Allison @ The Golden Sycamore, Author at The Golden Sycamore

Lucketts Spring Market – Part 1

May 21, 2013 By Allison @ The Golden Sycamore 3 Comments

I got home last night from my whirlwind trip to the Lucketts Spring Market in Leesburg, VA last night. If you’re new here, you can see my pre-trip posts here and here.

As soon as the plane touched down, I had to hold myself back from running through the airport because I was so excited to see my babies again! I had such a great time, but I missed them SO MUCH!!

First of all, I HAVE to say thank you to Hometalk for sending me on this trip! I could say thank you every day for the next year and it wouldn’t be enough! This was such a huge gift! The experiences I had this weekend were so special! The people I met, the conversations I had, the fabulous vintage market I got to experience, the beautiful hotel I stayed in, it all added up to a simply amazing weekend!

. . .

So, the first night I was there, I got to meet these fabulous ladies (via Instagram)!!

The Golden Sycamore: Lucketts Spring Market

(me, Karen aka The Graphics Fairy, Miriam from Hometalk, and Donna from Funky Junk Interiors)

Each of these ladies is amazing in their own individual way! It was an honor to get to meet and spend time with them all!

. . .

I got to spend time at the market each day I was out there. To say I loved it would be an understatement! The market is like no other vintage or antique market I’ve ever been to. The feel was very cohesive and yet so unique! I didn’t see one vendor that didn’t have SOMETHING I wanted to buy! Too bad I only had my tiny suitcase with me!

The weather was a bit rainy off and on when I was there, but it didn’t seem to deter the shoppers any! And with good reason…there was so much to see (and buy!), you couldn’t waste a second!

Here are some things that I thought were beautiful. I hope you enjoy!

The Golden Sycamore: Lucketts Spring Market

I’ll be sharing a few more pictures of the market and some shots of my purchases in my next post, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you! Stay tuned for that post later this week! :)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: flea market, instagram, personal, photography

Hand Painted Ladder Back Chair

May 16, 2013 By Allison @ The Golden Sycamore 20 Comments

Did you hear I’m going to the Lucketts Market this weekend?! I leave tomorrow and am SO EXCITED!! I get to go shopping at one of the coolest antique markets in the country AND meet some amazing bloggers! I can’t wait for this fabulous weekend to begin! It’s going to be so fun! I’ll definitely be sharing photos along the way, so be sure to follow me on Instagram to keep up with what I’m up to!

In the meantime, I wanted to share this cute ladder back chair with you.

The Golden Sycamore: Painted Ladder Back Chair

I got this chair from my soon-to-be-sister-in-law last summer. She’s my honorary “picker” and loves to find cute pieces for me! Her finds have been some of my favorite projects I’ve worked on and this one is no different.

The stain color on this chair was super outdated and the upholstery was just plain ugly, but it had potential.

When I finally decided it was time for a makeover I thought I’d try a little something new. I picked up a can of Maison Blanche chalk paint in Bayou Blue from Painted Farmgirl and Friends in Hudsonville, MI and got to work. I know what you’re thinking…”WHAT?! She didn’t use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint??” Yep, you heard me right, I tried a new chalk paint! The world has officially stopped! ;)

I had a friend suggest this paint recently and thought I’d try it out even though I’ve always loved ASCP. At first I was nervous to try a new paint, but I actually really loved it. Plus the wax is SO easy to apply!

Oh, and it’s super easy to distress!

I really loved working with the paint and the wax, but don’t worry I’m not giving up on ASCP! There’s definitely a place for both of them in my heart! Plus, this just opens up a ton of new color possibilities for me, too!

And this fabric is one of my new faves! It’s so pretty and versatile. It really goes with so many paint colors.

You know how I told you I got my paint from Painted Farmgirl and Friends? Well, when I was there, I got to talking with the owner, Jana, and after some discussion with my hubby, I decided to rent a booth there! The store is just over 2 hours away from our home, but it’s so cute and it really is the exact place I was looking for to sell my furniture. It was such an answer to prayer!

There are all different vendors there and each one is unique. It just seems like the perfect place for my furniture and I’m really excited to have found it!

The Golden Sycamore booth @ The Painted Farmgirl

Plus Jana, the owner, is so nice and helpful, it just makes the experience that much better! I’m so excited to have my pieces there!

Here’s another shot of the booth. I just got done with the duncan phyfe table and chairs and haven’t even had a chance to blog about them. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to share more pictures with you, but until then, here’s a quick preview.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to be there for the grand opening this Saturday (May 18), but If you’re ever in the Hudsonville area be sure to check out Painted Farmgirl and Friends and stop by my booth!

Have a great weekend friends!

*Sharing this project at Savvy Southern Style, Home Stories A to Z, and Funky Junk Interiors along with many other favorite blogs you can check out on my “Where I Party” page.

Filed Under: before and after, for sale, furniture projects, Maison Blanche chalk paint, painting, Uncategorized Tagged With: Bayou Blue, no sew fabric project

I’m Going to Lucketts Market!!

May 14, 2013 By Allison @ The Golden Sycamore 31 Comments

Holy crappers!! I won the trip from Hometalk to go to the Lucketts Market this coming weekend! I just found out about a half hour ago and am still totally freaking out! Like shaking and nauseous freaking out!! LOL!! I just cannot believe I won this amazing trip! Ahhh!!

I am not only freaking out because I’m excited, but I gotta say, I’m so nervous, too!! I actually almost didn’t enter the giveaway contest! Why, you might ask?!

Well, I have suffered on and off from anxiety in the past and was just getting better after having my second daughter. I don’t want it to flare up again. Having to fly to a place I’ve never been before and meet a ton of people I’ve never met has the potential to lead to LOTS of anxiety.

For another thing, I don’t look like I want to. Yup! I know it might sound trivial and even vain, but I JUST had a baby and my body looks NOTHING like I want it to. I have started working out and eating better (and am finally not wearing maternity pants anymore!), but I’m not even close to my goal yet. I wasn’t sure I wanted to put myself out there and let all these famous bloggers see me the way I really am, ya know?

I also don’t feel like I “deserve” to go. I haven’t even been blogging and painting furniture for a full year. I feel like a “baby blogger” as my friends and I call it! I don’t know as much about design and antiques and painting and all that as I’d like to. What if someone asks me something design related and I have no good answer for them and look like a total fool? Also, I feel like I know almost nothing about blogging and I’m going to meet all these amazing, established bloggers. Kinda scary!

But ya know what? I decided to be faithful and trust God anyway! I have been putting my furniture painting business and blogging in God’s hands as much as I possibly can lately. I feel like this is where God wants me and that He just wants me to trust that He has it all figured out for me if I’m just willing to be faithful and follow His path for me. It is HARD and I get so scared, but I’m noticing a change for the better. I’m getting much more confident (even though my rant above doesn’t really show that! ) and learning so much!

{source}

And who REALLY cares if I’m not in perfect shape? Ummm, probably no one! Haha! Most of us feel that way anyway and are too busy feeling self conscious to really care what anyone else looks like, right?!

I feel like God is blessing me as I trust Him more and follow His lead. And winning this contest just shows me that I’m on the right path and that God will provide for me as long as I LET Him…as hard as that is sometimes!

faithful

{source unknown}

With that…I want to say a huge thank you to Hometalk for sponsoring my trip AND another huge thank you to all those who helped me even qualify for the trip by following me on Hometalk! I hope I don’t disappoint you! :)

I’ll be back soon with updates from my trip! I can’t wait to meet everyone and just have fun! :D

allison signature

Filed Under: about me, Uncategorized Tagged With: personal

Guest Post Recap

May 12, 2013 By Allison @ The Golden Sycamore Leave a Comment

Well, I’m officially back to blogging this week after having some time off to snuggle with my precious baby girl and get used to having a family of four! Before I jump back into it fully, I wanted to give a HUGE shout out to all my bloggy friends who helped me out over the last several weeks! I knew I wanted to take a little break after having the baby, but I didn’t want to leave my readers hanging, so I had these amazingly talented women share some of their favorite projects with you!

If you missed any of these fabulous posts, be sure to check them out below.

Flea Market Wood Crate Bookcase from Sarah @ Lacquer and Linen

Crate-Shelving-Unit1

Updated Antique Vanities from Claire @ The Rustic Pig

smdesk7

DIY BATH Letters from Jenn @ My Fabuless Life

diy gold letters 2

Dresser Rehab from Fotini @ Glamorous, Affordable Life

The Power of Paint from Kelly @ The Lily Pad Cottage

DIY Painted Bread Box from Chelsea @ Making Home Base

DIY Trunk Coffee Table from Jessica @ Dear Emmeline

I’m so thankful these ladies were willing to take time out of their busy schedules to help me out these past weeks! It really means the world to me. Be sure to show them some love and check out their blogs when you get a chance!

Filed Under: guest post, Uncategorized

DIY Etched Glass Candy Jar

May 10, 2013 By Allison @ The Golden Sycamore 3 Comments

Can you believe it’s the middle of May already?! Mother’s Day is just two days away!

I made a Mother’s Day craft a couple weeks ago, but I had some extra supplies on hand and wanted to share another easy craft you could quickly whip up for Mom.

My mom LOVES candy! Like, to the point that we would call her the “Candy Queen” when we were growing up! :) So I thought I’d make her a cute candy jar she can keep all her treats in.

Here’s how I made it.

Supplies:

Glass jar

Martha Stewart Crafts™ 5.96oz Glass Etching Cream with Brush

Martha Stewart Crafts™ Glass Adhesive Stencils-Classic Serif Alphabet

Painters tape

How to:

1. Stick letters to jar

The Golden Sycamore: Etched Glass Candy Jar

2. Apply etching cream in one thick, even layer and let set for 15 min

3. Rinse off etching cream and dry glass off

4. Apply painters tape around glass jar

5. Repeat steps 2 & 3

The Golden Sycamore: Etched Glass Candy Jar

6. Fill with candy! :)

The Golden Sycamore: Etched Glass Candy Jar

This was my first time using etching cream and it was so easy! Now it’s got me thinking about what else I have around the house that I could etch! :)

I hope you enjoy your Mother’s Day! And if you’re a mom, I want to wish you an extra special day! I hope you get to relax and enjoy some time with your children!

*Sharing this project at Savvy Southern Style, Home Stories A to Z, and Funky Junk Interiors along with many other favorite blogs you can check out on my “Where I Party” page.

Filed Under: diy craft, tutorial, Uncategorized Tagged With: handmade, stencil

Have you Heard of Hometalk? Help me Win a Trip to Lucketts Market!!

May 8, 2013 By Allison @ The Golden Sycamore 5 Comments

So, want to know what I’m loving lately? Hometalk! I’ve been a member for a few months now and I really love all the features of it…and I think you will, too!

You can follow me {here}.

This is what my profile looks like. Just click on the picture and it will take you to my profile page where you can easily follow me.

Here’s how you can follow me:

Click on the picture above.
Once you’re on the Hometalk website click on the red “join now” button.
Sign up using your facebook, twitter, or email account.
Once you’ve signed up, find my profile (The Golden Sycamore) and click that red “follow” button!

Still not sure what Hometalk is? Hometalk is “the knowledge hub for home and gardening”. It’s a site where you can ask for help or advice about your home or garden, follow your favorite home and garden topics, search through posts or photos to gather ideas, and even find local professionals to help you with your home and garden needs.

The members on Hometalk range from home owners to bloggers to professionals. If you have a home or garden question, you’re bound to find an answer on Hometalk.

Don’t know what you’re looking for, but just need some inspiration? You can also browse through hundreds of thousands of beautiful photos and inspiring ideas posted by members. Clip them to one of your boards so you can find them later.

You know by now I love upcycling and repurposing furniture, right?! Well, I recently got to curate a junk to treasure furniture board for Hometalk. Honestly, there are so many great projects on Hometalk, it was hard to choose just 16!

Click on the picture to see the full projects.

I plan on creating more boards soon for inspiration for my home and for my landscaping and outdoor projects, so be sure to follow me to keep up on my latest clips!

Do you have a project you’re really proud of that you’d like to share? You can also post your own pictures. They will be visible to and appreciated by the entire Hometalk community. Hey, maybe YOUR picture will get clipped!!

Here are a few projects I’ve shared so far on Hometalk.

I hope you’ll head on over to Hometalk and sign up and follow me! It’s really a fun community to be a part of. It’s just full of so many ideas and helpful information. If you don’t already know what you’re looking for, you’re sure to find plenty of inspiration!

**By the way…if you follow me on Hometalk this week I get entered into a contest to win a trip to Lucketts Market next weekend!! I need a few more followers to qualify! Can you PLEASE help me out? I SO want to go!!

Once you follow me on Hometalk, come back here and leave your profile url in the comments and I’ll follow you back! :)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Guest Post: Dear Emmeline – DIY Trunk Coffee Table

May 6, 2013 By Allison @ The Golden Sycamore 5 Comments

Today’s guest post is from Jessica at Dear Emmeline. Jessica is the final guest blogger helping me out during my “maternity leave” and then I’ll be back at blogging full time. I just want to take a minute to say thank you to all the bloggers who helped keep my blog up and running while I took a little break to spend time with Quinn! I couldn’t have kept it all up without them!

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Hello everyone! Before we get started I want to congratulate Allison on the birth of baby Quinn and thank her for inviting me to share with you all today while she gets in some extra snuggle time with her precious little girls. Little girls are simply a precious gift!

Of course little boys are too! I have one of both.

If I’ve never met you before, I’m Jessica. My little corner of the web is called Dear Emmeline where I love to share furniture and home decor projects, DIY’s, crafts, and the occasional recipe, printable, or party. Pretty much a hodge podge of the creative endeavors that keep my hands busy and my mind going!

Today I want to share with you a simple way to update an old trunk.

If you can believe it this trunk used to look quite a bit greener.

After refinishing an antique sofa and moving it to our living room our existing coffee table just wasn’t working anymore. We found this trunk for $12.50 at a local vintage store and I decided I wanted to change it up and use it instead.

Here’s what we used:

trunk
1 can spray primer
2 cans spray paint
sunbleached wood stain
4- 5.5″ table legs
4 washers
4 nuts
drill

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Paint trunk. We used an all surface primer/sealer/stain blocker before painting to ensure that no leftover ickiness came through the white paint. Next, we used an indoor/outdoor white spray paint hoping that it will be durable enough to stand up to the abuse of our two kiddos and their toys! If using a light color over a dark trunk you’ll probably need at least 3 coats of paint.

2. Stain table legs. With this specific stain I painted it on, let it sit for a minute and then wiped off any excess. I used two pieces of scrap wood to rest the legs on while they dried. You can’t tell but the bolts attached to the legs hung perfectly between the boards.

3. Once everything is dry flip over your trunk and drill holes in each corner. Your drill bit size will depend on the size of the bolts attached to each leg. Make sure to allow enough room that the legs will sit flat once attached. If your trunk has metal plates on the corners (like ours) you will need to make sure the legs won’t hit them when attached.

4. Attach table legs through each corner of the trunk. Our bolts were not quite long enough so my husband used a pair of pliers to unscrew them enough to fit through the holes, add a washer for support, and tighten down with a nut.

5. Flip your trunk over and it’s ready to enjoy as a pretty new coffee table!

It was lovely visiting with you today! I’d love for you to pay me a visit over at Dear Emmeline sometime.

You can also find me here:

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Wow! Not THAT is a cool coffee table! Thanks so much for sharing your amazing project with us, Jessica!

Filed Under: guest post, Uncategorized

Guest Post: Making Home Base – DIY Painted Bread Box

May 2, 2013 By Allison @ The Golden Sycamore 2 Comments

I hope you’re all having a great week! The weather is finally nice here and we’ve been doing our best to enjoy some family time outside! I have a couple more guest bloggers stopping by the blog before I totally get back to blogging in a couple weeks.

I’m so excited to share my friend Chelsea with you today! She is such a sweet person and is super talented at all sorts of crafts! Today she’s sharing a fun little transformation in the kitchen! Take it away Chelsea! :)

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Hi there! I’m Chelsea from Making Home Base.

Making Home Base is where I share my crafts, DIY projects, and dessert recipes.

I am so excited to be sharing my latest project with you guys while Allison is enjoying every moment of her sweet new baby girl!

I’ve been stalking my local thrift shops lately and ~~hoarding~~ collecting things big and small to paint. In the past I’ve always left the painting job to my husband, but recently I’ve started picking up the brush myself. Today I want to share one of the projects I just completed, my painted bread box.

This filthy old bread box was so sad looking one day at the thrift shop. It was half off that day so for $2.00 I figured why not. It sat around the garage for a long while (do you do that too?) before I finally cleaned it up and got it ready to paint.

I used Cece Caldwell chalk paint for this project. Like ASCP, no sanding is required. It only took two coats to cover the piece.

For the “bread” lettering, I used my Silhouette Cameo to create a stencil then with a small brush I lightly painted the letters in grey.

To get the distressed look with Cece Caldwell paint, you don’t need sand paper. All you need is a damp cloth and the paint just rubs right off. I love how nicely the paint comes off.

To seal it I finished it up with Cece Caldwell’s clear wax.

I laid down a strip of burlap on the inside to use as a liner to finish the look.

I love how it turned out! I’m using it to store my morning must haves (ehmm coffee!).

painted bread box

And one last look… not bad for a two dollar thrift store grab, huh?

I would love for you to come by my blog and say hi! You can also find me on Facebook, and Pinterest.

It was so fun visiting your blog today, Allison! Smooch that baby girl for me, she is just a doll!

…

What a fun project! Are you inspired to go check out your local thrift store for something to transform? I know I am! :)

Filed Under: guest post

Repurposed Dresser into Tool Chest

April 30, 2013 By Allison @ The Golden Sycamore 25 Comments

I’m so excited to share our repurposed dresser with you today! It just so happens to now be our “new” tool chest!

The Golden Sycamore: Repurposed Dresser into Tool Chest

My hubby recently came to me asking for a new tool chest. This is what he was working with at the time. The table was free from my dad and had served its purpose for several years, but since my husband has been purchasing more tools over the past year, we were running out of a place to store them all.

The Golden Sycamore: Repurposed Dresser into Tool Chest

So, he came to me with this chest in mind. Only problem…it’s $400!! Yikes!

{source}

I had no desire to spend that much money on a storage unit for all the tools we had just bought, so I asked him to wait a little bit to see if we could figure out a less expensive solution.

Enter this old dresser I got from a friend last fall.

The Golden Sycamore : Dresser Turned Tool Chest

One of her neighbors was moving out and didn’t need the furniture anymore so she asked if I was interested in it. Ummmm, YES!! I LOVE free furniture! And with a little creativity, it could be the perfect tool chest!

The dresser had been sitting in our basement while I tried to find some inspiration for it. Some pieces just “speak” to me right away and some need a little more time. I’m so glad I let this one sit for awhile because it ended up working out perfectly as our new tool chest.

To convert it into a tool chest, we left the top drawers in the dresser and took all the rest out. Then we took out all the dividers to open up the space and make room for doors. We wanted more room for bigger tools on the inside of the chest and knew using it as a cabinet with doors would work much better for the tools we wanted to store in it.

My hubby made new doors out of 3/4 inch plywood and attached them to the dresser. Once all the building was done, I painted the body of the piece with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite and covered it with a coat of polyurethane. We sanded the top and applied mineral oil to it and we were done!

Here’s the inside with all our tools in it.

You might have noticed, there are some fingerprints, dust, and dirt on it already. It gets a lot of use since we’re constantly working on projects. For the price we paid for the dresser and supplies, I’m okay with it getting a little banged up! It is a tool chest, after all! :)

The top drawers work perfectly for the smaller tools and supplies.

I’m so glad we were able to use our creativity to help us save a lot of cash! And now we have a one-of-a-kind piece to house all our fun tools! ;)

Have you ever repurposed a piece into something that worked better for you? If so, I’d love to hear what you’ve done!

*Sharing this project at Savvy Southern Style, Home Stories A to Z, and Funky Junk Interiors along with many other favorite blogs you can check out on my “Where I Party” page.

Filed Under: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, before and after, furniture projects, our home, painting, Uncategorized Tagged With: basement, Graphite

DIY Stenciled Magnetic Frame

April 25, 2013 By Allison @ The Golden Sycamore 25 Comments

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d break out the Martha Stewart crafts and put together a little project for a gift fit for any mom! This DIY stenciled magnetic frame was easy to make and will make your mom’s day a little brighter. And extra points if you add a couple cute pics of your kids! ;)

What you’ll need:

Scrap piece of wood cut to desired size

Ivory paint and paint brush

Martha Stewart Crafts™ Adhesive Silkscreens-Floral Paisley

Martha Stewart Crafts™ Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Paint in Habanero and Chestnut Brown

Martha Stewart Crafts™ Foam Pouncers Set

Open frame

Sheet metal and tin snips

Construction adhesive

Nail gun or nails and hammer

The Golden Sycamore: DIY Stenciled Magnetic Frame

Steps:

1. Paint wood board and open frame with ivory paint.

2. Cut out desired silkscreen and place on board.

3. Mix Habanero and Chestnut Brown paint. Blot paint onto silkscreen using Martha Stewart Pouncer.

The Golden Sycamore: DIY Stenciled Magnetic Frame 4. Lift silkscreen, reposition, and blot again. Repeat for desired pattern.

5. Cut sheet metal with tin snips to fit in your open frame. Apply construction adhesive to board and press sheet metal attach to board.

6. Using a nail gun or nails and hammer, attach open frame to board.

Once you’re done, attach some cute photos with magnets and enjoy…er, I mean, give to your mom for Mother’s Day! ;)

I hope this inspires you to get your craft on this Mother’s Day!

To find out more about these products, follow Plaid Crafts on their blog, facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

*Sharing this project at Savvy Southern Style, Home Stories A to Z, and Funky Junk Interiors along with many other favorite blogs you can check out on my “Where I Party” page.

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a sponsored campaign with Plaid and The Blueprint Social. All opinions and love of Martha Stewart Crafts are my own.

Filed Under: diy craft, painting, tutorial Tagged With: stencil

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