting with heavy distressing which I’m not sure is always my thing.  Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t but this chair was meant for distressing.

mms milk paint tricycle chair-4332

I picked it up a few weeks ago on our road trip.  I actually didn’t mind it in its before state…already perfectly worn and distressed however I thought the mauve color was boring.

chair before

MMS milk paint in Tricycle punched it up!

mms milk paint tricycle chair- wax puck distressing

To achieve this style of distressing I rubbed a wax puck all over the chair before painting.  I focused on areas that were already worn as well as places that would naturally wear like the edges, rungs and back.

mmsmp wax puck

Then I painted two coats of tricycle over the entire piece.  Once it dried, I rubbed back where the wax puck was applied with steel wool to reveal the mauve and raw wood in some places.  And finally, a coat of antiquing wax was applied to the chair to further age and distress.

mms milk paint tricycle chair- wax puck distressing

I love this little lion pillow as well.  It was handmade for me by a family friend several years back.  It seemed like the perfect juvenile prop for this chair.

mms milk paint tricycle chair-4330

While we’re talking about pint-sized chairs, handmade pillows and milk paint, guess what has arrived?  The much-anticipated Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint Look Book!

mmsmp look book one-4352

And yours truly has a little feature.  This rocking chair is in the dried lavender section for all to see!  My cousin and her new baby girl are the owners of this chair.  Such an honor to have it featured along with my very own photography. Can I call this my first photo credit in print?

mmsmp look book one - dried lavender

The look book is gorgeous and full of loads of inspiration and tips.  I will have a few available at both locations very soon. They were only produced in limited numbers so if you’d like to own one, grab it fast!  Or let me know so I can reserve you a copy.

mmsmp look book one-4356

And P.S. major sneak peek into our new slate flooring…it makes a fantastic photo backdrop.

custom mix: slate

| circadee

We have a new DIY project under way in our home.  We’re creating a custom hearth in the corner of our living room.  Once that is complete we’re having a wood burning stove professionally installed.  (We know our DIY limits!)  We’re hoping to have this project finished in time for a fire on the first chilly September evening.  We started planning early so let’s hope we stay on track with the timeline.  In fact, we’ve been talking about executing this for a year, at least, but you know how house project timelines can go…

After much pinning and deliberating we decided on natural slate for the hearth.  Most of the pins on my wood burning board seem to just reflect beautifully stacked wood which I am certainly looking forward to aesthetically, however the end result will hopefully be a combination of the following photos.

source: Apartment Therapy
source: Apartment Therapy
Source: The Kitchn
source: The Kitchn

The slate arrived today and we’ll begin the project next week.   All of the slate discussion seemed to seep into my painting world though.  Completely unintentionally too!

trophy & slate MMSMP dresser-4161

I scored a beautiful old chest of drawers at an estate sale. It actually has the original tag still intact on the back.  (Sorry for the poor quality phone pic.)

Dresser tag

The previous owner had sanded down most of the cherry finish.  Can you believe that?

Dresser before

I proceeded to use milk paint without the bonding agent and expected decent adhesion since the glossy surface was sanded.

trophy & slate MMSMP dresser-4164

Beginning with the drawers, I originally thought I’d paint them typewriter (black) as I knew I wanted to head in a masculine & sophisticated direction with this piece.  However, black wasn’t giving me exactly what I wanted.  On my work bench I had a little artissimo (navy) left over from these nightstands.  And a little boxwood (green) left from this sideboard (which I haven’t blogged about yet).  I went ahead and mixed all three colors together producing such a beautiful deep color that immediately reminded me of slate.  I did not measure but if I had to guess, I would say it was three parts typewriter to two parts artissimo and two parts boxwood – give or take.  Mixing paint colors can be so satisfying at times!

trophy & slate MMSMP dresser-4160

The body of the dresser was painted trophy (gray) which mimics the color of the grout we chose for our slate hearth project.  The entire chest has a durable coat of furniture wax.

trophy & slate MMSMP dresser-4156

The glass knobs pulled the piece together and seem to make it sparkle.  As much as slate can sparkle, anyway.  Tell me what is inspiring you this week!

trophy & slate MMSMP dresser-4167

The chest just landed at Serendipity Shops of Doylestown where you can also find all of the paint colors mentioned and those glass knobs.  I must say that it looks spectacular in the window on Oakland Street.  Go check it out!

trophy & slate MMSMP dresser-4154

I’ll be in Doylestown for another Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint demonstration on Sunday, August 24th at 1pm.  Save the date!

trophy & slate MMSMP dresser-4159