Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Dixie Belle Paint: LOVE in Apricot!

Today I'm SO excited to introduce you all to Dixie Belle Paint as a new sponsor here on the blog!

I'm a HUGE fan of their Chalk Paint ever since Haila and I spent a weekend painting our dining room set together -- you can see that fun project HERE! Since that first project, I've been using Dixie Belle for all kinds of paint projects both small and really big, like transforming a gloomy, neglected office space into a colorful new sewing studio, where I happily go to work each day. These days I now find myself constantly on the lookout for old forgotten furniture pieces that I can transform with this magical paint! So when Dixie Belle Paint invited me to join their affiliate program, I happily accepted and I'm so excited to add sharing an occasional Dixie Belle before and after project with all of you all right here in the weeks ahead. My hope is that it will inspire you to join me in freshening up our homes and sewing rooms with some colorful Dixie Belle Paint projects!

Introducing, Dixie Belle Paint!

For the past few weeks my big project has been to create a display for Autumn Vibes, my upcoming collection with AGF, since I was unable to attend Spring Quilt Market in Portland this past weekend. Before I could spend my time stitching up samples, first I had to find the perfect furniture pieces for showcasing this new collection. Enter: Dixie Belle's Apricot Chalk Paint!

Dixie Belle in Apricot

Inspired by the changing leaves of Autumn, with colors ranging from deep scarlet to the softest apricot, I decided to keep the main furniture piece in my booth, the shelf that would be front and center, nice and soft to show the sweeter side of these colorful fabrics!

Autumn Vibes Colors

Pretty Apricot

We've had this little bookshelf in our home, purchased from a local thrift store several years ago. It's either held children's books or supplies in my home sewing room. But the extra dark brown mixture of stained wood and paint has always been a little too harsh for me.  In person you can see well the rough paint and stain job. Still, it has serviced us well and I love it's size and details. It was time for a pretty update!

Shelf Before

This paint is so easy to use, it's amazing! It requires no prep work, goes on smoothly, covers wonderfully, and dries quickly. What more can you ask for, right?! I would never be able to think of projects like this one with my limited time if not for this paint, because of the sanding and priming that is required with other paints. I'm just so grateful to have discovered Dixie Belle, and the colors are all so beautiful, too!

Painting with Dixie Belle

Once I was finished and I put my shelf in place, I began adding some accessories that would coordinate well with my Autumn Vibes fabrics. Pretty, pretty!

Shelf in Apricot

This first photo is a close-up look at how well this apricot color plays with the vibrant, saturated colors of my Autumn Vibes collection. And notice how smoothly the paint looks, like a brand new piece!

With Autumn Vibes

In this photo I was still sewing up samples and working on how the Apricot shelf would be styled. Even my new Opal House pillow from Target matched this color perfectly. It's nice to find new products in the stores in the colors that I'm currently working with. It's always nice to know that I'm on-trend with my choices. Yay!

Dixie Belle Apricot for Autumn Vibes

Before I share the final display reveal, I have to share the little plant stand that I painted with the Apricot Chalk Paint, too. I bought this stand at a church rummage sale across the street from my studio for just $2. Major score! It was marked up bad and had a giant water stain on the tabletop that took up almost the entire circular surface and now you'd never know!

Apricot Plant Stand

And, now I'm super excited to share the reveal of how this Apricot painted shelf at the center of my Autumn Vibes display turned out! You may have seen photos of my display posted on my Instagram and Facebook page at the start of Spring Quilt Market this past Friday. I received such an amazing, supportive response from so many, and now I'm thrilled to share these details about my Dixie Belle painted Apricot shelf. I absolutely love it!

Dixie Belle in Apricot for Autumn Vibes

I'd love to know what you think of this project and what kind of before and after Dixie Belle Paint projects you'd like to see me share? My plan is to keep the focus on sharing things that are functional for us sewers, as well as nice display pieces to showcase my fabrics and handmade items. I'd both LOVE and appreciate your feedback, so please chime in! Be sure to take a look at the colors that Dixie Belle offers and let me know which colors you love most and that you'd like to see me use! Click here to see -- Dixie Belle Paint Colors.

Already lined up I have plans to paint an interesting shaped wood coffee table that's perfect for displaying sewing books and has a bottom shelf that's holding extra pillows. I have a huge wall shelf unit that came out of a house built in the 1800's! It has been beat up pretty bad over a decade of use to store cans in an old basement, so I'm hoping to bring it to life! I also have a few little projects in the works and a newly painted sewing table that's already finished and just needs photographed. You're going to love this one!

I can't wait to read what projects and colors you'd like to see next!

xo Maureen

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

A New Studio Update & Dixie Belle Paint : :

Hello All! Well, these past two weeks have certainly been some of the busiest of my life! Just three weeks ago on Monday, September 25th we looked at a newly available downtown rental space and decided to make the big move to get me and all the things out of the small sitting room in our home, that has been my sewing studio for the past almost five years, and into a space where I could go to work each day. Five years ago I could have never imagined where I'd be today and that I would ever outgrow this space as I have. Since deciding on the new studio, it's been a whirlwind of painting and cleaning, packing and moving, organizing and getting just settled enough to get me sewing again. These long days I know will be worth it! With all that has to be done this month for Quilt Market in Houston just a few weeks away, there have been moments that have felt like this is the worst possible timing, and then I'll remind myself that in another way it has been a true blessing to have no choice but to make it all happen as fast as possible. Today, just three weeks later, I'm about to head out the door for my first official work day in my new studio space! We've come a long way, very quickly, and today I plan to take some nice photos of how nicely things are coming along. But first, I want to share a little bit of the before photos, along with some of the Dixie Belle Paint projects I finished up last week. These first photos are from the first couple of days when we began clean up, wallpaper and office furniture removal, and painting...

Studio Before Collage

Studio Before

Clearly this space was in need of some major love, but as the built-in office furniture and dingy wallpaper borders came down, the walls were patched and painted with a few coats of semi glass white and the carpet professionally cleaned, it transformed quickly into a cute space that feels just the right size for this next big step for my little business.

White Walls  Painted Furniture

You may recall me mentioning Dixie Belle Paint in the past when about a year ago I was contacted by the Dixie Belle Paint Company to receive some product in exchange for a blog post that I happily accepted! Haila and I spent one weekend back in November and gave our hand me down dining room set a weekend makeover. We loved the results and I shared our paint project here on the blog. Since, I've been hooked on this paint and have been thrifting wood furniture and collecting paint for more chalk mineral paint makeovers to do and share once I found a bigger studio space to rent. Last week, using a few of my favorite colors -- Sea Glass, Mint Julep, Palmetto, and Colonel Mustard, I started painting some of those furniture pieces for the studio and I am so happy with how each has turned out!

Dixie Belle Paint -- Sea Glass

Bright White Walls & Aqua Shelves

Sea Glass Shelves Stacked

Dixie Belle Mint Julep

Mint Julep Shelves

Dixie Belle Palmetto

Dixie Belle Painted

Aqua, Mint & Teal

What do you think so far? I think the combination of the white walls and these pretty colors really brightened up the space and it smells so clean, hooray! And although Quilt Market prep needs to be my number one priority these next few weeks, I can't help but take breaks from sewing to slowly fill these shelves and begin to work on my fabric collection displays. I'll be back soon to show you more, I can't wait for you to see!

xo Maureen