A “Press for Champagne” silent buzzer plaque idea was in a book I have, so I made this small 5×8 inch one that will soon be available in my French Country booth at Spirals Art Gallery and Studio in Cuba, MO for $12.99. It can either hang or sit on a stand.

The fun idea is that when you press it, it will “silently” ring on your end but will summon a waiter that will immediately bring you a glass of bubbly.

After I made it, I put it to the test. I think there may be a slight malfunction. I ended up having to get my own glass of wine due to the fact there was no champagne in the house. Imagine that. However, Danny made the dinner that went with it, so there is that. As a disclaimer then, there is no guarantee you will have a waiter appear for you, but one can always hope.

I can custom make these. They would all look different due to the buzzer I can come up with. Think…Press for Wine, Ring for Rose’, Press for Cabana Boy…lol. Just think outside the box.

Of course I had to research how this idea came about, so here’s what I found for your reading pleasure.

http://thinklikeabosslady.com/press-for-champagne-button

I am in the process of restyling our booth for selling our painted furniture and other items so I’ve been busy curating all kinds of goodies to go with the new style: French Country/Farmhouse/Cottage and anything that will blend well with that look.

I have been learning a lot about this type of style, and the more I learn, the more I love it.

For instance:

I found this metal container. It shouted out, “I know I’m dated, but buy me and transform me into the look you want.” So I did.

I knew the look I wanted but didn’t know how to go about achieving it. So, I googled it. I came across an interesting book that was recently published that explains 70 DIY French Country Decor projects. It was on Amazon, so I bought it.

Title: French Vintage Decor

Author: Jamie Lundstrom

Thanks to a YouTube video I watched, Christina, from DIY Mommy.com, shows a project from the book, creating a DIYFrench Country basket! https://youtu.be/078L3KpZK54

I loved it and will try it on a basket, but today I wanted to try it on the metal container. I love the final result!

As a bonus, Christina shares a video of a friend that created a concrete bowl-another tutorial in the book. You see why I bought the book?

Read the text on Christina’s video and you’ll find a link to the book on Amazon if you are interested in purchasing the book and a link to the concrete bowl DIY video.

So now, here are the steps I took to transform an outdated metal container into a cool French Country one I will be selling in my newly restyled booth.

I used Missouri Limestone Paint Company chalk-style paint, so I know it works great. You can probably use other types of paint, too. Let each coat dry before moving on to the next.

Step 1:

Prep is important. I cleaned the container thoroughly with a vinegar/water 50/50 mix.

Step 2:

I painted the whole container with one coat of “French Roast”, a dark brown. It’s ok that it doesn’t cover completely. That just adds to the old world charm.

Step 3:

I then did a wash with “Zinc”, which is a gray/beige color. To do the wash, I painted it on, then took a rag and wiped it down. It was drying fast, so I also used a very slightly damp baby wipe.

Step 4:

I then drybrushed the whole piece with “January”, a true white.

Step 5:

This step involves using white wax. You can buy it or make your own by adding some white paint to wax. I had a can of Briwax Liming Wax, so I used that. I covered the whole piece. Then, after letting it sit a few minutes, I buffed it by hand.

And that’s it! Here’s my finished container, staged with a flower arrangement.

I can’t wait to get my book in the mail to see what else I can make. I know I want to make a concrete bowl for sure, but there is a video of that to watch!