Month: November 2012

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Home For the Holidays 2012 ~ Holiday Recipe Link Up Party

Today officially launches the beginning of this year’s
Home for the Holidays 2012
There are eight different Christmas Themes in our Party
Home for the Holidays 2012
a Christmas Link Party Series beginning November 27th.  
 
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I am tickled pink to be teaming up with these amazingly talented ladies from across the nation and together we can hardly wait to see all the creative ideas you’ve all come up with to decorate your homes this holiday season.  

 We’re kicking it off today with 
Holiday Recipes
hosted by Lorraine from Miss Flibbertigibbet
I have to admit, writing about food is out of the box for me.  I haven’t cooked a decent a meal for my family since I started painting furniture over a year ago ~ and I’m on the meal’s ministry at church, pretty bad yeah?

I think daddy’s gettin squished!

 One of our Christmas traditions at the Andrade hale is to make a bunch of pupus on Christmas Eve.  We set everything up on the coffee table in front of our fireplace and enjoy this intimate evening with just the four of us.

The kids take charge in setting it all up
There are letters and cookies for Santa…
And a whole lot of TLC
 
 I was VERY ill most of last winter so we had to improvise on the food ~ usually we have lots of yummy food like this…
  and this
but our number one MUST HAVE for Christmas Eve is Mochiko Chicken.  This photograph is from Kailani at An Island Life.  She has a recipe for it on her blog too which is very similar to mine.  You can read her version of the recipe here. 
Photo from An Island Life
 
Here’s how we make ours.  We basically cut up bite site pieces of chicken and then dredge them in an amazing bath of Mochiko OVERNIGHT (overnight is key).  The next night, we fry them to perfection.   There’s not a more flavorful chicken on this planet:)
 
Seriously, the flavor in these bite size morsels is like nothing you’ve ever experienced if you haven’t lived in Hawaii!  You’ll be hooked and you’ll come back for more!!  
 
Here’s our recipe for Mochiko Chicken
(we typically double it so we have leftovers)
 
   1    lb      Chicken cut into bite size pieces (typically with dark meat but we use chicken breast)
 
1/4   cp      Mochiko (sweet Japanese rice flour) find it in the ethnic aisle in most grocery stores
 
1/4   cp      Cornstarch
 
1/4   cp      Sugar
 
   5 TBSP  Aloha Shoyu    (if you can’ find Aloha shoyu at your local grocery store, use a low     sodium soy sauce, but cut the amount in half.)  Aloha Shoyu has a MUCH better flavor than a Kikkoman and isn’t nearly as salty.  If you’re on the mainland, you can find it at World Market.
 
   2              Eggs
 
  1  bunch   Green Onions, sliced (these are ono in the sauce in and of themselves)
 
  2 cloves   Fresh garlic, minced
 
Hawaiian Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
 
Mix all ingredients, place in a large ziploc bag and let soak AT LEAST 24 hours (mixing occasionally)  I’ve found it fries fastest in an electric frying pan, but you can fry it in a deep fryer, large frying pan…  Just make sure you have enough oil to cover the pieces and fry it in batches.
 
I like to scoop a little sauce with each morsel as I put it in the pan ~ so ono, I’m getting hungry!!
 
We eat our over white sticky rice (Calrose) and chop up some more green onions, sesame seeds and fresh cracked pepper on top.
 
Now, go link up your recipe HE
 
Please continue to link up as we go through our Home for the Holiday’s Series.  The next theme is Tablescapes which is this Thursday.  Join in the fun by linking up any furniture, home decor and anything else you’ve transformed through the magic of paint to change the look of your home into a Winter Wonderland!!
 
I personally can’t wait for Thursday, December 6 because that’s when
Shizzle Design is hosting Hand Painted Christmas!

Grab our button and advertise our link party series on your blogs.  Put it on your sidebar, in your posts, or whatever you’d like.

linkparty5button
Don’t miss any of our hand painted furniture makeovers…
A Hui Hou ~ Shelly
 
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Shizzle Style Workshop Paint Makeovers – #1 (Furniture painted by Students during our CeCe Caldwell’s Paints Workshops)

I love sharing my passion for painting furniture! I think that’s why we end up having so much fun during our paint workshops.  My favorite  is our Paint-Your-Own-Furniture-Workshop.  Everyone brings in a small piece of their own furniture, we teach them how to do a Shizzle Style finish using chalk & clay paints .  They leave with a wealth of knowledge and a one of a kind masterpiece they can be proud of.

These pieces were all painted by First Time Users of chalk/clay paints during our last workshop!

Aren’t they AMAZING!

 I planned on writing one long post about all the fabulous pieces students have done recently in our classes but quickly discovered it would be the world’s longest post, so I decided to share several pieces once a week instead.

(These are in no particular order so please don’t be offended if I didn’t post your piece on this post, a lot of it has to do with the order my pictures show up when I’m re-sizing them…)

Students are asked do any necessary repairs and clean their furniture before they get to class so everyone can jump right into the fun part!
Furniture usually arrives looking something like this…
and we immediately start getting people set up with their base coats.
Once your base color is dry, go over that with a creamy white like APC’s Home Plate or Limoges and you’ve got one beautiful finish!!
The color combo is so pretty together, I wish the colors would have showed up better in the photos.  Leslie, could you send me some better shots in the daylight without a flash?

I love how her table turned out ~ Leslie, it’s beautiful!!  Great job!!

Anastasia was on another mission
 
She wanted to paint her nightstand to coordinate with  a couple dressers I painted for her earlier this year.  You can see the transformation of one of them here.
To get the dark brown finish that Anastasia did, apply a coat of brown such as DIY’s Layered Chocolate or APC’s Espresso.  Check out how cool and crackly it looks on the back of the nightstand.  Chalk/Clay paints are awesome on dry wood!  This is just the back, but I thought it looked pretty cool!
She was doubting her painting skills when she walked in but HELLO… Anastasia ~ you totally ROCKED it!!  Your nightstand looks awesome!!
  
Megan brought in a double tiered table lamp.  She had already taken off the wooden dowel part and the actual light fixture so it would be easier to paint.
She updated it with a rich coat slate color.  If you like this color, choose American Paint Company’s Freedom Road, a favorite go to color.  I also absolutely love APC’s Gun Powder.  It’s close to Freedom Road but warmer in tone.
It hasn’t even been waxed or stenciled yet in this picture and it’s already taking on a new look!
Megan, I can’t wait to see it all put back together with the lampshade and stenciled top!
Deb is Megan’s mom.  She transformed this shabby antique table which had some kind of super thick clear coat on it.
It was in pretty rough shape, but she took that table and whipped it into this stunning knock-out with one of my favorite colors ~ Fireworks Red
Deb is such a sweetheart and was so helpful throughout the class!  She did an awesome job painting, distressing and layering her piece to give it that weathered look but told me the next day she had found her true calling ~ as a buffer, lol!  She LOVES buffing!  Can somebody say hired :D!
Didn’t it turn out fabulous!!  Great job Deb!!

Janet and her friend drove several hours to join in on the fun.

Janet brought a beautiful vintage chair with her.

She painted a base coat of  brown then layered over it with a french blue.

I’m so bummed I wasn’t able to get better pictures but I just didn’t have time.  Janet’s chair turned out so pretty too!  This last shot was taken halfway through.  I can’t wait to see it after the upholstery is finished!
Janet’s friend Cara brought a large mirror with an great arched top.  She did a first coat of  brown.
 then layered it with Dollar Bill, but it’s the distressing where Cara knocked it out of the park!

It is…   G O R G E O U S!!

Absolutely amazing finish on this Cara ~ LOVE IT!!!

It’s so much fun sharing paint techniques with a room full of people who share the same passion & so cool to see everyone’s ideas come together!
I swear, I must have THE most talented students EVER!  They come in doubting themselves and walk out true superstars!
I have many, many more Shizzle Style Paint Makeovers to share with you from this class and other workshops.  Join me again next Sunday when I share several more!
Don’t miss any of our hand painted furniture makeovers…

A Hui Hou ~ Shelly
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Announcing… Home for the Holidays 2012, a Christmas Link Party Nov. 27 – Dec. 20

Christmas is magical for so many reasons ~ cherished memories with friends and relatives, fabulous holiday meals and most importantly, the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.


This year, along with all the other festivities, I have one more thing to be excited about.  

Shizzle Design

along with seven other extraordinary bloggers

is hosting this year’s

Home for the Holidays 2012

a Christmas Link Party Series beginning November 27th.

 
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I am tickled pink to be teaming up with these amazingly talented ladies from across the nation and together we can hardly wait to see all the creative ideas you’ve all come up with to decorate your homes this holiday season.  

November 27th kicks off with Holiday Recipes so snap some shots of today’s Thanksgiving recipes, or any other favorite holiday recipes that are big hits then link them up next week!  To link up, all you have to do is click on the host’s blog name (on the above graphic) on the date of their party (you’ll be able to link up starting the date of their theme for three days).  
 
When you get to the host’s site for that particular theme, just copy and paste the link to your post (which will show up in your browser window when you click on the title of the post you want to link up) then paste that into the field that will be available during that host’s party.  You’ll be able to check out all the inspiration they are providing for that topic, see what everyone else has linked up and share your project so everyone else can enjoy what you’ve created!
 
I personally can’t wait for Thursday, December 6 because that’s when
Shizzle Design is hosting Hand Painted Christmas!

Please join in the fun by linking up any furniture, home decor and anything else you’ve transformed through the magic of paint to change the look of your home into a Winter Wonderland!!

Grab our button and advertise our link party series on your blogs.  Put it on your sidebar, in your posts, or whatever you’d like.

linkparty5button
Enjoy your friends and families as we officially start the holidays today.
 
From Shizzle Design to You, 
have a very blessed Thanksgiving!  
 
See you for our first party on November 27th! Who’s planning to join in?
 
see you soon ~ a hui hou, Shelly
 
Don’t miss any of our hand painted furniture makeovers…
A Hui Hou ~ Shelly
 
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Antique Buffet in Layers of Frenchy Gray

Finally!  This buffet has undergone quite the transformation over the past few months.
When this antique buffe, it looked like this.
 I knew EXACTLY how I wanted to do it.  I gave it a quick coat of CeCe Caldwell’s  Virginia Chestnut...
 Then I painted the inside cabinets with Smoky Mountain
 But halfway through my painting, I stepped back and realized it was looking way too much like…
 so I took another detour and…
Painted the whole thing Blue Montana Sky
BUT… the blue wasn’t working for me on this piece
(did I mention I’m not a “blue” person?
I needed to break it up a little so I layered the top in several colors,
then dry brushed it with our translucent Dover White to resemble that of reclaimed wood.  This part, I loved!
but the hardware… not so much
I didn’t like it, but didn’t have any more time to fuss with it because Macatawa Bank was featuring Shizzle Design and we needed to fill the lobby with painted pieces for the month.
The other buffet sold immediately ~ that was my baby.  Loved that one!!
The other large piece, a Vintage Bed painted in Georgia Clay, sold as well.  We had three people wanting it within a 24 hours period, all from out of state, but it ended up on East Broadway on Long Beach, New York.  I hope the gal who purchased it is doing okay in lieu of the Hurricane Sandy!

So where does that put us?  Oh yeah… the buffet ~ did I mention, I am SLIGHTLY ADHD?

I set it aside because I had several other projects to finish that were on the schedule and

I finally started putzin’ with it last week

I finally came to the conclusion that the perfect color for this is… Pittsburgh Gray

I love, love, love how the chalk and clay in CeCe Caldwell’s Paints create such a cool finish after you buff the wax ~ you just can’t get that kind of dimension with other paints!  I personally don’t have to work nearly as hard with this paint and wax to end up with these kind of finishes.

For one last finishing touch, I dry brushed it with Dover White

and Switched out the old hardware
which I love!
and she’s finally ready for the store!  
 It’s been a crazy busy year for many of us but somehow we muddle through…
If you’re in West Michigan, you can check out this painted buffet along with our other painted furniture and CeCe Caldwell’s Paints at our Shizzle Design booth within Not So Shabby at 2975 West Shore Drive in north Holland.

This Buffet has been Featured at

Power of Paint

Linking up at these great parties:
Restore Interiors – Restored it Wednesday
Primitive & Proper – POWW 95
Domestically Speaking – The Power of Paint Party
The Shabby Creek Cottage – Transformation Thursday
Miss Mustardseed – Furniture Feature Friday
Homespun Happenings – Rustic Restorations Weekend
Funky Junk Interiors – Saturday Night Special
1929 Charmer – Sunday’s Best Party

Knick of Time Interiors – Knick of Time Tuesday


sold out details of this workshop here

Don’t miss any of our hand painted furniture makeovers…
A Hui Hou ~ Shelly
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Not So Shabby’s Grand Re-Opening

It happened again ~ I blinked and the year flashed before my eyes.  
When I opened my them, I found myself in the middle of November 2012 

Time goes by so fast, I’ve been working way too hard, putting in between 80-100 hours every week for the past year.  Something’s gotta give.  I just came in from the workshop and am taking the night off to enjoy a movie on the couch with my two girls.  My oldest has sprouted taller than me with her little sister not too far behind.  We all live in the same house, but I’m not spending quality time with them.  I miss them and they need a mom.

Within a few weeks, Not So Shabby and all thirty-some vendors relocated to our new location at 2975 West Shore Drive in Holland and last night and today, we had our Annual Christmas Open House and Grand Re-Opening Celebration.

Here are some of the things currently in our Shizzle Design booth at Not So Shabby
Antique Frenchy-Chic Buffet in Pittsburgh Gray and Dover White 
This is another vintage buffet we just painted in Mesa Sunset 
 Cathy made this beautiful Christmas Runner which is sitting on two newly transformed tables (top is Texas Prairie, bottom table is California Gold)
 Lots of CeCe Caldwell’s Paint Christmas Gift Sets
 Our CeCe Caldwell’s Paints are continually restocked, if we’re ever out of a color, please shoot me an email
 CeCe Caldwell’s Sample Pots make GREAT stocking stuffers!
Come on by our new location at 2975 West Shore Drive, Holland, MI 49424 
 Custom Made Gift Baskets for CeCe Caldwell’s Paints

If you’re like me and work around the clock, take some time to re-evaluate what’s really important in life.  Eliminate the things you spend too much time on if it’s not beneficial, and focus on what is because life goes by in the blink of an eye.

Have a great weekend!  Shelly

Lots of Photos and Images of Shizzle Design’s Furniture painted in CeCe Caldwell’s all natural chalk and clay based mineral paints can be seen on many older posts…
  • 36 CeCe Caldwell’s Paint Colors and Variations (constantly updated) here
  • Here’s why I choose CeCe Caldwell’s Paints
  • Find out why Everyone is Crazy over CeCe Caldwell’s Wax here
  • Learn how I layer my paint colors here
  • Learn more about the story behind this AHmazing company here
  • Order CeCe Caldwell’s Paints here
Keep up with all our newly painted creations:
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Mississippi Mud Vanity Re-purposed out an Old Sewing Cabinet

My sister came across an old sewing machine cabinet a while back and immediately fell in love with it.

Being the left-handed seamstress that she is, she appreciated the fact that it opened up double wide so you have two sides for your fabric.

Because she’s all set up in the upholstery department, she thought it would be cool to transform this piece creating more of a vanity by combining it with a vintage oval mirror and chair that she had.  It’s hung REALLY high in the store because that’s where the studs were in our booth and the mirror is quite heavy.

She chose CeCe Caldwell’s Mississippi Mud as her colors of choice for this piece and worked her magic on it.

The edges were distressed to bring out the beautiful shape of it, then all the paint was sealed with a generous coat of Clear Wax.

After the clear, she went over the drawers in dark aging wax to add a little contrast.  No, that’s not two different colors, it’s just how much the color changes when you leave the aging wax on for two minutes.

Isn’t it awesome?


She’s VERY meticulous with her pieces, if I’m “type A”, then she’s “AAA”.  You should feel how soft the finish it!  Can somebody say butta?

We dropped her off to our Shizzle Design booth at Not So Shabby in Holland, Michigan.  Check our availability page here for updates.

Reminder ~ Not So Shabby has Relocated.  Our new store is at 2975 West Shore Drive Holland just East of US 31 and North of Felch.

Stop by and check it out ~ all the vendors will be in the store all day Friday until the doors open at 4:00 p.m.!

Cathy and I will be there Friday night to meet you and have made up some pretty neat CeCe Caldwell’s Gift Baskets ranging from the….

 Basic Wax Kit Gift baskets
all the way to the
Ultimate CeCe Caldwell’s Paints Dream Kit
Gift Baskets

We’ll also have a limited supply of round wax brushes for sale

both in 1-1/2″ and 2″ sizes

along with all the other standard CeCe Caldwell’s products.

Hope to see you there!!

Have a wonderful weekend!  I know there’s been many hard time endured by close friends and I’m praying for each and every one of you!!!

Keep up with all our newly painted creations:
  • Subscribe to our Blog for tips, tutorials and ideas on painted furniture
  • CeCe Caldwell’s Paints can be ordered online from our Online Shizzle Shop here
  • Check out our pieces of painted furniture for sale in Holland, MI here 
  • Follow us by Liking our Shizzle Design Facebook Page
  • Share the love on Pinterest
  • Stop by our shop in Holland, Michigan here
Have a GREAT weekend!!  a hui hou ~ Shelly
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Hand Painted Clock Table Transformation at Knick of Time

I’m so excited to be unveiling my hand painted clock table today over at Knick of Time!
Angie asked me to do a post on one of my hand painted pieces of furniture and I just happened to be working on a perfect piece to share with Knick of Time.  We both have the same appreciation for funky rusty vintage STUFF and I’m quite certain, the two of us would do some serious damage pickin’ & painting if we lived closer together.  Angie scours the area looking for unique vintage finds them sells those treasures on her vintage Knick of Time shop here.
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When she contacted me to write a guest post for her, I just was just finishing a hand painted clock table!

Thanx for having me Angie!  Hi I’m Shelly Andrade from Shizzle Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I’m SO excited to be sharing my latest Clock Table Transformation with you today while guest posting for Angie at Knick of Time!

Just over a year ago, my sister Cathy and I started refinishing furniture.  It only seemed natural for us to tackle something like this after growing up in a house with a dad who spent every night in the workshop.  We lost him years ago now but are still proud to be following in his footsteps.

Click Here to see our Portfolio of Painted Furniture
So What is Shizzle Design?
Basically, Cathy & I scour the area hunting for older, quality built pieces of furniture then use our own styles of painting to transform them into one-of-a-kind pieces of art, unique enough to steal the focus of any room.   Well… that’s the goal anyway :).  This piece was one of my favorites!  I even learned how to use a router and cut a new top for this one.  Check out the post on the renovation of this vintage buffet here.
Shizzle Design is also proud to be an authorized retailer for CeCe Caldwell’s Paints
“You haven’t?  Well, it’s sweeping our nation like wildfire!” 
 “Oh yeah, how come?”  
 
“CeCe Caldwell’s Paints are all natural; we’re talking 100%  green with NO VOC’s and NO toxins!” 
 
“Really?  That’s incredible!!”
“This paint is awesome!  It’s chalk and clay based mineral paint which has such superior adhesion that you can eliminate stripping, sanding and priming on almost any surface.”
“Seriously?”  
 
“Seriously!  Everyone is using it from beginner DIYers to the pros!  It’s so easy to use – it’s Paint Made Easy.  You want to know something else really cool?  It’s owned and operated right here in the USA!
Wow, now that’s something to chirp about!
OK… back to the clock table…
When I got the invite from Angie to do a guest post, I just happened to be working on the perfect piece for a clock face.  I had wanted to do it several times before but always chickened out for fear I’d mess it up.  This time, I took that leap of faith and dove right in.

I thought I shot a before photo, but it seems to have vanished among the thousands of other original photos I have stored on my computer.  Basically, it was stained a dark reddish-brown.  My first coat was a thin layer of CeCe Caldwell’s Virginia Chestnut.  I applied that to the legs and to the perimeter of the top.  Sorry these pictures are so dark and gray but it was a super dreary rainy day the day I painted this.

By the time I had finished that, the first part had already dried so I went back over that with Pittsburgh Gray which I watered down quite a bit to create more of a wash.
I messed around with it a bit and realized I wanted it to be a bit darker so I went went over it one more time with another thin, sloppy, watered down coat of Vermont Slate.   Yes, much better!
I never just paint… I mean, I can’t seem to leave anything well enough alone.  There’s always some mixin’ and finessing that goes on once I get started.  I poured a dollop of three different colors onto the top of a… McDonalds lid?  Hahaha ~  I just realized what it was :D.
Ok, so I’m a dork.  I have a whole pile of things I recycle for painting.  I guess whatever works, right?
I’m thinking the three colors I used were CeCe Caldwell’s Cottonwood Sienna, Young Kansas Wheat and Vintage White for the three colors on the top.  I was going for an old worn look for the clock face so I just started slathering it all on, mixing and blending as I went along.
When I ended up with the look I wanted, I hauled it down to the basement and traced a clock face on it using a projector.  I sealed the entire table with CeCe Caldwell’s Clear Wax then came back with three different waxes to antique it.
I used CeCe Caldwell’s Light and Dark Aging Wax as well as a slate colored wax I made up by mixing in a little Vermont Slate with the Clear Wax.  Did you know you can tint CeCe Caldwell’s Clear Wax any color you’d like simply by mixing in a little of our paint?  You can!!  It truly is Paint Made Easy!
We dropped it off to our Shizzle Design booth at Not So Shabby Antiques & Fine Furniture, in Holland, Michigan but we barely had the price tag on when a client contacted me who wanted to buy it, so… back into the truck it went.  Well, she looked cute there for a minute:)
 Thanx Tonya!  Enjoy!!!
So… that’s about it on my clock table… Want to learn more about CeCe Caldwell’s Paints?
You can see all of CeCe Caldwell’s beautiful colors and get lots of ideas and inspiration by seeing pieces of furniture I’ve painted with them here.
Why is everyone going crazy over CeCe’s Clear Wax?

find out here

I have lots of other tutorials and posts regarding CeCe Caldwell’s Paints in the Blog Archive on the sidebar of my blog here.

Want to take a Shizzle Style Workshop?

Shizzle Design features our very own
5 hour Paint Your Own Piece of Furniture Workshops held in Byron Center, Michigan (near Grand Rapids)

Find out all the details and or register for one of our super FUN Workshops here

Hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about Shizzle Design & CeCe Caldwell’s Paints!

Wanna learn more?  
Linking up at these Great Parties:
Restore Interiors – Restored it Wednesday
Primitive & Proper – POWW 95
Domestically Speaking – The Power of Paint Party

The Shabby Creek Cottage – Transformation Thursday
Miss Mustardseed – Furniture Feature Friday

Homespun Happenings
Homespun Happenings
Rustic Restorations Weekend
Funky Junk Interiors – Saturday Night Special
1929 Charmer – Sunday’s Best Party

Knick of Time Interiors – Knick of Time Tuesday
a hui hou!
(until we meet again)
Shelly