Navy and Grey … for a new arrival.

Custom work is about 80% of my work load for sure. In the past years I have thought about limiting the amount of custom clients I take on… and I think I do that to a certain degree. For my mental health and also for my quality of work. But I have to say I enjoy bringing a vision to life. I feel like people that seek out a custom painted piece of furniture from me are looking for something really special for their home. I love being apart of that. It is sometimes much more work on my end design wise and hunting for the knobs and paper that they need to coordinate but in the end its always worth it. At this point in my journey, a lot of clients are seeking pieces I have already done or similar designs so I feel like I am still doing me… just tweaking the design a bit. I love the idea of living simple and small with pieces you really love. I am learning this even in my own home. Creating pieces that I will love forever.

With this particular project we were working together on a design for a new little baby boy. The new momma knew that she wanted navy and grey… so we pulled together some of my past pieces and came to the end with a navy highboy and a grey color block with navy bottom lowboy to match (but not match). The color block design was from a orange and grey piece I did a couple months back…

And here is the new grey and navy….

I used this adorable truck paper…  I didn’t have a  lot so the top drawer is actually old maps  (that also match the paper I used for the highboy).

And the matching but not matching highboy…

This client was a lot of fun. Mike and I met her husband to drop off the pieces last night and they are just the sweetest. Im so excited for their new addition.

Im off to pack for Portland. We leave tomorrow!

xo
Amanda

Dipped… my new favorite thing.

I bought a really great bedroom set a few weeks (maybe months) ago and it came with the cutest chair for the vanity. It was very similar to a dining chair but the back was a bit shorter than average dining chairs. I kept that chair in my mind while I painted both dressers and vanity… I kept thinking how cute it would be to dip just the back to accent how cute it was. I finally pulled it out the other day and thought I would do a quick project. It is so funny how sometimes the smallest projects turn into a point of major inspiration for much bigger projects to come.

After I painted the chair I was hooked and had to do a larger scale … the cabinet was a perfect choice because the wood is in great condition. Lately Ive been searching for different. I wanted to do something that would inspire me to try new and make one of a kind pieces that really motivate me to push myself creatively.

Maybe it was the contrast of the wood and white… or unusual design but I think its so fun.  I taped everything off carefully and primed first… I wanted a very bold white.  When I pulled the tape away after painting 2 more coats of paint the line was less than perfect so I actually sanded along the line with a nail file… great tip if you are looking for something to get in a small area that your sanding  block can’t reach. It worked perfectly. I then restored the natural finish rather than using stain. I lined the inside, to add just a little more simple character.

I think I might be on a dipping craze for awhile. This week I am hustling to finish 5 custom projects (some close to being done) … hoping to finish before we leave to take the kiddos to Portland before school starts up again. So excited to show them all the fun things we found on our last trip.

Happy Monday!

Amanda

Franklin Falls

I wanted to write a quick post about our  trip the other day to Franklin Falls. Living in the PNW it seems there are scenes to be seen, hikes to be hiked, and new adventures to be had, that kinda pop up all over. I have lived here my whole life and I still hear about new places that I just HAVE to see. I love that. 10 years ago Mike and I got married in North Bend, WA near Snoqulamie Falls, since then we have been crazy about it up there. If you are not local… we get rain pretty often around here. The Seattle rumor is true, but we love it. It feels like Fall about 80% of the year. And because of all that rain, the trees are the best green, and there is a lot of them. Something about being up this way towards the waterfalls is extra enchanting. Just driving in I had to stop the car, get out and take some pictures. We have had a pretty mild Summer so far. So being August, around noon the mountains still had the morning haze of fog and the air was crisp and cool.

Leading down the trail you can see this incredible river to your left, which to be completely honest had my “momma bear” on high alert and was hard for me not to be a little on edge with my kiddos. I had the “you could fall and leave me forever ” talk to my youngest about half way down… begging him to PLEASE stay with me and as far right as possible. Given there was a ton of children on this trail and most parents seemed (oddly) relaxed.

Even with my overbearing momma brain this trail was fairly easy to climb and pretty kid friendly. It stretches about 2 miles to the Falls and back. We stopped along the way to grab a few photos of the river… I think this was my favorite part. The water was crystal clear, and the rocks were so unreal.

Once you reach Franklin Falls… it is up close and personal. I think the major difference between this one and the more tourist spots, is that you are there, so close you could actually swim at the bottom.

This summer is shaping up to be the best yet! I can’t wait to take the dogs back! If you are local and have not gone to see Franklin Falls… pack a lunch, a camera and go!

I am off to thift with the kiddos today.. we are looking for some good props for the back to school window at the shop! Have a great weekend!

Amanda