Monday, November 25, 2013

Too Many Coincidences This Morning

This morning I'm going through my emails and saw one from Pinterest Weekly "new pin picks".   They were highlighting Sarah Richardson Design ( Designer and TV Personality).  Also this morning I received an email from a client of mine, that was writing about a piece that I worked on for her.  She was thrilled that her  50" TV was now installed on the top of the buffet.

I thought this call for a blog....

 Grandmother's buffet of client

After I had painted it in Annie Sloan Old White

Sarah Richardson's Design Via Pinterest
Sarah's Blog

This just goes to show you that old can be new again....with just a little bit of imagination.  Wishing everyone a happy, thankful Thanksgiving!

Dear Corinne,

Wishing you and Craig a Happy Thanksgiving. Just wanted you to know you are one of the many things for which I am thankful.
Regards,
Dean
Source
Pinterest/Follow my boards
Sarah Richardson Designs/Sarah Richardson
Annie Sloan Paints/Annie Sloan




Monday, November 18, 2013

Living on the shore line

No matter how you say it, we live at the shore or down the shore....we live in a beautiful place....This weekend ...the shore chicy design team decided to venture out of our community and head south to exit 0 on the Garden State Parkway...to Cape May, New Jersey for Breakfast.
This is where we started our venture with a hearty breakfast
Since I buy most of my paints at Magnolia Lane Designs in Point Pleasant New Jersey , I wanted to see where Stehanie Granit, Stockist for CHALK PAINT® decorative paint by Annie Sloan  had her other location which is in West End Garage.

Address: 484 W Perry St, Cape May, NJ 08204
Phone:(609) 770-8261
Hours:
 
Monday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm 

Full Stocked

It was a great shopping experience ...there is a little of everything there....and it was an area of Cape May that I had never seen before..... check out West End Garage's website ...After shopping we headed back on foot through the historical town..


love the Coral Doors





someone was having some fun

Cape May Beach with the fog

Cape May Beach
Our Trip brought us through Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Isle City and Ocean City.  The following shots are as we made out way up the coast before jumping back on the parkway.

Ocean City


Atlantic City in the back drop



 Next trip: Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Long Branch....starts our cool weather adventures...

We ended the day with some red wine and some pistou soup - 



References
Pier House/ Ocean Front Kouzina
Annie Sloan Paints/Stockist























Wednesday, November 6, 2013

To Paint or Bake? Paint!

One thing that I love to do is cook, however I have never been a "baker" because of the precision that goes into baking..... I like to cook, like I paint a little of this and that, and let see what happens...

I volunteer as a manager once a week at a thrift shop "treasure chest" which  benefits a local area hospital.   Most of the ladies that work on Thursdays are in their 80's on even one just turned 90 years old.... I decided I would try to bake something for them as a treat.  I didn't have all of the ingredients, so I decided that I had started it, I might as well go with substitutes and carry on.... Guess what it came out amazing....  So this time I decided to try it again and write down the ingredients so that others may enjoy this tasty treat... If I can do it anyone can.

Here they are before baking I'm calling these "Shore Chicy's Pumpkin Breads"

Shore Chicy Pumpkin Bread by Corinne Kaas

*My substitution because I didn't have enough or didn't have it at all

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of quick cook oatmeal *
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon*
1/2 teaspoon of allspice*
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg*
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of raisins*
1/2 cup of walnut*
1/2 cup of dried banana chips*
1/2 cup of shredded coconut*
1 cup of Libby's easy pumpkin pix mix 30 oz.( had it since last Thanksgiving)
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of  unsweetened applesauce*
2 large eggs
3 table spoons of sunflower* (to sprinkle on tip)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degree F   Grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans... ( I didn't have those so I used individual paper pans)
Bake for 38-42 minutes for loaf pans....individual paper pans will take less time... check on occasion with a tooth pic.

All ready to bring to the ladies tomorrow... They are dense and yummy...some nice cream cheese was suggested


Let me know if you try it and if you enjoyed!!!

Monday, October 28, 2013

How to restore a Trunk that was in Super Storm Sandy


Well, its been a years since SSS hit the Jersey Shore .  All of us that live in the area has their own special story to tell.

My clients home is on the bay-side of Seaside Heights New Jersey which is a barrier island.  Their home was destroyed by the storm.
 One item that she wanted to keep was the steamer trunk that her grandmother came to this country with from Italy.
~after the storm~
the salt water just ate away the bottom and the insides

           ~All of her keepsake items were destroyed that were in the trunk for safe keeping ~


The first thing that we did was to rebuild the entire inside of the trunk

The hardest part was keeping the rust from bleeding through the paint


I used primer, shellac spray, liquid shellac and rust-oleum  to ward off the rust....finally 98% was contained...I camouflaged the little brown spots with Artisan Enhancements By Aloha Coatings
 fine stone.  Which gave it a sandy/gritty look to it.

added the base coat with was a combination of Annie Sloan's Louis Blue,
Old White, Provence and Antibes
The outside was painted in Annie Sloan Old White ~ The hardware was
painted a CeCe Caldwell black with a bronze glaze by Valspar (Metal & Patina Glaze)

The legs were purchased at Loews

The finished product

The trunk will now be used as a Jewelry box ( I purchased these two boxes from Marshall's) added cup hooks for hanging of necklaces and bracelets.  The tray was painted in washable paint which will be used for storing and appling makeup.  The tray lifts out for storage underneath.    We replaced the handles which were purchased at Antique-Hardware which had everything imaginable for restoring a steamer trunk.

This was probably one of the most difficult projects that Shore Chicy by Harmonizing Homes  has tackled - and the most rewarding...It is now back in Seaside Heights in a freshly painted room.  

A collection of trunks at Ellis Island 
#Trunk Restoration,  #Chalk Paint , #Antique Hardware, #furniture out of landfills

Resource

Paint - Annie Sloan Chalk Paint/Annie Sloan 
Paint Supplier/Magnolia Lane Designs
Paint-CeCe CaldWell Paints/CeCe Caldwell
Paint Supplier/Sea&Green point pleasant New Jersey
Hardware/Antique Hardware






















A landfill save makes it debut for a special Halloween Celebration

I was recently contacted to look at a possible table save.....I love these types of opportunities.....Not only was it a great solid piece, but it had two leaves and a interior storage compartment for them....

The goal was to complete for the Toms River Annual Halloween Parade Celebration - If you live in the Ocean County Area, you know that this is a huge event among the residence in the area. 

 Folks line up there chairs days in advance to reserve a spot on Main Street.  Many people that live along the parade route routinely make this time a year to gather for a pre-parade party.   

As I pulled up to the house, to take some pictures, families were carrying all sorts of goodies into the house....




Here was the landfill save...sitting proudly in the dinning room


Halloween Decorations filled the house


Not to mention an amazing collection of violets 
outdoors the tables await the catered event



The process from the natural wood, picking colors to the final product

I'd like to thank Deanna and her family for allowing me the opportunity of saving a great piece of furniture...

Sources

Paint - Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Versailles/Annie Sloan 
Paint Supplier/Magnolia Lane Designs











Wednesday, October 9, 2013

How To Shabby Up ?

I have a client that is moving into a new home at the end of October.  She has a five (5) year old daughter that was currently using a "progressive" furniture set.  The set is very sturdy, however it is not made from natural wood.    My project was to shabby the piece up....hmmmmm

It is hard to tell for the shots, but the dresser is a cotton candy pink


This is the second piece that I am experimenting with CeCe Caldwell Paint(s) ~  I used a vintage white on this piece.  I exposed some of the inter layering as much as possible since it is a composite wood, I didn't want to reveal too much.


I used Annie Sloan Clear & Dark Wax as the finish


I still have to do the drawers and buy the knobs.. but I am hoping they will be thrilled with the new "old" look ...
As I have mentioned I am still experimenting with CeCe Caldwell paints - I choose to use CeCe's paints for this project as it is a GREEN Paint, and this bedroom set is for a Five (5) year old....so its a no brainer for me.
Corinne~Shore Chicy Designs~by Harmonizing Homes
917.699.1262

Website Design by/Simple Business Solutions 
CeCe Caldwell Paints/ CeCe Caldwell
Blog by Shore Chicy Designs/Shore Chicy Designs

I included a fun video on how to distress furniture using CeCe Caldwell Paints - click on link below. 


Sunday, October 6, 2013

The difference between CeCe Caldwell's Paint & Annie Sloan

I recently tried CeCe Caldwells paints on a project that I was working on for a client.    The reasons why a die-hard Annie Sloan user tried CeCe Caldwells paints is because I wanted a true black for the project.  I purchased Becklely Coal.  

  • The very first thing that I noticed was the can - plastic lid vs metal lid.
  • The constancy is totally different - CeCe leaves brush stokes/Annie Sloan less of brush Strokes
  • Both paints brush stokes can be smoothed out using water.
  • Annie Sloan tries quickly - CeCe Caldwell takes about 1-2 hours depending on the humidity 
  • CeCe Caldwell is all natural chalk and clay NO VOC'S (voc are solvents that are released in the air while the paint is trying.




Before application of CeCe Caldwell

After the Application of CeCe Caldwell Paint
I did sand the piece down to the bear wood prior to applying CeCe Caldwell Paint.  The reason being, is this piece was caked with paint, and I knew the look that I wanted would require the removal of paint.  This step is not necessary however.  

Once the paint was applied, I used Annie Sloan's Wax with a triple 000 steal wool to achieve the luster that I wanted.  I applied a sprites of  water to my steal wool to remove the paint in certain areas after I had applied the wax.  The paint immediately became soft in consistency and was easy to manipulate.  I finished off the piece with CeCe Caldwells Satin Finish to protect the finish.  I would highly recommend this process as it seems as water would penetrate the paint fairly easily.  

All and all, my experience was rewarding, and I decided to use it on another commissioned piece.  I will keep you posted if I decided to go 100% over to CeCe Caldwell Paints.

I purchased my supply at Sea & Green in Point Pleasant, New Jersey

Follow this link for a video on the difference between CeCe Caldwell's and Annie Sloan....