Sew awesome....

I really want, and honestly need, a sewing desk...some place I can store and use my sewing machine without having to set it up on my dining room table. I found this sewing desk in a thrift store and man-oh-man was this thing seriously ugly!

I knew this desk could be a little treasure after the cruddy paint job was stripped away!

And even to my surprise, what a treasure it is...what I found under two layers of paint was beautiful mahogany. Initially someone had painted it a really disgusting green and then I guess they tried to improve it by painting it a flat black.

This is a prime example of hurting a piece in a failed attempt to "enhance" it! Truth be told, I felt a little guilty painting the base and drawers white. But I could never live with myself had I not restored the top to it's prior glory!

Before I started refinishing, I cut the opening a little bigger to accomodate my sewing machine. TIP ALERT: when cutting veneer mark the cut with a pencil and then score the veneer with a utility knife. Then use a jig saw with a very sharp blade to cut "inside" the score...if you don't, the veneer with split and splinter and you will make quite a mess!

Normally I use Formby's Furniture Refinisher to strip latex paint and old varnish...but two layers of paint needed a little more muscle....so I used a citrus stripper. I will not use anything stronger on veneer (always use any stripper per the instructions and in a VERY well ventilated area!) This piece didn't have a single chip in the veneer and I didn't want to risk hurting the piece by using industrial strength stripper! Took a little more time and more than one application but it was worth it.

After removing all the old paint, I took 0000 steel wool and mineral spirits and gave the wood a "bath." When stripping wood, regardless of what you use to strip it, always "wash" the piece with mineral spirits to remove all the "crumbs." After it dries, take VERY fine sand paper or 0000 steel wool and sand lightly before applying stain or a finish.

TIP ALERT...keep old toothbrushes on hand to get into groves and corners when stripping furniture. DIYers never throw away old toothbrushes, coffee cans, socks, old tshirts or towels...trust me, you will need them!

Since I knew I was painting the base and the drawers, I didn't strip them but I did sand and prime well before painting.

And again...ALWAYS USE TACK CLOTH BEFORE PAINTING OR APPLYING FINISH...AND BETWEEN EVERY COAT!! I seriously can not stress this enough! So many DIY tutorials tell you to "wipe down"...again, I challenge you...wipe down your piece with a clean cloth, and even some mineral spirits...then wipe it with a tack cloth! You will be shocked at how much crud was still there!

Two coats of gloss white paint on the base and drawers. A light coat of walnut brown stain on the wood to even out the color and give it a little more depth....4 coats of my favorite Formby's Tung Oil. New crystal knobs. Total awesomeness!

I can not stress how beautiful this wood is....I wish I was a better photographer. And I wonder if I should have stripped and stained the drawer on the right...but then again, I kind of like the paint/stain contrast...I think I would love it either way!

I REALLY love tung oil.... it allows the grain of any wood to just shine! And it is sooo easy to take care of and touch up when needed! (Now I know why my father refused to use polyurethane) I think so many use polyurethane because they are concerned about durability....that is honestly not an issue with tung oil! Try it...it is almost impossible to mess up the application (unlike poly) and it is extremely easy to touch up scratches in the future if necessary!

This project was pure joy! Anytime I can take something that has been so abused and turn it into a treasure it just makes me happy!

Maybe now I will enjoy sewing just a little more!

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And MORE pillows!!!!

Remember the ottoman I recovered last week? As with most upholstery projects, I had a tiny bit of fabric leftover. Perfect for a little pillow! And I still have a bunch of pillow forms leftover from the destruction of my couch!

I found a website the other day that lists 100 tips on interior design by actual designers...unfortunately, I didn't "Pin" it and I have no idea where it is. But one of the tips is about decorating with pillows...lots of pillows and nothing "matchy-matchy." So any time you have a few scraps leftover from a project, or if you find a small bit on clearance at the fabric or hobby store, whip up a little pillow and throw it on a chair or a bed!

Okay, so this one is a little "matchy-matchy"....but I like it...I'm such a rebel!

It's the little treasures that make a house a home....

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Old wood windows.....

This one is a little "shabby chic" for my taste but I like that it fills a void. In the fall and during the holidays I always hang seasonal wreaths, but the spring and summer get nothing. Not real sure about the wreath just yet...seems a little "heavy." There is one a little "lighter and airier" at Hobby Lobby...may go with that one. But I like the layered look for now...easy to change when I tire of it!

A few months ago I had to completely gut and remodel my onsite manager house. My manager had moved...I can not describe to you the condition of the house after she moved. Think "Hoarders" with numerous cats and big dogs (in the house doing everything animals do)...not sure where she thought the cat went we found dead in a box covered with cat poo. Suffice it to say I spent the first week contemplating tearing the house down...seriously. But we rolled up our sleeves and put on our respirators and went to work. In the process, I took out 5 old wood sash windows. Being an avid Pinterest stalker, I knew what could be done with these old windows. So I saved them.

First thing I do with any old wood...CLEAN! Seriously, some stuff is just naaaasty! I keep Lysol wipes in my garage just for this purpose! Then I carefully removed the old glazing and glazing points, removed the glass (at least the ones I didn't break...old glass is VERY fragile...WEAR GLOVES!), sanded and painted! I didn't even prime these because I wanted to be able to sand the new paint and give it an "aged" look! Again, a little "shabby" for my taste but these are not ever going to look new...and you don't want them to!

I put the glass back in the one hanging on my porch. I think I am going to do one with magnet, cork and chalk board panels. I painted one black for Sis and another had never been painted so I sanded it and stained it. Very pretty! I saw one on Pinterest that was on an outside wall with a planter box underneath it...very pretty! I may have to do one like that!

The other day my window guy came buy to fix a broken window...we were talking about these old windows and he told me he puts new vinyl windows in old homes all the time and throws away all the old wood windows. I just about passed out! I told him NEVER AGAIN!! Just bring them to me!

I can't wait.....

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Take time to tell your teacher how special they are....

It's that time of year for preschool and elementary parents! Time to show your child's teacher how much you appreciate them!

I'm past that time in my life...but I remember it well! Right in the middle of baseball season, end of year programs, scrambling for summer daycare, wedding shower gifts...the worst time of the year! But NO ONE deserves more appreciation and recognition than the person who has been a teacher and mentor to your child, 7 hours a day, 5 days a week for the past 9 months!

My daughter Sarah has quadruple duty this year because Ashton is "graduating" from preschool...he has FOUR teachers to appreciate!

She bought these precious baskets at Dollar Tree, decorated them with scrapbook rub-ons, and filled them with all kinds of personalized goodies! And of course a heartfelt card of thanks...the thing they will remember the most long after all the goodies are gone!

I remember it well...trying to find the perfect "gift" for the perfect teacher. Truth is, they probably couldn't tell you what we gave them...but I bet they never forgot the words of appreciation and gratitude!

With most people, it isn't always what we give, but how we make them feel!

Make sure your teachers feel appreciated!

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Spring planting....

The weekend was AWESOME! Not too hot, not to cold. Still a little chilly out some mornings but I just couldn't help myself...I had to get some color in the ground!

This is my view from my computer table...

Last year I put planter boxes outside my front bedroom window! Loooove! And the hostas are starting to pop...I transplanted a few this weekend! Hostas are a great plant...after a few years they are easy to split and share or move around the yard. Just make sure you split them before the leaves start opening up. I usually get mine when they are just starting to poke their little heads up...just take a shovel and dig up a "chunk" of the plant and transplant it...then when the plant fully blooms you can't even tell where you have removed a section of it! I have TONS of hostas and all of them are from a few I planted 10+ years ago...I just keep splitting them. But now I have run out of shady areas and I am going to have to start sharing.

But the biggest fun was planting a few little splashes of color around the storage building I spruced up earlier this year (here).

As I posted earlier, I am trying to keep MOST of my annual plantings in containers (here). As usual I bought WAAAY to many plants and had to stick a few in the ground here and there...but that's normal. Container planting is easy. I am always on the look out for nifty pots...unusual containers or old pots that can be painted. Last year I bought these little copper planters on clearance at Lowes and put them on the side of the storage shed. I didn't plant in them last year since it was so late in the year!

The first thing you need to do with any planter is make sure there is proper drainage...punch or drill at least 3-4 good size holes in the bottom (I used a 1/2" drill bit to drill 4 holes in the bottom each) and then fill the bottom 1-2" with rock. Now you can buy river rock and cover the bottom of all your pots, but that costs money!

Most people have that one spot in their yard that seems to grow rocks. This is a great place to hide them...in the bottom of your containers. If you don't have a place in your own yard where rocks grow, check out your neighbors yard! (That's what I did, but I made sure to do it when they weren't home)

Once you have filled the bottom with rocks, add just plain ole' dirt to the container...about 4-5" from the top. Then top it off with a good potting soil mixed with a slow release fertilizers (I LOVE Osmocote!) Using expensive potting soil to fill the entire pot is usually a waste. Most annuals don't root very deep! Then plant your annuals, water well, and wait!

Right now they are just tiny little plants without a lot of POP! But give them a few weeks of sun and daily watering and this place will be popping with color!!!

Here is a little tip...Lowes had marked down a few selections of little annuals because they got "nipped" by frost. The plants weren't dead, they were just a little pathetic looking...but at .50 a six pack verses $1.25 (on sale), they were a great buy and they will perk right up as warmer weather sets in...so don't be afraid to check out the "bargain bins" at your local nursery...you can get some great buys on some plants that with a little TLC will be beautiful in just a few weeks! Also, Memorial Day and Mother's Day week are always great weeks to find sales on flowers...and May is a GREAT month to plant!

Like I said...I just couldn't wait any longer!

Get outside...get your hands dirty! Learning to enjoy gardening is just like anything else...start a tiny bit at a time and learn to enjoy creating beauty around you.

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New life for an old ottoman....

Old and nasty...but of course I neglected to take decent pictures BEFORE I tore it apart! But trust me...this thing came out of an apartment...and it was naaaaasty. And kind of old fashion and "froo-froo." It had a skirt...who has an ottoman with a skirt? (Oh yeah...I do...in my room...probably ought to fix that!)

Regardless, it is one of the many projects piled in my garage. And I have intentionally ignored it for one reason...it requires sewing...and you know how much I HATE to sew! But as I have said before, it is a necessary evil if you are going to tackle upholstery DIY projects. And truth be told, we had one of those spring storms blow through. It rained all day Wednesday and was colder than crud yesterday...and I can't strip and paint inside. So the ottoman was really the only project I could do entirely in the house since I had already painted the legs!

Originally the fabric was a yellow "formal" stripe...not terribly unattractive but seriously, it had a skirt and it was so nasty there was NO way it was coming clean. But again, good bones and structurally very sound. All I did was strip off the old fabric, paint the legs, add a little batting to the sides and recover! Good as new, and without the skirt it has a more "modern flare."

I find little trinkets like this in my apartments all the time...but even if you paid a few dollars for one at a thrift store, it is worth the time and effort to repurpose! Great way to add easy to store seating in a room or for a game room for the kids to waller on while they watch Barney (tells you how old my youngest is...Blues Clues and Barney!)

The trick to reupholstering any piece of furniture...pay close attention and take lots of pictures while "destructuring." Keep all the old pieces and use them as patterns for the new fabric! Ottomans are a relatively simple projects if it is your first attempt at recovering a piece of furniture. The structure is usually pretty simple, there aren't TOO many staples to pull and they don't take a lot of fabric (this one took 2 yards).

So find a really cheap ottoman and give it a shot...what's the worst that can happen...it can sit in your garage for a month or two...welcome to my world!

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5 Common Mistakes Made When Painting Furniture....

I grew up with a father who scoffed at painting furniture....wood is beautiful...a piece of walnut or mahogany or oak is a work of art...it should be finished in a way that shows that beauty! And he is right in some respects. Even wood veneers can have a breathtaking display of wood grain...and it is something that should be displayed like a fine piece of art.

But I am slowly warming to the idea that there is a time and place for painting furniture. I am currently working on a really nifty sewing cabinet. It is mahogany and while the top is well worth the time and effort to strip and refinish, the base, not so much. So as with a few pieces I have stumbled across, I am going to strip and refinish the wood top and paint the base.

There was a time when I would have turned a blind eye to painted furniture...regardless of the quality. But now I look a little closer...and what I am seeing are some pretty sloppy paint jobs...ones that do more harm than good and actually HURT the piece rather than enhance.

I stumbled across a website last night that outlines "5 Common Mistakes Made When Painting Furniture" at paintedfurnitureideas.com. It is a great little website and from what I have read so far it is a great source for information on repurposing furniture. This particular post is really important because it reiterates a few things I have stressed and is SUPER important to know!

If you are going to invest the time and money in painting a piece of furniture do it right so you can have a piece you are proud of. If you are tempted to buy a piece that has already been "repurposed" it is important to know what to look for! Let's be honest...some of these really cool looking "thrift store finds" have had a coat of paint slapped on it and chances are you are going to ding it up just getting it in your car! If you paint a piece of furniture the RIGHT way (here) it really should last a lifetime!

YOU CAN DO IT! Just make sure you are doing it the right way!!!

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Mirror, mirror, on the wall...

So clever and original...NOT! But it is a mirror, and I did put it on the wall...although I can honestly say I am not sure I really like where I put it. I desperately need some sort of "wall arrangement" by my front door...but I'm not "feeling" this.

I really liked the "textures" in the frame. A little Kilz and a little paint...cute as a bug! Not to shabby for $15.00

I will say this "blog" thing is getting a bit out of control. I am so determined to show you EVERYTHING I have done or am doing, and how easy it is to transform anything into something, that I keep bringing home "projects." My garage is an insane mess right now. I have old window frames, two side tables, a dresser, a chair, an ottoman and now a sewing cabinet....all sitting in there waiting to be done. (Oh, and the fabric came in for my walnut chair!!) And I start one project and move to another...the dresser has been Kilzed, one little table stripped, the ottoman declothed, the sewing cabinet (my newest project) partially refinished...it's total madness! AND I need to start doing a little gardening!

Breath.....in through the nose, out through the mouth! AND STOP GOING TO FLEA MARKETS AND THRIFT STORES! Me not you...you need to be finding little treasures! I need to restore the treasures I already have!

There is a mosquito on my window...it is April. What the heck.....

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Before and After dresser....

Yesterday Brian and I took off and went trout fishing for the day! OH MY! I am sore and sunburned...and I loved every minute of it! Sometimes you just have to say to heck with the yard work and go have a little fun! Awesome day with my best friend!

But Saturday was a busy day. My neighbors came over to show off their new grandson and I found a perfect home for a precious little dresser I have been working on! Just so happens they NEED a dresser and I NEED to find it a good home. Done!

As you can see, it was missing a drawer so I added a shelf...perfect spot for little storage baskets. I painted the "box" white, the drawers a pretty green and stained the top with my favorite java gel stain. I originally put little crystal knobs on the drawers, certain it would go to a little girl, but when I found out it was going into a boy's room I changed the knobs to brush nickle...just thought it was more appropriate for a little boy! And I am going to throw in a cute little cork board I made up and featured earlier!

The great thing about these little dressers is the fact that as the little boys grows, the drawers will be easy to paint to match any decor!

Another "trash to treasure"...a piece of furniture destined for the dumpster but given new life and new home with just a little time and attention!

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Couponing and kindness...

Last year I started "couponing." Not the "clip it out of the newspaper and go to the grocery store" kinda of thing...no, the all out, get multiple papers every Sunday, fire up 4 computers, clip till your hand hurts, hours organizing big stuffed binders, buying coupons on Ebay kinda couponing. The kind that makes the other shoppers in the checkout line want to hit you in the face.

And yes, I had one of those "stockpiles" that required additional shelving and storage.

But as I mentioned, to my credit, I did not "hoard" all this stuff. My family and neighbors would come to my house to shop and the biggest majority of it was donated to the elementary schools. Before Christmas last year the kids and I went to Kaitlyn's 1st grade class and her kids "shopped" and made gift bags stuffed with all kinds of goodies for their families.

As much as I enjoyed the challenge of getting shampoo and razors for free and the thrill of donating, I have just enough OCD in me to NOT be able to tolerate the storage nightmare hoarding creates. I couldn't build enough shelving in my garage and the boxes stacked in my laundry room and closets filled with shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. was driving me nuts.

That and I am staying busy with other things....this is what happens to "old moms" who spent the majority of their parenting years going non-stop. We find it impossible to stop running full tilt 18 hours a day and throw ourselves into madness with other projects!

Last year it was couponing....this year projecting and organizing...who knows what I will get into next year.

But I don't think one important factor will change...my desire to "give". I have always enjoyed building, decorating and remodeling for my friends and family. I gave away most of the coupon stuff and now I am giving most of my "project" stuff to people who need them...I just love sharing whatever it is I am obsessing about at that moment.

When I started this post, I wanted to share with you how you can still save money without all the big binders and piles of coupon inserts. And you can...the best advice I can give is start out by following two websites... totallytarget.com and wildforwags.com. Just follow them and they will tell you exactly what you need to do to save money! And use your Sunday insert coupons when you grocery shop...every penny helps!

But as I type this post, I realize it is about more than just couponing. It is about the need we all have to GIVE and SHARE. Watch a baby learning to feed itself...they always want to "give" a piece of their mushy cookie to whomever is feeding them. Our preschools want to share their artwork and of course there is the never-ending "sharing" of their every thought, action and observation. And in our final days, even if our minds and bodies are feeble, we still yearn to "share."

And regardless of how many hours we work or how little money we have, there is always some small "thing" we can give...even if it is just a tiny bit of our time or talent.

I believe the key to happiness is your attitude because I believe your attitude is the one thing you have complete control over and is the reflection of your true spirit. Expressing a spirit of kindness, generosity, care, love with our attitude and by our actions is a choice...one you make every day...even when you don't FEEL like being kind or generous or loving...you choose to be INSPITE of....

So give a little bit of yourself. Buy a few little school supply items and donate it to your child's school. Go spend your lunch break reading to your child's class so their teacher can have a quiet lunch. Help your elderly neighbor in their yard for a few hours on the weekend. Make a choice...every day...to give and share...expecting nothing in return!

I can promise you this....the day will come when YOU will need something. Your deeds and efforts may appear to go "unrewarded" or "unnoticed" now, but someday...I promise the seeds of kindness and generosity you have sown will be harvested....