Pottery Barn Inspired Coffee & End Table Revival

The story of these tables is kind of a funny one. I'm not sure what their original state was. All I know is, once I got them the were fully lacquered and shellacked. Now, I don't want to go about telling you what you should or should not like. I'm just saying the last time I enjoyed lacquer it was the 1980's and I was dying for a full set of black lacquer furniture - which I finally got about 10 years later. A decade too late.

So these days, when I see lacquer, it kind of brings back bad memories. And these tables were no exception.

Add to that some painting pet peeves, like the one pictured above and their previous finish had to go!

I thought about doing something drastically different with their new finish. After all, I wondered if you couldn't see them before AND after - in person - how much of a difference would you really be able to tell?

You wouldn't be able to see yourself in the mirror-like surface of the shellacked tops. Shiny tops aren't so bad. On some things. But I'm really more of a matte kind of gal myself.

And you wouldn't be able to feel that somehow never ending tacky feeling that lacquer can leave behind. 

But this you could see and it's another one of my pet peeves. Granted it's the underside of the table top and you probably wouldn't see it all that often but I wonder, if you bought this table and it was like this, wouldn't you be disappointed that someone didn't take more time, pay more attention to details?

Once all of the shellac was removed you could see the true beauty of the wood underneath. I love it's naturally worn look.

Then I covered the lacquer in La Craie {The Chalk} Furniture Paint in Wrought Iron.

Added a healthy dose of distressing.....

...and some burlap knobs for good measure and, Voila', updated, modern and reminiscent of one of my favorite inspirations - Pottery Barn!

Much better, right?

Jamie Lott

Hometalk - Better than Pinterest?

Hey! Now, listen. I'm not cheating on Pinterest. I'm just like everybody else - I'm still in love. But sometimes it's kind of like falling down the rabbit hole. You're there for one reason and three hours, 3742 pins later you still haven't accomplished it. Know what I mean?

I'm a home decor and diy blogger and I love having a specific place to go for just these things. Where experts, bloggers and everyone else congregate, ask questions and answer them, too! And that place is Hometalk.

I'll never forget the first post I read on Hometalk: 'How to keep ants out of my Hummingbird feeder'. And all I could think was, genius! I've always wondered that! Seriously.

If you don't have a hummingbird feeder, perhaps you have a closet?



Here's my Under $100 IKEA Hack Closet Makeover

Whether you're a gardener, diy-er or you just want to get something done around the house, you'll find something helpful on Hometalk.

Hometalk is the largest home & garden knowledge hub on the web. It's fueled by the firsthand experience & advice of hundreds of thousands of home enthusiasts and professionals. Ask questions, get inspired, research a project or post your own projects.

It's a lot like Pinterest - it's fun, free and easy to get signed up. The difference? You might actually get something done!

Join me now, on Hometalk! Click here to sign up and get started on all of your home and garden DIY dreams: Join Hometalk



Jamie Lott

A Look at My Dream Kitchen

If you follow me on Facebook, you probably already know about my super-duper shiny new fridge. It's the prettiest thing in my kitchen. I love that refrigerator. It lights up like an airport every time I open it with it's sleek blue LED lights. Some times I open it just to look at it. True story.

But it begs the question, what does my dream kitchen look like? I know what my dream refrigerator looks like. But what if I could love my WHOLE kitchen?

Well. It's large. Very large. You know, the size kitchen you can fit your entire extended family in since it's the place every one seems to congregate any way. In fact, it looks a lot like the one above that's filled with Electrolux appliances.

And it has to have two ovens. If they are double wall ovens like these from Electrolux's Suite Design, then even better.

Naturally there's a farmtable, like this one, in there, too.

A butcher block island with a beverage center. Oh! And one of those ice makers that produces crystal clear ice cubes. How pretty would that be!

My dream kitchen is industrial farmhouse chic. Is that even a thing?

It would be great, too, if all of my appliances were as pretty as my refrigerator. Beautiful appliances that complement one another and that fit into the kitchen like they were built for it - like a counter-depth refrigerator!

And as much as I love beauty, what good is it without functionality?

I'm not a chef or anything but I do love to cook and it's great to know that Electrolux offers a suite of matching appliances that are stylish and sleek but most important are ingeniously designed to enable professional results.

That and the fact that the Electrolux dishwasher can hold up to 180 items in a single load, well that's a dream in itself!

*Find more beautiful and functional appliances on Electrolux's Facebook page.

Jamie Lott


I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

DIY Farmtable ~ West Elm Style

I have a love affair with Farm Tables. The more two-tone the better. Though, I do find myself loving the weathered allover look more and more these days. The first farm table we ever built we built for ourselves. Which in my business, doing something for yourself, almost never happens.

You can see our farmhouse style table here. Though you won't be seeing a finished picture of it. That's because it didn't turn out a perfectly. Not like the one above. The one we're GIVING away to charity. And as excited as I am, I'm also sad to see it go....

The new one started out just the same as ours. Wood, glue. Lots of cutting and screws.

We built it with the same hands. It's just as substantial. It seats 10, just like mine. So what's the difference between mine and the amazing table above - besides that fact that my precious little ones' finger prints are underneath?

THIS. It's as simple as that.

There was no Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint when my table was growing up. So it got latex instead. Latex. That covered it's gorgeous wood grain completely, instead of blanketing it in velvety smooth all natural perfection.

Milk Paint.

Where I get my beloved two-toned look without sacrificing the beautiful wood grain underneath and the ability to apply an all natural food grade hemp oil to seal the top. Sigh.....

Yes. That's the difference in my table and this one. And what a difference it is!

Can you believe by this time next Wednesday someone will call this beauty theirs?! And have the satisfaction of knowing they've benefitted a great cause, The Statesboro Food Bank. AND that their brand new table is covered in and sealed with all natural products - Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint.

Needless to say, MY table will be getting a makeover!

Of course that stain is still just a stain and it will be until someone, somewhere can make a comparable product that doesn't given me a migraine when using it. But then beauty can always be painless. More on that another time!

*Raffle tickets for this table are available in-store and online until 6 pm on Mon, May 13th at:

Nostalgia

25 N Main St

Statesboro, GA 30458

www.NostalgiaBoro.com

Tickets are $5 and proceeds benefit the Statesboro Food Bank

Information on the products used to finish this table and how to purchase can be found in the Milk Paint section of my blog.
Plans for this table adapted from the Ana-white.com Farmhouse Table



Jamie Lott

Miss Mustard Seed Yellow Dresser A Dresser Revival

I love coming across a dresser with this many drawers! They aren't easy to find but make a glorious makeover when you do. This one has great bones, if a little outdated. All she needed was a nice coat of sunny yellow paint - in Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Yellow and some updated hardware.

I like to reuse the hardware when I can, at the very least I save old hardware to be used on another project, but sometimes it's the hardware that dates the piece the most. Then there's the dealing with ghost the old hardware leaves behind...

And drilling new holes is never the most fun part. 
{See, the old hardware doesn't look so bad all their own. They'll be great on a future piece.}

Deciding on paint color and hardware is the hardest part because, to me, it's what makes the most difference.

Here she is all brightened up with a new coat of sunny yellow paint and updated hardware.

And it makes all the difference in the world! Don't get me wrong, sometimes a nice wood piece is great here and there...

But then you can't add a nice pop of turquoise without this beautiful yellow, now can you!

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint hard at work chipping in just the right place for an authentic look.
{Milk Paint does NOT continue to chip once properly sealed.}

Isn't that delicious?!

And see, the little extra work goes a long way. After all, sometimes, it's all in the details!

Jamie Lott

For more information on Milk Paint, please click the Milk Paint link just under my header above.

This piece is currently available for sale at:
Nostalgia
25 N Main St
Statesboro, GA
912-225-3737
www.NostalgiaBoro.com
*please call the store for pricing or measurements

The Opening of Nostalgia A Store Revival

Most times a decision to open your own business is a lengthy one. Debbie {Refresh Restyle} and I had two weeks.

Two weeks to turn this into something....pretty.

We had our work cut out for us. Our first day with keys in hand, Debbie took a shoulder to this wall and down it came. {I wish you could've been there to see that! It was an amazing sight!} And that's pretty much how the rest of this revival went. It was hard, hard work.

Say hello to what would become our 22ft chalkboard wall. 13 years ago this was a Subway. That wall has been here ever since. Even in the Formal wear shop that was here just before us.

This little half wall - also a leftover from Subway - we affectionately dubbed our Minecraft Wall. And believe me, there were many, many time when we wished it had been a game of Minecraft! 

 This was our "surgery wall". So named because it looked like an unlicensed physician had performed surgery on it. It also blocked access to our bathrooms. It had to go.

We had so much help completing this project - husbands and children included!

Don't forget those before and after pics, Mom!

Just in front of our soon to be chalkboard wall we had to pull up a ton of not-so-lovely forest green carpet. Only to find that there was a ton of glue and VCT tile stuck to the sub flooring which we had hoped to stain.

When we realized staining over all that glue wouldn't be an option we installed some plywood panels. Stained and gussied up, they look like a great old floor. We did the same in the display windows upfront after removing the green indoor outdoor carpet.

Just when things started to get really hard....I got a cold, the whole family came down with the stomach bug one. at. a. time. and we were working night and day, I'd get little reminders to keep on going. So many friends, old and new, came by to cheer us on. They told us we would be blessed and that they just knew our business would thrive. So we kept pushing on and in just 2 weeks.....

Our name was on the door. It was official. We were Nostalgia!

Anyone who walked in couldn't believe it was the same place. That included us.
{See the Before and After of our checkout counter on Debbie's Refresh Restyle blog}

No more Subway wall. A giant (22ft to be exact!) chalkboard wall in it's place. Much better, no?

No more Minecraft wall. Yes. Believe it or not, that is the same wall. Just covered in pretty.

Our Workshop and Classroom and phase II of our store. Can't wait to share the 2nd phase with you!

Easily the most beautiful thing about our store is all of the support we've received from old friends, new friends and even strangers. You've given us strength and courage. And for that, we are eternally grateful!

If you haven't had a chance to stop by and see us we hope you'll do so soon. We are Statesboro's (and many other surrounding counties) home of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, La Craie's {The Chalk} Furniture Paint and host of professional painting and furniture classes/workshops.

We'll leave the light on for ya!

Jamie Lott

A great big giant thank you to all of our friends (old and new) and family for your support. To Jeannie for giving us courage, to Maria (Madame Couture's Consignment Boutique) for being our angel and to our husbands (and children!) for being all out machines and getting this job done in just two weeks. We couldn't have done it without either of you!

The Store in 1923

John Everett Grocery Store

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