home sweet home

Spent some time this weekend getting a wee little shop set up at home!  Customers have been asking  to come by and see our treasures --- so here is some sneak peeks.  It will get better with time!

 

 
 
 

-- Robin
 

 

summer fun!

Wowza!!!  Some awesome summer projects!  So much fun!

 

 Check out the Facebook pages for details!
 
 

Make your place beautiful

 

What we can learn from Shampoo commercials

We are so pleased that so many people are enjoying our blog. 

We are having tons of fun with it.  

We have found that besides the almost 4,000 visitors to our page - Facebook has also been a great vehicle to share our creations!

Please visit and "like" and "share" with reckless abandon!!!!

Facebook has a strange system - in order to "boost your likes" you have to pay.  COLD. HARD. CASH. 

Instead, we think the best way to spread the word is with YOU. 

Share with your friends and they will tell friends and it soon resembles a bad 70s shampoo ad -  sorry Faberge! 

I would like to take a silent moment to thank the self - tanning industry for research, development and overall improvements.  The poor girl did look strangely orange.

I digress --

Here are the links!

Cougar Chic  &  The Country Star

Thank you all again for the love and support!

r & d & a

if this brought back a cool memory and you needed to watch the ad....leave your comments too!

 

 

Beautiful refresh!

A customer brought me her grandma's china cabinet for a makeover.  She loves the cabinet and just wanted a color that complimented her new log home.  The details are stunning and she is super happy!

Here is the "before"

Here is the gorgeous "after"

Happy painting!  - Robin
 
 

Home Decor Vintage Market

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/644940102189304/

 

Be a part of the fun....click on the facebook group - join and start shopping!

Quality - not quantity

I was at Walmart the other day and I went past the grocery department, where I spend most of my time...and I was amazed by what I found. 

Now, don't get worried, this is not going to be a rant against the evil Walmart empire....however it is a request to consider how we consume and what we are ready to pay for "throw away" stuff for our house. 

My mom used to tease me about all of my Ikea furniture when I was young and a vagabond.  "that stuff will only make 1.5 moves.  By the time you try to move it the second time, it is ready to throw out!"

A customer asked me recently "why are you gals running all over the coutryside, looking for items to work on and restore?"

The easy answer is that we all LOVE IT!

 All three of us could be hooked up to a heart monitor and you could see our pulse increase at the doors of an antique or thrift store.

The other answer.....it just makes sense!

We would rather re-love and re-home quality, unique, solid pieces of furniture that will be in your family for many many years! 

It makes economic sense - for all you tight wads. 
It makes environmental sense - for all your organic tree huggers. 
It makes creative sense - for all you starving artists. 
And it is a way to add some panache and style to your home in a one of a kind way.

== Robin

Burning the midnight oil

We are having so much fun creating, painting, designing and laughing.

Our next show is the Home Decor and Vintage market -
 

June 15.
 

Olds Rec Center
 

It goes from 9am - 1pm and is Cash only......

so you know what that means?

Get your friends in the car, grab a coffee, hit the ATM, get there early and - EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF! 

*see Dixie's post about the garage sales....

Great weekend!

Well we survived the weekend at the Cochrane Trade Fair! We had a BLAST, so many laughs and we met so many wonderful people! With summer approaching and markets are starting up we will keep you posted on our upcoming show dates....

Shop til you drop!

We are so excited!   It is going to be a fun weekend...come and check out all the treasures!

Spray Lake Sports Complex - Cochrane, Alberta
Friday 4-10 and Saturday 10-4

We really don't want to bring anything home!!

We are international!!

Welcome all you amazing followers from around the world!  Obviously we are LOVING THE AMERICANS!

Russia!  Germany!  South Korea!

We hope you like our projects!

Thank you!!!

 

What Was That?

What a great weekend!!  Albertans really have to flexible when it comes to the weather.  It was just a couple of weeks ago and we still had snow on the ground.  As I was working outside last night, something went flying by that sounded like a humming bird.  Then another one, and another one.  The flying ants have arrived.  They always seem to pick their target, and fly right into you.  They are about the size of a humming bird to.  A wise neighbor of ours, informed us that when the flying ants
are out it is time to plant your potatoes.  I don't know about you, but the last pile of snow didn't disappear on my garden until last week.  Go figure.  Dixie

Listen!!! I hear the frogs!!!

I am so excited to announce that spring is officially here.  Yahoo!!  The geese and cranes are flying north, the pussy willows are out, and the frogs are talking once more.  It was a friend of ours, that told us that when you hear a frog in the spring, it is a sign that the frost has come out of the ground.  I even seen a mosquito last night, need I mention it was the size of a small bird?  Ouch!!  My wish for you friends, is that you take a moment to enjoy the beauty that comes with another spring.  Dixie

Epic re-love

A wonderful customer brought this table to me with some creative ideas including painting the entire table with chalk paint.  Her husband was not entirely convinced and really wanted to preserve the gorgeous wood grain.  With some research, brainstorming and inspiration - I found the best of both!  The laminated wood legs are painted in Van Gough chalk paints "mascara" black and "halo" white.  Lightly distressed and sealed with dark wax.  The table top is going to fit so well in their country/western home.  The vintage cowgirl is a subtle feature on the gorgeous wood grain.

A-mazing!

-Robin

 
 

Take a seat

Barstools re -done!  This is an Ikea -hack!  Painted with Van Gogh "revenge" black with "bole" red detail.

30.5" high and seat is 15" square.

$125 for the set

 

Cowgirl up

New life was breathed into this dated end table.....in the form of some old-fashioned cowgirl kick!

Turquoise and a hand painted cowgirl- yee haw!

SOLD

 

 

 

SOLD TO BUYER NUMBER ___!!!!!

Spring is finally here!!!  And with spring comes farm auctions.  I am so excited, I am going to my first farm auction for this year, this Friday.  Last year's farm auctions were a huge success for my picking.  Not to mention, for my love of homemade pumpkin pie.  Auctions and pie go hand in hand, right? 

My love for farm auctions started as a child, when I spent a lot of time with my dad at farm auctions.  Farm auctions are a great place to renew friendships and visit with members of the community.  It can be a sad or melancholy time that marks the end of and era, dream or life. 

Did you know the word "auction" is derived from the Latin and means "I increase" or "I augment".
For most of history, auctions have been a relatively uncommon way to negotiate the exchange of goods and commodities, and before the seventeenth century the few auctions that were held were sporadic and infrequent. 

My day at the auction usually begins when I receive my bidding number.  Then I go and seek out the hidden treasures, sometimes hiding under a pile of dust, or in a box with other junk.  (Did I mention yet that my pulse has increased by this time?)  I usually run into a couple of neighbors that I haven't seen all winter, and catch up.  I always chuckle watching the auctioneer, and his helpers collecting bids.  I get so excited when I start bidding, hoping the other bidder will drop out.  Now all this usually builds a hunger in the pit of my stomach, only a piece of pumpkin pie can fill.  I also have to mention the looks that I get from my husband, as I buy my treasures.  By the end of the day, I have a truck load of treasures, a smile on my face, a stomach full of pie, and yes a very patient husband.  To me this is living!!!!  

New buffet

I have been looking for a buffet for our dinning room for about a year now and I finally found the perfect one! Yippee!! 

I painted it with Van Gogh chalk paint bole and patina, then I covered it with our amazing cabinet glaze (dark brown glaze) and clear waxed the bottom half but I used our table top finish on the top so that it it tough as nails. I am soooo happy with how it turned out! If you would love to learn how to do this check out our workshops tab. The next classes are scheduled for may 4 & 25:)

Happy painting,

Annie

 

Happy Earth Day!!

Here is my Earth Day project...

This was an old dresser in need of some TLC but it has great character and I added some embossing to the drawers, I LOVE the color! For sale $250 or if you'd like to learn how to do this check out my chalk paint workshops. Happy Earth day

 

Trunk with history

I recently had a very very neat experience. I was really wanting to find an antique singer sewing machine, you know the ones built into the table with the foot peddle, for my own house. My dad had one when I was growing up that he used to sew tents and leather and it was more of a sentimental piece. So I found one on kijiji and had been emailing back and forth with the woman when we realised that they live about 2 miles from us! Perfect, no hour long drive to the city!

When we arrived at their house we noticed that they were also my moms neighbours and this is what started our conversation. We talked about how they share a couple moose that travel between her pasture and neighbours that we know.... We talked about the history of the land where they were and about the family that they bought their land from were the same that my mom & dad had.

Once we agreed on a price for the sewing machine I was fishing around to see if he had anything else to sell when he walked over to a back shelf and said "come over here, you might like this and appreciate its history" and he proceeded to pull out a BIG old metal trunk. He opened it up and WOW! The trunk had belonged to the family that my mom & dad bought the land from who homesteaded there. I remember going with my dad to visit these older bachelor brothers for Sunday tea & cookies, so it was neat to know that this trunk had belonged to them.

I fell in love with the trunk immediately but it was what was inside that was AMAZING! This trunk had come over from England with them when they homesteaded here! There is a record book inside that dates back to 1914! There were old glasses, papers about their cattle brand, dishes and even an old photograph! I was almost in tears this was soooo cool and had so much meaning for my family. This was not just an old trunk filled with stuff, it was bursting with history about the family who lived right where we do now and is so precious to me and he insisted I take it.

All I can say is WOW, sometimes there are no accidents and I think that I was meant to find this trunk and who would have thought that an add on kijiji for and old sewing machine would do that?!

Start the car!!!

So it started out as me picking up a dresser and ended up with me coming home with the van FULL of furniture, there were just too many deals to pass up! Good thing the back seats were already out! Everything was solid wood and they were just trying to get rid of the furniture before they moved . The whole time all I kept thinking about was that old Ikea commercial where the wife thinks her bill was too cheap and runs out of the store yelling to her husband "start the car" to make her escape before the store changed their minds HAHAHAHA

the view of the back of van from my rear view mirror!

 

 

So this should keep me busy for awhile!

Cozy home for your furry friend

Creative repurpose!  

It started with an awesome day of picking...

This was an end table that a lot of us don't want to admit we have in the garage or basement.  With a little creativity and elbow grease and of course an elegant French graphic....voila!  

Comes with the new matching pet bed - 20" high, 21" wide, 26.5" deep.

$50

 

 

 

Little table at the font door

Dress up your entry way - with this simple table.

28" high, 26" wide

$40

 

 

table spa day!

Gorgeous custom project!  Table transformation coming soon!

 

Gorgeous glimpse of luxury travel

Vintage steamer trunk... Lovingly painted, distressed and sealed.  Ready for another 100 years!

3' long, 17.5' deep, 18.5" high.

 Interior is original and in gorgeous shape! 

$300

,

 

 

Family game night!

A whole new spin on a Family night at home.  Ready for a lively game of Cranium or in our house, a cut-throat game of Scrabble!

52" long, 21" wide, 14" high 

games table.  $125

 
 
 

Our happy place....

Night night....

Cute bed side table.  Painted "revenge" black and "halo" white with a fun pop of turquoise!  $40

SOLD

A little port with your trunk...

 

This was quite a find!  This trunk is mint inside and out!  Painted in a soft blue and sealed with dark wax.  Hand painted vintage Port and French mailing label.  

23.5' wide, 15.5' deep, 12" high.

$75

Family Movie night

I have been searching for what seems like forever for the perfect piece of furniture to use as a TV unit underneath our TV in the family room. I finally found it this week and I couldn't wait to transform it into the beautiful piece I had envisioned for months! Here is the before picture:

The picture isn't great but it is solid pine and a bit scratched up but not too bad, but... I had bigger plans for it!
Here are the after pictures:

I have to say I am sooo happy with how beautifully it turned out, it was well worth the wait! I started out by applying embossing plaster through a stencil (available in our Van Gogh furniture makeup line that I carry) I then painted it in Van Gogh chalk paint-cashmere, distressed it and sealed it with our amazing beeswax clear and dark together to give it a nice antiqued look. I also painted the drawers in patina ( my fav color) for a pop of color and I also added new knobs which I LOVE!
If you want to learn how to transform your furniture, check out our workshop info
Annie

https://www.facebook.com/cougarchiccollectables#!/media/set/?set=a.567778623242568.1073741837.527825627237868&type=3

Cochrane trade show .....Mother's Day!

Getting so excited to be with my girls at the CTF!  We have so many amazing items.... Good timing too - right before Mother's Day!  Come for a visit and find something beautiful for yourself, your mom, or any mom you know!!

May 10&11 

Robin

Sneak peek of a gorgeous trunk!!