A few projects I've been working on

Per my rather manic personality - I have several projects all going at once. 

I know.

I can't help myself.

I usually have one large project happening...and then...well...other small projects kinda happen along at the same time.

Again, I know, I know. 

So here is a smattering of some of the things I've been doing over the last few days. The weather is nice again so I've been outside spray painting to my little hearts content!

First - a preview of the BIG project.

I decided I needed to redo our kitchen island - which is really more of a microwave cart but it works in my kitchen as a small island. The dimensions are right and it provides me with more workspace - a good combination. Here she is as she was since I bought her 10 years ago at a garage sale for $25.

She was stark white and wood pulls and accents. Totally fine and a great deal for $25 bucks but I just didn't think it looked *right* in my kitchen. At least not in her current condition. 

And the husband went out of town for work. 

Which, to me, translates to DO A BIG PROJECT immediately before he can object.  

*smile*  

I'm sure I'm the only person who does this. 

*smile* 

*wink*

Ok - back to the project.

from behind

and from the side

stage one - add red to the edges so it will show through after I get her totally painted and I sand and rough it up a bit

I know, I know, stay with me though - these things usually look worse before they look better.

Here she is after a rough coat of flat black spray paint. I was going to paint it black and leave it at that. But then I started thinking I would like to have it like a REALLY dark brown - almost black. 

But I can't find that exact color. 

So I'm doing the black coat on first. Then today I'm going to go over it in a dark brown. The black undercoat should darken the brown enough to give me the look I want. 

Also - I tried to get the drawer out and there is a stop in the back of the drawer preventing it from coming all the way out and it is screwed onto the underside of the drawer - I wasn't just being lazy. So that is problematic but I'll make it work. Somehow. I have faith. 

Anyway - this is as far as *this* project has gotten because we had thunderstorms yesterday evening AND a soccer game. So I'm going back out there in a little while to hopefully finish it up. The pulls and knobs that will go back on are copper and match the rest of the pulls in our kitchen. I'm excited. 

And now for a quick side project. 

I found this little gem at the Goodwill yesterday for 50 cents.

Note the ugly brass top but it was in good shape otherwise. 

So...a little ORB spray paint later - well, 2 thin coats later...

and...

Voila! An accessory for our bathroom!

I have also been working on our patio. It is huge and we needed more seating. I have a couple of awesome finds literally from the trash that were marked FREE. Love that. I'll try and get that post up later today. 

Also - it's Follow Friday!!!! 

A great party and a great way to find new blogs!

It only took a snowstorm

to kill the pollen and give a day without terrible allergies. Although I am loving the fact that my nose isn't running and I'm not sneezing - I am missing the pretty weather. It's gray and cold and has been snowing on and off since 8 o'clock this morning. And today is the first day of Spring - how'd you like that? Ah well, it is supposed to be 70 again on Monday so I can suffer through these couple of days to get there.

*Warning* This post is all.over.the.place. Ok - proceed at your own risk. You've been formally warned.

We went camping at Beaver's Bend and had a good time. The kids really enjoyed it and Mark and I did too - for different reasons. He got to go fish every day,several times a day.

And when he went he almost always took the boys.

Because he took the boys, I got to hang out at the cabin with Piper. A good part of that time she was napping so I got some ME alone time - just to hang out, smell the pine trees, watch the birds, enjoy nature and read. It was really nice.










I've been doing quite a bit of re-doing and crafting and whatnot. I've tackled so many little projects I"m not sure what to talk about first. I'll probably put them in seperate posts just to organize them a bit better. So I'll just talk about the re-vamping of the house. I am on a white kick. I am loving white right now - everything about it - it's so clean and inviting, and to me, calming. I've been adding white into our living room over the past couple of weeks and I'm liking how it's coming. I covered some red pillows in khaki slip covers and covered a pillow in drop cloth. Then I hung some thrift store frames I spray painted white on the wall and added a little vingette of items that came from Goodwill. Have I mentioned I heart spray paint? Well, I do. I lurve it. It is my BFF. I've got a large mirror I found at a junk store for $5 down in the basement taped off and drying right now from a coat of rubbed oil bronze spray paint I put on it earlier. That is going above our sofa. When I get it all done I'll do a "reveal" post. ;)

I also spray painted some heavy, wood candle sticks white. This is the "before" shot.

"After" I like how the paint didn't cover them completely. I really like the bit of brown showing through in some places.

While I was at it I took the cover to our fireplace out and gave it a good coat of white spraypaint too. Our fireplace does not have a flue. I know - odd right? Well, it doesn't - so we have this HUGE board that has been made to fit the exact opening to the hearth and it stays in place to keep the cold air out. Anyway, I have been thinking I want to paint that fireplace for about 6 months now. The issue is that our living room faces East and South and because of lots of trees in our front yard, the room is very dark. The dark red fireplace combined with all the dark woodwork makes our living room feel like a cave. I was thinking that if I painted the fireplace it would give the living room a POP of color  rather than feel like it is a sucking, black hole of death   because that DARK fireplace is just sucking all the light out of the room. SO I painted the wood cover to the fireplace. I like it. It has already lightened that area up and given the little bit of light we have in there a place to bounce off. Reveal shot on this area to come as well. It's better but not done yet. I'm thinking of doing a lime-wash paint treatment on the brick of the fireplace - anyone ever heard of that?

Still trying to figure out a good color for the dining room. Now I'm even leaning toward doing something in a cream or creamy-green shade. The husband has talked me out of painting the trim in the dining room because it would just be too.much.work. So I have to work with what I've got....which is stained red-oak trim - it is almost a Cinnamon color stain. Very hard to get a good lot of colors to work against. Greens do look good, as do yellows - I have enough yellow in my house though. Possibly a green...maybe a green-gray or a creamy-green - something chameleon-like that will change as the light in the room changes. I'm also thinking of cream slipcovers for the dining room chairs. Am I insane wanting a variation of white when I have small children? Probably. But thats what I'm feeling right now.

Ok, so off to fold some laundry and check on the pulled pork I have in the crockpot. It smells wonderful and my tummy is growling. Happy first day of Spring everyone! 

Ok - so upcoming posts will be on chalkboards. I am a madwoman right now for chalkboard paint. I've got some serious projects in the works on that. If the weather really does turn nice next week maybe I'll be able to finish them!