A new name!

As you can see, I have changed my name. In the beginning Painstakingly Pretty was just a name for my blog and now that Im taking this "more seriously" I needed a real name. My love of all things old and dingy, chipped and wood comes from my Grandma Arlene, who is no longer with us. She owned a small antique shop in Hungry Horse, Montana (where Im originally from) for years. And she called it White's Antiques. When I was younger I would spend all day in her store with her and she would let me try on all her vintage jewelery and furs. I have the greatest memories with her in that tiny little antique shop! So in memory of her, I have finally renamed my small venture White Vintage Decor.

So bare with me over the next month or two as I try to get this whole blog and new name thing together!

3-Drawer Stripy Dresser

Just finished this cute little 3-drawer dresser. This guy was literally falling apart when I picked it up. I put some serious hours into this one to make it a fully functioning dresser again. I LOVE how it turned out, I love it so much I want to keep it for myself...but I dont think that'll be happening. I cant keep everything I end up loving, which is most everything! The stripes are white and then greyish-blue and distressed through to show the wood. So below is the before and after. This one is not for sale as of now... but if youre dying to have it, contact me and I'll let ya know the price!

Before:

After:

Follow me and win a custom piece!

For all of you out there who follow my blog, whoever you are, wherever you are....JOIN MY SITE! I'd like to know Im not just writing out into space for noone.  ANYONE can follow my site...you dont have to be a blogger, as long as you have some sort of Google account (twitter, gmail, etc.).

So heres what Im thinkin...Once I get to 100 followers I'll do a random drawing for one of my pieces. All you have to do is join!!!

It will be something of moderate size...and I will ship it anywhere within Canada and the States (shout out to my fellow Americans!) When Im getting close to the 100 mark I'll post a picture of the custom piece.

Antique Eastlake Parlor Table

I got this antique Eastlake Parlor Table on my trip to Red Deer about a month ago along with a few items that I wanted to refinish. I was torn as to whether or not I was going to refinish this piece...it is a REAL antique, which means that is 100+years old (many people dont know that). And usually, you should not refinish antiques, unless they are in terrible condition and theres just no value in them as an antique.
So I decided to keep this table as is since its in marvelous condition for being from the 1800's. Whoever previously owned this girl did a good job of takin' care of 'er!

Country Chic Hutch

I FINALLY got time to finish this piece so here she is. Im calling it the country-chic hutch because I think it looks so cute and shabby but not quite shabby chic...more country-chic with the chicken wiring and all. Its got two wide drawers at the top and bottom and 2 large shelves inside. Lots of storage room for your kitchen, dining, or living room! Its been painted in antique white and distressed through to its original cornflower blue color. Then glazed and top coated. I added a cornflower blue textured wallpaper to the back of the hutch and the silverware drawer.

Bison Trade Table

A friend of mine asked me if I could refinish this coffee table that his parents had gotten for him in Singapore years back. He didnt want to just throw it out, even though the glass inlay was broken, parts of the base were chewed and basically the whole table was just a disaster! So I said sure thing, I'll see what I can do. After thoroughly examining this bad-boy I rethought my decision to refinish it, but figured, hey, I've got it, might as well see what I can do. It turned out to be only wood on top and the legs, so restaining, which he wanted, was not an option. But I was able to stain the top and painted the base a deep black after filling in a bunch of scrapes and chewed off pieces. Turned out pretty great if I do say so myself! Oh...and I traded him in bison meat! mmmm

Before:

After:

Keepin' It

So I decided to keep the vintage sideboard and put it in my entryway where the other blue sideboard was. It looks perfect, dontcha think?! So now I'll be refinishing the blue sideboard (again) and selling it instead.

Vintage Chandelier

This is a vintage brass 10-arm chandelier with real crystals. It has over 60 drop crystals and numerous chain crystals with 10 bright lights. Perfect for a dining room, entry way, or living room! I just cleaned it so its ready to hang.

Approximate dimensions:

26"wide at the widest part at the bottom

30" tall with all the chain (can make shorter)

1930's Walnut Sideboard

I've had this sideboard for a while now and just finally got around to finishing it, and I have to say...I just dont want to let it go :( This sideboard is soooo beautiful. Top is stained with "early colonial" (its kind of a red-ish brown-ish cherry color) and the bottom is done in antique white and slightly distressed. The hardware is original but I painted it black and distressed it through to show some of the original bronze color. This beaut has a silverware drawer in the top drawer that slides back and forth and is lined with original velvet. It also features a secret drawer at the bottom to store all your treasures!

1900's Console Table

I picked up this early 1900's console table in Red Deer last week and couldnt wait to get it finished for my house. Sorry ya'll...shes mine for now! At first I was planning on having it in my living room behind one of the couches, but that just hides her and I want her to show, plus she fits amazingly in my dining room! I finished the top with a dark stain (its darker than the pics show) and sealed it, the bottom is painted in a custom antique white and distressed to pick up all the gorge details. In love :)