Bebe Changing Station

This was a custom piece done for some friends expecting twins in the next 2 months! It will be the changing table once the additional little padding accompanies the top! I believe this was an old family dresser and I can assuredly tell you she has seen layers upon layers of different season all with a different little coat.  She required an extra dose of patience and an additional tub of stripper.  But I quite love that simple grey milk paint wash and the subtle details that keep it still somewhat masculine for those 2 new beaus! Welcome to the world little ones.  Change is inevitable, embrace it as it comes ;)

Shabby Chic Antique Bedside Table

 

Refinished antique side table. This had to be part of an old vanity dating back to the early to mid-1900's. Lovely and delicate legs and the sweetest of trim on the bottom. She comes with two drawers to store your nighttime necessities. This was sanded down and painted a two toned white and warm grey combination and distressed to give her a well loved and worn coat as you can see the wood wear through. Unique shaped glass knobs from anthropologie with brass/gold undertones.

RAW Art Show: EN MASSE

Well Friday turned out to be a smashing success and a wild evening of entertainment, art, friends, and commotion.  I was fortunate enough to have my station/booth in a lovely spot with exposed brick as my backdrop; not to mention it was just near the bar and the fashion show stage.  I had the best little team help me set up and as the people came coursing in, the crowds and noise grew.  I was unabashedly somewhat nervous about the evening, intimidated to say the least.  I think this little creative nook of my personality is one that few people may be privy to or all that aware of.  In fact, I would consider it a newly refined and developed part of me in just the past few years.  So to put that portion on display in front of such a wide gambit of people is quite vulnerable and leaves you exposed in a way.  But, again, it is a good stretching for me, overcoming fears and dispelling their soundless arguments.  It was a long day and we got finished long after my bedtime, but I was more than pleased with the night and so appreciate everyone's support, cheers, and presence!

New Additions to the Wall

ma muse

The human body in its simplest form easily possesses of the most inspiring muse-like traits. Think even to the sciences and those who, generations ago, studied corpses intently to better understand the intricacies that comprise our bodies.  How they function, how they break down, the immunities and resiliencies.  But greater than their physical functioning, the very composition in essence is lovely to the eye.  I can only imagine what Adam's response was actually like upon waking to find Eve.  A counterpart 'like-opposite' himself.  Someone wholly similar in nature and fully different in form.  And lovely in nudity. Strange that since our fall we have found layers upon layers of hiddenness to cloak our shame and yet simultaneously most deeply desire to get back to the intimacy and freedom in the Garden.  Layers of paint and lines and brushstrokes, paper, and lace, and music, return this Eve to some semblance of the original intended creation.

RAW Art Showcase:: Denver August 23rd

So a few months ago I received an email regarding an independent art's organization hat puts on showcases every other month in cities worldwide.  Their mission is to provide independent artists with tools, resources and exposure needed to inspire and cultivate creativity.  There's a wide diversity of what they showcase; including independent film, fashion, music, visual art, performing art, hairstylists, makeup artists, etc.

Anyhow, needless to say there were many perks and the single drawback of general intimidation. Exposure, sales and promotion are all lacking in my natural giftings.  But, nonetheless, next Friday here in Denver I will have a little booth and showcase station set up with paintings, furniture, and a variety of treasures to sell.  If you are a Denverite or are passing through you should pop in.

Below is the link to my artist page:

http://www.rawartists.org/simplycozyrestoration

Next to where it says I AM RAW there is another link "Featured Artist" the date and "Buy a Ticket for this Artist"
If you are going to purchase a ticket make sure that it is for me or it doesn't count towards the necessary ones I have to 'sell'.  Not to worry if you've bought, and didn't do it under this link, they can transfer it. 

Cafe Table of Reclaimed Wood

Drove out to Sedalia to pick up some wood one Friday afternoon. Little did I know most of the pieces in the pictured pile were all nailed to each other.  I fit what I could in the back of my car and dismantled upon my return. I tend to favor pieces with nail wounds.  Scars always are adorned with a story.  So I think with wood, but with endless possibilities of new chapters.
Found these caster wheels at a yard sale and you would have thought I found a pearl in an oyster.  They are sincere heavy duty metal through and through. The stain on this piece gave me 2 rounds of trouble. Couldn't seem to get the hue I was hoping for and ended up creating an amalgam of color.
In the end, she turned out just as necessary and with a new story to be found.

Freedom Blue Dresser

 

In lieu of the impending holiday, the name seemed fitting.  I have been itching to try out a new color and found a good opportunity to do such.  I recently met a woman who sells milk paint more locally here in Denver (I had been driving up to Boulder to pick the paint up).  Anyhow, I hope this supports her little local shop Casa Verde even just a bit!  They specialize in superior green building products; 'where every color is green.'  Anyhow, I branched out of my normal muted colors and tried for a BLUE. I had picked up these knobs a bit back and thought the blue would really contrast beautifully with the gold/brass. 

The name of the color is "Solider Blue" and I think it possesses a fitting sheen and stature, living up to the name! Quite a regal color paired with new subtle gold/brass knobs from Anthropologie. Per usual I adore the golden keyholes and that the top 2 drawers have an understated curve to give her a little extra character.

Dimensions are as follows:
42 inches wide
21 inches deep
34.5 inches tall

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After:

 

   

Breakfast/Kitchen EAT Table for 4

Our landlord happens to have a similar niche for collecting old things.  He had this table and chairs down in our basement for quite sometime.  I also collected the 2 stools and had them saved for a rainy day to work on.  I had been low on inventory to work on and remembered there was a little table downstairs and thought to add the stools as a seating combo.  I had been wanting to try out a few new techniques; both taping to create a lettering stencil and the dip-dye method. Each item is all wood and I love the varying of colors the dye picked up in the different grains of wood.  Great little set for a cozy small spaced nook.

Cafe Tableau

This was another of those moments that the vulnerability can take you by surprise.  I had this little table envisioned for a bit and found the perfect person to build it for.  I drove out to a town east of Denver out in the rolling hill country where the bus stops every few blocks to drop off a kid near their little ranch property.  I had no idea the country was a stones throw from the city. My friend had driven in truck loads of old barn wood from his parent's Nebraska farm. I picked out a few to fit my liking, and knew I had a big long board for the sides at home I had picked up at a home demo site.  Also, picked up an old dolly and screwed her wheels off to be used for a better day.
I am often surprised that I'm still surprised my projects can be so frustrating with the varying sizes, depths, and bends of an old piece of wood.  They are not perfect, which is precisely why I end up preferring them.
Anyhow, I worked on a time crunch for a birthday and popped this sleek baby out. Will continue to be in awe that the Creator would allow us to participate in co-creation. To envision and carry out.  To labor over and delight in another's enjoyment of it. What a gift.

Bonjour Buffet

What a prize to find! You'd have thought I had won a contest when I snatched this little treasure up! I kept grinning all day, dreaming up the possibilities of her outcome. The detail and shape to her are simply exquisite and dear. I originally planned to just shoot for the two toned white shabby finished product, but after applying this coat of paint, I realized she needed just a hint of color.  I love the muted grey with green undertones.  I kept most of the original hardware and cleaned her off with a good coat of poly.

Stately Vintage Desk

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After:

 

This was an old lawyers desk that someone had tried to spruce up with a little can of spray paint.  I was happy to envision a new face that begs for a philosopher to pull up a chair, breathe in the scent of an old library book, and muse upon explorations yet to be discovered. 

One of the many perks of this piece is the spacious drawer storage.  On the left is a hidden double drawer that can function as a file cabinet.  The back is finished as well so as to offer the option of pulling that desk out from against a wall.  The three paneled leather top is still in tact, with a little of the silver paint residue, which I quite like to give it a well loved look.  All wood, the trim on the top gives it a little extra pizazz.  I painted it a two toned grey and washed it with a dark walnut stain wax.  Completed with original brass pulls this is a unique timeless desk.

Butcher Logged Sofa/Entry Table

On a run a few months ago, I stumbled upon some thick logs in the street and envisioned them as a statement top to a table.  I ran home, hopped in my car and went to go load em up.  They were in pretty bad shape to be honest, but true to my nature, I found a means to make use of them.  It has become somewhat comical and customary that in using scraps and old/discarded wood, there will assuredly be a few difficulties.  Not to mention, I like to (typically) find my tools at garage sales, which means they are not as reliable and shiny as could be found new at the store; thereby things may just take a bit more time for my projects.
Nonetheless, I put a few logs together, used up some unique boards, and you find an eclectic little new creation. I originally envisioned it to be a kitchen island butcher block, but as the measurements came in and the pieces were put together, she looked a bit too long and narrow for an island to me.
I stained her a good ol' vinegar and black tea and she found her way inside.
She's a bit bulkier and rough, and could stand to lose a few lbs, but she's all wood and no curves and I quite like her as she is.

Steamboat Art Walk

White Pepper kindly agreed to have my artwork up in their store for the month of February.  I drove up there at the end of January to set up and be around for the First Friday Art Walk.  It was all sorts of new for me.  A whole new level of exposure, both to have my work out 'professionally' and to have my work out period.  Paintings seem surprisingly so very different than just refinishing a piece of furniture or even designing from scratch.  Both art, indeed, but a whole different vulnerability.  Nonetheless, it was good for me and a grand ol time. Steamboat, especially in February is a magical time.

If you're in Steamboat during February, go stop in to White Pepper on Main Street.
http://www.whitepeppershop.com/

Fruit Duo

Mister Moose

Bear Face

Chic Restored Cedar Trunk

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After:

Apple of my eye

Butterfly in flight

Working on some new pieces to showcase in a shop in Steamboat for February.  Found a stash of old windows from a house that was being remodeled.  I typically try and combine a variety of elements to my paintings that reuse or redeem some unwanted scrap.

Creme and Grey Dresser

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After:

New dresser with glass knobs has already found a home!  I wanted to shoot for a 2 toned dresser that would somehow make the drawers pop! The cream and grey is a favorite color choice these days.  It maintains a subtle shabby chic look, but the stained grey drawers bring out the rusticity of the wood.