Table Transformation

Back from my massive sabbatical.


Remember the table that I picked up on Craigslist a couple of years ago?  Here are a few pics to refresh your memory. 

I had it propped up on two saw horses for a couple of years. It took me several months before I even attempted to do anything with it.


 First I stripped the poly coating and stain.  Then sanded it. A Lot 




 Then it sat for even longer.  I just didn't have the desire or motivation to deal with it.







Each time I headed out to the garage to do laundry or take out the trash or hop in the car, there it was.  I wasn't quite sure what to do with it.  I had been hit with some major life changing events and doing refurb projects were the last thing on my mind. 

Then several months ago, I got a surge of energy and went to work staining, using a walnut colored stain.  Here's the problem.  The table has two leaves.  The leaves are made out of an entirely different kind of wood than the main part of the table.  It didn't even occur to me that it would be an issue... I know, minor details.  I can't be bothered with them.  So guess what happened -  You guessed it!  The stain looked entirely different on the various parts of the wood. It was ugly.   

  I was frustrated.  The table again sat untouched for a long time  as I was not sure how to proceed next.  Then about a month ago, I started toying with the idea of  getting rid of it.  It was taking up a ton of space in my garage.  So to condense things down in my garage, I took out the two leaves and slid the table together.  Instant revelation.  I looked at the table without the leaves and it didn't seem so overwhelming after all.  I contemplated doing something with it.  Two weeks later I decided to paint it white.  I also decided that the chairs that came with the set were entirely too much work, so they will get sold.  Simplify is my motto these days, although I forget it at times.

I went to work. I put a coat of primer on the table and legs using Kilz Primer.  Then came the first coat of paint - White Satin Impervo that I already had on hand. When it was ready, I sanded it lightly and applied another coat.  I put a total of 3 coats of paint.

Then it was time for some distressing. Using 60 grit sand paper, I randomly sanded the paint off in areas. This was followed by removing all fine dust and paint peelings with a tack cloth. 

Up next came a protective finish.  My choice?   MinWax Polycrylic since it is water based and makes for an easy clean up.  Also, a polyurethane tends to yellow and I wanted to keep the white table, white, which is why I chose the polycrylic.  First layer went on well.  The next morning as I was pulling the car out of the garage, I noticed that the table was insanely bright. Glossy, Glossy. The bright white was akin to someone who had used one two many teeth whitening strips.

I immediately went and checked the can of  polycrylic.  It was a can that I already had on hand.   Semi-gloss... of course.  Too bright and reflective for what I had in mind.  So I headed to the local home improvement store to be accosted  helped by Mr. Not-So-Helpful.  It took some fancy footwork, but once I maneuvered past him, I found the satin sheen polycrylic I was looking for.  Now the question.  Would it tone down the semi enough?

Second coat went on... tiny bubbles and all...and not the Don-Ho variety.

More sanding and a trip to Google to figure out the best way to apply the poly.

A foam sponge applicator was the consensus.  Second coat and the sheen was still a bit too bright.  Sand some more.

Third layer goes on. A few bubbles, a few drips around the band of the table that I noticed when it had dried.  Good enough for me.
 I can live with it.

So after much sweating and maneuvering, it made it's way into my house today.  There may or may not have been some swearing involved.

                                                                      Here it is!

 

 

 

I still need to finish two leaves, but I don't plan on hosting a dinner at my house anytime soon.

 

Now just to find some chairs to match!

I

Where She Stops, No One Knows.

My Apologies to those readers that were following my blog with great interest. You probably wondered what happened to me!

I was GUNG-HO for quite sometime in blogging all of my creativity. Then there was the recouping from major surgery, and about the time I was starting to feel a bit better, one of my best friends took her life a month ago. A tremendous blow, as you can imagine. I have been out of sorts for awhile, so creativity and blogging haven't been high on my radar. However, I am forcing myself back into channeling my creative energies, and hope to have some things to show you in the coming month.

As for the "creative" aspect of things in the past 2 months...

Halloween came and went, and my 9 year old was determined to be R2D2 for Halloween. It added a few more grey hairs to my head, but I came up with a feasible idea as to how to pull this costume off.

Using a pop-up hamper, spray paint ( of course) and a stainless steel salad bowl, she was transformed into R2D2. My 11 year old, who happens to have a Halloween birthday, decided to go as Princess Leia. That was an easy one. She has long hair, I bought some white gabardine, made a few cuts here and there, and VOILA! It was done.

I used acrylic paint on the metal salad bowl, so that when I was done, I could just scrub it off and reuse the bowl again. Easy Peasy...

Still Blooming

I am still in denial that Fall is here. Probably because September was such a blur for me and I am mourning the end of summer. Summer is my favorite season and it went by very quickly.

On the flip side, I walked around my yard and took pictures yesterday of what is still blooming. Crazy!

A lone columbine appeared this week.

Roses are still blooming.

As well as some daylilies.

A delphinium.

canna lilies.

Some of the hydrangeas have changed to a lovely shade of green, others are still pink.

Then of course the flowers that are supposed to bloom in the fall, like asters.

and mums.

I almost gave up on these mums this past Spring, because I thought they hadn't survived those few freezing days that we had last Winter.  It came back... and then some. Love the color.

Now I just need to get back outside and do some serious deadheading, weeding, and general cleaning up!

Lavendar Petals Scarf

I recently completed another quick knitting project.  This is a fun scarf that has a slot to slide the other side through. The pattern is aptly named, "Petals Scarf" by Jennifer Fleury, and you can find it on Ravelry. The pattern is suitable for beginners! I loved the pattern and will definitely be making more!

I used some yarn that I already had on hand, Plymouth Yarn, Baby Alpaca Worsted and used size 9 bamboo knitting needles. The yarn is of course super soft because it is 100% alpaca wool. The color number is 6071, and it may be a color that is discontinued, as I bought several skeins of this yarn from WEBS. Alpaca fiber is naturally very stretchy, so it is perfect for something like a scarf. This scarf took approximately 120 yards or about 60 grams of yarn to make, which  is roughly a skein, and then some.

Fall is definitely here, as I find myself knitting even more! However, the weather thinks it is still summer! I won't complain though, the wet Winter will be here before we know it! 

Keeping The Feet Warm

Not a whole lot of creativity going on here at the moment. Perhaps in a couple of weeks, I will be back to painting and refinishing furniture. In the meantime, I am lucky to get the laundry done!  I finished one of the socks I was knitting.

It's a bit too tight in areas and too long in others. It may end up getting frogged. For you knitters out there, you understand the term "Frogged."  I still really liked the pattern, "Flutter-by socks" by Shannon Robalino, which you can find on Ravelry,  I just realized after hours and hours of knitting, that I probably should have used size 2 needles and not size 1. I will eventually start all over with the same pattern, but use larger needles. Such is life. Socks are particularly hard as well. I know a few knitters that end up getting "Second Sock Syndrome." They finish one sock, and then have a hard time getting motivated about starting on the second one.  I'm there, and then some.

Just for fun, here are some pictures of some other socks that I knitted last winter.

Baby Cardi

I finished the Baby Cardigan I was working on.

The yarn.

 Early in the summer, when I was at St. Vincent de Paul's, I found a Ziploc bag that had 8 skeins of this yarn for only $1.50. I knew a good deal on wool yarn when I see it, no matter how crazy the colors were. The brand is OnLine Linie 157 Tessa Tweed and it is 100% virgin superwash wool.

This probably would have retailed for around $5.00 for a 50g skein. So I got a good deal. Now the colors, I wasn't crazy about, but I bought it anyway. I used about 3-4 skeins to make this cardi, that is supposed to fit a 6 month old baby. The pattern was easy, however the yarn kept splitting, so that was only slightly maddening. I tried multiple skeins and would repeatedly come across sections of the yarn that were split. Grrr. But for $1.50 for 8 skeins that WEREN'T acrylic, I can't complain.

Versatality

The Cape on the Corner thinks I am a versatile blogger and gave me an award! She is passing on via:
 

I think I found The Cape's blog through one of the many decor blogs that was featuring a furniture link up party. I clicked on her blog, did some reading and liked what I saw. She makes me laugh and I get her sense of humor. I also like her take on life. She asked me to list 7 interesting things about myself. (Thanks Cape)!

 

  

1. I used to be an amateur boxer.

 It was fun. I did it for 4 years, and stopped 2 years ago due to too many hand injuries. However, boxing did a number on my nose, and I suffered dearly. So now I am recouping from sinus surgery, a septoplasty and a functional open rhinoplasty. I had constant sinus headaches, infections, and severely impaired breathing that necessitated the surgery. This lead to two doctors, an ENT and a plastic surgeon, spending 6 hours working on my nose that had a septum that had split in two and pieces of cartilage that had collapsed and buckled obstructing my nasal passages.

Now I am sporting a new nose that has multiple cartilage grafts. I am looking forward to the day when things are less swollen inside and out and I can breathe fully and have less sinus issues. I am forever indebted to those two extremely skilled surgeons.  I have since sworn off contact sports.

2. My friends and family refer to me as "Dr. Google" or "Internet M.D."

 I do a ton of research on medical issues, and drugs... just because it is interesting to me. I have had family members and friends ask for my opinion on something medically related after they have been to their Dr. I find it humorous as  in the grand scheme of things, I know absolutely nothing.

However...

Someday I may go back to school and do something health field related.

3. I am a straight shooter and like to "tell it like it is."

I have learned to just be me and not worry about impressing other people.

4. Being popular is not important to me.

I would rather have a few really close friends that I can count on. When I do find a good friend, I am fiercely loyal. I have been let down by friends before, and if I feel like I am getting used or burned, or they are not genuine, I step back quite a bit and take some distance from, or terminate the friendship.

5. I am lucky to be the parent of two incredible little girls.

 

 I love being a mom to my two very different girls, one of which has developmental disabilities which has led me to be more patient. I have also learned a ton in researching her issues and how best to help her succeed in the world.

6. On my "Bucket List" is to learn how to fence someday.  

This doesn't count as a "contact sport" in my book, since the face is protected and it is less likely that you would take a fist or foot to the face. LOL

7. I love Diet Pepsi.

There is something satisfying about the fizzy bubbles running down your throat. It puts a smile on my face everyday. I particularly like fountain drinks from white trashy gas stations.

 Yes, I am addicted, and yes I realize that consuming it in large quantities is not the best thing for my health.

But hey, everybody needs a hobby.

So there you go!

I am passing on the award to:

Lenore at Lather.Write.Repeat

Tiffany at Babes and Kids

Brenda at Cozy Little House

Gail at My Repurposed Life

Knit Picking.

Hello Dear Blogging Friends. I am enjoying a few lucid moments, so thought I would pop in and type a word or two. This recovering from major surgery is tiring. Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I don't. Fortunately my spouse took the week off of work to help me out, and the kids as well. Speaking of which... my girls started back to school today. Summer went by entirely way to fast.

So... I thought I would delve into one of my other creative outlets that I haven't gone into detail about previously here on my blog.

I like to crochet, and I like to knit.

My grandmother taught me how to crochet a simple chain when I was around 10 years old after Thanksgiving dinner one year. She was very adept at crocheting and made my siblings, cousins and I many toys, afghans etc. out of yarn. Growing up, my mother did a lot of thread crocheting. She made lots of snowflakes, angels, and other delicate and decorative items that she would decorate her Christmas tree with.

Fast forward to 9 years ago. After I had my second daughter, I found myself in need of a hobby, so I took up crocheting and taught myself how to crochet and was hooked! Pun intended.

Then 3-4 years ago, I decided that I wanted to take a gander at knitting. So I taught myself using just a book. I knit Continental Style, which probably comes from years of crocheting.

I think I enjoy knitting even more than crocheting at this point. I have also become a bit of a yarn snob. One of my mantra's is "Life's Too Short to Knit With Cheap Yarn."

If you are on the knit and crochet community Ravelry, you can always sift through my projects. My username is harpfingers.  There you can find project details as far as patterns are concerned, needles used, and yarns used.

But for now, here is a sampling of some things that I have knitted.
I am currently working on a pair of socks.

And a multi colored baby cardigan. I picked up some funky wool yarn at the GoodWill several months ago for an incredibly good price. Pictures to come - soon.

The following were some bibs I made for a baby gift several months ago.

 A couple of cardi's that I made for my eldest daughter.

Some fun socks.

... and just a tip of the iceberg. As the weather gets cooler, there will be more knitting.

So that's it for now. And if this post seems rather disjunct and all over the place... well, we'll blame it on fatigue and pain meds.

Just Recouping

No Projects to report of for a bit. You see, I am recouping from nasal surgery that I had done on Thursday.

It was a lengthy process - a 6 hour surgery requiring the skills of both an E.N.T. and a plastic surgeon. The short of it was that I have had chronic sinusitis, constant sinus infections due to obstructions, and severe breathing difficulties resulting from collapsed nasal valves for a few years now... and a septum that had split in two. Both doctors worked their magic, and hopefully when things are all said and done, I will be breathing a lot more freely and no longer have daily sinus headaches.

In the meantime, I am stuffed up, doped up and sleeping for the most part and trying to keep my head elevated.

This may give me some time to get caught up on some knitting projects!  But for now, I am off to get some more rest.

Floating Petals Dresser

I am so excited with how this project turned out! Just to refresh your memory, this is an antique dresser that I bought off of Craigslist for $35.00. 

I loved the style and the charming wood  casters on the bottom.  However, the veneer was bubbling and peeling and needed to come off.

I took a heat gun and a putty scraper and removed the veneer from the bottom three drawers and the top of the dresser. It came off quite quickly on two of the drawers, rather it just snapped, and broke off. It was the same situation with the top of the dresser. The third drawer required more work. After removing the veneer, I had to use the heat gun and putty knife once again to scrape and remove the Hyde glue. I neglected to take a picture of this process.

The veneer was fine on the sides of the dresser. I opted to give it a good sanding all over, then primed it with some primer I had on hand. I also went over individual areas with  Kilz Oil Based Spray Primer which always provides great coverage!

I decided that I would decoupage some fabric to the front of the drawers, but was undecided as to what color to use and what style. After weeks of searching, I was drawn to the home decor fabric, Waverly Floating Petals in Blue, that I spotted at my local JoAnn's. Lucky for me, it was 40% off that day and I bought a yard. 

I measured and cut  the fabric  all the way around, so that it was about 1/2" larger than the front of the drawer. I then placed the fabric on some wax paper, and applied Mod Podge to the entire front side of the fabric and allowed it to dry.

 This was so that it would be easier to cut, and not fray when I went to resize it. This was a tip that I picked up from the blog, Mod Podge Rocks!  One thing that I neglected to do, but should have done in hindsight, was to wash the fabric first so that it would have shrunk up a bit.

The next step was to apply Mod Podge to the drawer front, place the fabric on top, smooth any bubbles and let it dry.

Once it was dried, I turn the drawer upside down, with the fabric on top of a cutting board, and took an Exacto knife and cut around the edge of the drawer front to trim off the excess fabric. I initially tried a rotary cutting tool, but couldn't get the angle and found that the Exacto knife worked better.

Then I applied 3 layers of Mod Podge glue  to the top of the fabric to seal it. I let it dry between each coat, and used a damp rag to smooth out any bubbles I came across.  Had I prewashed the fabric, I am certain that I would have had less issues with the bubbles and the fabric stretching as much as it did.

The top drawer got a coat of Rustoleum's Slate Blue, as well as the drawer pulls on the three bottom drawers. I opted to use the existing hardware since I liked them initially. The drawer pulls on the top drawer were painted white to give it a contrast from the blue, and the entire dresser was just painted with a white latex semi-gloss paint that I had on hand from a project I had done two years ago.

So here it is all finished!

I am pleased with how it turned out. It does have a few bubbles here and there, but I know what to do differently next time.

Here is a  close up of the knobs.

Happy to be done with this one, and happy with where my creativity lead me.

Linking to:

Meringue Dresser

Dresser #1 is done! I told you that I was on a mad dash to get some projects done!

So here is the Craigslist dresser before:

I stripped the paint off of the tops and sides, before I decided I was too tired and lazy to do anymore.

So it got primed with some Kilz Primer, sanded, and then painted with Krylon Indoor-Outdoor Spray Paint - Satin Meringue.

And VOILA!

Here it is!

This  dresser went in my youngest daughter's room. There was a bit of a shadow when I took the picture, hence the darker color towards the bottom of the picture.  Her room is decorated in greens, pinks and yellows. The storage book bin, was the blue one that I bought a couple of weeks ago. I spray painted it with Krylon's Ballet Slipper and put some books in it.

The knobs on the drawers, I hand painted different designs with some acrylic paint to give it some character.

Then I outlined the details with a black fine point Sharpie Marker.

I like how it turned out. What do you think?

I'm Around!

This past week has been insanely busy! Sunday we made a quick trip out of state to see my in laws before they flee to the south for Fall and Winter. Lots of driving. In three days we did 1160 miles... too much time spent in the car!

Also on my busy-ness..

I  got a Cub Scout Day Camp out of the way today. I am the Committee Chair for our pack and had to plan, delegate, and carry out a Day Camp today. It was long, tiring, but fun! The boys had fun and things ran smoothly.  Everyone followed through on their assignments. I am just happy that it is done!

 I know what you are thinking, "But you have just girls and no boys?" They asked me to be the Chair for the pack a year ago and I said, "Sure!" At first I was out of my element, but then started to learn the ropes, get more training and feel more comfortable with the Cub Scout program.  I have enjoyed it so far. I  grew up in a scouting household and my mother has been involved with Cubs and Boy Scouts on some level for the past 20 years or so. All three of my brothers are Eagle Scouts.
So it's kind of fun, in an odd way... for me at least.

And finally, on the creative side, I have been painting a ton! The two dressers and bookcase are just about done and will be revealed in the next few days.  I am excited where my creativity, some paint, fabric, and mod podge has taken me with one of my dressers. So much fun!

Just a few more things...

Garden and flowers are still growing like crazy. I am patiently waiting for the tomatoes to finally turn red. On just one plant, I have counted 21 green tomatoes. I can't remember what variety they are.

My other tomato plant is a golden pear/ cherry tomato. Actually is is more like a small tree, than a plant as it has gotten huge.

The lone pepper plant still just has ONE pepper. But it is getting bigger everyday.

The crookneck squash are doing well and there are several on that plant as well.

I thought I would also share a few of my flowers. My delphiniums really look great! I attribute that to lots of fertilizers. Delphiniums are heavy feeders.

The flowers in the hanging baskets and pots are doing quite nicely as well.  However, I am getting to that point in summer, where I am getting a bit tired of yard work.

And on another side note, I broke my promise to my hubby and picked up more furniture... I couldn't help myself.

I saw this dresser advertised on Craigslist for $15.00 and liked it! When I went to go see it and pick it up, the lady that was selling it said that she had a bookcase that I could have for free, if I wanted it.

Yeah, I like free!  Then when I came home, I found some loose change in one of the drawers of the dresser. So the bookcase and dresser ended up costing me a grand total of $14.83!  Not bad.

I did promise my husband I would get some projects completed soon! My goal is to have the bookcase, dresser, and this dresser :

completed in the next week or so.  I am having surgery in a couple of weeks and will be out of commission for doing big projects for awhile.

The dresser that is on casters has had all of the veneer stripped off of it, and I have primed it.

The bookcase is partially primed, and the newest white dresser, I am in the process of stripping the paint.

After getting them all primed, the hardest part is always trying to decide what color to paint them and if I should do some decoupaging or not.

I am going to have to think about that one a bit.