Author: Sassyfitnesschick

8 years ago I began what I now refer to as my "journey into lifestyle fitness". After a yearly check in with my Dr he said I looked "really good on paper, but I might consider losing a few pounds" I wasn't offended... I knew I needed to but it seemed like to much work at the time. In that year we had adopted 2 girls out of foster care, plus caring for my 3 sons & husband sort of left me on the back burner taking care of "me". I told him I "used to" walk & he encouraged me to at least get back to that. I left his office that day, started, & never quit. As time moved on my walks increased in length & speed. I started mingling some jogging into it...then after more time some short sprints. One day I realized I was doing more running than anything else. I learned to run longer and farther. I constantly challenged myself to do more. I realized I had turned into a runner & was loving it. I have since run 6 half marathons, 2 full marathons, and my first 50K scheduled for March 1,2015. Not bad for a girl who just started off walking not quite 2 miles! My body was now beginning to show the results of my work as weight & inches dropped off. I began to add in boxing & weights on days I wasn't running. Over time as the fat left, my new muscles were waiting underneath =) Obviously, I also made some food changes. Nothing drastic..just started eating less and trying to eat better.. I hated diets and how they made me feel....deprived & left out of all the fun...so adjusting & eating less of what I liked and moving more.. I found myself getting in decent physical shape. It began my thinking of lifestyle and not "dieting". As I got stronger,healthier & more fit it was an easier process to "let go" of some of the foods I had enjoyed. I had more energy, strength and confidence in what I could do. It was empowering. It made me realize that I probably wasn't the only one who wanted to lose weight, be healthy & strong but not always be on some sort of "diet". Maybe my journey & what I had learned & been doing might possibly help others to success in their lives... I consider myself to be rather normal and ordinary ( meaning I haven't always been into fitness and healthy eating) it has been a steady, daily, learned process with good days and bad days and my hope is that you too, will see the greatness in you, and that you have the ability and power to change and do anything you put your mind to. If you want change, you can make it happen. It's just one day at a time, making smart moves and better choices, and before you know it, things are happening. Get started on your journey, really, what do you have to lose ? And yet, so much to gain =)

Painting slick surfaces

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

Nothing like having small cold weather inside projects to fall back on 😅

I’ve had this old Lincolnware bread box in the shop and it’s obvious ( this) green isn’t the current trendy retro color.

Bold oranges, reds, and yellows are popular ( yes those 70s)

And pretty soft colors of 50-60s definitely are ( think pinks, soft blue, mint green, pale yellow or even crisp red and white)

So on that note, this is getting a fresh retro color added to it. 😁

If you are ever wanting to paint metal, glass, plastic, shiny surfaces or shiny factory finish on furniture you need Slick Stick!

This is basically a gripping product for your paint to adhere well to.

I was chatting with a customer yesterday while I worked. She asked me about paint classes as her first piece she had done didn’t go well, that the paint had just “peeled off”

Now when someone tells me that my first question is did you clean it well? If you do nothing else, the few minutes it takes to clean with our White lighting to get grease, dirt, etc off and have a clean slate is invaluable.

It’s also a good deglosser, among other things.

I then asked her if it had a shiny factory finish…her faced answered the question.

A shiny factory finish has nothing for the paint to “latch on to” therefore, it will be very susceptible to that peeling problem.

I discussed slick stick with her and hopefully that helps her in the future.

You can get slick stick ( and other problem solvers) in my Shades of Yesterday shop inside the Corner Cartel 265 S Main St Boerne, look for my Dixie Belle banner hanging up when you come in!

Now….the old bread box. It has one coat. I let it dry well and applied a second coat.

And the finished product. Isn’t it cute? ❤️

Products used for this are: Slick Stick, Mint Julep paint, Fresh Fifties transfer, Flat clear coat, and Big Mama’s Butta for wood handle and inside door.

All Dixie Belle products are available in my Shades of Yesterday shop inside the Corner Cartel 265 S Main St Boerne

#shadesofyesterday #vintagestore #vintageshop #dixiebellepaintretailer #dixiebellepaint #paintedfurniture #vintagestyle #proudtobeadixiebelleretailer #eliteretailer #BestPaintOnPlanetEarth #dixiebellepaintcompany #vintagekitchen #shoplocal

Chalk paint · Furniture Painting · furniture prep · Uncategorized

To Sand or Not To Sand

February 15, 2022February 15, 2022 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

In the world of painting and revamping furniture there are more than a few people who think sanding on furniture is a dirty word. I wanted to chat about when and why we would do sanding before painting or staining.

Prep is everything

Listen, there are lots of companies out there offering paint products. Some of them openly tout you can basically just paint your piece without any prep work, no sanding, no cleaning, no nothing. Just paint.

Hmmmm ok.

I mean you can with Dixie Belle too but the question to be asked is what do you want your finished piece to look like? I can see a poorly prepped piece from a mile away. ( it’s a job hazard, studying other painted furniture 🧐) the obvious awful look is painted over broken, chipped veneer or finishes that were rough and uneven ( like previous paint. Latex is the worst) It sticks out like a sore thumb.

When to sand

For the sake of this article, the term “sanding” does not mean grinding away for hours to take everything off back to the original wood. What it does mean is preparing your piece by sanding off uneven varnish or previous paint. This can often be accomplished by hand with a medium grit sand paper. Your goal is to have a smooth finish to work on.

The old green paint on this cafe chair easily scuffed off with that small piece of sandpaper in a few minutes. It wasn’t my goal to hit wood, but the paint was so flakey it was easy to sand off. You don’t want flakey varnish or paint on a piece before painting.

Here’s the chair with about 10 minutes work. I will not try to get all of the paint removed. What is left isn’t loose or flaking now. The one on left is it’s partner 😅

Note it isn’t necessary to make all the paint go away. The idea is that anything loose or flaking is lifted off.

You can’t tell from the photo but the finish on this old drum table just lifts off. I scraped that area with my nail. It will get a light scuff sanding before I paint. I don’t want that loose finish under my paint.

Once I’ve sanded areas that need attention ( note, the entire piece won’t always need to be sanded, it could be just problem areas) I will wash and clean it. First it will get washed down with our white lightening to remove dust, dirt and grime. This will often lift any other loose substances and it also deglosses. The piece gets a final wash with clean water. Once it dries well I can move on to the fun part, painting!

When you don’t need to sand

I get plenty of pieces that are in good shape and just need cleaned and then painted. The surface is smooth and stable.

This is an old dresser. You can see the wood looks nice, smooth, no chips or flaking varnish. I can clean this and proceed with painting or staining. There is no need for me to sand.

This piece is smooth and clean. No need to sand. It does have a shiny factory finish so I will use our Slick Stick on it before painting. This is basically a gripper for paint on shiny or smooth surface.

This piece was so poorly painted it would just get a quick, light all over scuff sanding ( a sanding block works great) then throughly cleaned. Scuff sanding and cleaning will take me 5-10 minutes.

In conclusion

You don’t have to sand if you use Dixie Belle ( if we want to use that as an argument for painting) however, you have to decide what you want your final product to look like when you’re done.

When we say “sand” it means to assess your piece for visible flaws that would show under your paint job. Sanding will smooth or remove those areas. It does not mean sanding entire piece down to bare wood. Prep is the essential work for nice end results. It really comes down to what you want to put into it.

I hope this posts helps you understand a bit better on when to do some sanding ( or not) on your project. If you have questions feel free to reach out, I’m happy to help!

Vintage furniture · Vintage store

Antique furniture and Dovetailed drawers

October 27, 2021 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

When I started getting more involved in my old furniture flipping business a few years ago, I made it a point to be a quick study on some of the obvious things I needed to know about it.

Therefore, I did some reading, but more importantly, I just started studying pieces I got. I took drawers out. I looked at how it was built. I studied the woods used. I tried to store in my head periods of furniture ( yikes there’s so much!)

An old man I had talked to said the more I knew what the authentic old stuff looked like, the better I would be at recognizing it.

This included one key factor in trying to assess the age of a piece. Studying the drawers, the side where pieces join together often called dovetail. It is so called because of how it looks like a tail or peg fitted in. This makes for tight drawer corners.

Dovetailed drawers have been around a long time. The dovetail machine made its debut in 1865 to help the rapidly growing furniture industry.

Dovetailed machines offered precise, exact cuts and spacing and made the drawer process move faster.

Prior to that, the dovetailing was hand done, with the pencil and carpentry marks still visible ( it’s so exciting to find pieces like that!) Mostly though, the majority of drawers you find dovetailed will be neat and precise from a machine.

Of course hand detailing was still done as well and even today skilled carpenters do it.

Don’t let someone sell you on a piece as old by this alone. Even more modern day furniture can have drawers that are dovetailed.

I recently bought a cute old wash cabinet. The size and style made me want it, but also the fact it was a nice old piece definitely sold me.

I had planned to clean it up, refresh it with a little gel stain, and leave it in its old natural state.

I was so happy when a customer claimed it and was ok with what I had planned for it.

But here’s what I want you to see. This piece is old enough to have the hand carved dovetailed drawers! I oiled the wood admiring the old craftsmanship of them.

See the wide pegs and cut marks? Beautiful, glorious hand cut dovetail ❤

Drawers were a basic box, the back piece just cut and inset with a piece of wood.

And they weren’t to concerned about the precession of cuts in the back

Looking at drawer structure is just one way to help determine an age of a piece. Again there are many factors….style, wood, design, casters etc

I hope this quick tip on dovetailed drawers gives you a little insight when shopping for antique or vintage pieces. 😊

Chalk paint · Furniture Painting · Uncategorized · Vintage furniture · Vintage store

Let’s Talk Paint!

August 4, 2021August 4, 2021 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

As an Elite retailer with Dixie Belle Paint, I carry both of their paint lines. I get a lot of questions about both so I thought I’d discuss them with you in this post.

Chalk and Silk paint. Two different Dixie Belle paints I carry in my shop

Our chalk mineral paint

“Chalk paint” as it’s referred to, is super easy to work with and definitely beginner friendly. We carry 69 colors from a soft neutrals, to fun bold colors like amethyst and peony and so many more. There is a color for everyone and all projects.

Chalk paint is very water friendly and I always recommend having a good mister bottle ( I carry those) to lightly spray your brush and paint while you work. This not only gives you a smooth finish but it makes your paint go farther. If the paint gets to thick, add a bit of water to a more workable consistency. Remember to use a little at a time to not thin to much.

Two coats is usually adequate for most things. The paint dries fairly quick, especially in warm weather! After the first coat you can lightly sand with our gray sanding pad ( available in my shop) or 220 grit sand paper. This will give the paint that nice smooth feel. Apply your second coat and after dry, lightly sand again and buff for a silky finish.

You can now leave your piece as is, the paint will fully cure in 30 days, or you can use one of our top coats or waxes to seal. This is recommended if you plan to use other colored glazes or waxes or you have a piece that will get lots of use.

Silk all in one mineral paint

Our Silk line was just released in January and it has been flying off the shelves. Silk has a built in primer and top coat offering a low reflective finish. It is water resistant, mildew and UV resistant, durable and scrubable.

This line comes in 20 soft coastal colors. This is a great product for those who just want to get a piece painted without having to do other steps to finish.

Silk requires a good cleaning before painting ( use our white lightning cleaner) and scuff sanding to make sure it has a good surface to attach to. It is recommended to use a good quality synthetic brush for application. You do not use water with Silk as this can affect its properties of primer and top coat.

Load your brush and use long even strokes, not over working paint. Silk does have a longer dry time than chalk paint. It is recommended to have several hours between coats. Once you are satisfied with your coats, you are done! If you wish to distress do so after paint is throughly dry. The paint will continue to dry and be fully cured in 30 days.

If you would prefer a different sheen, you can apply any of our top coats over Silk. All of our auxiliary products ( wax, glazes, top coats) work great with Silk! If you use one of our furniture transfers you will need to seal with a top coat.

Silk is easy to work with and is also great for cabinets too! I applied it in my son’s bathroom after we first launched it. He isn’t easy on his cabinets and the dog lays against them so I’m always scrubbing them and the paint has held up great.

A few other differences

You cannot mix or combine the two paints. Chalk is easy to blend colors with where Silk isn’t as easy to do so.

Chalk paint is water friendly but you do not use water to thin or apply Silk. Using a good quality synthetic brush will give you best results with Silk application.

I hope this brief comparison of these two paints will help you when choosing for a project. Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have!

Remember you can find all things Dixie Belle in my Shades of Yesterday shop located inside the Corner Cartel 265 S Main St Boerne

A basic table refreshed in Silk “Quiet Cove “, Damask stencil using Sawmill Gravy

Chalk paint · Furniture Painting · Uncategorized · Vintage furniture

Making Your Own Specialty Wax

June 5, 2021June 5, 2021 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

I had a good customer drop off a piece to me, an antique clock, that had been in her family for years for some custom work.

Nothing is prettier than old clocks with such details

When asked how I was to do it I was told white and pink.

Pink? I clarified that and she told me it would go in a cottage she was doing in pastels. Well ok then, pink it is!

First the clock got cleaned with Dixie Belle’s White Lightening cleaner. Once dry, I painted it with two heavy coats of our chalk mineral paint in Cotton. This is our purest bright white.

The clock looks like it’s photo bombing 😜 you can see it all pretty and white

Once the paint dried I lightly sanded it with our sanding pad to give it a smooth feel. I then applied our Best Dang Wax in clear working in, especially to the details. Once on I buffed well with a clean t shirt rag. Wax is one of several top coats you can use with our paint if you wish to seal your piece. Our paint fully cures in 30 days and no sealer is required but many prefer to add top coat for extra durability.

So why the pink paint?

Do you know besides our regular wax colors of brown, grunge gray, white, black and clear, that you can make your own specialty colored wax? Tis true!

Hmmmm, how is this accomplished?

Take a small amount of clear wax, add only a couple drops of desired Dixie Belle paint into wax and stir well with a plastic knife or popsicle stick…anything works as long as you blend in the paint well with the wax. Then brush on, use a rag etc to apply your special wax and wipe back excess. I used clear wax and a few drops of Dixie Belle’s Soft Pink to make a gorgeous wax that I worked into all of the details on the clock.

I then used a clean rag to buff the wax making sure color was worked into all the delicious details.

And the finished product at home…

How soothing are all of these soft colors?

Find all Dixie Belle products, including waxes, in my Shades of Yesterday shop inside the Corner Cartel 265 S Main St. in Boerne.

Feel free to reach out to me if I can be of help with your paint projects!

Chalk paint · furniture prep · Uncategorized

Top Coats and Sealers

October 19, 2020October 19, 2020 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

In the process of painting furniture there are various steps to take in the process:

First, the cleaning, repairing and prepping.

Use Dixie Belle white lightning to clean your piece.

Follow up with Boss or Slick Stick ( only if needed)

Paint in your desired Dixie Belle color.

After paint has dried well, lightly sand finish with our sanding pad or 220 grit sand paper. Remove dust with a clean cloth.

Top coats and other sealers

After painting, you can leave as is if you desire. Dixie Belle will fully cure in 30 days.

Most people usually like to apply a final coat in wax or poly clear.

I have several options available in my shop.

Clear coat poly, comes in gloss, satin and flat. Apply with brush or our blue sponge!

I also have Gator Hide which is our most durable and waterproof clear finish. Great for table tops and outdoor furniture.

Waxes

I love waxing pieces. There is something so rich and smooth with the finish. You can apply wax with a brush ( I love our Belle brush for waxing) or a lint free rag. Apply a small amount and work into paint, buff well.

We carry waxes in clear, black, brown, white and grunge gray ( my fav)

Note: no matter what you choose poly or wax, if you want to use darker colors, always put your clear on first, then apply dark colors! It makes it much easier to move the darker waxes or glazes around on your piece. Trust me 😄

And we have spray wax! Shake well, lightly spray small areas at a time, buff in with clean cloth, cures in 6 hours. Repeat as needed. Easy Peasy!

I hope this mini tutorial helps you in deciding how to finish off your projects. Feel free to contact me for further help!

As a Premier Dixie Belle retailer you can find these products and more in my shop, 265 S Main St Boerne.

Need it shipped? I can do that too!

Happy painting 😊

Chalk paint · Uncategorized · Vintage furniture

Dixie Belles “Big Mama’s Butta”

September 18, 2020September 18, 2020 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

It’s no secret that Dixie Belle has tons of amazing paint colors, but we also have lots of other products to make your furniture look beautiful.

I thought I’d share about one of our finishing products in this post, Big Mama’s Butta.

Funny name, but powerful product.

Butta comes in two scents, Suzanne’s Garden and Orange Grove ( my favorite!) It also comes unscented. If you’re into essential oils you can add a few drops to the unscented.

What’s in the secret sauce?

Butta contains hemp oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and carnauba wax.

How do you use it? What’s its purpose?

I use it inside furniture as a final touch on finishing a piece. Apply with a soft rag and work on drawers and runners for smooth sliding, use inside drawers themselves to bring a fresh luster to wood. The orange smells amazing inside a finished piece.

Use it on a beautiful wood piece you don’t want to paint to renew the wood. I bought a gorgeous antique cabinet a few months ago, the wood was gorgeous and I knew I wouldn’t paint it.

This was my first piece to use it on and wow, I was hooked! My daughter in law came by later and asked if I had used our “no pain gel stain ” on it. The difference was that drastic.

That’s not all….

You can use as a sealer after your paint has dried well. Apply with a lint free cloth, buff after application. Cures after 7 days.

But wait, there’s more!

What if I told you it renewed and restored leather?

Oh yes it does.

Recently my daughter in law sent me a photo of some gorgeous Italian leather boots she had scored at the thrift store with the question, “can I use the gel stain on these?” ( I’ve seriously got her hooked on the stuff! 😃)

I told her no, but I did have another product she could use. She had already bought some butta so I instructed her to use it on the boots.

You can see results below, the boot on left is before.

And a closer look….

Can you say wow??? 🤩

So there you go. Big Mama’s Butta can not only get those tight drawers running smooth, refresh old tired wood, cover old odors, and seal your piece after painting, it can also refresh and renew tired and worn leather.

Comes in 4 and 10 oz sizes, Orange Grove, Suzanne’s Garden and Unscented.

Find this product and all my other Dixie Belle products at my Shades of Yesterday shop inside the Corner Cartel, 265 S Main St in Boerne.

Chalk paint · furniture prep · Uncategorized · Vintage furniture

Problem Solvers, Hello Boss

August 4, 2020August 4, 2020 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

Have you ever spent time working on a project only to have the dreaded “bleed through” of reds from the tannins in the wood show up in your hard work?

I remember when I started doing this work ( before Dixie Belle came into my life) I had just finished a cute table, sealed it, only to have red tones seeping through the white.

Ah! 😱😱😱

Or what about a piece you pick up from a sale that smells like smoke or grandmas attic?

Boss to the rescue!

I carry several sizes from 8-32 oz so you can buy according to your project. It also comes in clear and white.

Not all pieces need Boss. However if the piece has strong red tones or odors, it could be a candidate.

How it works:

Clean and prep piece as usual.

Apply one or two coats, letting dry well between coats.

Once dry, paint as usual!

How to get it

Pick up Boss at my shop today!
Shades of Yesterday is located inside the Corner Cartel. 265 S Main St in Boerne.

Need it shipped? Contact me about that! I will be happy to help you.

furniture prep · Uncategorized · Vintage furniture

Prepping And Painting

July 31, 2020July 31, 2020 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

I often get asked if sanding is required before painting with our chalk mineral paint.

My response always is, “the better your prep, the better your finished piece will look”

Technically, no you don’t really have to do much, just clean and go.

However, depending on the condition of your piece, will largely determine how little or much sanding is involved.

What do people exactly have in mind when they ask about sanding?

Usually hours of painstaking labor taking the finish back to original wood.

No. There is absolutely no need unless you want to. I’ve often sanded top surfaces back if I want to stain and have natural wood grain showing.

For me sanding looks like this:

If the piece is in good condition and the surface is even, it usually gets a light buffing to just rough the surface. I then clean well and paint.

Since I deal with lots of really old furniture the varnish is usually rough and flaking. It doesn’t take much to sand it off as it comes off easily. Again, I work off the old varnish to get a smooth even surface. Not all areas may require it.

These old beauties got sanded quite a bit because of the old finish

At times I’ve gone back and sanded in areas after painting because I can see the uneven marks from varnish underneath. It makes me crazy to see a piece somewhere that’s been painted and obviously painted over a previous uneven finish.

Good prep work gives you a much more beautiful finished piece.

We all want to get to the fun part, painting. And prep isn’t always the most fun, but it is necessary.

If you’re using Dixie Belle products your steps would look like this:

Assess piece for repairs and sanding needs.

After sanding, clean well with our White Lightning cleaner. This removes dirt, grime, dust etc. Wash with clean water after.

Let dry well.

Use one of our problem solvers if necessary.

Boss will block stains and odors, our Slick Stick is good for shiny surfaces to help paint adhere well.

Follow directions if you use one of these products.

Once dry, the fun part, painting!

A little prep will go a long way in a piece that you will be proud of when you are done!

These night stands were painted in Dixie Belles “Stormy Seas”, the top received two coats of our No Pain Gel Stain in “Colonial Black ” , top was sealed with Satin finish and the body was clear waxed and then I played with details with black wax.