Hello! I’m Amanda… a furniture painter, wife, and mom of two pretty awesome little ones. I love to design old pieces of furniture from the inside out and watch them come to life through my addiction to painting nearly everything! When I started Ferpie and Fray and I was thinking of what I should name my business..my daughters word for “therapy” came to mind. At the time my son was in speech and OT therapy and my daughter would refer to it as his “ferpie”. I think painting is very therapeutic or “ferpeutic” for me, and fray by definition means to be worn or distressed…and there you have it! I have a love for photography and staging a beautiful image, creating beauty in something can be so amazing. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Xoxo
Amanda
ferpie and fray 
Your work is beautiful, as is the staging. I also paint furniture, but have not ventured out with a blog as of yet. I would like to someday though. Good luck with your endeavor.
Thank you Sian and good luck on yours as well!
Hi Amanda – I just found you via MMS, I haven’t been so inspired and excited about furniture in AGES. LOVE your pieces and colour choices, with your beautiful styling just topping it all off! Great work! Beau 🙂
What a great compliment! So gad you enjoyed my pieces, Thank you for following along! 🙂
Great work, love all the knobs you use. Where do you get them? What state are you in?
Some of my knobs are wholesale, others are anthropologie, HomeGoods, Hobby Lobby, and The Classic Farmhouse. I’m in Seattle, WA! 🙂
hi, your work is amazing! every detail is beautiful! where do you find your furniture?!
Hi Merri! Thank you very much! 🙂 You can find my work at The Modern Cottage in Tacoma at 2225 N 30th Tacoma WA 98010
I wrote my question wrong, I meant before you refinish them. How do you come across those beautiful pieces?
Hi Merri! 🙂 a lot (and a lot) of searching! I have two little kiddos so I rely on craigslist a lot. The longer you do something like this, the more you have people finding pieces for you too. My grandparents LOVE thrifting, we try to visit every week and look for good finds. It’s a constant search! The key is to look for pieces that inspire you and be ok with passing on pieces that are anything short of awesome.
Hi Amanda. Your pieces are so stinkin beautiful. You have great style. I actually found you through Bride on a bike and Modern Cottage. You all have something pretty special going on. I love following along on your adventure. Looking forward to more of the inspiration you share. Good luck to you.
Teresa Gunn
2nddoorontheright
Your the sweetest Teresa! Thank you SO much for your sweet words and encouragement! It’s means the world! 🙂
Your work is beautiful. Do you ship your items? I live in Alabama and have been looking for furniture like this.
Brandy,
Thank you so much! I wish I did. Maybe sometime in the future though! 😉
Your work is magic! Do you ever consult or give suggestions if someone if painting a piece themselves? I have an antique dresser I want to paint…if I sent you a pic of the dresser, and the space would you suggest what color, and what part to leave wood what part to paint! Thank you for sharing your talent 👍
Hi! Thank you! I would love to help if I can, you can email me at ferpieandfray@gmail.com. 😊
Hi. I simply love, love, love your work. Everything is so unique. I was wondering where you sell your pieces?? Do you sell online?
Thank you so much! I have a shop in Tacoma,WA. I’m not selling big items online at this time 😔 …maybe someday though!
Amanda, I have been following you for some time now as a fellow treasure hunter who is addicted to bringing old, tired pieces back to life, but I have to say: Wow! Your style, taste, color choices and presentation are jaw dropping. You are an inspiration. And, I love the blog. Thank you for sharing so many wonderful tips.
Thank you so much Lenna. 🙂 You made my night, how very sweet of you. Thank you for writing!
I’ve been seeing your work on Pinterest and finally decided to check out the blog. Your gorgeous work and spectacular staging is an inspiration to me. Working out of a cramped apartment as mom to twin toddlers doesn’t give me a ton of “studio” space for my furniture projects! I hope to someday refine as I grow my business and my blog. Meanwhile, I will keep enjoying your beautiful work!
Thank you so much, you are too kind! I totally understand balancing being a mom and a creative calling. When I first started painting I had a tiny house, my daughter was a few months old and every project was a major undertaking. Its so valuable for you as a person (aside from being a momma) and it shows passion when you make it happen. Excited for you to keep growing your business. Have fun! 🙂
Hi Amanda, I recently discovered your beautiful work while searching information on painting kitchen cabinets with general finishes milk paint. All I can say is WOW! Your work is remarkable and inspiring. I wish I had ounce of the style sense that you have. I was wondering if I could ask you a question. I’m looking to paint my kitchen cabinets white. Do you think general finish milk paint would work well for kitchen cabinets? I’m wanting to paint them white but I’m not wanting a white that pulls yellow or a white that is to stark or overalls bright. What are your thoughts on general finish milk paint in Snow White and antique white? Is Snow White stark or too bright and is antique white yellow? So sorry for so many questions it’s so hard to take the plunge on such a large project. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my comments.
Hi Jen! Thank you so much! General Finishes is a fantastic choice for kitchen cabinets. Their paint is very durable with a satin finish so it not only holds up well but it cleans great too. I recently painted a clients kitchen (not something I usually do), she was worried about the same thing. She wanted to go brighter and cleaner with a white…but didn’t want stark white. We ended up going with the Antique White rather than Snow White. Its more of a “off-white” than cream. I think you would be happy with it. You can always order a pint on Amazon to test a spot first to make sure it will work. That might be helpful. Good Luck!
Amanda! I also love to paint furniture, I must say there isn’t one piece you’ve done I don’t love! Very inspirational for me. Do you modge podge the paper on the inside of the drawers as well? By the way your blog is awsome as well ❤️
Hi Amanda! I love your work……you have such great style! My question is: How do you find the time to paint and stage with two little ones! And, where do you paint? Do you have a shop, or space at your store?? Thanks!!! 🙂
Hello! Thank you so much! I try to keep a healthy balance. I have our two car garage as my “studio” space. About half (maybe a little less) for my back stock and keep my supplies, tools, and space to work on the other half. Usually if I paint during the day or during cold weather, I bring a piece in and work on it periodically throughout the day between pre-school, runs to my older daughters school, house chores etc. Luckily my business has grown at my pace, so I take on what I know I can handle and I have gotten very good about setting boundaries with myself (at least most of the time). To answer your second question, I do have space to paint at the store but I actually live pretty far, so painting there doesn’t always work out for me…but I occasionally bring a piece along with me while I work. Because of my little ones, I am limited to how many daytime hours I work. I work every Sunday at the shop and try to choose 2 days a week that I work from home in-between caring for my youngest. The rest of my work is done at night or early morning. It sounds like a lot but I feel like most of the time, I know how to balance my work load with my kids. They always take priority, so sometimes that means painting at night…which is kinda relaxing anyway. 😉