Welcome to the 842nd Metamorphosis Monday! Several years back I moved this small blue chest to the hallway just outside my upstairs living room/bonus room.
Though the color of the chest worked great in my bonus room, it seemed a bit crowded over in the corner of that room.
Unfortunately, that was the only place it would fit in that room, so I ended up moving it.
I placed it in the hallway that leads to that room. I like seeing the chest here since this area was completely blank for a long time.
Later I added this painting of two friends (or maybe they are sisters) enjoying a day at the beach.
A little over an hour away from my home in north Georgia, there’s a pretty mountain community named Big Canoe. Some of the BC residents live there full-time, while others live elsewhere and rent their homes out whenever they are not staying there. I have visited and rented a home in BC on two different occasions—once just for fun and a second time last summer when the hose to my refrigerator’s icemaker leaked and necessitated having the downstairs hardwood flooring refinished. I also visited Big Canoe during their Oktoberfest with a friend who owns a home there. My dream has always been to live in the mountains. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll sell my Georgia house and buy a place in Big Canoe, although the prices there have doubled over the past 4 years.
Anyway, Big Canoe holds a special place in my heart, and I think it always will. Back when I used to dream of one day living there, I purchased a few BC mementos online, including the Big Canoe sign seen resting atop the chest. I don’t have a great spot for hanging it here in my home, but I thought it looked cute here on the chest with the lakeside/beachside painting above. I love seeing it whenever I walk down the upstairs hallway.
I purchased the sign on Etsy HERE and though I love it, there’s one thing that has always annoyed me about it. I don’t like how the edges of the wood were not finished when the sign was made. I’m not sure why the craftsman didn’t take that final step to completely finish it, but if I ever do decide to hang it, I don’t want to see that yellow, raw edge of the wood on the sides (or the bottom/top) of the sign.
I actually purchased two Big Canoe signs.
I love that BC has bears roaming all around! Ha! Do you remember this text message that I shared from the owner of the property I stayed in when I visited a year or two back? 🙂
By the way, that home is currently for sale, you can tour it here: Home for Sale in Big Canoe.
Check out my previous post about that stay here: A Visit to Big Canoe.
Okay, so back to the signs—I love the bear sign, but it has the same issue that the other sign has. The sides were left unfinished. Argggh! (Bear sign is available here: Big Canoe Bear Sign.) By the way, I’m guessing the Etsy shop that makes these signs probably does custom orders. I noticed they have signs for Hilton Head and other locations/themes. You’ll find the shop here: Millwood Art.
This is a small Before/After but it feels so good to finally have it done! Using black acrylic craft paint, I stained all four sides of both signs. I didn’t use a paint brush, just used my finger since I felt like I had better control of staying only on the sides/edges that way. It was fun to do and only took a few minutes to finish off each sign.
It looks so much better now without that raw edge sticking out like a sore thumb.
Here’s how the other sign looks now. Ummm, maybe I should have used a grayish color paint for the sides of this one.
Just a mini-makeover, but it feels good to finally have it done! Only took me since September 2023 to finally get around to doing it!
Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday! Pssst: Did you know Between Naps On The Porch is on Instagram? You’ll find me on Instagram here: Between Naps On The Porch. Like to know when a new blog post is up? Subscribe for email updates (it’s free) and your e-mail will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates here: Subscribe.
Susan,
Love chest in hallway.
Being relatively new, I didn’t know about Big Canoe. I will take a look.
The one main thing I really miss about leaving CA: leaving Lake Tahoe.
Wendyy
I bet, I hope you can visit periodically. My son was just skiing there a couple of weeks ago.
Hi Susan, I could use a blue chest just like yours in one of our guest rooms! Also, the clock in your living room is stunning!!
Thanks, Chris! I first bought that same chest for my grandson’s bedroom makeover that you can see here: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/dinosaur-themed-boys-bedroom-with-pottery-barn-dinosaur-bedding/ .
I loved it so much, I bought one for my home hoping I could find a place to work it in. I love the color! It’s no longer available on Amazon, which is where I purchased it, but it is still available here: https://bit.ly/41Ys5N8
If you do a Google search for “Safavieh distressed blue chest” you’ll find it available in several places online.
Isn’t it funny something little can bother us for years and when we actually fix it it takes about 10-15 minutes and looks so much better. I’ve been trying to get myself to address it sooner rather than letter. Nice little blue chest and BC looks like a lovely place to visit.
I know. I don’t know why I put it for so long…happy it’s done! 🙂
Definitely good changes to the signs. I think you should give that feedback to the seller if you haven’t already. Also, a sponge brush would have worked perfect, rather than your finger….just FYI for any future projects. Good to know of the source too, I bet they could personalize signs right?
Love the blue chest and the signs. I was thinking a quarter/half round to make it framed. I laughed about your finger painting. I used some spray foam over the weekend. So, rather than get some gloves, I used my finger to spread it around. Then it got all over my fingers and hands. It was like biscuit dough with super glue in it. My fingers were sticking together. I tried everything including pouring cooking oil on my hands. It took hours to get 90% off. It’s still on my fingernails like concrete LOL. Worse yet, its a one job deal and a lot was wasted. They say patience is a virtue.
Hoping everyone was spared from the tornados over the weekend.
That unfinished edge would have bothered me to no end too! The black looks good on the second sign too; it reflects the black shadow of the text.
Hi Susan, HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY. I had the biggest laugh about how the unfinished edge of the BC frames really got to you! I think it’s funny how something can seem so idiosyncratic to some and to those of us it’s enough to make us lose our minds :-). Great job on the frames and I LOVE the color, TFS!
Susan,
Thanks so much for hosting this wonderful party!! I really appreciate the time and effort that goes into it along with visiting all the links!! I hope you are having a great week!!
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Liking this chest of Drawers moved into the hall way, and loving the picture, and the seashore theme,. Susan this makes me long for the seashore. Lovely.
I’m ready for hot weather in southeast Georgia.
*linked up with an Easter Vignette