This theme appealed to me on so many levels. The first being that the mere mention of icing and cake sends me to the kitchen flapping around in a baking frenzy. The second being that I love to have a reason to glamorize anything. Thirdly, I enjoy trying new products from companies which I have not previously known.
Fourthly, D. Lawless Hardware needs to be commended on not just their generosity in sponsoring this month's flip, nor only on their tons of amazing products (which I had such a hard time picking from because so much could have worked beautifully), but also on their excellent and kind customer service. I am certainly happy to show off my selection of their products and pass along their name for others to discover their various decor amenities.
And fifthly, this theme jumped at me because of quirky childhood memories of visiting my two grandmothers. One a great grandma the other (her daughter) a regular gramma to me, they always had sweets a plenty in their house. Most particularly, cakes. Chocolate. I could inhale the aroma from the first step into the small ranch doorway. Entering the kitchen, my eyes would consistently scan the counter and stove for the freshly baked goody. And every time, with dreadful consistency, there would be the cake still in the pan and covered with....plastic wrap. Not icing. No icing. Ever. Just a barren brown cake in a pan on a stove top. I wanted some so badly every time, yet every time I would frown and think 'how can they eat that with no icing?!' Uck and ick. (Like my tall chest in its before state.) I was a kid, and kids want pretty frosting colorfully oozing over the top and waving along the sides. Not a plain cratered top with exposed edges that shrunk away from the pan. So, here I am, a full-fledged adult, dreaming of luscious frosting for-- not a cake-- but furniture. Even better.
I had gotten the tall chest a ways back, and it has just been lingering in the back of my inventory. It was perfect for this theme since it was not only in desperate need of stickers being stripped and brown being obliterated, but it had missing hardware like a jack-o-lantern's sparsely toothed grin. One piece here and another over there. D. Lawless to the rescue.
I wanted to decoupage this with genuine vintage wallpaper I was exceptionally thrilled to find to add a quaint patchwork quilt-like prettiness. Brittle, dull, flat finish, no paste rolled and stuffed in a drawer for half a century wallpaper. I scuffed up the edges to authenticate the aged effect. I also wanted to combine that with the earthy simplicity burlap lends for a little farmy coziness. I love the contrast of frilly vs rustic in cahoots.
The top I felt should be restored to its natural glory, sanded and bathed in hemp oil, reflecting the rustic attitude of the burlap aside the sparkle and charm of the jeweled hardware. I loved the complementary complexity of the mingled patterns and styles. The antique coke glass knobs for the top worked wonderfully with the ornate nickel floral pulls. I adore the look of pairing subtle with a dash of spunky. The wooden appliqués mimic the ornate pulls and I gave them a brush of muted mint to coordinate with the coke glass knobs. It made for a subtle yet spectacular way to pull the green from the top to the bottom while also slipping a dab of dressiness onto the burlap. My furniture rendition of leather and lace. Burlap ribbon covers the bottom drawer faces.
The cake topper to all this scrumptious icing was the gorgeous porcelain rose double hook which I attached to the side. It just makes me clamp my hand over my mouth as I breath a deep breath in while gazing. I will be adding these to pieces in the future. I love the extra little squeeze of storage from the soft and stunning floral hook. I call it a clutter cutter. Hang it on the hook rather than plop it on the floor keeping things a bit tidier.
It makes a great catchhold for scarves, hats, jewelry, hoodies, if it can hang it can be hooked. I am hooked on these hooks and want to add them on everything now.
I was finally able to choose exactly the pieces for my vision for this piece after much deliberation of all the choices D. Lawless offers. Here were my picks to help take it from blechy barren brown to a fine fancy farmhouse chest:
And here is how they iced this wooden cake. This tasty slice of iced cake was quite the boring biscuit beforehand. It now looks like an old farmhouse's well-loved furniture treasure.
I painted it a gentle pink and then gave it light touches of distressing. I clear and dark waxed it for topcoats to enhance a warm aged look of a piece which has been snug at home in a farmhouse for generations. All the pretties are softly distinct in their individual appeal yet delicately striking in collaboration with one another. I gaze.
I would like to thank the awesome hosts of the Fab Furniture Flippin' Contest for dedicating their time and efforts in bringing about this great opportunity and sharing their projects, Michelle at Homework room cubby
or Evey at http://sweetsongbird.eveyscreations.com/index.html.
For more information you may email Stacy at http://[email protected] or Evey at http://[email protected].