My Latest Project...

About a year and a half ago after I finished my table makeover I started looking for a buffet/sideboard (whatever you'd like to call it) to redo.  I found this gem on Craigslist for $75 and fell in love.  I love the legs/floral details of a French Provincial!

Pardon the fact that I never got a before shot other than the craigslist picture...Also I posted that photo a year and a half ago all gung-ho to get this project started.  I managed to sand the finish off the top of it before putting it into our garage where it sat until the floors were redone in the dining room this past fall.  Then we pulled it into the house and it sat untouched again.  See having a child, a full time job and a photography business plus being pregnant for 9 months of that time = Amber accomplishing NOTHING.  I was having a hard time deciding what color to paint it also, I didn't know if I wanted it to match the antique white of my chairs or the turquoise of my table with a wood top.  It took me a while to decide and commit to which way I was going to go with the color. Anyway while I sat here on medical leave before Alex was born I got sick of looking at a half finished project one day and decided to bust out the paint brushes and get my butt in gear.  As much in gear as an overdue pregnant lady can get. 

I did a quick wipe down of all the surfaces that I was going to paint with the liquid deglosser before adding a coat of primer (I used Zinsser Bulls eye 1-2-3)  After primer I went for my trusty quart of Cozumel (turquoise) which is getting pretty low these days after a table, dresser, large photo frame, large mirror and now buffet.  I applied two coats and then went back and did a third touch up coat where needed.  I'm not sure why I bothered seeing how I planned to distress this piece anyhow but the OCD in me just couldn't handle not making it perfect.

Then because I was ginormously pregnant (see OVERDUE and miserable)  I put the drawers back like this so that it could have days to dry and I decided that sanding/staning/poly should probably wait until after I had the baby.  For some reason it just sounded like a bad idea to do those thing pregnant.  So it sat like this for a few weeks:

 After Alex was born, and about 4 weeks old I again got sick of spending my day in a house with an unfinished project and I decided to get it done.  Of course this is Michigan and it's like perpetual winter...I usually use my palm sander to do my distressing on projects but since I seemed to have left it out in the shed and couldn't find it quickly enough to not be freezing or ran off by he squirrels who have taken over my shed this winter..grr.  I gave up and went to town with some sanding blocks and sand paper....

After I was happy with the distressing, I got out my can of Minwax Walnut (I use walnut on EVERYTHING mostly because I like dark wood stain, and I wanted this to closely match my table that I had previously done in walnut.)  Everything got coated with stain and allowed to sit on the painted surfaces for about 10 minutes...a little longer on the drawers (and it was not easy to wipe back off) because an Alex baby needed fed.

After the 10 minutes I used some old rags to wipe off the excess stain that hadn't soaked into the wood/painted areas.  I thought I would need to do more than one coat of stain on the top but it soaked it up so well the first time that I didn't need more.

I allowed the stain to dry for 24 hours and the next day I applied Polyurethane to the entire buffett.  This time I used Minwax Polycrylic, which is not what I had used in the past which was Minwax Oil-modified Polyurethane.  I applied two coats without sanding between to the painted surfaces and to the stained top I did 4 coats sanding with 220 grit in between coats.  I allowed 3 days for the poly to dry before I placed anything on the top of the buffet and before I closed the drawers fully or put the doors back on the cabinet ends.   I didn't want anything sticking because it didn't have adequate time to dry!

While I waited for it to cure I grabbed all the hardware and gave it a good bath in some dawn to remove any grease.  After they had some time out in the sun to dry thoroughly I sprayed them all with Rust-Oleum Oil Rubbed Bronze paint.  I love the way they turned out. 

 And now housing some of my Pyrex collection..

I notice that this color is incredibly hard to capture in a photo I think the second to last photo, the pulled back shot is the closest to true color along with the close up of the drawer pull.

Another Weekend Has Ended

Monday, why do you do this to me every week?  Can't it just been perpetual weekend?  (with paychecks still please).

This weekend my mom took Addison for the whole weekend so that they could spend time with her and I could accomplish some kid free things.  It was a craft-tacular weekend around here!

Friday before my mom got out of work, Addison and I spent the day doing a little errand running/garage sale shopping and playing in the yard (well I tried to read while she played but that didn't work too well)

When my mom got out of work I met her in town to do a kid exchange and then decided to do some kid free shopping.  I was impressed with the number of stores I could quickly cover without a toddler in tow.  For real it was mind blowing and I have forgotten how nice it is to run errands alone sometimes without a time limit!  I almost always feel as if I am being rushed, rushing to finish, rushing to get somewhere on time.  I need a few chill pills.  After my errand running I came home went for a little run and then plopped myself in front of the tv to watch "What to Expect When Expecting" with a can of stain and I got to work on staining what will be new shelves for my bathroom.  Oh yeah, and a bird, and a "treasure chest" for Addison's B-day party.

Saturday morning I painted a few more birds (so I could have a little flock), shot a family session, did some thrift shopping where I found this cute little trivet that I will add to my collage wall.

To paint, or not to paint?  

I also found a 3.99 desk at goodwill that will be perfect for Addison (or another kid if I decide once I refinish it that I don't want to keep it seeing how I have another desk waiting to be refinished in the garage)

And this little spice rack which I'm pretty sure I will use to hold nail polish and possibly hang necklaces from for my bedroom. (it's yellow now)

Then I started the refinishing of these last three chairs for my dining room (if you remember...last fall..I got one of them done and had been waiting to fix the match to that one and looking for another set of two, I wanted two sets of two so they match the chair opposite them but not all 4 matching)  This process takes forever because 1. I do not own a paint sprayer, so brush it is.  2. Primer coat, Paint coat, Paint coat, Distress (sand), Stain, Polyurethane. (FOREVER!!!).  But I LOVE how it looks when it's done so the effort is worth it in the long run. 

this is usually when I remember my before pictures.

Primered

one painted, two to go!

Soon after the 1st coat of paint color it was time to head to Milford for my friend from works Wedding Reception. So I tried to scrub off all my war paint and we headed out for a little bit.

When we got back I stayed up far to late at night working on pictures and caught a one night early "supermoon".

Woke up Sunday morning to an absolutely beautiful day,

I was slightly ADD with my plans for the day, I planted the last of the flowers/bulbs that I had bought already this year, moved some of my garden ornaments around.  Started working on the chairs again and noticing how badly the green algae growth & bug bits on the side of the house were looking so I unburried the powerwasher, found some gas and started spraying.  while I looked like a hot mess afterwards, the house looks 1000 times better, even though its no where near finished! 

yuck

By the time 3:30 rolled around and it was time for me to hop in the shower to make it to my 5pm photo session I looked like this:

Ooops, shoulda remembered that sun screen.

But my chairs were finished!!!

I'll definitely have to do an updated post on the entire project, table, chairs, and a price breakdown.  But first this need time to air out and my house needs cleaned!

I also started working on a few more craft projects for Addison's B-day party.  Hello this is me going overboard on the details.  Every year I do her age in a 8x10 frame that sits out at her party and on her dresser after her party for the rest of the year.  I got that painted and embellished, except I'd like to find some pirate paper instead of the blue stripes to mount it to.

 And then my little peanut came home and is seen here making "noodle & sunburn soup"  sounds delish.

Mom sent me home some dinner and fresh made strawberry shortcake from the berries that they went and picked this weekend.  It was amazing!

And that, my friends, is how you do a kid free weekend.  Also, I am so sore and old today.