Painted Therapy: April 2013

Meet Adelaide, the desk.

She was a little on the drab side before we met.

But this little lady has deep ties to France.

Born in the United States, she has many first cousins heralding from the sweet town of Evreux, north west of Paris. Although never visited, she is saving her pennies to visit one day.

She loves all things French: eating croissants at the local cafe, proudly draping a Chanel bag over her shoulder, sharing bordeaux wine with friends, watching every movie starring Gerard Depardieu (before his escape to Russia, of course), and often enjoying a read from her vast collection of Victor Hugo novels.

This lovely came to me from a family member who thought I could brighten her up. Adding my own recipe of chalk paint, I added detail to make it look like a vintage grain sack. She is coated in polyacrylic to seal it all in.

Dimesions are 43 1/2" wide, 17 1/2" deep, 29 1/2" tall.

If you would like to add some worldly charm to your home, you can find her at Robin's Egg in Milford, NH.

Have a fabulous day,

Debbie

Sharing with:
Serenity You
Too Much Time On My Hands
Finding Silver Pennies
Heatherly Loves
Boogieboard Cottage
Coastal Charm
A Stroll Thru Life
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Knick of Time
French Country Cottage
Common Ground
The Charm of Home
Craftberry Bush
Redoux

This sweet little dresser came to me from my friend Nicole. She no longer had a use for it and thought I could do something with it. After it came to me, it got buried in my garage, like everything else. Only the other day I unburied it, and was inspired.

You see, my little guy is battling leukemia. But we are tremendously fortunate to live close enough to Boston so Jack can get his treatment at the Jimmy Fund, which is the pediatric unit of Dana Farber Cancer Institute. As with all horrible diseases, money is needed for research to end such diseases. The Jimmy Fund is lucky enough to have the Pan Mass Challenge as it's number one contributor. It is the most successful fundraising event in the country, raising $37 million dollars last year alone. 100% of every rider-raised dollar goes directly to cancer research. Over 5000 cyclists, from around the world, get on their bikes and ride through Massachusetts for a two day event in August. It is inspiring, and humbling, to have such wonderful people support my little guy. And we get in on the action too; Jack is paired with a riding team as their inspiration. His face is actually put on posters along the route to help keep the riders pedaling. Our fabulous team is called the Montie Pythons and we are honored to know them.

Here's a photo of me and Jack with some of the Montie Pythons, after meeting them for the first time at Fenway Park:

Back to the dresser. After some inspiration:

Of course, a little beach cruiser bike wouldn't get you through the 200 mile race without being sore in places you were never sore in, but it seemed to fit this piece. (Give me a hover craft and I still would be sore after a 200 mile ride).

I used Miss Mustard Seed's Tricycle Milk Paint, but I didn't have any of that fabulous chipping going on. So, I distressed it a bit with a palm sander. I then traced the bike on the dresser and hand painted it white. A coat a clear wax was applied and then a little dark wax to give it some depth.

I think it would be adorable in a little boy's room. Perhaps he'll grow up to be so inspired to ride in the Pan Mass Challenge.

If you would like to learn more about the mission of the Pan Mass Challenge, and maybe get involved yourself, check it out here.

If you are so inspired and would like to own this piece, it is now available at Robin's Egg. The measurements are 14 1/2" deep, 26" wide, and 35 1/2" tall.

Thank you to all who do their part in ridding cancer from this earth,

Debbie

Sharing with:

French Country Cottage