Saturday, May 31, 2014

Chippy Owl Nightstand

I was actually picking up a dresser from a CL ad and the lady who was selling was moving to AZ and needed to get rid of her things.  Those situations always make me feel bad because I knew she was desperate and she kept saying, "I have more.  Do you want to see?"  I took the tour of her house and actually found several items.  When she came to this table she said, "Do you want this, too?"  I didn't, lol,  but I felt so bad for her that I agreed to buy it.  It's been sitting in my garage for a while, and I haven't been feeling very motivated lately (burnout I think).  Yesterday I decided this would be a small (and quick) makeover. Ha!  I ended up having to peel veneer off the top and on closer inspection it was pretty rough in places, so needed a little extra care. 

I ended up going a little whimsical with it and thought it turned out pretty darned cute. :)


Before
Pretty ho-hum.



 After

It looks cute from the front, but it's the sides I love!! :)


 My daughter is so in love with owls right now, and I secretly am too!  And, how could you not be?  Aren't the adorable??



 The front needed a little extra something, too, so I drilled a hole and added one of my favorite knobs. 



 I mimicked the flowers from the sides on the top with a few stripes and gave it a good distressing. 



 The paint wanted to chip so I just went with it.
 (Mostly that means I wasn't going to put in any more time to paint over it and start again. Shhh...)



Would be so sweet next to a little punkin's bed. :)


Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Antique Dresser in Terra Cotta Rose

My client found this cabinet outside a local consignment store last summer.  I remember driving by and seeing it out there, considering stopping, driving by, regretting it, and going back only to find it gone.  I was so happy when she called me and told me she had bought it and wanted me to refinish it!  

She already knew what she wanted and so I took it from there. :)

Before




 After

The color is actually from Wal Mart and is called Terra Cotta Rose.  It's a deep coral and I stained over it with Minwax Jacobean to deepen the color a bit more.  The weather was actually really warm here today (finally!) and I found the stain was drying very quickly when I was trying to wipe the sides down.  I just added a bit of mineral spirits to extend the drying time-it was much easier after that (no, it won't take your paint off). ;)






 I loved this detail on the bottom drawer.  We were originally going to do a print in the circle, but I didn't end up liking the way it looked so decided to just detail it in white and antique it. 



 She opted to keep the original pulls and I'm so glad!  I sprayed them with Oil Rubbed Bronze so they would contrast nicely with the color. 


 Another beautiful mahogany veneer on the top.  I sanded it down, stained it with Java Gel from General Finishes, and sealed it with 3 coats of polyacrylic. 






 The doors originally opened with a key, but it was missing and all that was left was a hole in the door. We opted to fill it and do knobs on the doors so it would function well. 



 Cute little legs!! :)



 I'm loving the sheen the polyacrylic gives!  It's Minwax in satin. 



I finished it off by doing the drawer fronts on the inside antique white and she's good to go!

Thursday, May 15, 2014

"I'm A Creep. I'm a weirdo."

I love music.  I have no talent for music, but I love it.  So, it's probably not surprising that I like American Idol.  I don't watch a lot of TV but this is one show I DVR.  This morning I had some down time and decided to watch last night's episode.  They're into the final 3 and one of the rounds was hometown's choice from 2 songs that were previously performed by each contestant.  Jena's hometown chose for her "Creep" by Radiohead.  I must have missed the first time she sang it.  I've heard the song before but obviously didn't pay much attention to the words. You can listen to it here.  And here is Jena's version. She was emotional at the end of the song and, surprisingly, so was I. 

I remember 20 years ago, in college, I was with my best friend in the library and I randomly turned to her and said, 

"I don't belong here." 

She was confused.  She thought I meant the library. ;)  She said, "What do you mean?"  I said, "I don't belong here." (and opened my arms to include everything)  She was silent for a minute and I could see her contemplating.  She then looked me in the eye and said, "I've always felt the same way."  We shared a deep understanding in that moment as our spirits shared something that neither one of us could ever put into words.  

"But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo.
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here."


I was afraid if I just posted the lyrics on my FB page I would freak people out so I decided to do it here so I could explain a little. :)

How many of us walk around feeling like we don't belong here?  We see others.  We judge others, good or bad.  We think they have it all together.  We think their lives are a total mess. We don't see the demons they struggle with or the hurts they hold deep in their hearts.  We don't see the things that bring them joy or peace.  We feel lonely.  Unconnected.  Maybe even lost.  We feel like no one really sees us.  They say the eyes are the window to the soul.  We wish that were true.  That someone could look into them and really see what's behind all the insecurity or the bravado or the emptiness.  We have a desire to be accepted for who we really are, but are afraid to be who we really are for fear of not being accepted.  A little bit of a conundrum, eh?

I think many of us believe there's a plan for us.  That we are here for a reason, a purpose.  But, for some of us, somewhere along the way that purpose got lost in life.  I just talked with a friend who is about 10 years older than I am.  She is married to a kind and considerate man, has beautiful children and grandchildren, has financial security, and a beautiful home.  She gets to travel and attends church regularly.  Others would look at her and probably ask, "What in the world could she have to be sad about?"  She said to me (a little in jest because she has a great sense of humor, too), "I'm 50 and don't know who I am."  I was surprised, but not.  

I struggle with the same questions.  Who am I?  Do I belong here?  Am I a weirdo? 

Now, decades of church going have seared into my brain that I am a child of God.  Do I believe this?  Unequivocally.  Do I believe there is more to the answer?  Absolutely. 

The other day my 9 year old daughter asked me if I thought she was weird?  As her mother, and protector of her tender and innocent feelings, I replied, "Of course not."  With no hesitation and with complete acceptance she said,

"Yes, I am.  And, so are you.  Everybody is weird, just in a different way." 

 Truly, out of the mouth of babes.  She had a smile on her face and my heart was full in that moment as I realized that her childlike heart and mind had fully recognized the truth in those words.  She was not scared of the implication of the word.  She embraced it. She knew she was unique and she was ok with it. 

  We use the word "weird" to define something that is different from what we are.  What we know.  What we are comfortable with.  How we do things.  Feeling like we are "different" somehow translates into feeling like we don't fit in, like we don't belong.  We don't want to stand out, or for people to view us any differently than they view the person right next to us (unless, of course, we think the person next to us is weird!).  We don't want to be the last one picked for the team or the first one to be called on in class.   We don't want to be too close to the ones who talk too loud, or too far from the ones who are politically correct.  Most of us probably don't want to be the one that stands up in a room full of people and speaks out against the status quo.  And, we definitely don't want to be known as a weirdo!

We also make mistakes and don't want people to know about those either.  I found out about a mistake  a friend made a while ago and they said to me, "Will you still be my friend?"  I think my heart literally throbbed in that moment.   What kind of world have we created where people believe if others knew the secrets hiding in the corner of their closets they would be ostracized, shunned from the rest of all the "perfect" people, not worthy of friendship, love, or forgiveness?  We don't talk about the things that hurt us or that make us afraid and insecure.  We don't talk about a lot of things that make us feel "different". 

SO

Who am I?  Do I belong here?  Am I a weirdo?

Well, the answer to the first question is, I'm still figuring it out.  I'm not the same person I was the day I stood and wept in the library with my friend.  I'm not the same person I was the day I stepped off the plane to spend 18 months serving a mission or the day I got married.   I'm not the same person I was the day I held my first baby or the day I buried my dad.  I'm not even the same person I was a few months ago. I'm learning to be a different me every day.  I grow and I change and hopefully I am learning.  I fall down.  A lot.  I get up with bloody knees (and maybe even a broken nose) and take another step hoping that somewhere in the future those wounds will heal and I will be whole again.  Stronger. Different than what I was before.  Better. 

Do I belong here?  My answer to that is,  just as much as anyone else.  I realized there's no such thing as "fitting in" because there's no one thing we can fit into.  Every runner, even though they may be running the same race, runs a little bit differently.  Every painter uses their brush a little differently.  Every orator uses a different inflection.  No swimmer makes the exact same stroke as the swimmer in the next lane.  No mother disciplines her child in the same way and no friend shows their love in the exact same way. But, 

WE ALL BELONG.

There is a little space carved out in this grand universe for each and every one of us.  Each one of us fills a space only we can fill and each one of us has the opportunity to fulfill the measure of our creation.  And, guess what?  We will all do it differently!  And, guess what else?  It's ok!  It's not just ok, it's absolutely incredible!  

And, the answer to the last question, Am I a weirdo?  You betcha.  And, so are you.  Because everybody is weird, just in a different way.  
:)






Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Antique Buffet in Black

This beauty came from the barn!  

The owners had used it and then moved away and needed to store it. So, into the barn it went!  I was fortunate enough to have a friend who told me about it--thank you Justis! 

My heart went pitter patter when I walked into that damp old barn and saw it sitting there covered in bird doo doo.  Nothing a little cleaning and some sanding couldn't fix. The drawers were stuck tight, a few pieces had fallen off, and the bottom piece was broken in half, but I knew my sweet hubby would fix it all for me (seriously could not do this without him!). 

 Before


Before I show you the after (no skipping forward!) I have to admit I was a little disappointed.  I decided to list it on my FB page, unfinished, to see if anybody wanted it and then I could do a custom order.  Someone snatched it up fairly quickly and told me she wanted it black with a wood top.  My heart sank a little because even though I knew I would be doing a custom order I had a vision for it, and it was not black.
BUT
that being said it turned out so beautifully!  It's so classic and really is a stunning piece of furniture.  When I finished it wanted to keep it for myself! :)

There will be another buffet that will come along and steal my heart and I will paint it how my mind's eye sees it. ;)




 After


Tweet Twoo!!



 I started using Minwax Polyacrylic instead of Varathane (just to see and not because I don't like Varathane because I think it's awesome) and even though I used satin for both of them the Minwax polyacrylic seems to be a little bit flatter finish and I like it so much! 
Oh my goodness-it's so beautiful!







 It had a beautiful mahogany top under all that old, flaky varnish and bird poo!
You know the drill...sanded it down, stained with one coat of Java Gel, and finished with 3 coats of poly.



 Great legs!






 So many great details!







Lucky, lucky girl who gets this!!!

Linked up here: 


Thursday, May 1, 2014

Antique Oak Chest of Drawers


When I saw this dresser on CL I was so focused on the cute legs I didn't see much else.  And, when I picked it up I was having such a good time talking with the woman that I didn't look very closely at it.  When I got it home I realized the legs weren't original to the dresser and looked very out of place.  Such a bummer because that's why I bought it!  I still make rookie mistakes. ;)

Oh well, it's still a cute little chest of drawers!

I removed the legs and when I started sanding it down I realized how rough it really was.  I thought a more rustic look for it was more fitting as it had lots of "character". :) 


Before




After



I know I've said it a thousand times but I really don't like oak!  The grain is so heavy and I spend half my time worrying about how to cover it up.  I recently did a oak hall tree and decided to work with the grain instead of against it! (A great life lesson too!)

I white washed it to pop the grain and love how it gives the paint such depth. 


 Aren't these side panels adorable?!  Love them!



This dresser did have original keyholes.  They were missing and the woman I bought it from had refinished it many years ago and replaced the keyhole covers.  I decided to keep them but thought they were too much with the pulls she had decided to put on.  I ditched those and chose a more petite pull as to not compete with the keyhole covers.



 The top had LOTS of dents and dings and I couldn't sand them all out because a few were really deep.  I decided it was ok because they are a part of its history.  I don't sell new furniture.  I sell furniture that has already lived a life (or two or three) and is ready for a new one!










SOLD  $295.00
dimensions:  42"W x 19.5"D 

color = French Blue from Old Town Paints
stain = Java Gel from General Finishes
clear coat = Polyacrylic from Minwax in satin