A month or so ago I walked into an estate sale and in the basement saw this beauty.....now at that moment it was covered with tools, tool boxes and a TON of other stuff.....but I saw the potential...I calmly walked past several people - hoping no one else saw what I saw and would beat me to the chase...or actually to removing the price tag...... BEFORE WORKBENCH I was the first to remove the tag and next negotiated the price....and it was MINE...... Once we carried it out of the basement - … [Read more...]
Wet distressing painted furniture…
A technique I enjoy using when finishing up a piece of furniture is distressing with sandpaper. My go to is 220 grit. Distressing in areas that normal wear would take place - around knobs, or the edges give this a natural - obtained over the years look... To heighten the beauty during this process I use MMS Hemp Oil. This looks perfect when working with the darker colors in the paint line - like Typewriter or Artissimo... To do this, I first apply my Hemp Oil with a regular paint … [Read more...]
Top 10 (plus) Vintage Market Booth Ideas
Midwest Cottage and Finds 809 Design Market on Moss West Peoria, Illinois When I started doing markets 10 years ago - I remember thinking 'I hope people show up"......fast forward to today and I can tell you THEY SHOW UP! So I got to thinking ...what are some things that I do EVERY MARKET that I feel helps me to be successful??.....and here they are... Set your booth like a store front...This is your STORE FOR A DAY and it needs to be treated like one...create a flow for your … [Read more...]
Giveaway… Want Miss Mustard Seed to shop for you in Barga, Italy?
Do you read Miss Mustard Seed's blog? (if you don't you should) Well on her next trip to Italy in September, my friend Dana Wall from The Inspired Tourist will be choosing 2 lucky people to be on the receiving end of Miss Mustard Seed's keen eye and great negotiating skills! She will hand select something for you at the Antique Market in Italy next month!! Deadline for entering is August 26th so don't delay the link is below! … [Read more...]
Hello…it’s me…….and I have a BIG announcement!
Let's talk…. If you follow me on social media you know a bit about me….I paint furniture, sell at local markets, do custom work and teach classes in my barn….Yes....on all of those…. BUT did you know that I also am on the Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Social Media Team and I am also the trainer for new Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint retailers... I LOVE teaching about paint and many of you have probably attended classes in my barn.... I will be doing fall classes again...once … [Read more...]
House Reno Series Part 3 The Master Bathroom
Now for the fun part! The large glass door..... While that is NOT a picture of our bathroom..it IS a picture of our exact shower door. I felt this picture gave you the best view of the shower door as our bathroom is so small it is difficult to capture it fully. It is called a Maax Halo Sliding Shower Door. While I LOVE this door my husband said if he had to do it over again he would have talked to a local glass company for their suggestions....this door is very heavy and was a beast … [Read more...]
House Reno Series Part Two – The Master Bathroom
This is a series of blog posts sharing the entire home renovation of our ranch style home. Click here for Part One: http://midwestcottageandfinds.com/my-home/house-reno-part-one-master-bathroom/ Prior to laying our floor tile we added heated flooring..This was one of the BEST choices we made...Living in the Midwest the winters are brutal and starting your morning on a heated floor changes your attitude with that first step. We went with Sun Touch Floors from Home Depot. It is a matting … [Read more...]
House Reno Part One -Master Bathroom
When we started our home reno last year we knew we would be living in the house while having the work done. Because of this we needed to have a strict plan on what areas were to be demoed and completed first. We started with the master bathroom. This is a VERY small bathroom...looking back I am glad most family and friends said "I never even knew you had a master bath"...well that was by design.....I kept it hidden because while functional it was UGLY....Very Ugly.....But it was what we … [Read more...]
Paint your piece in The Barn
You have asked for this workshop at The BARN and here it is...Paint your Piece!! You know you have that piece of furniture that you have always wanted to rehab, makeover, refurbish......but where do you start? What color? Chalk Style Paint or Milk Paint ? Stain or paint? Let's get these questions answered for you and start and FINISH that project in ONE day.....I am opening up my workshop for a Saturday Paint Fest - February 17th 9-1..... You will have access to paints, (Miss Mustard … [Read more...]
Farmhouse Clock Classes at Midwest Cottage and Finds Workshop
It has been a favorite workshop for awhile now...Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Classes.... I will keep posting new class dates on my facebook page-Midwest Cottage and Finds Not only do you get to learn the ins and outs of using milk paint..... You leave class with one of these.... Stop by my facebook page and message me if you are interested in a class! https://www.facebook.com/MidwestCottageAndFinds/ … [Read more...]
Shopping my own booth…..
All of you who have purchased something at one of our markets know I truly LOVE my pieces....My furniture pieces are such a huge part of what I do and I spend so much time with them as I hunt for them, repair them, paint them and then stage them for each show.....I also clean, update, shine and repair a lot of the staging pieces that sell in our booth as well............Sometimes as I am tagging items I put them away in a corner to "think about"......What usually happens is I grab a price tag … [Read more...]
Market on Moss
Thought I would share a few pictures of our last Market on Moss...It was a perfect day....and...we sold out!! … [Read more...]
Miss Mustard Seed’s Hemp Oil
Many of you know I adore Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil. It's many uses are why I love it so.... It seals chalk and milk paint, it is FOOD GRADE so you can use it on wooden bowls, spoons, cutting boards and it makes old, tired wood look like something out of a magazine...... So as I was cleaning for our Easter celebration I of course grabbed my MMS Hemp Oil and started to clean up some of the wood items I have around my house...and thought I would share it with you! It was too large … [Read more...]
Fall 2015 Market on Moss
As most of you know my 2 BIG events each year are a local event started by a group of DIY’ers called Market on Moss…..This past fall event was another perfect Market day……If you are in the Peoria, IL. For the spring or fall event it would be worth a stop….you will not be disappointed! … [Read more...]
My love for ironstone….and a GREAT FIND!
If you have followed me for awhile you know I have a deep appreciation for ironstone.... I like to mix my ironstone with white serving pieces that I have picked up at various places....I wanted to share this GREAT find with you as soon as I saw it this morning....You can start you collection of white service where with 6 pieces from the current deal from Decor Steals. They have 6 pieces for a little over $10.00 an item--and shipping is only $5.00!! Click here to see the … [Read more...]
Joanna Gaines/Magnolia Farm’s Store Tour
Are you as addicted as I am to Joanna and Chip Gaines and their show Fixer Upper?! Her style is perfection in my eyes......and come on...they are such a fun twosome...well really great six-some! As luck would have it my son and daughter-in-law lived in Waco, Texas (where the show takes place) a few years back......and while the show was not taping at that time I was able to visit Waco...and LOVED it...My son returns to Waco from time to time for work and you can bet the last trip I asked begged … [Read more...]
Miss Mustard Seed’s White Wax…..
In February I will start painting classes once again and one of the products I will be working with in your class is Miss Mustard Seed's White Wax... White Wax is a game changer... It turns one of your paint colors into two...The wax lightens your paint color and show's off the detail in your piece..... Want to see an example in person? Stop in at Lost and Found in Peoria Heights, IL. to see my display piece...all painted in one color--but the outer area is sealed with Miss … [Read more...]
Christmas Decor…….
It is the MOST wonderful time of the year...I adore my home at Christmas..so here are a few shots..enjoy and I hope the upcoming week is extra special for you and your family...Merry Christmas from Midwest Cottage and Finds!! … [Read more...]
Miss Mustard Seed Retailer Training…….The Ironstone Nest……
My daughter-in-law Kristen, from 809 Design and I headed up north earlier this month to The Ironstone Nest to learn from the best-Laura Distin-all about Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint and other products....... We mixed, we waxed, we hemp-oiled...we did it ALL.......... And we were lucky enough to do it in the awesome-ness of Laura's shop- The Ironstone Nest in Madison Wi. And when it was all said and done......I came away..... excited motivated and with a bit more … [Read more...]
How to replace missing trim pieces by making your own mold-One of my favorite posts-for you to read in case you missed it!
I picked up this beauty at a local Goodwill store…If you look at the top large drawer on the left you will notice a strip of the decorative trim is missing…. On most makeovers I would just leave the missing piece and paint over the area—but this trim is part of the outline on the drawers and would really distract from the look if not repaired….. So here we go---step by step process on how to make a trim mold and then a new trim piece to replace the missing trim. In the past I have used … [Read more...]
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