WILL FARMHOUSE LAST FOREVER....

When I attended the Dallas Wholesale Market a few years ago it was plain to see how much Farmhouse Style Decor had taken hold of the decorating world. Except for the extremely high-end showrooms there wasn't a single emporium/co-op that wasn't focusing on everything

F A R M H O U S E!

I guess we can all thank Joanna G for that!  Right?

Everything I was selling in my own booth began to focus on that growing trend. It was getting more and more difficult to find companies that marketed to the cottage/shabby/pastel style home and unless I went online to shop I found myself on the other side of my favorite shade of blush pink...

If you are a true lover of this style decor, I've found unless you shop specifically online, most physical stores do not carry it.  Even Target's once overflowing aisles that were full of Rachel Ashwell's soft, pink rose designs have dwindled down to just a few styles...

I walked into Hobby Lobby the other day and was BLASTED with all things black and white.  If someone is looking for ART (something other than a lettered sign or a cow) they will find only a few choices.

SIGNS.SIGNS.EVERYWHERE A SIGN.

One thing for certain, things change.  I remember when I first started my "home-based-biz" back in the early 1980's country style decorating was all the rage.  Country blue and mauve come to mind and for course ducks...and geese.  You had to have ducks on your canisters and heart shelves on your walls.

These days I have found that the palest of pink Christmas Stockings with vintage laces still sell the best for me (people will never stop having baby girls, I guess) while white remains a very close second.  This pale pink Stocking sold a couple of days ago...

And then just  couple weeks ago I filled a special order for 24 black and white checkered Lavender Sachet Stockings (Booties)...for a true

Farmhouse Decor Lover!!!

Just like bell-bottoms, everything is bound to cycle back again.  Right?

Love to you...

Rebecca

USING RECLAMIED WOOD FOR FARMHOUSE SIGNS

Signs are everywhere.  

Have you noticed that in almost every store you go into reproduced artwork has, for the most part, disappeared?  It's pretty much been replaced with signage and you can find it in all different colors and forms.

The most popular by far, at least for me, are simple wooden shapes painted out in flat white paint with black lettering added in different fonts.

All of the signs you see above were made from the remnants of an old corner cabinet.  Not old as in vintage...nope.  Old as in 1980's old when furniture manufacturers were just starting to really cheapen-down their offerings.

 Last weekend while out JUNKIN' my Mr. AGP Man and I found a chunky looking corner cabinet for a pretty great price and so we hauled it home. 

 The old thing wasn't worth redoing or repairing as it was pretty far gone, but the wood backing and doors were fabulous.  We knew ahead of time we would be purchasing it only for the wood and in no time the entire thing as dismantled and stored in our workshop for later use.

The back panel was in great shape and it was cut up into different sizes of rectangles to make the signs you see above.

I use flat white paint when making my signs, but I use a chalk paint brush to apply it.  This kind of brush gives the BEST coverage with minimal streaks and lines.  They are kind of pricey, but well worth the investment.  Just keep it clean and wash it often...especially if it starts to gunk up!

Blessings~

Rebecca

~FARMHOUSE SIGNS...Still Lovin' Them!~

Happy Monday, friends!
I hope you are having a wonderful day!

It is so pretty here in Oklahoma and I'm telling you I'm ready for sunshine! We had torrential rain late last week and all the green polleny junk fell from the trees.  It's everywhere! Also, since Friday it's been a bit gloomy outside and so I was excited to see a bright and clear blue sky this morning.

Little things like that make me so happy these days!

 Because I'm feeling better each day, certainly more like my old self, I decided to work on some new farmhouse style signs over the weekend.  My hubby still cuts most of the wood I use and I love it when he's able to fashion something from the old, reclaimed stuff!

Every once in a while we snag an old piece of furniture that is BEYOND restoring or transforming!  We save what we can (sometimes drawers and tops!) and the rest often become scrap!  The Flower Market sign at the top was made from just that sort of fabulously old and aged wood!

 This farmhouse sign with script was made using what was an existing sign (or artwork...not sure!).  It was found at a tag sale and made over into something suitable those who like farmhouse style decor!  It so popular now...but, I'm thinking you already know that.  All of the signs you see will be on my website later this week!

My friend, Carolyn, hired me to make a sign for her new booth at Serendipity Market in Edmond.  The Tarnished Cow sign above was made using an antique/vintage window.  I thought it came out so cool!

Have you ever thought about making a sign of your own?  I have several I've done for my own home and they aren't that hard to do!  I use a specialized technique, but there are tons out there to choose from.  The Graphics Fairy has a link that takes you to the ones that are the most popular!

No matter what you choose to do, be creative and have a blast.  After being cooped up for the better part of a year I've decided to try my best to live my life

TO THE FULLEST!

Love to you...

Rebecca

  

VINTAGE TWIN HEADBOARD MAKEOVER

While I was away recuperating my Mr. AGPMan and I were still able to a FEW makeover projects!   Doing any kind of painting was challenging for me and I worked very, very slow!

Mostly I just pointed and directed and bossed my guy around!

(I sorta love doing that sometimes!)

 Sometime back I purchased several pieces of antique furniture that included two twin beds (headboard and footboard)!  I actually had them for quite awhile before deciding just what to do with them.  I love signage, but I didn't want a bunch of permanent wording underneath the early resin motif (original to the furniture) that spanned the center front area.

As much as I love "signs" I don't want my entire house to be filled up with things someone has to read!

All the pieces I purchased were in rough shape and hailed from the very early 1900's.  So, that made the set at least 100 years old.  Some of the beaded accents were falling off and the original paint finish was coming off in lots and lots of places.

  I started off painting the headboards (one for me and one for my booth!) a tannish taupe color and followed that with black in random places!

 After the tan/black was completely dry I added several coats of white flat paint.  It was applied with a hash-stroke technique where you first paint diagonally one way and then the other way~ sorta like making "X's" before doing vertical and horizontal strokes.

 This painting technique is a bit slower than just painting an entire piece in one direction.

But...what fun would that be!?  

 

After all the paint was dry I applied dark wax (pretty much any brand will work, but I like Annie Sloan the best!) with a tiny brush into the cracks and crevices, buffing it out as I went.  The dark wax was followed by a coat or two of clear wax.  

A wood shelf was added by my Mr. AGPMan at the bottom edge where the legs used to be.  A large, thick piece of reclaimed wood (love the old original finish) was attached with brackets (from Hobby Lobby) to each side.  Finished it off with a bit of clear wax to the wood to brighten it up before hanging the piece on the wall (heavy-duty brackets were attached to the back).

Because I wanted to use this great old find in our largest bathroom, I added a sign to the top (easily removed) that simply says "Le Bain".  It was made from an old dresser-drawer front.  I love that you can see the original keyhole...

 The "Beauty" sign you see above hangs over the bathroom mirror.  I have plans to replace the mirror with something else...but right now I haven't found anything I really love.

The other cabinet you see is a newer piece purchased a Lowe's.  We desperately needed more storage in this bathroom and I couldn't find a vintage cabinet that worked.  I painted it with flat paint before gently distressing it!

At the frosted privacy window I hung a fabulous vintage tablecloth...it has the most beautiful white floral embroidery I've seen in a while.  One edge was turned down for a simple casing and tied up with a piece of tattered cloth and twine.

And there you have it!  Honestly...this was a pretty simple makeover that anyone could do if you can find the right piece!

Hope you loved visiting today.  Sure has been challenging getting my head back into blogging...but I'm going to do it if at all possible.

Big hugs and love to you~

Rebecca