Another piece begins.  It has only taken me a year and a half to get started..... I am so proud of this particular find!  I can't wait to complete the set.

Finished china cabinet.

Cabinet Door Before Picture

Back to School Blues

So how do you spend the Sunday before your last day of summer?  I have never discovered the perfect way that doesn't end up with my family avoiding me by mid-noon.....you know the mattress commercial where the kids see mom as a bear, well I am a much angrier bear, maybe even slightly rabid. Oh and did I mentioned that lottery purchases increase, and I definitely enter as many times as the DIY network will allow me for the Blog Cabin.  

 As with painting, I always have these glorious summers planned there never quite work out to my expectations.  One, I have this incredible habit of not saying "No", so I end up doing a lot of things that I would otherwise not enjoy. Then I am to tired to do what I would like to do....yada yada yada.  I required re-certification points so spent several days a week taking 8 hour classes which reminded me how the children actually feel in school. My husband wasn't well which meant I took on a lot of his responsibilities, which for years I deemed where minor compared to mine when getting ready for vacation.  I would like to mention that to his credit remembering beach chairs, beach blankets, and coolers are pretty important and I will be much appreciative to have those in the future.

In the end, I realize I should be thankful that I have a job. Even though I grumble and complain about a stomachache the day before, I have a job that brings many rewards. I look at friends and family that seem to be so expendable in their jobs.  They work in an environment where everyone is out for themselves, the company only cares about the bottom line, and they can let you go in a blink of an eye.  I am thankful that even through all the battles, having a child look at you and say you made a difference in their lives erases all those away.  Isn't it sad that in most work places very few people get that?  Have we become so "bottom line oriented" that we have forgotten what it was like to be kind or even humane?  So as much as I may drag my feet about saying goodbye to summer, I realize even with lower pay and benefits I am so much better off than most people I know.

Pinterest and Painting

I sit here trying to inspire myself to get started on the first antique piece for my kitchen.  I am trying to convince myself that I am doing research on Pinterest for paint ideas, but really I am procrastinating, especially when I am pinning clothes into my style rather than painted furniture ideas.

I bought the piece at the Salvation Army Thrift store. I actually had run in looking for old fur pieces for Santa sculptures.  I swear I heard angels sing as I looked at the back of the store and saw the buffet and china cabinet sitting there.  I immediately took a picture with my iPhone, the one I insisted that I did not need and would never use for anything but receiving and making calls. The picture was sent to my husband asking permission to buy, lets face it it wasn't for permission it was only to inform him he had 48 hours to pick it up.

I think I sometimes avoid starting because I know I suddenly turn into my father and become very OCD about what it should look like, how it should be painted, and if it meets this level of perfection that I create in my head that no poor soul could live up to!

So off I charge.....the dogs will cower, Ben will suddenly have something outside to do, and Cullen will ever so wisely wait on calling his mother, probably because his father has texted him and said your mom has paint and paintbrush in hand. So in a few hours I will be speckled with paint because I have never managed not to be splattered and end up with as much on me as the project.  Somewhere along the line I will manage to step in the lid of the paint and hobble around until my toes are dried and will realize once again I forgot to set a bucket of soapy water nearby for quick clean ups.  Someday I will learn.

Summer Projects

This has been a rough summer in my household, so all those projects I had planned never got done.  The summer started off with a bathroom reno which resulted in my husband cutting his leg on a metal fan casing.  I told him he needed stitches but he knew better. A week later he had cellulitis and a round of antibiotics. Then I got a really bad virus which he ended up getting several days before our vacation. Long story short, as a result of the virus he got Bell's Palsy. It all could have been worse, so not getting a few projects done isn't that bad.  I will just start them now!
First up was a nightstand redo for my son.  I must admit it started with a blunder but I think the result turned out pretty great.  I originally just tried sprucing it up with some stain but since it never dried I had to come up with an alternate plan. When I asked my son what color his reply was turquoise, he is his mother's son.  I decided I needed something to break up some of the color so I used vintage South American map prints. Rather than using mod podge to apply them, I used gel medium which helped decrease any bubbles and ripples.

Re-purposed TV Stand

One of my most recent projects has been a re-purposed tv stand.  I tried painting a little more modern version of Jacobean flowers on the top and front panels.  The piece has been sanded, waxed, and buffed to give it that satin feel to the touch.  I added storage boxes where the VCR once would have been housed and replaced the old dark brass handles with glass knobs.

I am currently working on three pieces, but this is the first one to be carried out to the front porch for photos.  Unfortunately, homes built a hundred years ago don't make for the best photo ops inside! I used a turquoise and old white watered down washes on the piece.  I used vintage sheet music to collage the back and inside of the piece.  Legs were added to give height and character.

I have been very busy working on some painted pieces for summer farmer's markets.  Pictures will be posted soon.  I hope everyone loves hues of blues as much as I do!  I can't sing enough praises for Annie Sloan wax and Webster's Chalk Paint Powder.  Love the Annie Sloan Paints but sometimes you want different color choices, Webster's is a great choice!

Welcome to my little corner of the web.  Though cobwebs may hang on my little treasures, soon they will be sparkling a new!  As soon as I finish all the dusting, sanding, and painting I will post pictures of my delightful little treasures.  Please check back soon!