Cardamama Handmade Cards

Salt & Pepper are also known as the Cardamamas. We get together regularly to make handmade greeting cards and other paper related crafts. We also host monthly card making workshops at SudsMuffin.

We recently made a few cards for some custom orders. We really enjoy these ones because the feedback we get is so wonderful! The recipients tend to save and hold on to their special cards for many years.

Birthday Card

Birthday Card

Birthday Card

First Birthday Card

80th Birthday Card

Best Friend Birthday Card

Birthday Card

Wedding Card

New Baby Card

Happy Everything Card

Great finds for Free

Ms. Salt here, when Ms. Pepper says she goes full speed on a new adventure she isn't kidding. Here are some items we picked up for free today to add to our needs to be refinished stockpile. Looking forward to getting my hands dirty. Let the adventure begin.

A cute little night stand, peeking out from behind another cabinet.

A dresser with a nice shape and in good condition.

An entertainment unit that was VERY heavy.

Learning as we go

Ms Salt and I have decided to try our hand at refinishing some furniture and maybe we can actually sell a few pieces too while we're at it. We've both been checking out lots of DIY blogs lately and are both sufficiently inspired to get our hands dirty too. As soon as Salt told me she was interested in seeing what we could do, I jumped in with both feet. I probably made a considerable splash since I tend to really throw myself into any venture I get into.

I'm the Pepper in this duo, and she's the Salt; nicknames given to us by a work colleague in Rochester a few years ago. Salt and Pepper have been working and playing closely together for about 10 years. We like getting together and crafting handmade cards, teaching workshops, traveling and shopping together and we are game to try our hand at this thrifting and furniture business too.

We've bought a couple of pieces to start on, namely a sweet mahogany sideboard that we scored for $50, a child's chair for $10, a few plaster frames for a couple of dollars each and a few nick-knacks too. Stay tuned to see what we do with them!

Details of the large rectangular plaster frame, first coat of primer on over the old gold paint

The plaster mirror frame before primer was applied. This piece is very heavy.

Painting primer onto the plaster mirror frame

Shell detail at the top of the plaster mirror frame

Mahogany sideboard we picked up for $50. The only thing we have done to this piece so far is to spray paint the pulls and knobs with Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze.

A little metal basket we picked up at the SA Thrift Store. I love how the primer accentuates the embossed flowers on it. I think this will be cute spray painted in a light turquoise with the wood handle done in black.

Ms Salt painting primer into the tiny details of the big gold plaster frame. This took us about an hour to put the primer on. We may have to think about switching to spray primer.

A vintage cast iron door stop, also from the SA Thrift Store. I love this and felt it was my find of the day. It has since seen a coat of primer too. What colour do you think we should paint this?