Chunky Farmhouse Pine Table & Touring Orsanmichelle in Florence

Right behind our AIRBNB in Florence there's the famous OrsanMichelle church. It's most famous for it's exterior stone carvings done by the world famous Donatello. Donatello kicks off the pre-rennaisance in Florence by combining church art with Roman and Greek stone carving techniques. The results are like this St George in the short video we shared to facebook! Take a look!

Getting Restoration Hardware's Antique Gray Color

Ever wonder how Restoration Hardware creates those gorgeous colors! We did too, so we tried to recreate the color on an unfinished maple dresser. The look we were after is from the EMPIRE ROSETTE 8-DRAWER DRESSER and you'll be happy to know, it wasn't a hard color to hack! 

Weathering Pine Perfectly for that RH Look

What do you guys have planned for Valentine's Day this year? I need some ideas for Los Angeles! It's our first time living there and I don't know what my options are. Now that we are in LA, it's always been a dream to go on the Price is Right! You know what I mean? But now that Bob is gone, it's just not the same. I guess it's not that a romantic day... unless we win! ;)

Purchasing Unfinished Furniture for Staining Driftwood Gray

If you guys know, Bre from Rooms for Rent, then you know her style is fabulous! So we were thrilled to send her a quart of stain to try out.  Here's what Bre had to say!

Refinished Maple Dresser

Today is Zack and my 18th Anniversary! I can't believe how the time has flown. I feel like no time has passed, except for how our love grows and grows. I think that not having kids, creates this sort of permanent date for he and I. You hardly realize how time is flying until you hang out with your friends' kids. The you remember, you're old! Ha!

Perfect Grey for Any Table

Pine is the easiest wood for DIYers to get, just about anywhere in the USA. But it has prominent wood grain and doesn't always take wood stains evenly. But with reactive stains you can get beautiful color and that grain will look 100%! Check out this pine farmhouse table, the color is totally dreamy and it looks like it's straight out of a Restoration Hardware catalog!

Layering Reactive Stains Buffet

This week's project comes from the talented Urban Farmhouse! This project is awesome because I've been dying to show you all how you can layer reactive stains! 

Cerused Oak Side Tables

Caio, friends! Hope you're well today! Sharing this super hot look has been for furniture, floors, really any wood surface. The white wood grain is called "ceruse" and it can be done on raw wood or over our stains. But it definetly works best on deep grain wood, like this oak. 

Gray Pine Scrap Table & Sicilian Wedding

We had the incredible opportunity to celebrate our friends, Ginevra and Keean’s, unbelievable Sicilian wedding! 💗💓💘 It was absolutely perfect! Ginevra was a HUGE help to Zack and I when we first moved to Italy. We met just by happen stance. Zack and I were asking a local business for help and we spoke zero Italian when we first arrived. The worker didn't;t speak and English so we went and grabbed his good friend Ginevra. Ginevra is one of the kindest and most helpful individuals I have ever met. We became fast friends and she literally went to the Dr with me to translate!  So when she invited us to her wedding, of course we came down from Florence and went back to Sicily for the event. 

Perfect Vintage Look for Pine Furniture & Road-Tripping in Italy

This week we are traveling from Florence down to Sicily, it's a long trek but we have several stops planned. We rented a teeny tiny taco car and loaded up out gear. We take a lot of Italy for granted because it's our "normal" now, but I thought you guys may want to check out this Italian Travel Stop food! 

And be careful when ordering 4 pieces of pizza that you check how big the slices are first! 😳😋 For projects I have a great one, because EVERYONE is always asking me how to age pine and we have the perfect product for that!! Weatherwood PINING stain will give pine gorgeous mix of grays and browns colors! One of our favorite clients, Chelsea from Apple Blossom Way, created this farmhouse masterpiece and I thought we would enjoy the inspiration. She is ALWAYS sharing free paint and stain tutorials, so you will want to follow her for sure! Check it out-

Materials

• Unstained furniture piece (can be new wood or stripped, this is PINE.)
• Wood Stain: Pining from Weatherwood [Save 10% with code: WELCOME10]

• Weatherwood Stains' Varnish 

Directions

1.] SAND: Begin with either new wood or strip previously finished tabletop. Start with a rough grit with a 120 grit.

2.] STAIN: Brush on 1-2 coats of Weatherwood Pining stain to weather pine. Brush on and allow product to air dry naturally. Pining turns wood a mix of grays and browns. Here's all 5 gorgeous options from the Weatherwood Color Chart.

Weatherwood Pine Color Chart

3.] PROTECT: Seal the table with Weatherwash Polyurethane, we used Dead Flat.

If you'd like to see more furniture makeovers with this color scheme, here's a gorgeous Nautical Desk Makeover! [link]

Piece of pie, piece of cake! You can save 10% on your first Weatherwood order with code: WELCOME10. I hope to see you tomorrow at our party! 

Cedar Farmhouse Table & Santa Croce Church in Florence

I had to visit the famous old church called Santa Croce because my fav guy Michelangelo is buried there.🎨 But there was so, so much awesomeness happening!!

Beachy Side Table Transformation & Santa Scala, Rome

The Santa Scale was quite the experience! 💜💙 According to Catholic tradition, these are the Holy Stairs from Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. They are the stairs Jesus Christ stepped on his way to trial during his Passion. ✝️ ⛪ 

Architectural Headboard in Smoked Oak & Santa Croce, Florence

I had to visit the famous old church called Santa Croce because my fav guy Michelangelo is buried there.🎨 But there was so, so much awesomeness happening!!

St Frances started this particular church ⛪️ & monastery for the Franciscan monks that follow him. The monks still have a leather shop here. 👜 💀

Farmhouse Pine Coffee Table & Romantic Arno River, Florence

We don't have a car here, although we rent them frequently  But every day life is on foot, or a piedi. Our grocery shopping walk (or passegiare) takes us across the famous Arno River in Florence. It's a romantic walk, even when we are carrying heavy groceries back home.

White-Washed Side Tables & Volterra, Italy (Twilight Series)

Thank you, Stephenie Meyer, for writing about Volterra- because it’s completely magical! After we left Rome we took a one day detour to check out Voltarra. We stayed at a quaint B&B where the host assured us, everything there was in true Tuscan style. 🌟 

Farmhouse Coffee Table Upcycle & St. Paul's-Outside-the-Walls, Rome

The Apostle Paul lies entombed beneath the alter of this giant basillica in Rome. ⛪️ This church is about two miles from his martyrdom site, which we were also able to tour. ✝️ This site is extremely busy with pilgrims and tourists, bustling with persons from all over the globe.

Salvaged-Looking Porch Swings & Easter in Roma

When we planned this year abroad, we made sure we would be in Roma for Easter. Easter or Pasqua is Italia's biggest holiday. They have pilgrims travel to the country from all over the world to see the holy sites and to meet the Pope (Il Papi!) And believe me, Rome does not disappoint. Two weeks ago this place was pretty dead and now the museums and churches are packed with people. 

Weathering Raw Furniture & Palazzo Reale Napoli

Feast for the eyes! Check out the grand entrance to Palazzo Reale di Napoli! The royal palace was built in the 1600's and housed the famous Bourbons, relative of the conquering Napoleon. The exterior was okay, with it's orange stucco...but the inside! Wow!

Stripped and Stained Piano & a Trip to La Boca Veritas, Rome

We made it to Rome and our first day we strolled around our Trastavere AirBNB. One of the closest tourist stops is calledthe Mouth of Truth (Boca della Veritàs). Originally the disc’s from the temple of Hercules, but now people travel from all over the world 🌎 to put their hand in its mouth. The story goes, if the statue does NOT bite your hand, than you are true of heart! 👄💖 Somehow, we made it!

Poplar Driftwood Dresser Makeover & Pompeii Architecture

We spent four wet, rainy, blustery February days days in Pompeii! It was incredible- you felt like you were simply falling back into time. I wish I could've brought you all with me. I've split up the art and architecture into 2 posts, because I don't want to overload you and it's ALL incredible! If you watch series like HBO's Rome, this will all look sooo familiar to you!