WIld for Mod

OK... I've been on a MAJOR Mid-Century Mod (MCM) kick.. I love the clean retro lines of this style. Obviously made in the 1950 ish era, MCM furniture is usually very well built, that good tongue and groove stuff, not the crap you find at Ikea.

I've recently transformed a few MCM pieces... They are great as a changing table in a baby nursery, a console for a flat screen or even as a buffet in your dining room. Here are some of my latest Mod creations...

 This piece was great! The hardware was had the resemblance of brass knuckles. I painted them chrome and did a dark ebony stain on the bottom legs.

I kept the integrity of the wood on the drawer faces of this beautiful dresser. High gloss white really made it pop!

 This piece is from the Broyhill "Emphasis" collection. White lacquer on the front drawers and a pale blue center. The wood on this piece is remarkable!

 This little orange guy is pretty fun. Perfect for a console table. I added mirror to the inlay on the front.

Finished this vintage Bassett dresser for a member of our troops serving in Afghanistan. I'm glad she's coming home..

Keep an eye on my shop at www.shabbymaggie.com. More MCM pieces are in the works! 

XO Maggie

It's a Boy!!

Of my my closest friends daughter is having a baby boy! Naturally, for the shower, I wanted to do a baby changing table that would fit with her blue, animal themed bedroom.

I picked up a vintage bedroom set at an estate sale in Canonsburg, PA that was in desperate need of some updating. When I look for a dresser for a babies room, I want to make sure the piece is at least 31 inches high and has a good width to it so there is enough room for a changer topper to sit. This old heirloom fit the bill perfectly.



With a good sanding, some primer and a couple coats of paint, we were off to the races! I hand painted the detail in the upper drawers a nice white and sprayed the hardware lightly to allow some of the original bronze to poke through. The piece turned out soft, whimsical and sweet and I am so excited for baby Luke's arrival!

Here's Jess... at 7 month's pregger she is still so tiny! Baby Luke is due mid-march. Jess got the dresser home and say's it's perfect, and that is what make's this business so rewarding.

Inspired by her avante garde/punk rock designs, for all you "wannabe's" ... here's an ode to Betsey Johnson.

When I picked this piece up it was that classic yellow french provincial paint with some not so attractive crackle..

 OH SO BETSEY! This piece is painted high gloss black and the drawer details and hardware are hot pink.. Cheetah details on the drawers that all work with perfection!

This bad girl sold to Chris in Seattle... Chris recently made a trip to  the 'Burgh and  told me about Randy Land.. For those of you who don't know.. This is Randy, of Randy Land. (It's in Pittsburgh Historic Mexican War Streets)

Vintage Meditterranean Server

Picked up this MONSTER of a server along with some other neat items from the sweetest couple in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

Old White and French Linen

I broke out my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and went to work. This paint is a LIFESAVER. No prep, even with the vaneer, no sanding, primer, etc.  Perfect for a City Slicker like me! 

This is after 2 coats of paint.. still some wood showing through but I love the contrast in colors..

I left the hardware it's original bronze and cleaned it up a bit.

Buffed and sealed the piece with Annie Sloan's clear furniture wax.

Tada!!! What a gorgeous piece. You can buy this piece on my website at www.shabbymaggie.com.

Modernly Shabby Chic Furniture: Retro Appletini 4 Drawer Dresser

Modernly Shabby Chic Furniture: Retro Appletini 4 Drawer Dresser

Toughest Challenge Yet

So my friend Heather bought this black dresser with Damask from me.. Look how SICK it looks in her house...

On my way out the door from delivering, she asked me to take an old chest with me and see what I can "come up with".. I was thinking something completely different when she hit me with this:

Hmmmm.......

So I got it home... and looked at it--- and stared at it--- and pondered---- what the HECK can I do to this??? (thank god Heather is creative and gave some insight along the way)

I messed around with a couple of different ideas.. I started using river rocks.. but that kind of turned out "Zen gone WRONG"

Here is the final product-- It really came together! Storage chests are a great accent piece for a room.. You can use them to store blankets, sweaters, in a living room, at the end of a bed, as a coffee table! Really the possibilities are endless with them.

I have one for SALE on my Website: www.shabbymaggie.com

Tea Green Buffet/Server from Lake Chautauqua

I went to visit my mom for the weekend at her new home in Lake Chautauqua... On my way home I picked up this awesome old server (it came in a set, but I was only interested in this gem!)

Here is the server before... it's been in someone's garage for possibly Centuries!

I decided to get more involved with stain finishes.. there really is a sense of value with a nice dark stained wood...and I went with what I've coined "Tea Green" for the finish..

The drawer knobs were fragile, tarnished and outdated so I switched them out for new knobs from Anthropologie (I LUST ANTHRO.)

Here's my finished product... Pretty as a picture. This piece SOLD to a wonderful woman in Brooklyn Heights. We needed some brut strength to get this beauty to the sixth floor so I had her flag down some of the spanish speaking gentleman on the corner.. maybe not the safest of ideas, but they were nice as can be.

When they found out I drove in from Pittsburgh they all made reference to Wiz Khalifa, a Pittsburgh based rapper most well known for his hit and unofficial Steeler theme song "Black n Yellow." Wiz was there idol.. I told them when I got back I'd tell Wiz Whats uP! From Brooklyn Heights...

Whattup Wiz!

www.shabbymaggie.com