~~ Saving Grace ~~

The Booth and a Pretty Dresser

2012-01-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys. I told you that I would post pictures of our booth for you to see. So here ya go...

We truly feel that God led us to that specific booth and he has been blessing it from the beginning! God is so good!!

I also wanted to show you another piece that we completed. It was a great dresser/buffet from the beginning, but it needed a new life. It had great acents!! I, of course, forgot to take a Before picture. But here is the finished product...

It's a mixture of Duck Egg and Chateau Grey with Old White accents. I love how the Chateau Grey makes it appear a little dingy and old.

This one sold pretty quickly! Once again, God is good!! I hope you all have a great weekend!!

I'm linking up to...
Finding Fabulous
French Country Cottage
The Charm of Home
My Romantic Home

Round Top, Rachel Ashwell, and an Aqua Chiffarobe

2012-01-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

Hi!!! I'm back! I know it has been forever and once again, I apologize! Life has been very crazy the last few months. We went to Round Top and did VERY well!! We have really established a little niche there and truly love going! We have made some great friends and I can't wait to go back in March! Here are some pictures of our booth.

Also, while we were at Round Top we stayed at Rachel Ashwell's place for a night. It was soooo awesome!!!

And yes, we met Rachel!! I was a total dork and took a picture with her...

I know...I'm a dork. But you know you would've done the same thing!! :)

We've also worked on TONS of pieces since then. So I have lots to show you. Here is a chiffarobe that a friend gave us (yes, gave us - Thank you, Kim!!!). It turned out sooo cute!

We also have some exciting news. We have rented a booth with a friend in a local antique mall. It is going VERY well!! I'll post pictures of the booth soon and more of the pieces we have been working on!

I'm linking up to...
Finding Fabulous
French Country Cottage
The Charm of Home
My Romantic Home

Faith and a Walmart Clock

2011-08-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys. Once again I feel that I must apologize for not posting anything in almost a month. How does that happen??? Anyway... has my post title got you curious??? Well the faith part comes in because we have decided to take another leap of faith and do Roundtop again!! YEA!!! I am so excited! We have reserved a booth at the Texas Rose Antique Show again. We LOVE this place. You guys have to come out and see how great it is! I will give more information as it gets closer. It is at the end of September.

And now the Walmart clock! Doesn't sound very exciting does it? Well, it is!! My mom bought this clock from Walmart a couple of years back because it had such a cute shape and was extremely reasonable! It came in a box and had to be put together. Curious? Okay, here is the before picture...

I, of course, didn't remember to take a "before" shot until after I had already started painting! It had a door with a glass inset covering that opening. It also had some cheesy gold clock parts hanging down.

It really does have a fantastic shape and the "wood" is a pretty color. But my mom decided that it needed to be painted! And who am I to disagree??? We decided to fill in the glass area with a piece of wood. This made a HUGE difference!! I painted it first with a soft cream color, then a pale blueish/green color. I also painted the wood accent pieces in the cream color for some contrast. I heavily distressed it and then waxed it to it more of an aged look. We LOVE how it turned out!!!! It almost looks like one of those gorgeous Swedish clocks that you see in the magazines. I said almost. But we are very happy with how it turned out. So here you go...

Oh!!! I forgot to mention that I gold leafed the rim around the face of the clock. This was my first attempt at gold leafing and I think I am addicted!! It was so much fun!!! And it is so beautiful!!

I used this kit from Hobby Lobby for the gold leafing...

Here is a closeup of the paint color and the white trim.

So what do you think? Still look like a Walmart clock??? Okay, that's it for tonight. I have a couple more pieces ready to show you. I just have to edit the pics and get them uploaded! So hopefully that means I will post again this month!! Ha!

One more thing... Go checkout this great giveaway over at Coastal Charm!!

I am linking up to...

Industrial Chic Coffee Table

2011-07-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! I hope you had a great 4th of July weekend! I know we did! We went to my parents' lakehouse in Livingston, TX. It is one of my favorite places in the world! Here is a picture of the view from their porch...

What's not to love??? So anyway...I want to show you a coffee table makeover. This is a table that my husband built years ago. We have had it in different houses and apartments along the way. I was looking at it one day and decided that we needed to shabby it up. So we painted it, distressed it, and then put it up on casters to give it that industrial feel. I LOVE how it turned out!!!! It has so much more character now! I almost hate to sell it! Almost...

So whatcha think???

I'm linking up to the following blogs...

Louis Blue Bench

2011-07-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hey again! I have another great Chalk Paint makeover to show you! We started with this cute, but plain bench. A great couple that we met at Roundtop GAVE it to us!! They are amazing people and were such a pleasure to get to know. Anyway, here is the before picture... Sorry for the horrible picture, but this is the only one that I could find!!

It was a cute bench, but it desperately needed a paint job! I decided to try the Louis Blue Chalk Paint.

We also decided to add some batting and burlap to give it a little more character. Here she is now...

Have you tried Annie Sloan's chalk paint yet?? What colors have you tried?

Happy 4th of July!!! I hope you are enjoying time with your family and friends!

I am linking up to the following blogs...

Antibes Green Chalk Paint

2011-06-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! I hope you are enjoying your Summer as much as I am!! I wanted to share a quick makeover done with Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint. We have been using it now for several months and are completely in love with it!! But we have pretty much stuck to Old White, Paris Gray, and Duck Egg Blue. It was time to try something a little different. We had been eyeing the Antibes Green for a little while, but were afraid to do something that bold. We finally decided it was time to go for it. And we are sooo glad we did!! I LOVE this color!!! I have so many ideas!!! Here is how the table turned out... (I, of course, forgot to take a before picture!)

I LOVE this color! I love the way it distresses and how it looks with the dark wax on it. The wax really helped to tone it down a little bit.

Look at the gorgeous distressing!!

So what do you think? Too bright? Well, I am so glad that we ventured out and tried something new! I can't wait to use this color again!! Have a good one!

I am linking up to...

French Country Hutch??

2011-05-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Today I want to show you a hutch make-over that we just finished. This is how it started out...

It looked a little "country" with that bright honey colored butcher block top, but it had great promise. So we decided that we could transform it in to a "French Country". It had been painted with this hideously thick cement-like paint. And it wasn't a very good paint job to begin with.

CHALK PAINT TO THE RESCUE!!! We did not sand or prime any of it! We simply painted over the existing nightmare with the Duck Egg Blue chalk paint. It was amazing!!! The texture of the existing paint job gave the piece tons of character once the chalk paint was applied. We also stripped the butcher block top and refinished it with a Dark Walnut stain. Soooo much better!

The distressing was a little tricky because there was sooooo much paint on it. But Ben did a great job of distressing it in all the right places!!

We finished it off with some clear and dark wax to give it some age and protections. Here is the final product...

What do you think??? French Country?? This piece is available for sell. Let me know if you are interested!!

I am linking up to...

Duck Egg Blue Cabinet

2011-05-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys! I hope you all had a great Easter! I wanted to share my latest piece with you. I used Annie Sloan's chalk paint on it and I LOVE IT!!!! This paint is the coolest stuff ever!!! It distresses so beautifully! I just ordered 4 more quarts in different colors and I cannot wait to try them all!! I ordered them from a little shop in Waco called Lily Lane Home. Check them out on Facebook here. Their shop looks adorable and they are super sweet! Okay, so here is the before pic of my cabinet...

I did not have to sand or prime it!! Well, at least not on the outside of the cabinet. I painted the inside and the trim around the windows with white latex paint because I did not have white chalk paint yet (it's coming!). So I painted the cabinet with 2 coats of the chalk paint in Duck Egg Blue. It dries super fast and is very easy to work with. Then I got to favorite part...the distressing. I just used a sanding block and went to town. It came off so smoothly and looked very authentic.

Here is a close-up of some of the distressing. So pretty!

And here is the final product! I LOVE IT!!!

I love the crackling around the knobs.

This is definitely one of my favorite pieces so far! I cannot wait to try out the other colors of the chalk paint!!! Have you painted anything with chalk paint??? Let me know!!

I am linking up to...

French Antique Settee

2011-04-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!! I know it has been FOR - EV - ER since I've written anything. Sorry about that! (Do I start every post that way?) Today I want to show you a piece that I did for Round Top. It is definitely one of my very favorite pieces! It was hard to watch it go! Okay, anyway...we found this French settee for a steal at an antique shop. The lady told me that it was an actual French antique. You never really know about if these people are telling you the truth, but I like the shape of it and didn't really care if it was authentic or not. It was just cute! So here is the before pic....

Don't you love the red velvet?? It was so gross! Here is a close up of the carvings in the corners...

So anyway, I started tearing it off...

Then I painted the whole thing in a soft cream color and then a 2nd coat of flat gray paint. When I distressed it, the gold came through in some areas and I LOVED IT!!!

Then my dad helped me recover the back and the seat. This was the cool part. When we pulled the red velvet off, there was some hay sticking out of the lining. So I pulled some of the lining back and wouldn't you know the whole settee was stuffed with hay! So it really was a true French antique! I have to admit, I was little more excited about the piece now! So here is the final product....

IHere is another great picture that Becky Shultea from Just Bee'n Me took. She is very talented! Go check out her blog here.

Well, that's it for tonight! I will post some more pictures from Round Top in the next few days (or at least I will try!). We had a great time and are excited about the next show in September.

I'm linking to....

Cute Signs?

2011-01-27T17:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I finally attempted to make some signs! Well...I made them several weeks ago, but things have been so crazy around here that I have not had time to blog about them. I had been wanting to make some signs for a while, but was sort of afraid to try them. I kept seeing super cute ones all over blogland, but I especially like Miss Mustard Seed's signs! I read her tutorial on how to make signs HERE. She is amazingly talented! I, however, am not AT ALL good at free hand painting (including words) so I was going to "borrow" an overhead projector from my school, but kept forgetting to bring it home (I am so ADD - seriously!). So I couldn't figure out the best way to go about it. Then I read somewhere about using a pencil to transfer words to your piece. So I tried it, and wouldn't you know....it was super easy! A little tiring for your hand, but really easy! The first sign that I made was for our sale in Old Town Spring. I think it turned out really cute! Sorry this isn't the greatest picture!

I used an old cabinet door that a friend gave me and I simply printed out the word "Believe" in a font that I liked. Then I turned the word over and used a pencil to darkly trace the reverse side of the word. Then I flipped it back over and used my pencil to scribble over the whole word which transferred the word on to the cabinet door. Make sense? I did the same thing with the star. For the Santa face, I took a stencil of Santa's face and traced the outline on to the cabinet door. Then I free handed the rest! Once I had everything on the door, I used my sander with 220 grit paper to very lightly sand over the whole thing. This distressed the white paint on the door as well as the letters and picture. It gave it an aged look. I was very pleased with how it turned out.

So... since that one turned out okay, I decided to try a couple of others. I made on for my parents for Christmas out of a smaller cabinet door. I used the same technique to put their name on it, and then added some antique hardware to the sides.

The last one that I made was for my husband's aunt and uncle for Christmas. Their last name is Weston, so I decided to create a Bed and Breakfast sign for their home. I really like this one...

I know the pictures are not very good. Sorry about that. I have several ideas for more signs, and now that I know it's not that hard, hopefully I will make some more!! Let me know what you think! I can use some pointers!! What signs have you made??

In Him,

Lesley

The Old Town Spring Sale

2010-12-22T07:38:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!!! Long time no see!! I know I am so bad about writing posts! I'm really sorry! Life just seems to take over and I never make the time to sit down and write something. And I keep telling you guys that I am going to be better. Thanks for hanging in there with me!! Okay... I wanted to show you some pictures from the Holiday Shopping Event that we hosted in Old Town Spring. We had the sale outside of The Chocolate Lounge and The Pink Chandelier. It was a beautiful weekend, but VERY windy and Sunday was VERY cold!! There was one casualty of the wind...

The wind knocked it over and broke the mirror. Oh well. This will make a really interesting chalkboard! But overall I felt like the sale was a big success!! I even got to meet a Follower in person! Thanks Jen for coming out!!! We had a great time and Avery from The Chocolate Lounge was a HUGE help!! You guys should definitely go check out her adorable shop and get some great chocolate!! Here are some pictures from the event...

White chalkboard and decorative piece still available.

Buckets and chalkboards still available!

Basket trunck and white wood piece still available!

Chalkboard framed mirror - Sold

Aqua table - still available for $135.

There are 2 of these white mirrors and they are amazing!! My sister-in-law, Kim, painted them. They are antique mirrors and she painted them a beautiful soft white and then lightly distressed them. They are sooo pretty! They are both still available for $99 each or $175 for the pair. Let me know if you are interested! We also have 2 pieces of furniture left from the sale. The first one is the adorable aqua table or desk that you saw in the picture above. Here are some more pictures...

The 2nd piece is a white oval coffee table. It is so cute!! Here are some pics...

Let me know if you guys see anything that you are interested in!! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!! I am a little stressed about it since I just started my shopping yesterday and haven't finished yet!! YIKES!!!

Holiday Shopping Event in Old Town Spring

2010-12-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys!!! I have some big news!! We are having a big sale THIS WEEKEND, Dec. 11th and 12th, in Old Town Spring!!! We will be outside The Pink Chandelier and The Chocolate Lounge on Keith St. The address is 26511 Keith St. We will have TONS of home decor and painted furniture at GREAT prices! If you are in the area, come see us!! I would love to meet some of you in person!!!

Pretty Grey Buffet

2010-11-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys! I hope you are having a great week! Mine has been a bit crazy (as usual), but we have made it through another day! Thank you, Jesus!! I just wanted to show you guys how the buffet turned out. Here is the Before picture...

We got this from a very sweet lady at a garage sale at her house. We got it for a steal! It needed a few repairs, but overall was in good condition. I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted it to be painted a soft grey. So... we sanded it down, primed it, and then painted it with some "Oops" paint that we got at Home Depot. I scored when I found that can of paint! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the color! It is very soft and pretty. I plan to use it again and again!! We also decided that this piece should have quite a bit of distressing, so we went to town!! So here is the buffet all prettied up...

I LOVE it!! I think it turned out so pretty!! This one is for sale! If you are interested, let me know!! I hope you all have a great night!!

PS - a bit of good news...We finally sold the cream colored Waterfall dresser (see below). Thank you, Becky!! Love you!!

I'm linking up to....

French Dresser turned Fabulous TV Console!!

2010-10-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! I hope you are having a great week! We have gotten several new pieces done lately (which I will show you at the end of this post), and I wanted to show you one that we transformed for a client. She was looking for a long dresser that she could use as a TV Console in her living room. I looked and looked, but could not find the perfect dresser to paint for her. Then I got to thinking (scary, I know)....what about the dresser in our entry way. Remember this...

I have always loved this dresser, but the missing drawer has always bothered me. I know that the basket was not exactly the right size and could have looked a lot better. That was on "The To Do List" for like 3 years. Seriously. Oh well. Anyway... I sent a picture of it to our client and she LOVED it!! The empty space would work perfectly for her DVD player. In fact, she asked us to take out another drawer for another TV component. She also asked us to paint it black. Yikes! I had never painted anything bigger than a chair in black. I was a little nervous, but it turned out great!! Our client was very happy!!

Here are a couple of other finished pieces...

And here is our latest purchase. It is to be painted a soft grey tomorrow. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I will post "After" pictures soon.

That's all for now! We still have several pieces that haven't sold. See my last post and give me advice!! PLEASE!! I need it!! Thanks Guys!!

I am linking up to...

Jewel Kade Party!

2010-10-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys! If you live in the Houston area, you need to come out to my house on Thursday, November 4th to see the coolest jewelry ever!! I am hosting a come and go jewelry party for Jewel Kade jewelry. This stuff is seriously cute!! You can get some of your Christmas shopping done early!! If you are interested in coming, email me and I will send you my address. Bring your friends!! And your kids if you need to. Hope to finally meet some of you in person!!

Here are some samples...

Twice Lovely Giveaway

2010-10-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

Hey again! I also wanted to tell you guys about a super cool giveaway on Twice Lovely's blog. She is giving away an Artograph Projector!! I SOOOO want one! She shows one great example of how to use it on her blog and there will be more examples coming! If you haven't checked out her blog, you really must do that! She does some beautiful things!! Have a good way!!

In Him,

Lesley

I Need Advice!!

2010-10-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Okay people...I need your help!! We have a few pieces that have been for sale for several weeks and just will not sell! I need your advice on what to do. Do we need to repaint them in a different color? Take better pictures? Or just keep at it?? Please help!!

#1 - Cream colored Waterfall Dresser with oil rubbed bronze knobs. I think it is so pretty!! It is so classic and would provide GREAT storage!! Here are the pictures that we have listed for it...Does it need better (staged) pictures??

#2 Cream Colored Bookshelf - This is painted the same color as the Waterfall Dresser and is also distressed. We used it in our bedroom to hold the TV along with all of the components and DVDs, etc. Any suggestions???

#3 Aqua Antique Secretary Desk - Okay, I REALLY don't understand this one. I think it so adorable!

#4 White Distressed Dresser - Another one I really don't get. We have done several larger white dressers like this and they usually sold pretty quickly. I don't get why this one won't sell. It is in great condition and has been painted and distressed. It would make a great TV stand, or buffet, or entry way piece. Does it need to be a different color??

Please don't be afraid to tell me what needs to be changed!! I really need to move these pieces!! If you see anything you like, let me know and I will make a deal with you!!! :)

Round Top

2010-09-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!! Well...our stay at Round Top was a little shorter than I had hoped, but overall I think that it went really well for the 3-4 days that our stuff was for sale! It was definitely a great learning experience! I learned a lot about pricing, what types of items sell, and about the prep time needed for something like this! Here are some pictures of the whole experience...

Bread box, old books, wire bust, and others...

Bird stencils, tin planters, and distressed finial...

Decorative pieces...

This is a picture of our mini-van all loaded up to head up there.

This is a full shot of the whole booth. I loved how perfectly my small pieces coordinated with Jannet's furniture pieces!! It all looked so pretty together!

Pearl Chandelier still for sale!!

Framed Monograms were popular!! Let me know if you want one!!

Stenciled # Basket still for sale!

Front of booth - Super cool Clock Arms and Industrial light fixture are still for sale!!

Pretty pink bird stencil - Sold!

Chalkboards were hot items! 3 tiered basket stand and white iron hooks are still for sale.

If you see anything you like, check with me to see if it is still available!! We had a lot of stuff not sell!

Pretty Dresser Makeover

2010-09-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

Hello again!!! I also wanted to show you a dresser make-over that we recently finished. I bought this dresser on the short buying trip that my mom, Emery, and I took this summer. Here is a picture of the back of my parent's SUV on like the 2nd day of the trip.

We had to strap a table to the roof!!! Needless to say, it was a successful trip!

Anyway, I knew when I saw this dresser buried under a pile of junk (real junk) that it would be fabulous when it was made over!! Here is the before picture...

I loved the detail!! So we brought it home, cleaned it up and got to work!! Here is the finished product...
Let me know what you think!!!

I'm linking up to...

2 Exciting Opportunities!!!

2010-09-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!!! We have been busy, busy, busy here at Saving Grace!!! And I have two very exciting opportunities to tell you about!!!

#1 - Jannet over at Simple Matters has asked me to help her out with her booth at Round Top!!! I am soooo excited and so honored!! If you have not seen her beautiful furniture, you should go check out her blog or website (look in blog roll). She has asked me to help with the home decor type items. I have had a million projects laying around the house for months now so this has put a fire under me to get them done. And while it is exhausting and stressful, I am having so much fun!! I work full time, so I am only able to work on them in the evenings and on weekends. I will post pictures of some of the projects very soon.

#2 - We are going to have our furniture and some home decor pieces in a store in Old Town Spring!!! I am sooooo excited about this new shop. It's called The Pink Chandelier and it opens next Saturday, the 18th. It is on Keith St. You HAVE to come check it out! It is owned by a really sweet young lady named Jeanne. I am soooo excited!!!

Here are some pictures of a gorgeous that we recently painted for a client. It was a beautiful dresser to start with, but I love how it turned out in the grey!! So pretty!!

Some finished pieces

2010-08-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

Well, first let me start by saying that I am so sorry that I have not been keeping the blog updated!! I am a Special Education Counselor during the school year so the last month I have been consumed with getting the school year started. But we have also been painting so I thought I would show you a few finished pieces and a hint of some things to come...

This bookshelf is something that my husband's parents had in their house when he was growing up. We have used it in our house for the last 8 years and I looked at it one day and realized how awful it was!! So we decided to paint it! We painted it a soft vanilla color and then distressed it. Who knew it could look so great!! This one is currently for sale!Here is a Before and After of an old dresser that we got off of Craiglist. We went with our favorite - WHITE!! But I really love how it turned out! I think it would make a great buffet or TV console. Not to mention a great dresser in a bedroom. This one is also currently for sale!!!
This is a pretty little antique dresser that we painted and distressed for a client. Look at those gorgeous legs and the lovely curves a long the bottom! LOVE it!!

This Waterfall dresser was in rough shape when we picked it up! The veneer was coming loose in places, but my sweet husband fixed it up! He is so awesome!! Then we painted the same vanilla as the bookshelf above. We decided on oil rubbed bronze knobs to add a simple charm. I really love this one! It is so classic and beautiful! It seems very Ralph Lauren to me. I know...I'm weird. It is also currently for sale.

And hear are some hints of some of the pieces that we are working on now...

More pictures to come soon! I promise to try and update more often (a lot more often!!). Have a great weekend!!!

Miss Mustard Seed Giveaway!

2010-07-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, one more thing for the day! Miss Mustard Seed is one of my FAVORITE blogs!!! And she is having an amazing give-away. If you haven't checked out her blog, you really should do that!! Like right now!!

She is have a really cool give-away for hitting the 2000 Follower mark! Go check it out!

I Made the Cut!!

2010-07-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

Well...we did it!! We made the cut! We were actually in the Top 10!!! I am so excited!! The Chandelier was the one that was chosen. Thanks everyone for your super sweet comments!!! I feel so loved!!!

If you haven't checked out the CSI project, head over there now! It is sooooo cool!!

Well, I am at the lake right now, so I really must get back out in the sun!!! Have a great weekend!!!

Roadkill Rescue #2 - Chandelier

2010-07-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hello again!! Here is the 2nd Roadkill Rescue...My mom had this HUGE old brass chandelier sitting on the ground in her garage. It's not the kind that goes over your breakfast table - more like something you would see in a large dining room. Now, those of you that know my mom know that she is very generous (especially to her favorite child...ME!!!). Half of my house is furnished with things that she either bought for me or just gave me. She has excellent taste, so it works out very well for me!!! THANKS MOM!!! Anyway...She, of course, gave me the brass chandelier. I, of course, do not have a before picture, but here is one that is very similar... you get the idea.

So I decided that it would go in Emery's nursery. I couldn't decide if I should make it all foo-foo with crystals and things or go for simple elegance. Mom convinced me to go with the 2nd choice, and man was she right!!! I painted the chandelier a cream color and then used the Pearl spray paint over it. The effect is gorgeous!!! I added some simple off-white lamp shades. It turned out soooo pretty!!

And one more....
It really makes the room!! I LOVE it!! Whatcha think???

I'm linking up to

Roadkill Rescue for The CSI Project!!

2010-07-26T13:13:00.001-07:00

Hey Guys! First, I want to say "Welcome to Saving Grace" to our new followers!! I CANNOT believe that we have 52 people following this awesome journey with us!! Thank you so much!!! It means soooo much!! I hope you had a great weekend! Ours was very productive!! We sold several pieces and had several new make-over orders come in!! God is blessing us beyond what we imagined and we are soooo grateful!!! And so excited!!! We will have our website up and running very soon. I will let you all know when it is operational!!

Okay, so on to today's post (sorry it has been so long since I have posted!!!). The CSI Project (see link at the bottom of this post) is a super cool blog that does a themed contest every week. If you haven't checked out this blog, GO CHECK IT OUT. VERY COOL!!

This week the theme is Roadkill Rescue. The point is to show off what you have done to something that was going to be thrown out or was given to you for free. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE free stuff!! Especially free furniture or home decor!! It is so much fun to improve, transform, or completely repurpose something that didn't cost you anything into something functional, beautiful, and unique!!! I have several things in my home that have been given to me (for FREE!) that I have painted and/or repurposed. But there are two that are my absolute favorites!! (One will be in this post, and the other will be in a 2nd post) They both reside in my daughter's bedroom. Her room is one of my favorite rooms in the house! It is so girly and shabby chic. I was able to go all out!! So here's the story...when I was pregnant with my daughter, Emery, my aunt was going to throw out (put out on the street for someone to take) this huge, old armoire with a mirrored door. Luckily I saw it before this happened! It was GLORIOUS!!! Sorry for the drama, but I get very excited about furniture! Sure, it was pretty run down and looked a little (okay - a lot) sad. But I could immediately see that it could be beautiful again. So I, of course, took it home with me. It was going to be perfect in my daughter's nursery for storage. And I knew that it could stay in the room as she grew up.

I hate to tell you this, but I do not have a "Before" picture. I am so sorry, but that was before I even knew that Blogland existed!! But just picture this... a super tall, faded wood, scuffed up armoire with a crooked mirrored door. It is not as ornate as this armoire, but it is similar. Kind of, maybe a little, okay not really, but at least there is a picture for you to look at!! :)
Anyway... my husband and I painted it a sage green color to compliment her soft pink walls.
Then, and this is the best part (in my opinion), I covered the inside of the armoire in pink and white toile fabric. So cute!!I got some adorable baskets to go inside to take care of all of her toy storage needs.
I love the mix of the pink and white toile fabric with the green basket liners and the green of the outside of the armoire. The small 3 drawer thingy holds ribbons and other accesories. It has turned out to be a fantastic storage piece since she does not have a walk-in closet. Pretty great, huh?? Let me know what you think!!

Urban Farmgirl Giveaway!!

2010-07-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

If you have not checked out Urban Farmgirl, you REALLY must do that NOW!!! She is awesome!!!! She has gorgeous furniture and amazing decorating skills!! I LOVE her blog! Go check her out! She is having a giveaway to celebrate her 100th post.

2 Pretty Dressers - 2 Completely Different Styles

2010-07-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys! We finished two more pieces and wanted to show them off! One is an antique dresser and one is just a sort of vintage dresser (if that makes any sense!). Here is the before picture of that one...
We sanded it down, primed it, painted it, and then distressed it. It has some GREAT storage!! It would be great in a bedroom, an entryway, or a dining room. Here is the finished product...

You have to ignore the pile of stuff behind it to get the full effect! :) And here is the before picture of the antique dresser...

This one was in pretty good shape to begin with, so it was an easy transformation. The exciting thing about this one is that I finally decided to step out of my comfort zone of white, and painted it a soft gray color. I know it is not too far off from white, but one step at a time, right? I LOVE how it turned out!!

Okay, that's it for now. We've got another dresser in the finishing stages. I will show that one off tomorrow! Check ya later!

In Him,
Lesley

I'm linking up to...

White China Cabinet

2010-07-08T22:44:00.000-07:00

I just had to show you guys this transformation! It turned out soooo beautiful! My mom got this china cabinet at a resale shop for super cheap and asked us to paint it for her. The sides of the hutch are not solid wood, and were a little damaged so I was a little nervous about how it would turn out. Here is the before picture...
We painted it a soft cream color and then distressed it. It was missing the glass in one of the doors so we just took them all out and added chicken wire. It was also missing the glass shelves so we added wood shelves. We covered the back with a soft pink damask wallpaper. It turned out so great!!! I am very excited about this one! I cannot wait for my mom to see it!!!

Let me know what you think!!!

In Him,
Lesley

I am linking up to...

Upcoming Pieces!!

2010-07-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pieces that we are working on. If you see something that you like, let me know!!

This is a fabulous dresser with tons of storage and really cool handles!! It has been primed and is ready to be painted a soft shade of white and tehn distressed. It is going to be gorgeous!!

This is an antique dry sink. It is also primed and ready to be painted a soft white. Sorry guys, this one is sold!! I just wanted to give you a peek at the "before" shot.

This is a French style chest. It is in perfect condition and has gorgeous details!! It will be painted soon, so let me know if you are interested and what color you would like. I was thinking about painting it a soft gray...

I am very excited about this one!! I know the picture does not look like much, but trust me, this is going to be a beauty. It is much larger than it looks in the picture. Great storage!! It reminds me of an old library cabinet, so that is what we are calling it. It has been primed and is ready for paint and distressing. I cannot wait to get this one done.

This is a Queen size headboard. I am planning to paint it a soft pink or maybe a soft green for a little girl's room. But if you like it and have something else in mind, let me know!!

2nd Junkin Trip

2010-07-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again! I just wanted to show you a few pictures of the goodies that I got on my last junkin trip. This place was amazing!! It did not look like much, but when I walked in the door my heart skipped a beat (or two or three). So many things to look at!!! Where to start??? But I stook my usual routine and headed to the right side of the store. I immediately saw several things that I HAD to have!! :) But I did narrow it all down to one truck load! I already had a dresser in the back of the truck when I got there or I would have brought home more stuff!! Here are the goods...

This is the whole load. Everything in the picture!!!

This is just a little closer so that you see all the incredible goodness!!!

Look at the massive jar sitting on the floor. LOVE IT!! And the baskets and the plate and the whole shabby shelf itself. It is going to be so cute with some baskets in it! So YUMMY!!!

Here is a close-up of the tall basket and metal shelf.

This is a little hand held mirror with a scene of a little girl on it. It is so sweet and Emery (my 3 year old daughter) loves it!

I have no idea what this little metal bowl is for, but I loved that it was painted white! And I love all different kinds of plates, so the sweet one with flowers was a must!

Well, that's all for now!! Happy Junkin!! Tomorrow I will post some pictures of some furniture pieces that will be painted soon. Night!!

In Him,

Lesley

Entry Way Mini Make-Over

2010-07-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!! I'm sorry I haven't written in so long. It has been a crazy week!! But I did manage to get in a little junking!! Shocked?? Last Saturday I went to this Mini Design Flea with my friend Allison (she is an amazing photographer!! Check her out at http://www.feather-nest.com/ ). It was sooooo cool!!! It was put on by Linsey at LLH Designs and a couple of other fabulous ladies. Check out Linsey's blog at http://www.llhdesignsblog.com/ to see some pictures. Anyway, I got several VERY cute things and I wanted to show you what I did with a few of them. I bought a wire trash can, an old bottle, a tea towel that has some sort of map on it, a print of a Paris map, and a small gold ornate frame. I used the wire trash can and the old bottle to spruce up my entry way. Here is the before picture...Not terrible, but a little boring. When I saw the wire trash can, I knew I had to have it, but I didn't know what I would use it for. (I LOVE wire baskets! They add great texture to a space!) So I was standing there with my new wire trash can trying to figure out what to do with it. I couldn't think of anything so I set it down on the dresser in our entry way and went to do something else. When I came back to get it, it was perfectly clear!!

Then I remembered an antique frame that I had gotten at the Woodlands Garage Sale. I brought that in and added the old bottle that I got at the Mini Design Flea and a few other things and it just all came together. And now I LOVE my entry way!!

So cute! Gotta love junkin!! I plan to use the tea towel to cover the seat of this chair if I can make it fit. I will post pictures when it is done. It should be really cute!!

I am planning to frame the print of the Paris map, but not sure where to hang it. And the really cute gold ornate frame broke on the way home. Ugh!! Hopefully I can glue it back together. Well, those are my treasures from that junkin trip. But today I went to a junk shop that a friend of mine told me about (THANK YOU, Stephanie!!!). I hate when people use texting slang, but OMG!!!! This place was amazing!! More on that tomorrow, but here is a sneak peak...

More tomorrow!! Have a good night!!

In Him,

Lesley

A few finished pieces

2010-06-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! I just wanted to show you a few of the pieces that we have finished lately. Let me know what you think!! And if you have a piece that needs a make-over, let me know!!

I also thought I would show you my 6 year old son's latest transformation. He took two old boxes and went to work! Look how creative he is....I'm so proud!! :)

He's a robot - in case you weren't sure!! He is always "creating" something!! Just like his Mommy!!

I am linking up to the following...

Junking Treasures

2010-06-20T17:40:00.001-07:00

Hey Guys!! I want to start by saying THANK YOU to All Things Thrifty for featuring our chair makeover! I feel so honored!! And hello and thanks to those of you that have joined us in the last few days!! We are so excited!!

Okay, so I thought that I would show you guys some of my favorite junking treasures that I have found over the years. I thought this would be an easy (quick) post to write, but once I started looking around the house for my favorites, I got a little overwhelmed!! There are so many!! See, I believe in filling your home with things that you love...even if they don't necessarily fit the traditional decorating rules. So, I am going to show you a few (probably way too many!) of the things that I love. All of things were found at garage sales, flea markets, or resale shops. Gotta love junking!!!

I got this platter at a Paris Flea market!!!! I think it cost me $9, which honestly is probably more than I would pay for something like this, but come on...it's from Paris!!! I had to be able to say that I have something in my house from a Paris Flea market!! It does help to remind me of a very special trip with my parents!!This thing was a HUGE score at a garage sale that I just happen to pass one day. The guy said that his wife had left him so he was selling all of her things for dirt cheap. I actually had to make two trips between home and the sale to get everything home. Is that wrong???

I got this stained glass window at a thrift shop in Livingston, Tx. It is very old and in rough shape, but I just love the color of blue on the frame. This picture does not show how big it really is, so I am including one that shows its full height. You MUST ignore the clutter around it!!!

This cute lamp is from the same shop in Livingston. It is a a little French boy. Sounds weird, but I promise, it is sooo cute!! This picture does NOT do it justice! It is on my entry way table next to a huge old window that is painted in one of my VERY favorite colors, a soft greenish blue color. That is the next picture...and of course, the picture does not do it justice (as usual).
This was an old grandfather clock that did not work. So I painted and distressed it and then put some dried flowers in the top. It also sits in my entry way.
Okay, enough blabbing! I am going to throw in a few last pictures just for fun...

Happy Junking!!

In Him,

Lesley

We have 24 FOLLOWERS!!

2010-06-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!! I just wanted to say hello to our new friends that have started "following" us! Thank you so much for joining in and I hope that you will enjoy what you see. We are working on a website and hope to have it up and running in the next week or two. We also have several new pieces that we hope to have ready for sale in the next couple of weeks. I will post "Before" pictures very soon! Welcome to Saving Grace!! Please spread the word. We are really trying to build up our business!! Thanks Guys!!!

In Him,
Lesley

I've been chair crazy lately!!

2010-06-11T14:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am COMPLETELY obsessed with Craigslist and with junking in general. I am usually drawn to dressers, but lately I have been seeing so many cute wooden chairs, and of course I could not resist! So the other day at a N.A.M. resale shop I picked up 4 wooden chairs for $30. Two were matching and two were just random chairs.

I could not wait to get my hands on them!!! Where do I start??? I couldn't decide, so I just jumped right in and worked on three of them at once. I worked on the yellowish ornate set and the small wooden one first. I immediately removed the BRIGHT red tablecloth that covered the seat cushions and replaced it with a cute, whimsical green fabric. I then sanded them down and painted the set a cream color and the small wooden chair a cute green color. I still need to distress and glaze the cream chairs, but they are looking soooo cute!!! Here is a preview...
I have finished distressing and glazing the small wooden chair, and it turned out soooo cute. It would be so cute in a little girl's room with a cute pillow in it. Or in a little boys room with a little brown teddy bear in it. Or in a study behind a cute farm table/ desk. Or in a kitchen with mix matched chairs around a cute table. Can you tell that I think it's cute??? :)
I haven't started on the arm chair yet. I can't decide if I should go with my usual white or get crazy and paint it a soft grayish blue. Let me know what you think!!

Oh, and the chairs are for sale!! Let me know if you are interested!

In him,

Lesley

I'm linking to...

Urban Farmgirl is having a giveaway!!

2010-06-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

Go check it out at http://urbanfarmgirlandco.blogspot.com . She is amazing!!! She paints the most beautiful furniture!! I can only hope to be as good as her one day!! Have a good night!!

Cute Cottage Armoire

2010-05-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

Hey Guys! It's been a very long time since I have blogged. Sorry!! I've been a little overwhelmed lately, but we just sold another piece and I wanted to share it with you guys. I found this awful armoire chest thingy at a resale shop in Livingston, Tx. where my parents have a lake house.
It's the one behind the little red nightstand. Sorry, it is not the greatest before pic, but you get the idea. Really pretty ugly! Very dark wood with some kind of super shiny finish on it. But I immediately could see it painted white in a cute little cottage somewhere! I know... we live in Houston, Tx. and there aren't tons of cottages in our area, but that doesn't mean that we can't try to make our houses feel like cottages, right? So anyway...I took it home and we got started on it. I think it turned out SUPER cute!!! It is going to be perfect in Kelly's bathroom. I hope you love it for many years to come, Kelly!!

Beautiful French Dresser

2010-04-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

It's finally done!! We found this dresser on Craigslist for a steal!! It had a few minor (or major - however you look at it) boo boos that needed to be fixed. But this one was a beauty and I had to have it!! So we brought it home and got started! If I am completely honest, I have to tell you that Ben did most of the work on this piece. He is REALLY good at this. Who knew??? Anyway, he fixed the broken foot and the broken edge as if he has been doing this for years! I unfortunately, did not take any close up pictures of those areas after he fixed them. But trust me, you could not even tell that they had been broken. Like I said before...he is really good at this! Anyway...then we sanded it down, primed it, and then painted it a warm cream color.
Next came the "roughing up" and staining. We decided to leave the hardware exactly as it was. I loved the rusted grates in the doors!! So pretty!! Anyway, here is the finished product!! I think it turned out great!! And our client was very happy with it too!! That's what really matters!!

So many pieces...so little time

2010-04-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

I just can't stop!!!! We have gotten so many new pieces over the last week or so. I am attaching pictures so you can get as excited as we are about these pieces!! Check it...
There are a couple more that I can't figure out how to get to. I am somewhat computer retarded. Especially on this MAC. I am used to a PC. HELP!!! When Ben wakes up, I will get him to help me post the rest! Have a good one!!

A Pretty Dresser and Headboard

2010-04-10T06:23:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of the new dresser and headboard that are posted for sale.

More to come later!! Have a great day!! We are off to Ty's school carnival today!! Yippee! Did you detect a bit of sarcasm in there???

We have been very busy!!

2010-04-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy around here! I have had a 4 day weekend off of work and we are making good use of the time! We sold a lovely cream dresser! Yeah! Here are some before and after pictures..We also sold an awesome custom bulletin board! It turned out so good! Here are some pics..And here are some things that we hope to have done and ready to post by end of the day on Wednesday.
#1 Queen size headboard - will have new finials and will be painted a soft creamy white. Beautiful!
#2 A large dresser that would look great in a bedroom or a dining room! The 2nd picture is of the doors that go over the middle column of drawers. I love the detail! It will also be painted a soft creamy white and then distressed! I can't wait to see how it turns out!!
#3 Children's table and chairs - SO CUTE!!! The table is a drop leaf table!! I love that extra detail!
#4 BEAUTIFUL French style dresser or buffet - This one is amazing! Like I said earlier, we have been working hard!! I am hoping to have all of these things posted by Wednesday (expect for #4). We shall see!! If you see anything that you are interested in, let me know!!! Thanks guys!!

Also - we need a favor. I know that I am not very good about updating the blog on a regular basis, but I am working on that! However, I need FOLLOWERS so that we can build this business! So please spread the word to your friends and ask (beg) them to become check us out and become followers! Thanks!!

Just an update!

2010-03-13T07:44:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! We've had a little action around here lately! I sold a set of side tables yesterday! So excited! I don't think I had ever posted the finished picture of them. Here is a pic of one of them...
We also sold the white mirror! So that means it is time to get some more things posted! I am heading to the lake tonight (my parents have a house on Lake Livingston) for a week!!! I plan to spend a lot of time working on some new pieces. Here are some before pics...

This dresser and hutch are almost done! They have been painted a soft creamy white and distressed just right! I will post After pics when it is completely done.
This smaller sized chest will be painted to match a slightly larger dresser. Probably the same creamy white.I got this headboard at a resale shop for $15. It is not solid wood, but when I saw it I instantly had an image of what it could be. It is not going to be a headboard!! You will just have to wait and see. But I am so excited about this one!

We have a couple of other pieces waiting in the wings, but I don't have before pics yet. And I am about to head out to look at what I hope is a gorgeous armoire!! If we buy that, I will post Before pics soon. I think this one is going to a beauty!!!

I am going to try to blog more often so check back soon!! Wish me luck this week in Livingston! I hope to get several pieces done!!! Can't wait!!

Not very good at this blogging thing

2010-03-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, so at least I warned you in my first post that I am not good at journaling! As I sit here, trying to think of something meaningful to type, my mind is basically blank. I know that will probably not shock some of you! Some of you...as if there are so many people reading this!! :) I am excited about the fact that I actually have 9 followers!! Does it count if 1 of them is my husband and 3 or 4 others are my closest friends??? Speaking of...I have the best husband and friends in the world!! Thank you guys for being so supportive!

We are working on a really cute dresser right now. I have a smaller dresser that matches and might sell them as a set. I am so excited about how they are looking! It has been a lot more work than I realized it would be when I bought it. I am learning a lot of lessons!! But I really think it is going to turn out great thanks to my wonderful husband! Who knew he was so crafty??!!

Check back in a few days and I will post pictures of the cute dresser!! Thanks for checking in! Love you guys!!

Oh - I created an account on Facebook for Saving Grace, so look for us!

2 new listings!!

2010-02-23T20:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we have finally listed 2 more things. One is an old mirror that we hand painted and distressed. It turned out great! Here are the before and after pictures.

We also listed an antique tea cart. We didn't do anything to this piece except repair the shelves. It was already distressed enough and so cute!

We are working on two end tables. They are looking really cute! They should be posted in the next day or two. Here are some before pictures.

I also thought I would show you guys a picture of our workspace. It is our kitchen. Pretty sad!!

THANK YOU, BETTY!!

2010-02-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

Well...we did it! We sold our 1st piece! It wasn't even posted for a full 48 hours!! It went to a very sweet woman named Betty. She is trying to create a "shabby chic" room. I hope that I get to help her with a couple of other pieces!!

I have so many ideas running through my head all the time. It is killing me that I can't just have them all done with a snap of my fingers! I went to Goodwill today and bought a really cute mirror. I am excited to fix it up and get it posted. I am also going to be working on several pieces this weekend, so check back in a couple of days to see pictures! I hope to get a lot done!

GOD IS GOOD!!!

Our 1st piece is done!!!

2010-02-16T19:41:00.000-08:00

FINALLY!!! We finished our first piece. I think it turned out pretty good!! I learned a lot and I a think the next piece will go much faster!!! Here are couple of pictures. Let me know what you think!

Can we really do this???

2010-02-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, here goes... I just spent most of the day trying to create a blog that actually looks cute. Why is that important?? Anyway, I am new to this blogging thing and I have never been good at keeping up with a journal, but I am going to give this a try anyway. We have decided to make a go of the furniture thing. I am going to combine my passion of "junking" with my passion for decorating and try to create some beautiful pieces.

The name "Saving Grace" started with the word "grace". I loved the definition... "1. Seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement, form, or proportion. 2. A characteristic or quality pleasing for its charm or refinement." I am not the most graceful person, but there is something about pretty graceful legs on a table or chair that makes me giddy! It just seemed right.

So we have bought a few pieces to get started on. I have had so much fun looking for cheap pieces to reform!!! I am now addicted to Craigslist. No, really addicted!! I guess I have replaced Dr. Pepper with Craigslist. I HAVE to look every day. EVERYDAY!! Anyway, here are some pictures of what we have so far. There is one picture missing (my favorite piece). I will post the "Before" of that one soon, and I will post the "After" pictures of them all when they are all complete.

Say a prayer that we can get this going!!!

PS - Please pray for Trey and the Timmerman family. He has made great progress today! He actually said "Momma" today!!!! That is great news!!

~*~ Saving Grace ~*~

The Booth and a Pretty Dresser

Round Top, Rachel Ashwell, and an Aqua Chiffarobe

Faith and a Walmart Clock

Industrial Chic Coffee Table

Louis Blue Bench

Antibes Green Chalk Paint

French Country Hutch??

Duck Egg Blue Cabinet

French Antique Settee

Cute Signs?

The Old Town Spring Sale

Holiday Shopping Event in Old Town Spring

Pretty Grey Buffet

French Dresser turned Fabulous TV Console!!

Jewel Kade Party!

Twice Lovely Giveaway

I Need Advice!!

Round Top

Pretty Dresser Makeover

2 Exciting Opportunities!!!

Some finished pieces

Miss Mustard Seed Giveaway!

I Made the Cut!!

Roadkill Rescue #2 - Chandelier

Roadkill Rescue for The CSI Project!!

Urban Farmgirl Giveaway!!

2 Pretty Dressers - 2 Completely Different Styles

White China Cabinet

Upcoming Pieces!!

2nd Junkin Trip

Entry Way Mini Make-Over

A few finished pieces

Junking Treasures

We have 24 FOLLOWERS!!

I've been chair crazy lately!!

Urban Farmgirl is having a giveaway!!

Cute Cottage Armoire

Beautiful French Dresser

So many pieces...so little time

A Pretty Dresser and Headboard

We have been very busy!!

Just an update!

Not very good at this blogging thing

2 new listings!!

THANK YOU, BETTY!!

Our 1st piece is done!!!

Can we really do this???

~~ Saving Grace ~~