From Our Family To Yours

Still taking a bit of a breather from the website, although I am around and checking emails daily. We decided that with the near perfect weather that we are having here in Miami, we would take on the task of painting the outside of the house in our "spare" time! It's been YEARS and although we are constantly updating the inside, not much has been done on the outside.......so fresh paint and new landscaping to come is definitely in order! I will post some photos later on.....and maybe even try out the awesome new telephoto lens that Santa Baby (the CUTE guy in the Santa hat:-) brought me for Christmas this year:-). In any event....our family wishes you much love and peace for the upcoming year!

A Little Break

Taking a little break from blogging and the website posting at Shabbyfufu to spend some time with the family and friends over the next week. I just wanted to wish my on~line friends the warmest of holidays in every way possible, and will see you soon with lots of exciting things to come! Lots of love~ Janet~

Friday Buzzzzz

Is it really Friday again?? For those of you in the cold parts of the country, stay warm, do some nesting and SAFE this weekend~and hopefully you will be doing that last minute gift shopping on~line! I have hardly been out in the stores myself.....it's just so much easier these days to click and have things arrive at the door! While you are doing your on~line shopping....I hope that you have a chance to pop into Shabbyfufu and see the new things that we have listed. Although much of the vintage that was listed yesterday has already been sold, we listed some gorgeous jewels in our Bejeweled Bijoux....mostly all of the pieces are crafted here in the U.S.

This weekend Mr. Shabbyfufu and I plan on working quite a bit in the garden (weather permitting) and sprucing things up around here with new flowering plants for our Florida winter. Like many parts of the country, we have been experiencing a severe drought....so watering is heavily restricted. That may really put a damper (no pun intented:-) on what kind of flowers we can plant........will have to stick to the native stuff that isn't necessarily as pretty as I would like~but less thirsty.

Both of our girly girls are going in on Monday for WISDOM TEETH EXTRACTION~horrors on that one! I will be nursemaid around here for the first part of the week, poor things......that is something I would NOT want to experience again!!! At least they have each~other, and misery loves company.

Have a wonderful weekend........XO~ Janet~

Tis The Season~For Gifting

Tis the season for gifting, and much of my time these last couple of weeks has been devoted to either shopping for, or making gifts.......for family and special friends. I have had a few sweet emails from customers asking why I haven't listed in awhile.........and just to let you know, that's one reason why! I will have some other exciting things to share later on:-). For now though......I want to thank a couple of lovely friends for posting on their own blogs about me this week. That would be the fabulous Tara of Bella Pink, and the wonderful rose painter in Australia, Gail McCormack.....thank you darlin' girls~enjoy your well deserved gifts!

Tara at Bella Pink

Gail McCormack Rose Paintings

Just a tad of SHOPPE TALK......we do have some Exquisite items coming, so if you are one of our sweet customers, please hang in there a bit longer. We have quite a few pieces of Antique French Lighting, beautiful china, new items for our bejeweled bijoux, mosaics from Elizabeth and more.

Be sure to check out TEA TIME magazine's new issue.......where our PASTELLE PAPERIE artisan Julie has some of her cards from our website featured (will post a picture later on).

Talk to you soon.............
XO~ Janet
Shabbyfufu.com

Shabby To Elegant Chic

I have had a few emails asking to see more projects and always emails asking about techniques. I won't give away all of my secrets *-* that have been perfected over a life time of earning my keep as an artisan~but I don't mind telling a bit about how I paint furniture.

This table was given to me by my mother (hi Mom, I know that you read my blog!) and was shabby when I received it. Admittedly it's been sitting outside in a corner of the patio accumulating all sorts of dust, stray paint and glue...and Mr. Shabbyfufu has even been using it to groom our fur baby Murphy on!! I knew that it had to be redone, and FINALLY the weather has become bearable for working outdoors~here in beautiful South Florida. I have woefully been neglecting the website this past week, as I NEED TO WORK ON MY HOUSE....with the Holidays coming up and all that comes with it. Anyhoo, this one definitely went from Shabby to Elegant Chic.........amazing what a little paint and elbow grease can accomplish!

I wasn't kidding when I said "SHABBY"!

The first step was to run the electric sander all over the table, including the top. I then washed it all down with some TSP mixed in a bucket of water and dried with a tack cloth. YUCK, quite the messy job.

The top is leather and had PATINA GALORE that I wanted to enhance, but not cover in paint. I carefully taped off the top with a decorating essential....blue painter's tape. The stuff is what dreams are made of for painting enthusiasts to use in blocking, but you need to remove it as soon as the paint is dry, or it may pull away the finish. I gave the table 2 coats of semi~gloss black, as I find that it gives the finished product a rich look....especially if you sand off and distress.

After the black paint had dried, I gave it two coats of an antique white in a flat finish. Once that dried the tape was removed. Next I used some cheesecloth and rubbed on an antiquing medium (wear gloves!), including over the leather top in select areas. I then took the trusty sander, and hit it on some various edges to distress. I then gave the top a couple of coats of a gloss sealer to protect it. This is a very smelly & toxic operation.....so I was sure to wear a mask when sealing.

Before antique sheet music was "en vogue" I had purchased a pile of it probably 10 years ago at a Flea Market. I am sure that you can still find it everywhere.....but I love the pile that I have and use it often. Most of the music is dated around 1900~1910, and is very yellowed and fragile......suiting my needs perfectly! I lined the drawer genteely with a cut of the paper, and then sealed it. TIP: use an Exacto knife with a new blade.

The original hardware pull was glorious, so I merely enhanced it with a little black paint, then adorned with some vintage seam binding in the colors of my family room decor (darker than the rest of my home). A wonderful old skeleton key from my collection adds a nice touch.

TA DAH~the finished product! I think that I am going to place it next to the caramel leather sofa and perhaps put one of my Shabbyfufu lamps on top. That will have to be after Christmas, once the HUGE tree makes it's exit. I hope that I gave you some useful tips for your own furniture......let me know!

I am sorry that I have not posted new (old!) items to the website lately.....but I PROMISE to do so SOON! Tomorrow however.....Mr. Shabbyfufu, doggie Shabbyfufu and myself are taking off in the morning for a weekend of rest (and antiquing:-) at our beach place......before the REAL craziness starts around here.
Until then.............à tout à l'heure!

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas

I have really been a slacker when it comes to Blogging lately, but with good excuse! The website has really been super busy lately with the Holiday crunch and something just has to give~so my Blogging has fallen by the wayside. Just to let you know that I am still here, I am posting a few photos of my home Holiday decorating that I just started on today.

We have certain traditions in our family that I must adhere to, or risk setting the daughters and Mr. Shabbyfufu on a rampage! The first is that we HAVE TO HAVE a "real" Christmas Tree, not just one of my several faux. The family room is where the real pine goes.....and they take care of "sprucing up" (no pun intended!) that room with ornaments garnered as souvenirs from our many family trips taken over the years. The outside is Mr. Shabbyfufu's domain...and I must say that I don't mind not having to stand on a ladder hanging lights at all. This afternoon he is pressure washing to rid the outside of a summer's worth of mildew....and up go the strands of lights tomorrow.

Speaking of outside.....our majestic Macaw friends stopped by our home for a munch yesterday.....as our coconut palms are budding and blooming~which is a veritable feast for those guys. We have MANY palms, and just prior to Hurricane Season (which just ended thankfully!) we had about 5,000 coconuts removed.........much to the Macaw's chagrin. Here they are.....I thought that you might enjoy seeing them in all their GLORY~in the wild, as nature intended:-)

A few vignettes for your perusal.....hopefully I will get some more shots over the next week.

The living room is MY DOMAIN.....so it looks a bit like Candyland for some fun! A collection of pastel glitter houses, vintage mercury glass balls, netting angels and bottle brush trees on the living room mantel.

A vintage Italian Tole Rose display shelf that is always in flux. For Christmas this year it holds a bit of my collection of vintage beaded domes, a pair of vintage feather angels (I collect WAYYYY too many things, no?), and a piece of my teacup art. An antique French crown is set up on top, and some silver beaded strands are woven through for glisten and shimmer.

My favorite French statue, Ms. Chantal.....wearing a vintage crown and a long strand of antique German tinsel garland (the real stuff:-). This girl is ready to party!

Another vignette that sits on top of an antique display cabinet. I have collected display hands for years....and have just a few more this week left on the website for sale at a very reasonable price!

A grouping on the coffee table.....a huge vintage beaded dome used as a bowl with some of the vintage mercury glass balls that I have collected forever, a giant clam shell filled with some pine cones that I painted and glittered, a sweet old pink feather angel....and under the glass cloche~one of my Gossamer Gliss 2007 Holiday Collection that was a huge hit and is Sold Out for the season (thank you ladies~I am truly humbled by all of the compliments that have been received:-).

Darkness is setting in and I must get a bit more decorated........thanks for visiting today and have a wonderful weekend!
XO~ Janet ~ www.shabbyfufu.com