Sweet L.O.V.E. ~ Personalized Letter Photography

Several years ago letter photography seemed to explode and you could buy them everywhere. This still remains true. However, as a DYI'er I could not bring myself to purchase one. So, my husband and I set out looking for letters. We took our own photographs in some of our favorite places around town. Not all are local, as you can see from the Golden Gate Bridge, but most are from the Old Market area. Family benefited from the first round, as we gave them away for Christmas that year.

This project is a custom order I call Sweet LOVE!

Each frame was given a new life and re-purposed for this project. The frames were painted and waxed.

Each letter was printed on metallic paper, which in the right light gives off a snazzy little bit of dazzle.

Since its all custom, so is the matting. Each mat board was hand cut to size. 

Edges were slightly distressed.

What a fun project!

 I can still remember where we took each photograph, 

and the days we spent trying to capture different letters in everyday objects.

 I am thrilled to share this personalized letter photography, and

 I hope the new owners love it as much as I do!

  

Thanks for visiting!

Lisa

Modern Bassett Dresser made over in Graphite Chalk Paint

Look at this handsome fella!

Furniture restoration is so dangerous. I want to keep each piece!
 I fall in love with something about each piece of furniture.
I love everything about this dresser - the modern lines, original hardware, the secret bottom drawer! 

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The Makeover

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Products Used:

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Graphite

Annie Sloan Dark Wax

Stains and veneer damage made the "to paint or not to paint" decision quite easy.

A little cleaning...

a little wood filler and sanding...

...and he was ready for paint.

In doing my own research before starting this project (a step I seem to skip often),

Graphite requires dark wax in order to take the flat chalky gray color to a near black.

Look at that difference with just one coat of wax!

 and Voila!

This was a fun, rewarding project. I hope to find him a good home. 

Maybe it will be in mine if I can find room...hmm...

Thanks for visiting!

Lisa

Stained Table Top with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I present to you, the sister table! She was finished like the other round side table except the top was sanded, stained and sealed with poly. The wood was too beautiful to paint. 

Sometimes the decision must be NOT to paint! 

Products Used

 Legs: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint -Duck Egg; Clear and Dark Wax

Top: Kona Stain; Clear Satin Poly by Sherwin Williams

  

The Makeover of Table #2

She's the table on the right

The top was really rough, but had so much potential

I started by sanding the top. I sand outside for the most part, because I would rather not add to the dust inside my house. Sanding the top went pretty easily, but getting into the scalloped edge took some work.

Love the color variation

Filled most of the groove with wood filler. 

At the point of using wood filler for the groove, I had not committed to a stain color. In retrospect, I probably could have left it alone since I went with a dark stain. I just cannot get enough of the table top after sanding. The colors are just so beautiful.

The table legs were cleaned, painted and waxed. The dark mahogany stain had seen better days. The chalk paint just gives her a whole new life. Here are the table legs before and after.

For the table top, I chose a dark stain to go with the light colored paint. A lighter stain color would probably show off the wood a little better, but I was going for the contrast. 

Before

Sanded

Waiting for stain to dry

After stain and poly

The grand finale! 

Thanks for visiting!

Lisa