Consistency...It's Not For Me

Wow... I don't even want to know the last date I was on Blogger!  I've just finished up spring semester of grad school year 1.  I have a week off then back to class for May/June session.  I'll be gone this summer to work at Double H Ranch, so plan for more inconsistency.

So Greer and I have worked on a handful of projects since I was last on.  I'm not sure if I posted the near-finished antique record cabinet (still needs hardware), so I'll just go ahead and show you a picture of its current state.

Did you spot two other new things?
- We finally got around to hanging one of our wedding gifts- a photo taken by one of Greer's good friends.  The friend didn't know the colors of our living room, but it matches perfectly!  Greer built the frame from scrap molding, spray painted it brown, then sanded to give it a rougher look.  So nice to have something on that wall!!

- My dad picked up an old record cabinet at a thrift store, which Greer repainted and is now using as our tv stand/record storage.  I'm glad he has a place to keep his favorites in our living room (other than the floor...).

I think it could use some new hardware but, you know, that's lower priority right now.  Here's an open-door view.

The suitcase table is now then end table, and the end table is upstairs.  Here's the suitcase table in it's new home:

My in-laws are moving and downsizing all they own, so Greer and I got lucky and inherited their antique buffet.

I'm super excited about that guy.  I kind of want to paint it but I'm leaving it alone for now.  Excuse the animal bowls.. I got lazy about moving things to take pictures.

The little roll-top desk that was in that corner is hanging out on another wall for now...

I can't remember if I posted the semi-finished bookcase I was working on, so I'll show that (again?) too.  This was a old Hoosier cabinet top my dad pulled out of the dump.  It needed loads of love- like replacing some of the plywood frame.  Here it is in our upstairs hallway landing, looking so much better!

Remember what that used to look like when it came out of the dump? No? Oh.. here:

It only had a few of the doors, so I'm playing with how I want to use those.  I'm also messing around with some ideas for the tall cabinet on the left.  I might hang some hooks in there for scarves on top.  Only time will tell.  I also still have no home for the little shelf sitting on the floor.  Oh, I should probably return that red clamp to my dad.

My goal for this little week break is to choose a color for the front door and finally PAINT IT.  It's, what, a year later?  Something like that...

Well, that's a little update about our life in this clearing in the woods.  I'll try to post a little more this month, but not guarantees!


Participating in Link Parties at:
http://tatertotsandjello.com - Tatertots and Jello

Antique Record Cabinet: Repainted

The antique record cabinet is almost done!  Let's take a look at the before so you can truly appreciate this upgrade for us:

Greer painted it to match the one kitchen wall, which nicely accents the orange living room.  All that is left is to pick out and attach the hardware. We've found a nice pair for the bottom doors that we are waiting to attach.  We'd like to have both top and bottom sets picked out before we start screwing anything in, so that we know they will look good together.

So much better!


Greer was able to fit the receiver and his record player safely in the top part of the cabinet.


The bottom shelves house his favorite, most frequently enjoyed records, our current Netflix rentals, and my Zumba instructor DVDs.

The log table that used to house all of the living room entertainment systems is now in my studio/guestroom.
I actually like it in the guestroom more than I thought I would.  I'd be happy to leave it there for awhile.  I really like that it brings my niece's dollhouse off the floor!

Bedside Table is DONE!

Finally!  I found the time to finish the bedside table I started in August.

Okay, well I didn't "find" the time.  I ignored my studying to finish the daggone table.  Look, it had to be done.  It's been driving me crazy sitting unfinished in the living room.

Would you like to see??

Before I made this table, I was using the little guy I re-did as a bedside table.  It was crammed with everything I tried to fit on there.  I certainly needed more space.

I used Ana White's plans for Farmhouse Bedside Table and followed her plans pretty closely, making only minor adjustments suggested by my father (master carpenter extraordinaire).  You can read about my progress while making it here.

Now I have way more space and a drawer!

I love, love, love it!  I'm still deciding what to put on the bottom shelf.  Maybe some books and a decorative vase?  Or possibly baskets to hold cabooshes of things? (I just made that word up).

The hardware is antique and very pretty.  I like that it adds some curve and elegance to the otherwise box-y style of the table.  It was also free from my dad's drawer of metal drawer pulls that he stumbles across while taking down houses or dumpster diving ;)

One last shot in place....



Since Greer's side of the bed is much narrower, I plan to make the same table but half the length.  However, Greer has requested that first I make a tv console so that we can get the antique record player out of his shop (it's finished!).


Participating in:
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Masterpiece Mondays @  Boogie Board Cottage
Amaze Me Mondays @ Dittle Dattle
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Hoosier Cabinet Top: Strippin'

So I've inherited a Hoosier Cabinet top from my dad who was going to throw it in the dump.

Excuse me?

Thank you, Greer, for telling him to see if I wanted it first.

Is it even a question?

Anyway, I'm pretty excited to start the process of refinishing this baby.  She's not in the best shape but believe you me she is gonna look goooood by the time I'm done with her.


If you want to read about how I strip......read on ...
So the process begins (while the paint and stain dry on my Farmhouse Bedside Table) with stripping!

I was so scared of using the stripping agent the first time simply because my dad said, "If you get it on your skin, it's gonna burn like hell."  Remember that note?  Well, I was wonderfully safe about it because I still haven't had any burns and hope that good streak continues.

...haha...listen to me...stripping and streak....

Anyway.

I started with the doors figuring it's always nice to start with the smaller stuff so I can feel accomplished before tackling the bigger chunk. 

Before using the stripping agent, I used a paint scraper to scrape off any loose paint flakes.  You'll know when there are no more loose paint flakes because the scraper will sound like it's running across a glass plate (i.e. you will shudder).

When all/most/some of the loose stuff is off (or you can't take the noise anymore = me), don those rubber gloves and get ready for some fun!

Use a crummy old paint brush and old container (coffee can, unusable Tupperware) you can dedicate to furniture stripping.  Dump some of the stripping agent into the container and slosh the paint brush around in it. --- I prefer to err on the side of using less because I am not about to try to get the unused stripping agent back into the original tub. ---

Using the paint brush, slap the stripper onto the wood everywhere you wish to take off paint.

Give the stripping agent a few minutes for the chemicals to eat away at the paint.
Pick your paint scraper back up and just scrape away the layers of paint.  It may take a few rounds of applying the stripper and scraping to get off all of the paint.

When most of the paint is off, sand the entire thing.  I start with lower grit paper, then finish with higher grit like 300 or so to smooth everything out.

You're ready to paint!

***This should also be used with furniture that is stained because most likely it has a wax finish.  You'll need the chemicals of the stripping agent to eat away at the wax finish because paint will not stick to the wax.

Antique Record Cabinet: Primed Pink??

So Greer, the amazing love of my life, has been working every night on the antique record cabinet.  (I think it helps that I just bought him the MP3 album of Eddie Vedder's Ukelele Songs!)  He sanded and sanded.. and now priming.

I just want to say that he is using plain old white primer.  Bull's Eye brand.. nothing special....


I thought maybe some sanding residue was causing this, but he claims to have cleaned it all first....

Say what?  Pink?  The pictures do not do this justice.



I guess this means more and more coats of primer?  We're not planning to paint this thing pink..so I'd rather not have those undertones!

Any thoughts friends??  ¿Qué pensaís?

I'm participating in:
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
More the Merrier Monday at DIYHSH

Bedside Table Update

Hi friends!

If you've stopped in lately you may know I've been working on Ana White's Farmhouse Bedside Table which I am super duper excited about.  If you know me, you know that it takes weeks for me to finish a project because I am involved in so many things (grad school, grad assistantship, Zumba instructor...).  The table is so close to being finished I can smell it!  Well...actually I smelled it from the beginning.  I believe I need a face mask to work in my dad's shop....

Neither here nor there.

So I've got the drawer and table frame sanded and painted a beautiful off-white Valspar paint color called Belle Grove Antique White, one of the National Trust Historic Colors. [btw-- don't trust Lowes online paint selector...completely off when I looked up this color].  I wanted white, but not sterile white.  I picked up the paint chip, loved it, and then noticed it was Belle Grove... which is very close by to where I live (see it here).  Done and done... and I'm very happy with it!

The bottom shelf and table top are cut, glued, screwed, sanded and stained (Minwax Provincial).  All that's left with these babies is polyurethane coats and  wax finish (I use an orange-scented beeswax finish). 

Top shelf

Bottom shelf

I cannot wait to assemble this sweet thing and get it in place on my side of the bed.  I seriously need the table space, shelf and drawer like whoa.

After this project, I will have a brief furniture interlude to start on a Christmas gift for my neice.  Another Ana White plan but I'm not giving away which one just yet!  You'll have to come back and see.

Que pasa bien la semana!

Some New Projects

Yes, I know.  I have still have to put the stencil on the end table.  My bedside table is not quite complete.  Why am I taking on even more projects when I am back in school?  Taking anatomy no less.

Because this is all just so fun!

I've already mentioned I inherited the Hoosier cabinet top in my furniture stripping tutorial.  Not much news there.  Still stripping.

My wonderful father gave me and Greer an antique record cabinet that was in an old house he and Greer were taking down.  It is not in the best shape and is missing all the guts, so it isn't worth any money but it's worth loads for us.

We need someplace to put Greer's record player and store at least some of his records.  Now we have the perfect thing. 

Greer already took out what was left of the guts on top to make room for the record player.



Look at all that storage!  Records on the outside shelves because they should not be stored horizontally. 

Close up on the leftover hardware (and lack thereof).

Since I took these pictures Greer has been sanding away the original finish (he didn't feel like stripping it so we're trying to go without). 

A few things that will need to happen:

- Reattach lid with new hinges

- Replace old non-functioning wheels (or just take off)

- Fill holes from old hardware

- Replace hardware (including door hinges..they are weak)

- Install door closure magnets



I'm sure we'll find more that needs to be done while we're working on it.  That's the nature of recyclers!

Can't wait for this to have a new life.  I'm thinking mustardy yellow maybe... or tan and brown.

Participating in:
Weekend Wrap-up Party at Tatertots and Jello
Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors
Furniture Feature Fridays at Miss Mustard Seed
VIP Party at Designer Garden
The Girl Creative Linky Party

Wood Filler Mini-Tutorial

I love wood filler.  I hate holes, so I love wood filler.  It's so easy to use and after the furniture is painted, you can't even tell there was ever a hole there.  Would you like to share in my bliss?

Since my father and I recycle old wood for projects, the wood can come with nail holes and any number of "defects" (put in quotes because sometimes I like the character those "defects" give).  How we fill the holes depends on the finish for the peice.
Stain = no wood filler. 
Paint = yes wood filler.

The bedside table I've been working on has quite a few holes that have needed patching.  For once I remembered to take progressive pictures for you!  I decided I'd give you a run-down on wood filler.

Here we have pretty little bedside drawer.

It is pretty sturdily put together, not just with screws but with notches as well.  Just the same, I would rather the screw holes not show up in the finished product, especially those in front. (Can you spot them on either side of the front?)

So I grab the Elmer's wood filler to start patching things up.

Just take a little peice and start pushing it into the hole.  Make sure you cover the entire hole, putting a little extra around the edges. 

You also want to leave a small mound because it tends to shrink as it dries.

The amount of drying time depends on the size of the hole.  Small holes like these probably take about 15 minutes for drying, while larger ones can take an hour or more.  The directions on the side of the box have more advice about that.  I've left it for days, actually, because I haven't had time to get back to it.

After the filler dries, you simply sand the area so it's even with the rest of the wood.  Bam! No more hole.

Prime the project like normal and you're good to go.

If you're like me and eager to get the thing done, you may notice after a coat of primer that you missed some holes.

No worries here!  Simply repeat the same process- filling, drying, sanding.

Then give it another coat of primer and take you out of the oven 'cuz you're done!
Hope some of you found this as useful as I did.  You can also use wood filler for peices that you're refinishing, not building from scratch.

Remember- don't use wood filler if you are going to use wood stain!  It is for paint only.

Hooray for holelessness!

Bedside Table Progress

So I've been working on the bedside table from ana-white.com with the help of my master carpenter father.  I am sure I could go to Lowes and buy the wood and get it cut and follow Ana White's steps and be okay, but we have a field full of free wood.  The challenge is that I have to do the planing and cutting and glueing to make peices I would otherwise buy.  BUT.  The would we have is free.  There is a steady supply as my husbo keeps taking down old houses.  I am recycling wood (hooray!).  There is a story to the wood and I know where it's from.

So I am learning the skills needed to take on these preparation steps before I can follow Ana White's steps.

Anyhallyhoo I remembered to take a *few* pictures of where I am in the process of building this table.  I even took a few for a mini wood-filler tutorial (super duper stinkin' easy).

Here is the current state of the bedside table:

Sorry about the mess.. I've been working in Greer's shop to protect the beaut from pesky bugs that get stuck in wet paint.  This is all put together and primed, waiting for me to select the color to paint (most likely...white).  The lines you see towards the top of the table are notches for the table top to fit in.  It will make sense later.

The drawer is together, but waiting to be sanded and primed.  I still have some wood filler on it to sand off, but here's what it looks like now:

This entire table is made of pine from an old house my husband has been taking down.  The back of the drawer is cedar to add that lovely smell.  The bottom of the drawer is masonite because it's light, strong and we had some lying around.  Otherwise we would have used some spare plywood.

What's new in your lives?

Participating in:

Hutch has DOORS!

I can't even remember if I told you about this hutch base I've been working on with my dad, but we finally got the doors on it.

This makes me so happy because it hides *some* of the DVD clutter.  There's still a lot on top, but we have no choice.  Check out what the doors are hiding..

Ahh too many DVDs!!!  The long boards standing between the hutch and plant are the shelves for inside the cabinet.  We're waiting for the hardware to arrive then we'll place those in for a little more organization and easy access.

I love the black walnut wood we used.  It's so rich and delicious looking.  The knobs I found at a local hardware store and I love the vine pattern on them.

Fingers crossed I remember to take pictures during the shelf installation so I can a least show some part of the process!

I'm Still Alive!

Hello friends! I'm so sorry for the large chunk of time since I last posted... that's called grad school.  I had three 6-week classes that took over my life during June/July.  I have a little break now and don't you doubt I have been spending each day on projects!

I have a update for the lovely little end table you last saw primed white.  Here's that baby now...

I would say she turned out well.. but she's not done yet.  I'm going to add a stencil to the bottom square.  That's on the to-do list.

Did you need another view? Okay.

Get excited for the stencil addition (and tutorial if I remember to take pictures during the process.)

I'm participating in Metamorphosis Mondays at Between Naps on the Porch!

End Table Re-Do

So a few months ago I snagged this little end table at a thrift store for $5. 

The two square patches were covered with old, icky leather that was all cracked up.  Greer helped me rip it off (it was tough!).  Then it was next step- stripping (the table)!

It's my first attempt at actually stripping down a peice of furniture.  I was too frustrated to remember to take any process pictures.  I used a wood stripping agent (I'll find the name and post it) borrowed from Dad.  If you plan to strip wood, I suggest wearing rubber gloves.  I was warned that if you get it on skin it "burns like hell."  Follow directions and do it outside.  Look for future posts about stripping wood as I learn the process.

After I got it all stripped down (which took a few times) and sanded, I primed it using Bulls Eye White Primer.

This is where I am in the process right now.  I'm toying with paint colors and decorative paper modge podged on.  I'm thinking navy blue for the body and some sort of yellow or design with yellow for the squares.  Or maybe chalkboard paint. What do you think?

I'm participating in:

The Big Kahuna is UP!

Today I enlisted my parents and Greer to help me put the Big Kahuna up on the guest room piano wall today.  Let's be honest, my dad did the planning and we just followed directions.  But together, we got that thing in place.

I still have to finish the doors, but the biggest part is in place adding some much needed storage:

Finally, piano books have a home and I've cut back on some of the reading books we've been storing in this room.  I left a square for kids books and a square for everyone else books and got the little bookshelf out! Yay for more floor space and utilizing the wall space!



I keep poking my head in the room just to see it there on the wall.  Oh, how I love my Big Kahuna (shelf.. but I love my husband too! hehe)

What have I left on the shelf for guests to read you ask?  Now that I know how to use the semi- micro photo option, lets take a closer look....

A mixture of reading, hopefully.  I also included a few books in Spanish just in case anyone wanted to brush up on their language skills... ;)

And for the children, a few good books and short stories.



The decor is subject to change (and the books too, of course).  In fact, I hope the decor does change so that what I picture is actually what the room will somehow reflect...sooomeday.  For now, here's the top shelf:

Just re-distributed some other household items.  The vase is from our wedding centerpeices (read more about that here) and has been living on top of the fridge.

As for the bottom shelf......

See that pretty little Beatrix Potter jar (saving for our future kiddos)?  It's actually storing extra nails and screws and whatnot. 

See?  But you didn't know from the outside!  The beauties of creative storage.

Such a relief to have the Big Kahuna up in place!!  I'll update you when I eventually get the doors on.

Buenas noches