Murals!!!!

 I have been a busy girl.  I was lucky enough to get to hang out with a little gal by the name of Carrington for a couple of days while I painted these wonderful murals.  The murals were great fun, but the joy of my job is the conversation that I get to have with customers as I go about my business. Carrington tops the list of my favorites.  She is 3 years old with the oldest soul you can imagine.  I soooo enjoyed her input and ideas about what needed to occur in and around the paintings.  Thanks for making my job the best ever!

Caldwell Vs. Sloan

Prior to buying CeCe Caldwell paint, I tried to find some comparisons and could not find too many.  I went ahead to make the purchase and I thought I would do my own little review.  I have used ASCP for all of my furniture except my latest piece.  It's not that Sloan made my unhappy, I just thought for color's sake, I would try Caldwell.  It is nice to have an additional palette to work with.  Sloan's paint has always rocked my world.  It goes on with ease, over any material: wood, metal, plastic, laminate, etc.  The second coat is goes on with a little more umph, due to the thickness of the paint.  It sands beautifully, and the smooth finish is perfection.  I love Annie Sloan, the negative, not as many vibrant colors to choose from and it is expensive for a small can of paint.

I was thrilled to see CeCe's color palette, so many bright colors to choose from.  Love the eco friendly packaging and it is a smidge (barely there) cheaper than Sloan.  It goes on thinner so each consecutive coat is easy to cover the first, that being said, it took me 4 coats vs. 2 that Annie's usually takes me.  I am not sold on CeCe's for this very reason, the first coat appeared almost transluscent which took me aback.  I was painting laminate, but have used Annie for laminate as well.  I am not counting Caldwell out just yet, it may have been the color I chose.  I have 2 more colors to give a go to see if there is any difference.  Fingers crossed, I would love to be a loyalist, but I have a pretty open mind, especially if we have comparable products with more colors to choose from!!!!

Junk Stock Rules

Sooooo, I had the opportunity to participate in the virgin Junkstock fesitivities.  What a kick.  Basically, it was an art fair for those of us that find "junk" as refreshing as a new pair of good jeans.  It was a 3 day ordeal that was crazy on day 1 ~ a double edged sword of sorts ~ I did so well moving my junque day 1 that I had to raid the cupboards per say for day 2.  What does that mean, I took goodies from my house to help stock up.  Of course I did not take my fav's but I did take some items that I have held near and dear.  The way I looked at it was that if I take this item to sell, I will need to replace it, OPPORTUNITY TO SHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  All or most all of my items were replaced.  The beauty of junkstock's success..... looks to bring on another come fall.  

"Time Out" with Style

One of my friends asked me to make a "time out" chair for her grandson.  This was not her idea, rather her kids.  She says that her grandchildren are not worthy of a time out so they will never use the chair.  As  a   compromise, let's make the chair REALLY CUTE and it becomes a decoration.  Right???  She gave me a photo for some inspiration, I asked her about the colors of her living space, ta da ~ Refabulized.  Take a look at the adorable saying that the chair has painted on the seat.  I posted this photo on facebook, now I will be making more!!!  Hope these folks can spare a chair, I certainly don't have chairs lying around! 

Buffet Betterment

So this is my first huge piece for a customer and I feel pretty great about the result. The true test is whether or not she feels the same.  This was a typical blonde buffet.  We have all seen one at someone's house.  There remains the problem.  Who wants the buffet that someone out there has as well.  Here is where Second Helpings comes in and works magic.  With some tender loving care and a little imagination ~ Wa La!  Here she is in the before and after.  Three gorgeous warm colors which should suit the little hearth room to perfection.  REFABULIZED!!!!

From Swap to Stupendous!

Who doesn't like a little extra storage in their world. Unfortunatley, I can never have enough storage. In addition, with a little OCD running through my blood, I like storage to be labeled. I do this with my handy dandy label maker. For my latest venture, I found this little (ok, more medium sized) find on our local swap shop. I used my Annie Sloan to pretty it up and I must say she came with much charm. Love this!!!! Here is a quick before (ugh!) and after (awwwww!).

I am sooooo enjoying my new role with Second Helpings. I certainly miss my customer base, as they were the BEST. However, the flexibility and creativity that I surround myself with day in and day out trumps 13 N. Vine St. In addition, I am keeping busy. I am booked out for some time. I have a "time out" chair to look forward to, a few bedroom sets, yes, I said sets, not just a dresser, but the whole kitten kaboodle. I will continue to post photos, it is fun to see what can be done! Happy Day!

"Don't Hate Me Because I am Ugly"

So I was watching the Today show this morning and they were talking about this gal that wrote an article about herself. You may ask why would that be unusual? Her article centered around the fact that she is sooooooooo beautiful, other women hate her and don't want to be friends with her. I just found that very entertaining. I am not going to judge her beauty, as really it makes no difference to me one way or another, as for hating her, I rarely hate anyone and especially someone I don't even know. What I did gather, is that upon seeing her, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, check out the article here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2124246/Samantha-Brick-downsides-looking-pretty-Why-women-hate-beautiful.html?ito=feeds-newsxml.

My point is this, it can go the other way, especially in my business. People look at things and think they are so ugly that they cannot possibly be loved or cherished. That is where I like to swoop in and re-fabulize it just so it can be beautiful. Remember that shelf that had the country chickens painted upon it???? Why does it need to go to the burn pile? It can be repainted, cut apart, embellished, etc. to become glorious again. Let's not jump to conclusions, let your creativity flow, or if that is not your strong suit, let mine flow for you. I will include a before and after, an ugly duckling to a swan, see what you think.

Second Helpings is Flourishing In Its New Form

Taking the road less traveled with Second Helpings is proving to be eventful. The old cliche rings true to form, "one door closes, another opens." In this case many doors have opened. I fully intended on "refabulizing" all those goodies I have bought off the swap sites and thrift stores. However, customers have monopolized my business, so the goodies sit. This is NOT a complaint, just a stated fact. I have had some incredible finds brought to me to re-purpose in new and crazy ways!!!!! It is so fun to dig and find some inspiration to give the process a kick start. Take a look at this table. A little flower on a piece of fabric made this table into this beauty!

I continue to list my re-creations on my FB page. These little posted photos have shown others what my capabilities are. One of my favorite pieces was this fun painting I did for Miss Katy. She gave me the freedom to create whatever I wanted with no direction. This made me a bit nervous, of course one could go in any direction with complete freedom ~ "Does she want a basketball, flowers, or God forbid a nude?" I mean free reign could propagate any shape or form. I went with my natural love for whimsical Flowers & Birds. Take a looksie at the final result!

Another customer is expecting this summer. She has a passion and love for Hawaii and has decided to decorate baby girl's room with this in mind. I had a couple of old school house chairs that she requested me paint. Some say "ta da" here you go, I say "aloha" here you go:

This is just the beginning. I have created a file with names of interested parties. Excited to pick up a buffet this week. Oh so much fun to think how I will redesign that baby to inspire a new look for the dining area. After that a "time out" chair. I will have to post that one for sure. I mean if you are going to set your little one in time out, you should definitely do it with style! Items are being posted to my etsy shop as I complete them. Continue to check in every so often to see what is new and fresh. Take a look at your own garage sale piles ~ "junque" is my treasure!!!! Click Here to shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopSecondHelpings

One Door Closes ~ Another Opens

I am thrilled to announce that Second Helpings is heading in a new and exciting direction. My passion has always been to take what is going on creatively in this crazy mind and apply it. "Junking" is in my blood, I had 2 lovely Aunties that took me under their wings and showed me the fine art of finding hidden treasures in unexpected locations. I like to use everyday items and repurpose them in unusual ways. What may have been a coffee cup holder is now a jewelry display, only after a little paint, stain, and TLC. Unlimited possibilities exist with this new avenue. Junk piles are never ending. Take a good look around your home and decide what you want Second Helpings to help you recreate. I have starting an Etsy shop and fully intend on having a website within the year. Take a look at what is available right now: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopSecondHelpings. I also wanted to give you a sneak peek at one of my favorite pieces that I played with and found a delightful resolution. This particular dresser was found in a dumpster on a driveway. Yes, I pulled a redneck dumpster dive and for this, the little girl's cottage chic room thanks me.