Where in the world have I been?

I can’t even believe I have not posted since February. Seems like so much has been going on…baby showers, trips, projects…so much!

When last I posted THREE MONTHS AGO I was working on this project…hiding the wart!

I started out by building a “screen” around the “wart.” My original plan was to lay the flagstone first, then build the screen. Honestly, building the screen first worked out much better!

I decided to go with the “louver” look (see HERE for a link to a really good tutorial) so I built two inserts to go between the post I set. They have to be removable so we can service the generator once a year. Built the inserts then attached them to the post with carriage bolts. Threw down a few inches of sand and thats where I left off for a few months….

I needed to give the sand a little time to “level” and pack down…and I also had to get ready for a very special day for my very special son and daughter-in-law! Their baby shower….

Again I was honored to make their cake and desserts…so much fun.

Then it was off for our spring vacation. Brian had to attend a conference in Vegas so I flew to Vegas the last day of his conference, we rented a car and toured the five national parks and one state park in souther Utah. Again, I am not a travel blogger….but if you have never seen these AMAZING National Parks…just go! They will take your breath away!

I can assure you that no photo I took…or have ever seen…does them justice.

Then home for a ton of projects.

Refinishing an antique dresser for the nursery….

I used THIS process and I promise it is hands down the best process for refinishing any piece of furniture…regardless of the existing finish!

I built new shelving in my workshop…..

Not as fancy as some I have seen on the webisphere but functional for my purposes!

I finally laid flagstone around the wart screen and now I am waiting a few months to stain the screen black to match the pergola swing….

New drawers for under the bar storage cabinets. …

I have no idea why I didn’t have my cabinet guy do this when he built these cabinets. I store all my seasonal dishes and service ware under here and it really was a pain to have to shuffle things around to get to the stuff in the back. LOVE!!!!

Now that the weather is warming, I have been planting…nothing new except I decided the flower bed I added last year wasn’t big enough…so I am making it bigger!

I have moved the edging out, weedeated all the existing grass down to the nub, sprayed it with Round Up and next week I will fill it with compost and mulch. I already have a few plants in mind for this space but honestly I need some space to split hostas again next year!

While I wait for grass to die, this is the next project I am contemplating..

A screen around these gawd awful utility things. They have bugged me since day one and with the addition of the “wart controls” to the right, it has gotten worse.

My “plan” is to build a box kinda thing around them and face it out with hinged doors so that it can all be accessed if needed. I want to build it out of treated wood then stain it black to match the swing and the wart screen.

That’s the plan…we will see.

As you can see, it is never ending! Unfortunately, as I have said many times, I am a baaaad blogger. I rarely think of what I do as being “content worthy.” But hopefully the changes I make will inspire you to roll up your sleeves and make changes to your home.

I don’t do good tutorials but there are TONS out there on the blogesphere…anything you want to learn to do can be found on the web!

As I have said before…my daddy didn’t teach me how to build a wart screen, or build cabinet drawers, or bake a cake….what he taught me is how to figure out how to do something I want done.

Will you make mistakes….ABSOLUTELY! I still do and I have been doing this stuff for a lifetime!

So…GO FOR IT!!!

Because until you are willing to roll up your sleeves and dive into whatever you think you want to try or change in your life, you will never be able to ….

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Another check mark on the "Honey-do" list...

We returned from our annual Colorado trip last Thursday. We rode trains, zipped across the Royal Gorge, rode bikes from Vail Pass, did our guided fishing trip, shopped, gambled a wee bit and drove the mountains looking at Aspens! Glorious!

Before we left I completed a few “honey-dos.” I got my fall decor up, we got our back yard sodded, I got the yard over-seeded, I painted some of the trim (repainting it with my new favorite white but still have more to go!)…just a few things on my “Honey-do” list I keep on the refrigerator.

Back home and back to work!

One of my spring projects this year was another swing pergola. I love these little projects and we sit in this swing all the time. (HERE you can find a pretty decent tutorial!)

One thing I knew I wanted to do from day one was to stain it black. I like the natural look of treated wood but it does grey over time.

I used Cabot Semi-sold stain mixed in black. I wanted black, but I also wanted to see the grain through the stain.

Almost all tutorials I have read on sealing or staining treated wood suggest you wait 3-6 months to treat it. Treated wood tends to be “wet” and it is important to give the wood time to dry out and “cure” a bit. In my case I waited around 5+ months…I would liked to have waited a tad longer but we had a super dry summer and I wanted to get it done before it gets too cold.

So this little chore has been on my fridge for 5+ months…I finally tackled it this week and was able to check off that “honey do!”

One down…so many more to go!

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The breakfast nook table and chairs makeover

When Matt decided to buy his first home (details here), I knew my love for "making old new again" would come in handy!

I love the dresser and chest I found and refinished!

He was able to use the farmhouse trestle table I featured here.

And of course this "cute as a bug's ear" vintage chair makeover!

But he didn't have a table that would fit in his breakfast nook...a relatively small space in his kitchen.

I knew it needed to be a round table since the space is only about 9x9.

I found this round oak table at a flea market...a tad dated in it's original condition but I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

Normally these oak tables are around 48" in diameter but this one was only 32" so it is the perfect size...just not the perfect finish.

I honestly didn't want to strip and restain the top so I decided to go with gel stain...again, I ONLY use the General Finishes brand. It really is the best!

Rather than go with my usual Java color, I decided to go with the Brown Mahogany.

As I have said in other tutorials, the first coat is a bit stressful....

...you really question whether this stuff is going to work.

Patience...wipe on a coat with an old athletic sock...let it dry overnight...then wipe on a second coat, then a third....

I promise, by the third coat you will see the results you want. Then just seal it with the General Finishes wipe on top coat.

Sunlight streaming through the windows is awesome in the morning...not so much for photographing furniture...but hopefully you get the idea....

After staining the top, I chalk painted and distressed the table base. I picked up a couple of oak chairs at an auction and chalked painted and distressed them as well...then recovered the seats with some leftover fabric from my club chair makeover!

Perfect fit for this small space.

One tip...this little table came with a leaf...while this space really isn't big enough to expand the table, it is always smart to refinish table inserts just in case want to use them in the future!

Also, just a reminder that I do not seal my chalk paint with wax...I use polyacrylic. Someday this whole "distress" thing will go out of style and he will want to paint this furniture...wax would have to be stripped before he could repaint the piece!

Next week I hope to share Matt's first big project...painting the brick fireplace. If you are debating whether to tackle yours, you really want to see what a little bit of paint can do...impressive!

So tune in for the big reveal.

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Mirror, mirror, on the wall....

I gave up trying to come up with clever blog titles a loooong time ago, but I just couldn't resist!

Mirrors are the simplest way to add wall decor, light and depth to a room. In other words, if you have a small dark room, hang a mirror!

My master bedroom is a pretty large room and it gets tons of natural light but I am in the process of making a few changes. I have a really awesome antique mirror hanging out in my garage that may fit into the plan.

I use mirrors in just about every room of my house....

The living room (featured here)....

The den...

My home office....

And this fun little mirror hanging in a small corner of my room...

The change? Well, I am finally getting around to buying new chairs for my master bedroom. I originally intended to reupholster the chairs I have...

But as you can see, they are very large...and they are "matchy-matchy" which is something I am moving away from. Truth be told, I just don't like them any more!

While I was hunting for a new couch for the living room, I looked at a few chairs that might work in this space.

First, let me explain "this space." When the kids were younger, I added the den so we would have two living spaces. When they got a bit older (and louder), I added a large master suite with this awesome sitting area so we would have someplace to escape to.

Of course, now the kids are gone and we have this amazing sitting area in our bedroom and two living spaces. Um, no, we don't need all this space. Truthfully, we rarely use the sitting area in the master bedroom these days...but my oldest daughter really wants these two large club chairs...and well, it's just time to make a change!

So the hunt for the perfect chairs commenced.....

Two caught my eye, so this week I went back to the store and ordered them both....

This one is a leather recliner. A little bit of information about myself...I DO NOT do recliners. First, they are usually very bulky and unsightly. Second, I have an unfortunate history with recliners...hence, they seem to set off a form of PTSD. I don't really want to share, but suffice it to say, I swore there would never be a recliner in my home.

But I kind of like this one...it is very different from your typical barcalounger recliner and I really didn't find it the least bit offensive. It has a USB port and Brian thinks it is super comfy, so this will be "his" chair.

My chair is actually a "feed me a grape" kinda thing....

Perfect for those nights when my back won't let me lay in bed any longer or cold winter afternoons when I just want to curl up with a blanket and a good book!

I really didn't need an ottoman since Brian will have the recliner but I wanted to be able to stretch out. This one fits the bill...and it is super comfy!

Which brings me to the mirror in the garage (see, I eventually get around to my point!)

Months ago I bought a MCM dresser with a mirror. It had obviously been exposed to heat from a fire because the finish had a little bit of "bubbling" and it was covered in soot. I took off the mirror, cleaned up the dresser and sold it.

These days dressers WITH mirrors just aren't the "in thing" so I kept the mirror and gave it a little makeover with the intent to sell it. The finish was damaged...and of course it was pretty "dark and dank."

I chalk painted it with an off-white paint and distressed it a bit. But I really didn't like the look of it...it just seemed too "white."

So I decided to give it a little "glaze" treatment with some stain. I wiped on pecan stain and then wiped it off. It gave the finish a nice "aged" look. After glazing the entire frame of the mirror, I sealed it with polycrylic and reattached the little medallions.

The mirror is "not my style" (again, whatever the heck that is! Eclectic?) and of course I will have to hang it higher...right now I just stuck it up where the old picture was to see if I MIGHT like it there...don't know. Truth is, I will have to wait until the new chairs are in place.

But my whole rambling point is this...you don't have to live with "dark and dank." Mirror frames can easily be painted. Even if the frame isn't quite "your style" a little paint can go a long way to making a simple cast off mirror a nice statement piece for your room! And trust me, if you have priced mirrors lately, you might want to rethink that thrift store gold framed mirror or that old dresser mirror!

Whether you paint it a bright, solid color or give it a little "aged look" treatment, mirrors are easy to change to fit any decor!

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Drop door cabinet makeover....

Enough about my entry makeover FOR NOW! I'll get there eventually but I'm at the "wait" and "hum" stage...waiting on tile and stair treads and not quite sure what I want to do about trim and lighting...hum....

So in the meantime I thought I would share one of the wash stands I rehabbed. I went to an awesome auction several weeks ago and brought home 5 potentially beautiful dressers and wash stands. One just needed to be cleaned and oiled but the others needed some serious work.

On these older pieces I just can't bring myself to slather them entirely in paint. I always have to restore a little bit of the original wood. I know in today's world of home decor, paint is all the rage, but I need a good balance of paint and the "warmth" of wood. So no matter the condition of the top, if it is solid wood, I am going to strip it and refinish it.

This little cabinet was originally a "wash stand." It wan't in terrible shape but it had seen better days!

It had a little mirror on the back, which when removed left a "gap" along the back edge.

If I was going to paint the top, I could have filled it in with a strip of poplar and been done with it. But I knew I wanted to refinish the top so I added a piece of oak...

...just routed the edge, then attached it with glue and trim nails. I stripped the top with this process, applied a little walnut stain and sealed with poly!

I chalk painted and distressed the base and sealed with poly. The little drop front REALLY distressed, but sometimes I just let furniture do what it wants to do! A little update on the hardware and it is good to go!

The drawers on most antique pieces have some issues....remember GLUE AND CLAMP when repairing drawers! Not nails and screws! And since the drawers were pretty ratty and stained, I gave them a little KSTP treatment! (sorry, no pictures!) They look and smell much better if you will take the time to paint the inside of the drawers of these older pieces!

I think this would make an awesome bedside table or entry piece! Or even a tv cabinet!

I tried to "stage" this little piece with some of my auction finds....

....an old cheese box, some awesome scales and a wood duck decoy. But again, I am not the best photographer and I am definitely more about doing and less "froo-frooing."

I have several dressers and another wash stand to share, so stay tuned!

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Little oak side table....

I am so bummed. I really wanted to share my little laundry room door project I mentioned last week. The only thing holding me up is the glass. I called and the glass came in, but it was wrong. DANG IT!!!

So today I am just going to share a simple little table.

One of the reasons I needed a flea market space was because I was always finding cool little pieces at my apartments. I would haul home a table or dresser or chair and give it a cute little make over...and then give it away!

I don't mind giving things away to friends and family...but after awhile I did have to come to terms with the fact that I was spending money (not to mention a lot of time) on these little makeovers...so the "rehab to resell" became a necessity. That, and I tend to haul home A LOT of little goodies from auctions and as I have said before, if I didn't have the flea market outlet (and wasn't a tad OCD) I could easily become a hoarder.

I love auctions...and I love restoring furniture. What can I say!

Anywho, I found this little solid oak table in an apartment. It was super sturdy and had already been stripped so it really just needed a little TLC.

I did scrub the top with my acetone/lacquer thinner mixture just to clean it up a bit. Then I stained the top with a walnut stain and applied 3 coats of tung oil finish. After that cured well, I taped and papered off the top and gave the bottom a KSTP treatment. (For those who are new, that is Kilz/sand/tack cloth/paint. I used my current favorite Valspar teal color.

New life for an old, abandoned table destined for the dumpster. Now it is a perfect little side table for the living room or even a bedside table.

Looking back at all the projects I have shared, it is easy to see that I still struggle with painting EVERYTHING....seems I almost always try to preserve a little "natural wood" if I can. Personally, I think the paint "updates" the piece and the stained wood gives it warmth. I am working on a desk and a fireplace surround right now and both have stained tops and painted bases....guess that's just my thang!

Hopefully the RIGHT glass will come in this week and I can share my door next week! I can't wait...it's going to be awesome!!!

In the meantime, pull your least favorite piece of furniture into the garage or yard and give it a little KSTP treatment...trust me...you're gonna love it!

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Bedside table makeover....

I spent several days this week projecting on a few pieces I picked up at auctions, as well as a little project here at the house.

I can't wait to share the home project...but I will have to. Even veteran DIYers flub every blue moon! In this case, I neglected to get a quote and delivery time frame on a "simple" piece of glass. Let's just say one should not fall in love with something if they have no idea how much it REALLY cost. I should know better...but by the time I called and got an estimate, it was too late. The vision was set and the damage was done!

I will have to wait until next week to share this AWESOME project....and in the meantime I will have to live with a big hole in my utility room door...stay tuned! (no it is not a doggy door!)

So this week I will share one of the little projects I managed to get done. I usually wait until I have 3-4 pieces to work on before I drag out the stripper and paint! Normally it is easier but it is just soooo hot! Working all day in the garage can really be draining!

Last week I bought these two little bedside tables at an auction.

Dark, dated and the drawers were a little wonky. But overall they were in pretty sound shape.

The drawers were an easy fix...the metal glides were a tad bent so I took a pair of pliers and straightened them out...perfect.

Usually I paint the tops of these pieces, but this time I decided to try stripping them...what harm could be done? Sure enough, the old poly finish just melted off (using this process!) leaving a beautiful wood veneer top perfect for a little walnut stain and tung oil finish.

I painted the existing brass hardware with a gold metallic paint. I gave the drawers a little KSTP treatment with a pretty "teal" spray paint, chalk painted the cabinets and distressed them a bit before sealing with a spray poly.

Cute as a bug's ear!!!!

These little tables fit perfectly in my commitment to stay "small." They still take a little time and energy, but they are MUCH easier to move around than the bigger pieces!

And this is just ANOTHER example of how you can take a dark, dated, wonky piece of furniture and give it new life!!!

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Display hutch...before and after!

Brian has long since stopped questioning my purchases at auctions. I think he has developed a little bit of faith in my ability to make something out of nothing. But occasionally I do question myself. I must have subconscious flashes of inspiration that, in the stark light of day, are forgotten because occasionally I will look at a piece I brought home and think "WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!"

This would be one of those pieces....

It's not a horrible piece...it's just very "ho-hum." Not an antique or even remotely interesting. Just...well...boring.... for lack of a better word.

Basically just a "pine and particle board" piece that is pretty dated...seriously, hunter green?

The upside to this piece is it did not need any major repairs...just a few nuts and bolts tightened here and there. The stained top, shelves and crown where in good shape and didn't need to be refinished.

Honestly, it just needed a little "facelift." A brighter color to update it a bit! I taped and papered off the stained areas, removed the ugly wooden knobs and gave it a little KSTP treatment (Kilz, sand, tack cloth and paint!)

My favorite teal spray paint and simple little black knobs and we are good to go!!!

I even "displayed" a few of my auction finds just so the pictures would have a tiny bit more interest! This piece would be an awesome addition to a kid's room, an office, or even in a kitchen!

Again, this is one of those "boring" or "dated" pieces you probably have floating around your house. Whether it be bedroom furniture, a little table, an old dresser, or even a dated light fixture, a couple of hours and a few cans of spray paint can make all the difference. You don't have to be even remotely creative...just find your inspiration and go for it!!!

I have a garage full of projects I have been working on since the weather warmed a bit! I can't wait to share...something for everyone!