Chalk Paint: A Bookcase Makeover

We've had this bookcase for close to 20 years.  It has served us well but was in need of some freshening up.  It was crying out for a makeover!

 I almost forgot to take before shots. And yes.  I paint in my bedroom.  I have a lot of room in there.  What you can't see is I was listening to Pandora, the Downton Abbey station!  Did you know there was such a thing?  I read about it yesterday. They play the music from the series and other sound tracks similar to it.  Very nice!  You should check it out!

Anyway, back to the bookcase.

 

 See it was crying out for a change!

 The shelves are just oak laminate.  

Here it is with two coats of Annie Sloan Old White.  Love it! You also get a peek into my master bathroom.  See that tired old 80's oak vanity?  It's getting a makeover soon!  Swoon!

I have to do the shelves today.  I only started the whole project around five o'clock yesterday afternoon.  Rachel went to work, Sarah went to read a book, Tim and Kyle were gone.  So yeah, this is how I roll!  I put the first coat on, went and made dinner.  Tim, Kyle, Sarah and I ate, then I went and put on the second coat!  Easy peasy.

Funny story but true:  During the second coat of paint Kyle and Sarah were watching a movie on the tv behind the bookcase.  The bookcase and I are both short enough that we didn't get in their way!  Ha ha!

I'm not certain yet how I will finish this bookcase.  After the clear wax, will I do dark wax in some of the detail areas or not?  I'm still pondering it.

More to come....  

Knitting Disaster

Well, okay, perhaps its not that bad but it feels like it to me.  I was making great progress with just two inches to go before I started my decrease.

I'm not sure how this happened, I'm fairly careful as I like to avoid this kind of thing.  I've set it aside for two days now - just not wanting to deal with it.  

But today is a new day.  I'm so far along that I hate to rip it all out and start over.  I believe if I am careful the stitches that have been pulled out can be fixed.

I'll let you know how it goes.  

Tea Cup in Blue and White

After yesterday's post I realized that I have more blue and white than I thought.  

Mostly in tea things.  

This made me happy. 

 

What Colors Are You Drawn To?

We all have a favorite color.  One we love to wear or use in our house.  We love it because it energizes us, or helps us to relax.

I love red.  I wear it, use it in my home decor, paint my doors with it.  It is a bold color and one full of energy.  It's not a color I would paint my bedroom walls, but many people use it in dining rooms, and we have it in our basement, a space designed for activity.

I also love yellow.  Not banana yellow or primary yellow, but soft yellows, ones the shade of sunshine and also yellows with a tinge of aged gold in them.  Yellow quickly warms a room, invites you in.

  
I am drawn to many colors that I don't use as focal colors in my home - teal, blue, grey.  I use them as accent colors though.

I love jewels tone colors and white and not surprisingly those are the colors that look the best on me.

I love blue and white together, but never use it in my home.  I just sigh over the pages of Victoria magazine when they do their blue and white features, and I adore Dotsie's header over at Podso.    

I tried blue and white out one summer in my living room and it just wasnt' me, though I wear blue and white.  Who knows what the deal is?  I have brought in some navy blue over the last year or so, maybe its just that I haven't hit on the right shade of blue for the house?  Hmmm.  I'll have to give that some thought. 

  I do love this navy and white together!

So what about you?  Favorite colors or colors your drawn to, but maybe don't use in your home?  I'd love to hear all about it! 

Our Business

 You may not know that a few years ago we owned a small shop in the city that sold handbags and women's accessories.  It was fun to buy for the shop and to meet people and sell items.  Tourism really slowed in the city and sales dropped, the girls were busier with their other jobs, and I still had three kids at home who needed me.  So we closed the store.

Tim worked for over 20 years at a local printing company that is the largest in the world.  He was a skilled machinist and did repairs to presses, and made parts.  A few years ago, their weekend schedules changed and he had then to work every other weekend.  That meant working 12 days to get 2 days off.  Not fun.  Hard to be a part of church and the family.  His shifts changed every 5 weeks as well, so he was working either 8am - 4pm, 4pm-12am, 12am-8am.  

Tim has a gift for service and he's loyal.  He was comfortable working there, but overtime, God was leading him down a path that he would never have chosen for himself.  Self Employment.

He has lots of skills, and has spent years quietly helping others with home improvement projects, repairs, changing peoples brakes, yard work.  The list could go on, and he always did it free of charge.  He wasn't sure how to make it into a viable business that could provide for his family.  

A friend of ours grew up in a highly entrepreneurial family and owns a septic installation business.   He mentioned to Tim that he could teach him how to do inspections on septic systems.  So Tim started to learn that and then took a PSMA certification course and started to sub contract for our friend.

Now he is focusing on building his business here in Lancaster County, though he still will do inspections in other counties when needed. 

He has an official business card.  





And a Facebook page for his business.  A regular website will be coming soon.  He is in the process of contacting realtors and getting the word out about his business.

If you have FB feel free to drop by his page and give it a like!  If you live locally and need an inspection, give him a call to schedule one today!

Prayers for this venture would be greatly appreciated, too!  It's a huge step of faith.  God has been faithful to meet all our needs.  This next month could be very slow but the weather is warming up again next week and we are hopeful that the work will pick up!

Do any of you have your own businesses?  Any stories to share?