One of the neatest things about my line of work is meeting other people who share the dream to create something truly unique.  There are so many talented people out there whose minds are bursting with innovative ideas.

A couple months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Ed from Cento Anni.  Cento Anni was born when a father and son’s project, intended to teach some valuable life lessons, evolved into a family owned business.

They began this journey by hand crafting end grain cutting boards for friends and relatives but before they knew it, the word was out and Cento Anni was born.

Located in Holland, Michigan, Cento Anni combines old world craftsmanship with 100% locally sourced, repurposed American hardwoods to produce some of the finest custom woodworking projects available.

Their specialty is a line of high quality end grain cutting boards.  Each board is uniquely prepared and no two boards are exactly alike due to the material selection and hand crafted nature of the process.

The work they do is truly an art form.  When I first saw the boards, I thought ~ there’s no way, these are way too nice to actually use, but their quality is superior, built to last with equal parts functionality and appeal.

Intrigued by the all natural nature of chalk and clay paints, Ed asked me if I’d be interested in painting the base for one of the small islands he had put together.  I agreed and decided to create a finish that would be enhance the beautiful wood without competing for attention.

In my own Shizzle Style, I just kept layering and layering and layering colors until I ended up with an old world finish.

This piece is headed to our Shizzle Design booth within Not So Shabby and being offered as a local giveaway.  Stop by our space in the next few weeks to enter!

Cento Anni’s products are an extension of the ideals of their business, a combination of heritage an longevity, local pride, materials and craftsmanship.

Stop by and check it out!!

If you’re interested in ordering one of their butcher blocks or cutting boards, you can contact them via their website at: HERE

 Linking up at these great parties:

Domestically Speaking – The Power of Paint Party
The Shabby Creek Cottage – Transformation Thursday
Miss Mustardseed – Furniture Feature Friday
Redoux – Friday Link Up Party
Homespun Happenings – Rustic Restorations Weekend
Funky Junk Interiors – Saturday Night Special
Silver Pennies – Silver Pennies Sundays
Knick of Time Interiors – Knick of Time Tuesday

a hui hou!

Shelly

For less than the price of a gallon of paint, you too can be on your way to painting furniture like a pro. Click here to download

Pantone named Emerald Green the Color of the year for 2013

Well you can imagine my excitement then, when I saw the first case of CeCe Caldwell’s Emerald Isle Paint on my pallet.

I’m sure the guy on the dock thought I was totally goofy when he saw me beam from ear to ear.  After we offloaded the pallet, I grabbed a dresser from the workshop and busted into a can.

In this picture the paint is drying, the drier parts are lighter.

This is what it looks like after a coat of Emerald Green sealed with Clear Wax.

You can see how I applied the wax in this video

CLICK HERE to watch VIDEO

I decided I wanted to antique it with dark wax.  You can see the difference where I’ve applied it.

This isn’t a very good picture, it looks all funky because the dark wax isn’t completely dried.  I was losing light, so I’ll try to get some better pictures tomorrow.

I think the close up shows it best.

Well, what do you think?  Do you have somewhere you can add a splash of color?

This Dresser has been Featured at…

I concentrate most of my time painting furniture for my booth at Not So Shabby, but I’m also always looking for smaller items to fill in the gaps.  I have a million things on my “I wanna make this” list, it’s just finding the time to do them.

The themed link up Funky Junk Interiors this week is Hang it Up which reminded me of a few of my favorite creations which I don’t think I’ve ever shared on here before.

One of my favorites is to use a reclaimed piece of wood with various hooks and picture frames.  I have a thing for photographs, so I’m always trying to come up with different ways to display them.

Here’s another one that I made out of the twin piece of reclaimed wood I had at the time.

One of my all time favorite “Hang it up” pieces was a Bling Thing that I made out of parts of old furniture.  I like the architectural interest of this one, with function to boot!

Last year, I scored a large, solid wood door which came out of an old hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  I loved the vintage Fire Escape that was on it, we just cleaned it up and added one of my favorite hooks to create a unique architectural piece.

Upholstered bulletin boards are another favorite of mine, especially with decorative thumb tacks.  I made these using heavy duty upholstery tacks and old buttons.  I love the colors in this Tommy Bahama fabric and the beaded trim is the icing on the cake.  These are all my favorite colors in one piece of fabric.

I wish I had some pictures of the windows I’ve done.  They always sell before I remember to take a picture – ugh!  Next time!!

A hui hou ~ Shelly

Did you know…

• Shizzle Design is a small family owned business in Jenison, Michigan.  My sister Cathy and I work, paint, ship and teach our chalk and clay paint workshops out of the same space where we paint all our furniture.  We are truly humbled to be known as a leader in the world of chalk and clay paints.
• Cathy and I empower DIY’ers by sharing our years of experience.  Stop in for paint and we’ll offer you honest and knowledgeable answers for all your chalk and clay paint needs.
• Did you know we are not paid employees of American Paint Company?  It typically takes me 10 hours to publish one of my blog posts.  Everything from shooting the photographs, writing the content, editing, cropping… is given freely.  The only way we make money is if someone purchases paint, workshops or painted furniture from us.  If you enjoy the information you get in our website, please share and let us know.
• We are so blessed to have taught people from all over the United States and Canada.  Join us for one of our super fun hands-on chalk and clay paint workshops.  Learn in our casual & relaxed environment.  Click Paint Workshops to see a list of current classes offered.
• Subscribe to Shizzle Design for tips, tutorials, ideas, pictures, videos for our furniture painted in all natural chalk and clay based mineral paints.
• Did you know that you can get these sent directly to your inbox and that it’s FREE?  It is ~ what are you waiting for?  Enter your email in the right hand column of our blog to stay in the loop.
• We have a Shizzle Design Facebook Page.  We share all sorts tips, ideas, photos EVERY DAY and offer special deals (which you’ll only know about if you’ve Liked our Facebook Page).
• Pin our posts on Pinterest ~ Find all sorts of inspiration here.
• We sell our painted furniture in our Shizzle Design Paint Studio at 2018 Chicago Drive, Jenison, MI 49428 and at Not So Shabby Antiques and Fine Furniture at 2975 West Shore Drive in Holland, Michigan
• Shizzle Design is an Authorized Retailer for American Paint Company Paints.  We offer a large inventory of chalk and clay paint and supplies at our Shizzle Design Paint Shop /Studio,  2018 Chicago Drive, Jenison, MI  49428.  We also stock several other shops in the greater Grand Rapid’s area, to find out where, click LOCATIONS.  Not from Michigan?  No worries, we ship paint and paint supplies worldwide through our Online Shizzle Shop.

For more Chalk & Clay Painted Furniture ideas, tips, tutorials & inspiration, click:

 Shizzle Style Painted Furniture Makeovers

 Shizzle Tips, How To Tutorials & Video’s

 Funky Finishes

I’m so excited that this transformation was Featured at:

Knick of Time

Redoux Interiors

also linking up to these great parties!!

Domestically Speaking – The Power of Paint Party

Miss Mustardseed – Furniture Feature Friday

Funky Junk Interiors – Saturday Night Special