creative little daisy

Wax on. Wax off...

Let me present to you for the second time, my new old table. I have put more time and energy into this second hand hunk of wood than anyone with a lick of sense should. I never said I had a lick of sense though, so there you go.  (I hope y'all can understand me when I speak southern)

 

This time around, I first stripped off the polyurethane using this. Worked great and took about 45 minutes to completely strip several layers of poly. I then gave it a good cleaning with lacquer thinner. The next morning I sanded it using my mouse sander beginning with a medium grit paper and finishing with a fine grit. I didn't take all the stain off, just the poly. My initial plan was just to seal the wood using a sanding sealer and then apply paste wax to protect. I wanted to retain a weathered look and wanted very little, if any sheen. Once I coated it with the sanding sealer, the different colors in the wood popped out. The dark tones were especially pronounced. It looked pretty, but not what I wanted. So this morning I mixed equal parts of white paint and untinted latex glaze. I added a bit of dark gray paint (a tiny bit) and then added some water.  How do you like that scientific recipe? It was a very thin consistency. Then I just went to town on the table using a dry brush technique. Just dab a bit of paint on your brush and wipe most of it back off on a paper towel. Go over the surface with light pressure with very thin layers of paint.  I wiped over lightly with a paper towel to smooth out any obvious brush strokes. Once I was happy with the coverage, I let it dry for about 45 minutes in the sun.  For protection I coated it with two layers of Minwax Paste Wax.  It gives it a slight sheen, but more than that, it gives depth to all the layers of paint and it allows for easy clean-up. Hopefully, it will hold up better than the polyurethane did. If not, it may become firewood.

 

 

A bit of this and that

I've been stripping again, and unfortunately, no twenty dollar bills were slipped in the waist band of my granny panties while I was at it.

The table from hell strikes again! The polyurethane topcoat didn't harden (I"m sure the 90% humidity had nothing to do with it) and scratched if you looked at it. No joke, I could scratch it off with my fingernail. I didn't get too upset, because truth be told, I wasn't completely in love with it anyway. Am I fickle or what?

I am ready for autumn. I love summer and am so glad we were able to slip in a late beach trip last week. But I'm over it. Enough summer. Enough humidity. Enough 90+ degree weather.

 

 

We had a great time. It was as bright and sunny as any time I've been in July. I loved it, but fickle me says be gone summer.  95 degrees in late September is just wrong.

One more random unrelated bit. I hit a few thrift stores this week and found some goodies. I always look for white dishes and this was my lucky day.

I also picked up this lamp.

Not too cute in this state, but it will look quite handsome orange. ORANGE? Did I just say orange? Yep, and I'm not talking about halloween decor. I'm thinking my guest room would like a pop of color. A little something like this.

(image credit)

I'd say that's enough random jabber for one day. Have a lovely weekend folks! I may be back later to share the progress of my stripping. Completely G rated, I promise!

It's an illness I tell ya! It can't be helped

So don't judge. Don't call me crazy like my husband did, when he walked in this morning after working night shift to find me 2/3 of the way finished painting the living room. Had I started painting before he left for work? Had I mentioned painting before he left for work? No and nope. Are we going to the beach tomorrow and have I packed anything, purchased any groceries, stocked the camper. That would be a yes, followed by several no's. I told you not to judge. I just can't help it. 

When I do get the camper packed I will leave knowing that I love the color of my front door and love the way it looks with my new Intense White walls. That's what Benjamin Moore calls them, I call them really soft, really pale gray. 

The before came after the after here. Or the now is on top and before is on bottom.

And the door, remember my 90s teal door. The one Miss Martha called Geyser Blue? I'm much happier with BMs Stratton Blue. Which, by the way, is what I wanted it to be to begin with. But last Saturday evening when I purchased paint, the only store that sold Benjamin Moore was already closed. I hit the Home Depot praying I could pick a chip that looked close to the picture that was in my mind. In my mind via a photo on my computer screen. I don't recommend using this method for paint color selection. 

Clearly, Benjamin's Stratton is not really all that close to Martha's Geyser.

Martha, you know I'm all wishy-washy where you're concerned. One minute I love you the next I'm no longer your friend. This time, it was my fault, not yours. Geyser is lovely. Just not on my front door. 
Same for the wall color, Vintage Kitchen, another of your lovely colors and I still love it. It is more than welcome to hang out in the kitchen and dining room, (until I change my mind). I simply needed a change. It's not you, it's me. 

Here's one more before and after comparison.

I felt like if I painted the upper portion of the walls a soft neutral color, my newly painted furniture and door would look nicer. They wouldn't be competing with the wall for attention. I was right. I'm sitting here when I should be packing, loving it. Still have to add a trim board above the bead board (wallpaper). It never ends and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Now, I have a camper to pack. We're hitting the beach one last time before saying farewell to summer.

Purdy darn good

A few weeks a go a representative from Purdy emailed and asked if I would be interested in trying one of their paint brushes to review on my blog. A free paint brush? I just have to try it out and tell my good friends what I thought? Sure!

Last week this arrived in the mail.

The Purdy Prep and Paint Kit. Do you have one of those 6 in 1 tools? It's very handy for so many things. I had one before receiving this kit and I use it all the time. I was trilled to get a new one.

I put it to work right away when putting up the beadboard wallpaper in the living room. It worked like a charm removing the double stick tape holding down this cord hider thing. (don't you like that extremely technical name?)

I was able to remove the stubborn tape without damaging the sheet rock in the process.

I mentioned in my last post I painted all that furniture by hand instead of spraying. The main reason for that was I didn't want to drag all that stuff out in the yard. One, because it's heavy and I'm weak, and two, because I have to be able to keep a close eye on Bayleigh. I can paint in the living room while she plays. In the yard, there is too much trouble for her to get into. I could get Mitch to do it for me, that's what I usually do, but honestly, he's just so busy, I decided to give him a break from my shenanigans for a change.

Two of the pieces had been painted with oil paint, so I knew they would have to be primed first. I've not been a big primer in the past, but I am now. I used Zinser Bulls Eye. it dries fast, is easy to apply and two coats gives a base for a smooth as silk paint finish. I used my Purdy brush and a small foam roller for smooth finishes.

For paint I went with Behr Premium paint + primer, so I guess I could have skipped the primer on the pieces that didn't have oil paint, but they had stain finishes and I didn't want any dark wood tones bleeding through, so everything got two coats of primer.

I've always heard it said, you get what you pay for when it comes to paint and brushes. I've bought cheap brushes and I've bought pricier brushes, but have never really found one that made me say wow, this is a good brush. I got my money's worth. That was until I tried a Purdy brush, and I'm not talking about the free one. I told the lady who emailed me that I actually owned and loved a Purdy brush, but she sent me one anyway. I don't mind one bit sharing with you that if you need to buy a paint brush, go ahead and pick up a Purdy. I don't know what it is that makes it better, but I just know paint goes on smoothly and most importantly for me, the bristles don't fall out. Ever. They clean beautifully, even if you are lazy, super busy and forget to clean them right away. I'm not saying they clean any easier than other brushes, but once they are cleaned they hold their shape and work as good as new. Even if the paint has dried on for several days, and you have to soak the brush in laquer thinner. The brush will come out good as new...or so I'm told, I'd never do such a thing. (Cough, cough)

Until this week, I would have told you, spraying is the best way to go when it comes to painting furniture. While I still feel like it's pretty darn groovy when you can get your cute hubby with his mad paint spraying skills to do the work for you, I've learned you can get a beautiful finish if you are willing to take your time. I think several things were key in getting  a smooth even finish. Primer. I was not a big primer user before, now I'll be sure to keep some on hand. A quality brush. Even if it weren't free, I'd still recommend a Purdy, and quality paint. It may cost a little more, but you'll use less. The last thing I did was use paste wax on the flat surfaces. It doesn't really add any sheen, just gives more depth of color, if that makes sense, and also provides a nice layer of protection.

OK, my little infomercial is over. Happy painting, friends.

Is there really ever an after?

Not around here. My home decor is on a continuum- no real before and afters, just how it was yesterday and how it is today.

The biggest change with the living room was completing the sectional. I think I talked about it here before, but in case you missed that fascinating bit of info, I bought part of a sectional off craigslist. The seller wanted to keep the sofa portion, so I bought a love seat and corner section with the plan of buying the sofa as soon as I could make the trip to IKEA. One problem, the sofa was out of stock. For weeks. Last Saturday I noticed the website had stock listed at the closest store to us, three hours away in Charlotte. Sunday night I had my sofa and was able to complete the sectional. Wohoo!!

It is incredibly comfortable. I originally wanted the Ektorp sectional, until I sat on this one. I changed out the legs with some I found on Ebay.

This bad blurry picture shows the IKEA legs. The one in the foreground is the standard, the other is an upgrade that came on the Craigslist portion of the sectional. I didn't care for either.

I found the coffee table at Hope Harbor, my favorite thrift store, last week. It was one of those rare thrifting trips where you go in and find exactly what you are looking for. At $35 it was a little more than I wanted to pay, but really, it was exactly what I wanted. Of course, it wasn't white and the veneer top had bubbled up in a couple of places, but that didn't scare me. What did scare me was the five-minute torrential downpour that occurred while I was in Home Depot buying paint, the coffee table in the back of the truck. Needless to say, the veneer top had more than a few bubbles after that. I tried ironing them down after google told me that was the best way to repair veneer. It may have helped a little. Ultimately, a good sanding did the trick. Then I gave it two coats of primer, two coats of Behr paint + primer and a top coat of paste wax.  Not my typical method of painting furniture, but I may be a convert. I usually prefer spraying and spraying does give a beautiful finish and has some definite advantages, but it also has its disadvantages. Anyway, a few things came together that resulted in me painting a lot of stuff, by hand- and loving it. I'll go into more detail about the painting process in another post, for now I'll just share how things are looking for now.

This piece was white and pretty heavily distressed. I just calmed things down a bit with some soft pale gray. The back ended up being a little more blue than I wanted, but I'm letting it slide.

A closer look at those knobs (Hobby Lobby)

The paint is yummy. It's a Martha Stewart color in Behr Premium paint + primer. It is a true pale gray. Not blue or green and not like a battleship. Just a soft gray. If I were naming it, I would call it Quiet Winter Day. I don't remember what Martha calls it, but I'll find out if you're interested. And though I'm still mad at Martha about the pasteless wallpaper, I have to give her credit, she has the best paint colors in her line.

I used the same color for this dresser and what a transformation it made. I was just about to get rid of this piece, I'm so glad I painted it instead.

It also got new hardware, thanks again to the HobLob (half off, of course)

This is how the old girl looked wearing black with silver jewelry (last fall)

 

For the Goodwill buffet turned media console, I mixed some of the Martha gray with some oops paints (turquoise and dark gray). I wanted a duck egg-ish color. It needed to be a little more on the green side because of the wall color. I'm pleased with the results.

That blur is Bayleigh, by the way.

I have the rug that was in here outside getting a good cleaning. We still have to trim out the top of the beadboard (wallpaper) and I'm going to replace the ceiling fan with a chandelier. Don't tell Mitch. The look I'm going for with paint is something like this

or this

Sorry, I don't remember where I found these photos. I think the first is from Pottery Barn, the second was found on Life in the Fun Lane.

Here's how things look for now. Just imagine a rug, and a chalky iron...zinc? whatever that is chandelier and some trim above that beadboard, and that's how it will look... until it changes again. 

Is it any wonder I have paint in my hair?

It has long been said I'd paint anything that doesn't move. This week, I may have painted a moving thing or two, if it happened to get in my way.

Since I last posted, I have painted~

the hall (white)

one chair (gray)

one coffee table (creamy white)

one  buffet/tv cabinet (duck egg blue/green)

one dresser  (pale gray)

one hutch (pale gray)

one chandelier (not quite finished with this one but I'm going for a chalky zinc look)

Speaking of chandeliers, did you notice the birdcage light up there?  I had a birdcage. I wanted a new light for the newly painted hall. A pendant light kit from Lowes, and a little wire and I came up with a super easy, pretty darn cute light for my hall for under twenty dollars. 

I'll post with more details later. I need to go wash some paint out of my hair, and off my toes. And elbows. I'm a messy painter.

You can click the collage if you want to see it larger

My new old table and chairs

 

It may not seem like much to you, but let's look back at where we began.

An improvement, don't you think?

I hope this story has a happy ending

Remember these guys? The table and chairs I found on Craigslist for $50.00.  My thought was I can give 'em a quick shot of white paint, a little distressing and maybe sell them and make a little profit.

Well, that's not how it went down. If you've found yourself envious of bloggers who find furniture dirt cheap and with a little spray paint turn end up with a show piece, not to worry. This story doesn't go down like that. Nope, there will be nothing to envy here, unless you wish you could spend countless hours in the stifling, sticky North Carolina heat sanding and scraping, stripping, and painting, then doing it all again.

The first coat of paint didn't stick. At all. I blame it on the south. Beware of any older item you wish to paint that has lived its life in a southern kitchen. There will be layers of grease. Layers and layers. You can clean it and sand it. It may look clean, but don't be fooled.

This was after the first round of failed painting- in the process of stripping off the paint.
Two $20 cans of paint stripper were purchased plus sand paper and paint. My $50 table has now cost me closer to $100. See all those little spindles? Not easy to sand, so I decided to buy a little mouse detail sander. $40.00.  Boy this cheap table and chairs really isn't so cheap anymore.

Finally all the paint and stain have been stripped. Now onto primer. I don't remember how much that was, I think $13.00 for a quart.  Anyone keeping count? I stopped. It was too painful.

Here's everything primed (by hand) ready to be sprayed. I mixed some paint I had and came up with a pale blue-y gray. Looked gray wet but more blue as it dried.  The paint went on nicely and stuck. And, I hated it. The color just didn't work with the style of the chair. I distressed the chairs and they distressed me. After all that work, I wanted to love them and I didn't.  In a moment of desperation, I grabbed a can of spray paint I had in the cabinet. And the angels began to sing a hallelujah chorus. Chairs officially done. For now.

Still working on the table top, but the legs are done.

The end is in sight.

I'm working on the top today. I had it finished, or so I thought,  but on a whim decided I just didn't like the color, so what the heck, I stripped off three layers of poly and started over.  Cause that's how I roll ~like a big ol' flat tire. 

Tomorrow I'll tell you why my hands smell like vinegar and rusty metal.

I may have found a color for my door.

Tables, I've got 'em

 I used to have this coffee table

But Mitch sat on the edge and broke it, I blogged about it, you may remember.

Our solution was to fill in the hole where the glass used to be with an upholstered piece of plywood.

It was a good solution. I liked it. For a while. But I'm fickle when it comes to home decor. It's like, who wants to wear the same earrings everyday for months or years? No one, and my house doesn't want to sport the same old accessories either. I know, it told me so.  So shopping I went for a new coffee table, and by new, of course I mean new to me. My budget was less than 20 bucks. For twelve I found just what I was looking for. The only problem I also found something I wasn't looking for. Something I had not budgeted for. An antique buffet. Solid wood, in excellent condition $49.00 buffet. I tried to walk away, really I did. But it would have been wrong to walk away. I would have surely lost sleep. I know it.  So I bought it too. Where was I going to put it? Pfftt... like that mattered. I'd figure that out later. The important thing then was to pay and get it loaded before anyone else noticed how lovely it was. 

OK, to give you the abbreviated version, cause this story could get wordy. The buffet went here, where this table was, to hold the TV.

Better, don't ya think? 

Now I have another coffee table. If you were paying attention, you'd know that makes tree.  I'm not much of a planner when it comes to furniture placement. I just start dragging and pulling and tugging till I like what I see. Or until I have to lay down. (I'm not as young as I used to be)

As it turns out, I like the former TV table/coffee table as a coffee table. 

 

 

So, what's a girl to do with two extra coffee tables? If I had a big ol' storage shed I'd keep them, but since I don't and my garage already looks like something from an episode of Hoarders, I decided to try selling them on Craigslist. I'll let you know if I have any luck.

 

 

This is NOT what it looked like in the thrift store, by the way.

I also gave the ottoman/coffee table a new look.

In the interest of full disclosure and honesty, that thrifting trip, you know the one where I needed to find a coffee table and spend less than twenty dollars- well I also picked up a book shelf for fourteen. Don't even ask if I needed it or where I planned to put it. You already know the answer. Those are minor details to be worked out later.

It ended up here.

 

where this used to be~