She's crazy, part 2

 

OK my bored friends, I'm back for more mindless table talk.

The crazy references are tongue in cheek. Sort of. I don't make light of mental illness, but in editing all the photos I snapped of the steps taken in refinishing this table, and trying to find the words to explain my thought process, it occurred to me how for lack of a better word, crazy I get about decorating.

It is an obsession. An addiction. It consumes much thought, much energy, much time.

Like someone addicted to drugs awakens thinking of their next fix. I wake thinking of what I can work on today. What can I paint. What can I rearrange. What can I tweak....

Recently I read a post at The Shabby Nest that really spoke volumes to me. It gave me a little validation about my constant decorating and redecorating.  Go read it. I'll wait.

........

Back already. What did you think?

Here's what I  took away, and for me it was HUGE.

I can not sing. I am not a dancer. I am not athletic. I can not draw.

I can paint. I can sew. I can fluff and make my home pretty. It is my talent. It is what I do well and why would I do it once and be done?

Does a singer sing one song? Does an artist paint one painting? Would an athlete be fulfilled if they only threw one ball or ran one race? No.

They study, they train, they practice to improve their craft.

Making pretty is my craft. It is my talent and my light.

I don't mean that in a vain way. I'm saying, I get a sense of fulfilment and accomplishment when I start with and idea or a vision and with my hands (and sometimes with Mitch's hands) I can see it to completion.

It's how I let my little light shine.

Sometimes it takes a while to feel like my light is really shining, and not flickering.

The table, well let's just say my light has had a short in the wires.

For the legs, I decided on a distressed look. That's the shortened abridged version- let's just leave it at that.

Once inside, my craziness continued. It never ends. Never even sleeps. It's exhausting...

Table with bench and turquoise chairs.

Oh, the bench was a little side job while I worked on the table. It was built by my uncle Keith when Mitch and I were first married.

Over the years it has been black and white. I didn't remember it being white, but as I stripped it I found a layer of white. A happy finding. I left a bit of the white.

 
The seat of the bench needs to be darker.

  Didn't really like that look. Move the chairs.

And add some fake apples.

Still don't like it.

How about the black chairs, from the dining room? Hmmm... better. Still not there.

How about another bench. Another uncle Keith made bench.

Getting there. I think I like it.

It will do for now.

Until I can wax the table legs and darken the seat of the bench.

And I should probably get the old table out of the kitchen.

 

 

Comments

[Chara Michele]

I seriously love the table! (And I actually love it with the teal chairs & bench, but that is just me :)
We have a similar table in our dining space, except it is all wood colored... I really want to paint the legs white and make the top look prettier... Maybe someday :)

[lisa]

It's not like I live there and have to look at it every day but I like the blue chairs better. It brings a nice pop of color. I was wondering though about the vinegar and steel wool. Is that called pickeling? I like the color of dark grey wood. I told my husband that once and he said. You know that's rot right. Ha! I was wondering if you thought it looked kind of like that and if you did any thing to it afterward ..

[Sharly]

Autumn, it has turned out beautiful, just like everything else you do. I know there is a method to your madness, and I say if nesting is your skill, flaunt it, girl!

Take care and have a glorious weekend!

[Lera]

You can always come to MD and prettify my home, because it needs it. If you're ever looking for a clean palate, come north ;-) Prettifying the house is not my talent.

[molly]

Stop it!! I just came here to show my 11-yr-old daughter what I wanted to do with our table and you've already put more genius stuff up! Now she wants blue chairs. She left before I could tell her than instead of white legs, ours will have saturated orange-red legs. Hmmmm, maybe blue chairs would go well with that...

[Autum]

Molly,
I love the combination of orange and blue together!  If you are interested, the chairs were painted with spray paint, Bahama Sea by Krylon in a gloss finish. I toned down the brightness of the blue by putting a little stain on with a rag, then wiping it back off. I think the stain color was Minwax Provencial.

Id love to see a picture of your table with orange legs!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Lera,
Id love to come visit you. If Im ever up North, Im looking you up. Did you ever post pictures of you kitchen?

xo Autum

[Autum]

I was also going to say, with all the boys in your house, I bet its not easy to pretty. Not picking on the boys though, Bayleigh is a girl, and she wreaks havoc on pretty!

On Fri, Apr 1, 2011 at 7:18 PM, Autum Hall autumhall@gmail.com wrote:
Lera,
Id love to come visit you. If Im ever up North, Im looking you up. Did you ever post pictures of you kitchen?

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Sharly! I hope you have a glorious weekend too!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Hi Lisa,

The blue chairs may stay, not completely sure about that one. They go with the other table though.

The vinegar and steel wool stain is so cool. It doesnt actually stain, but reacts with the tannins in the wood, and blackens them. So yes, it gives you a gray color. I dont know if it is considered pickeling or not. I always thought of that as sort of a white wash, but I may be wrong.
Some woods react more to the vinegar, resulting in a darker wood. It is the second time Ive tried it and I love the look of it, and would have kept it this time if not for the uneven staining where the wood filler had been used.
You just put some steel wool in  a container- I used a glass jar with a lid and cover it with vinegar. Let it sit overnight then you just wipe it on the wood. The reaction happens pretty fast. At first it just looks wet, then it begins to darken. It stinks to high heaven though. The combination of the metal and the vinegar- yuk!
Let me know if you try it!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Hi Chara Michelle,

Thank you! I actually like the teal chairs too. Ive just been toning things down a bit. I guess Im in a quieter decorating mood these days.

Have a great weekend!

xo Autum

[SilverLining Designs]

Autum,

You are crazy, but a good crazy. As soon as I saw the post and the pictures I started to laugh. I have to commend you with the amazing work and transformations you do. You have a real talent. I was wondering what Mitch must say when you bring this stuff home and change it so much? I think I like the black chairs better. The turquoise ones seem a bit off scale and too busy/fussy with the look of the table and simple lines of the benches. Take care, and I can't wait to see what you do next!

[Elaine]

Looks Great!

[Debdor]

Thanks so much for that link to the shabby nest. My family always joke that my flat must be shrinking because of all the layers of paint on the walls, my friends always come in and say whats new? Even when I have no spare money, if I see something in a charity shop that is too pretty to leave behind, I afford it, or I have been known to toss and turn all night only to be very dissapointed the next day if it sold before I could go back. It is a compulsion, I dont have any other talent, I dont spend lots of money on clothes or shoes, or nights out. I love my home, and want it to look as pretty as possible...

[dawn]

I love your inspiration! You are definitely on to something there, and your "pretty home" talent is fabulous!

[motorized wheelchairs]

wow thsi si so mazing

[glass dining table]

Great design work done by the designer