Shabby Chic Furniture Makeovers.

Hello again, another week already gone by. Another trip to the hospital, this was not what I was wanting to happen, but I have got an infection in the ears, so we have a very handy drop in clinic which runs from 7am till 11pm and I'm on antibiotics now.

Enough of illness I'm fed up with it, so you all must be too.

In between the Shabby Chic mode continues. This was a set of plain "Oak Effect" coffee tables, stained on top through years of use.

They have been painted with Annie Sloan French Linen, then washed over with a thin coat of cream.

Next stage is to decoupage the top with advertising pages from Echo de La Mode 1901.

 The cream paint is mixed with water to a very thin consistency and brushed onto the paper then wiped off quickly. A two stage crackleure glaze, again Annie Sloan, is then put on the top of the paper and paint.

 I am at the experimenting stage so have gone for it on these, with areas of thick and thin crackleure to see what effect I like best.

Dark wax is then rubbed into the cracks. If it becomes too dark you use some clear wax to wipe the dark off. Two coats of wax on top with a polish between each.

 The middle table top

 The smallest table top.

The finished waxing, dark, clear and the paints both showing. I have yet to polish this set up as its very damp today and the wax has not cured yet.

A lot of stages to these but as I am working on about eight pieces at a time, I can swap from one to the other whilst drying goes on. 

Next is a plain old Commode, I have the bucket to go in this. It is a heavy china, light grey colour glazed one with a patterned lid. Pictures of it when I have finished.

 Because of the use as a commode I have covered all the inside with a 1900 hymn book pages. These are fab to use as they are yellowed and the paper is really thin. So a lot of cutting and pasting. I used Winsor & Newton Matt Medium from the more expensive range with black lids. Usually I use Heavy texture gel from the Galeria range but the shop was out of that.

 Again I have used French Linen, but here you can see it with no wax on. Once the paper is dry I mix French Linen paint with Matt Medium and some water then brush onto the paper and wipe off until I am happy with the result. More drying time, many cups of tea later.

I have used the paper napkins again from Ikea. I love the way you can still see the music through the rose.

 Some not so well stuck paper but by the time the crackleure goes on you wont notice :-)

The inside of the lid, really pleased with this. I used one of the title pages and placed roses all around.

So that is as far as I have got this week. I am waiting on a delivery of more crackleure glaze and have treated myself to a Liberon Polishing Brush for my drill. This will be used on the wood parts only as I fear it would shred the paper.

Working on these pieces I am using my collage skill and acrylic painting techniques combined with the Annie Sloan paint. I should have got more done but I have to keep stopping because of temperature and still a bit under the weather.

Tonight I am going to have a nice cuppa and skip on over to Handmade Harbour to see what everyone else has been up to this week.

Happy Easter!!!

So happy to report that I have been in hospital, had my operation and it was a complete success. Not only that I was very lucky in that there was no cancer, it was a cyst, blocking my sphenoid sinus. The operation was a lot less invasive, only one night in hospital due to anesthetic overload. Op on Thursday, 17th, Home 18th, Family day at my friends and overnight there. Several weedy days at home. Nearly back to normal today 21st.

Today I have managed to get back to the Annie Sloan painting of my furniture.

Lots of WIP's three stack of coffee tables, commode, two garden chairs, dressing table stool and some picture frames. + Two secret items that can not be shown yet.

One finished magazine rack, distressed and decoupaged using???

This also has some crackleure glaze. My first attempt using Annie Sloan stuff. I guess you can see I liked the effect as I've painted loads of items ready to go onto waxing. The wax really transforms the paint finish.

Did you guess I used flowers from Ikea paper napkins. 

Thank you so much to all my friends who have helped me out with dog duties, nursing me, sending flowers , FB messages and cards or telephoning. You all have made such a real difference in my life. I now know how ill I felt, coming round from the anesthetic and feeling NO Dizziness, Headache or Brain and Eye Pressure was just like a miracle. 

Thank you God!

A Happy Update

It is Pompii's 60th Birthday soon. He's the yellow thread bare bear. 

He was restored about 20 years ago and is starting to sag a bit in places, just like me.

Well I have some wonderful and unexpected news. Seems the diagnosis of Pituitary Cancer was not correct. I can't tell you how much this has meant to me. I am not at all cross that the Dr got it wrong!!!!!

To give him credit the original MRI and CT scans showed a large tennis ball sized mass and this obscured the Pituitary Gland. The latest MRI was more detailed and included a session with a contrast injected into me. 

So what is this mass? Well it is called a  Sphenoid sinus mucocele. This is the sinus at the back of my nose. There is a video of the operation on You Tube but its pretty gross so I'll spare you that. My understanding is that it is a mass of mucus or other matter, could be an infection that has not emptied from the sinus. Now I am awaiting an operation.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and support. My neighbours, Church groups and friends have all been wonderful too.

Onwards and upwards in life I go.

A Little Update

This is a digital card I made a while back. I took the photo and fiddled with it in Photoshop then added the wording. Printed out as a Photo then attached to a card. Quite pleased with this.

I have been absent from blogging for a while due to some health problems. This looks to be an ongoing thing. I went for an MRI scan last year as I was having some memory issue that worried me. I got a call from the Dr saying brain OK but you have some polyps in your sinus. Off I go to the Ear Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr at the hospital in Colchester.

He does an endoscopy (sticks a camera up my nose) uncomfy but bearable. He was not sure what was going on as the MRI scan had not arrived. So could only diagnose some Atypical Cystic Lesions on the bone at the back of my nose.

Two days later I got a call from him saying there was a growth of some sort in my right sinus. He had called for an urgent CT scan. So off I went to have that. Not as bad as the MRI but I had a dye injected and that made me very hot.

After another two days another call from the Consultant, CT scan did not clarify things. He was referring the scans back to senior radiologist.

I have now heard back from him and it appears that I have a tumor on my Pituitary Gland. This has migrated into my sinus and the nose bone. I now have to have another more detailed MRI scan. This will allow the DRs to see exactly what is happening and decide on operation procedures. I don't know if this is benign or malignant yet.

On the positive side these tumors tend to be benign and the clear up rate is good. I don't feel ill, just a dull headache, the sort you get when you have been stuck at the PC too long. I am a bit tired too.

I am praying that you will not be sending me With Sympathy cards anytime soon.

This has knocked me of my perch and I am taking some time to come to terms with the fact that I have what is classed as a brain tumour. So just taking Molly for her walks and catching up with friends and family. Oh and I am tackling the yarn stash and making some chunky Granny square afghans.

My next project is catching the pesky mouse that has taken up residence in my kitchen. Molly has been totally useless in catching it. She just ignores it. So I'm off to my friend Gilli's to borrow the mouse traps.

I will keep you all updated on progress.

xxx

Yuletide Trees

Soon be Christmas. This year my theme for my cards is Trees. Simple and fun to make using vintage & modern, fabrics and trims. Designer papers from last years stash are used as the base for each card.

I used my trusty New Home 826 My Style that I have had for 25+ years. Sparkly thread from a number of manufacturers, Gutterman Sulky was the easiest to use, less breaks than the others. The shiny or sparkly ribbon is the Christmas one with thin wire on the edge. I hope you get some good ideas from these.

It has been really busy here, lots of socialising, some great craft and vintage fairs and lots of making too.

Have a Very Happy Christmas and many blessings for a good New Year.

xxx Joan and Molly.

Little Jumping Joan Vintage & Silk Needle Cases

Loved that silk so much I've been working on these this week.

All free motion machine embroidery, no cheating and drawing the writing first. LJJ is sketched first. The hand embroidery is vintage from a table cloth. The buttons are shirt collar studs.

Inside I have used some fine cotton night dress fabric, similar blue flowered, but wincyette  and a 1940's table cloth.

 No1 Threadneedle Street - 5 x 5 inches

 Pins & Needles  - 5 x 5 inches

 My Sewing Kit -4 x 5 inches

 Pins and Needles - 4 x 5 inches

 Pins and Needles - 4 x 5 inches

And then some internal and construction pictures.

 Oh bother blogger has turned these round as well!

Now more pictures that blogger won't let me post the correct way round, so annoying!

These can be personalized, Mum's Sewing Kit, Joans Sewing Kit, etc. Fabrics will be different as I only have small amounts of the vintage and samples of the silk. Method, style and quality will be the same. Prices on request.