Repainting My Table On A Beautiful Summer's Evening

 

It's been hot and humid here this week, so I waited until after dinner to go out and give my outdoor table a fresh coat of paint. 

My rudbeckia "Golden Glow" is such a lovely summer flower. They grow about 6 feet tall, and they are planted around the deck. Kyle and I both noticed that they are sparser than in past years, so I'll be looking to reseed them. I got them as a grown flower clump out of a friends' garden and they have always reseeded well. I don't want to be without this lovely plant in my garden.

The hostas have been lovely this year. They are a great pop of color across our little creek. I'm developing a plan for this space across the creek. It will require that the black willows come down and more flowering shrubs will go in! I'm envisioning Bridal Veil Spirea, blue hydrangea, Butterfly bushes.

I've had my table for years now. It came a brownish metal and I painted it white. I love to use it in my garden. 

The legs need more paint, and I'll do that today, and I may give the top one more coat.

I love freshening items up to give them new life, plus it's very thrifty in this economy. I've always loved items that are pre-owned, too. I've found most of my silver that way, and most of my tea cups and books are from thrift or antique stores!

Do you like to refresh items you own? Do you like to thrift or go to used book stores? Antiquing? 

Home Keeping: Preparing To Paint The Living Room, Kitchen, and Hallway

                    Lindsay gifted this pathos to me.   It's called Pearls and Jade.  Its really pretty.

This week I'm tidying and preparing to be away for Rachel's graduation this weekend, and a potential visit by our bffs Rick and Jane next week.  So I'm doing things like dusting, sweeping stairs, cleaning off counters.

Thinking through what I want to get done before Saturday has me thinking about the Autumn season, and I thought I'd write some of it down here.

One of my main projects for this autumn is to get the living room, kitchen, and hallway painted.  I am thankful that I have such a willing crew of friends to help me get this done.  I used to do all the painting in the house by myself, but its harder for me to go up and down ladders etc, with my back.

I think I'd like this to be a September project so that it's all finished before the holidays.  The first weekend in Saturday is already busy,  but I think the rest of the month is pretty open, so I need to think about everything that needs to be done before we paint. 

The biggest task is to clean the walls, trim and ceiling.  This is especially important in the kitchen.  I'll wait to take curtains down to wash, until we are ready to paint.

I need to prepare a place for the furniture to go while we're painting, though some can just move to the middle of the room.  If the weather is going to be fine, much of it can just move to the driveway.

There is a bit of drywall work to be done before we paint too, some repair work, but my son does that as part of his work skill set so he says he'll do that a week or so before we paint, so we are looking at that around the end of this month.

I need to decide on a paint color, too.  I had been thinking of white, because I'd dearly like to lighten the hallway and I want the color to all be the same in these open spaces.  But, I have white trim and white kitchen cabinets, so I think I'm going to go with an aged gold color and have it mixed at  70% pigmentation.  That way I'll still have warmth of the color, but it will be lighter, but not be lemony or baby yellow.

Any thoughts about this?

Once we are done painting, I need to decide where all the things on the walls are going to go.  Will I put them all back where they are currently?  Switch it all around?  Do something completely different? 

That remains to be seen.  I don't even know yet, but it sure is exciting, don't you think?

Kitchen Cabinets Makeover (again)

When we bought our house we had to replace the kitchen cabinets as the ones in the house were water damaged. (Tim repurposed the upper cabinets in his shop)  We put in cabinets that we could afford, and though I wanted white, the honey oak were better quality so we went with them.







I painted them almost two years ago with chalk paint and waxed them.  They were so nice, until they wouldn't clean well, and started to chip.  I'm certain that the fault is mine, as I know that many have had great success with chalk paint.  I love using it on furniture, myself.






Anyway, the cabinets were looking dingy, and chipped.  I knew it was time to repaint.  Tim and I have come to learn that you get what you pay for with paint, so I checked out Sherwin Williams.  The paint they recommended for this job was $90 a gallon!  

I decided to give Magnolia Homes Paint by Kilz at try.  I bought it at my local Ace Hardware store in the formulation for trim and cabinetry.  I chose the color True White.

Here is a sneak peak...

And yes, I know I have some paint clean up to do!  I am really pleased with how the white looks, and the quality of the paint.  This is one coat, and while I have a few spots to touch up, I managed to get this 9 ft section of cabinets painted in one afternoon.

The rest of the kitchen will get done bit by bit.  I have a lot going on through the weekend, so it will probably be the end of next week before they are done.

Have you been working on any projects around your homes?  Let's chat in the comments!

ps - just for fun here is a photo of a photo of our kitchen after we bought our house, with the old cabinets, no sliding door, and an old kitchen door.

Painting The Kitchen Cabinets

I started the process of painting the kitchen cabinets on Saturday!  I've been dreaming of this project for years.  Why did I wait so long?  Well, I wanted Tim fully on board with it, and he wasn't for a long time.  Then, I couldn't decide what paint I wanted to use.

 In the end I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White.  I didn't use any special technique, just two coats of paint and clear wax.  After the wax I lightly sanded with a 600 grit paper, and it is soft and smooth to the touch!

I'm so happy with it and can't wait to get the other cabinets painted, hopefully this week!

I am looking at drawer and door hardware - we've never put any on these cabinets.  Melissa at The Inspired Room (+The Inspired Room) is doing a series on kitchen inspiration and posted about using black hardware.  I love the way it looks, so now I'm thinking about that.  This whole series by her is great and I am storing away ideas in the event we do a small addition (kitchen and mudroom/laundry room).

I'm super happy with the way this cabinet turned out, and everyone who has seen it loves it too! Now I just have to figure out the day to paint the other cabinets.  I may do it in spurts over a few days, or may wait until next Saturday, but either way it should be done before Fourth! (can you believe that's a week away?!)

Happy Monday everyone!

Joining 
Bernideen for BTTCG and Sandi for No Place Like Home

Joining Laura, Stacey, Jemma and Laura for Thoughts of Home on Thursday!

Home Keeping: Another Project Completed

This time the vanity in the master bathroom.  I love how it looks.  It was of course like the other vanity, and boring 80's oak.  Eventually, Tim and I are going to rip out the bathtub you see to the right - in the awful beige color - and make it a walk in shower. 

The door to the left houses the toilet, and a small shower, which will become a storage space.  We are still thinking through opening that space up with a half wall or just leaving it the way it is.

But by changing the big garden tub to a walk in shower space the house will be upgraded, and when my parents move in, this will be their bathroom and much more user friendly.

My last big project of the summer (for the house) is to paint the kitchen cabinets.  I've learned a lot from painting the vanities.  The only decision left is to decide what I'm going to seal them with, wax or a varnish?  That is the question!  

Any thoughts?

Joining Thoughts of Home on Thursday at White Spray Paint blog!

My Latest Chalk Paint Project

I'm learning new things about using chalk paint, every time I paint. I am a fan of Annie Sloan chalk paint and love the many colors that are available.  I was able to purchase two new colors with some money that was gifted to me for Mother's Day.  I chose Old White and French Linen.

We have lots of wood furniture - oak mostly - that we have had for many years.  They are in really good shape but need a bit of freshening up, and you all know by now how I love to change things up around here!

I decided to do one of my end tables in French Linen.  It is a grey tone, and it is not a color I have used in my home before, but I have seen many project painted in this color and new I would like it.  It has a vintage feel.

 I lightly distressed just the edges of the table top.

I bought 300 grit sandpaper and after I waxed the table I used the sandpaper and got a very soft to the touch finish!

I took these photos in the afternoon with the sun streaming through the windows.  At night with just the ambient lighting the color is much darker.

I will be doing more projects with this color in the future.  Have you used chalk paint before?  I know that Dotsie has.  She did a wonderful buffet for her dining room recently.  

Now to figure out what to use the Old White on.....

For more information on chalk paint check out my Pinterest board Chalk Paint.

Home Keeping: The Final Color

 So here we were with the first color Saturday night.  The light is the overhead fan light.  Very bright!  Too much for a soothing, but warm toned bedroom.

 Here is the final color this morning in natural light.  The room isn't fully put back together and we are giving the walls a few days to cure before we hang pictures back up!  This holder on my desk needs to be sorted out in the worst way!

 I like the color with the white trim as contrast.

 I turned the bedside lamps on, but you can see the natural light coming in the front windows and the side window, early this morning.  This was after I remade the bed and moved it and the dresser, and side table back in place from the middle of the room.

 The light in the room makes the color change a bit.  This is again the wall behind my desk.  It looks a lot deeper than the first photo of the desk area.

The light from the lamp makes the color deeper too.

We ended up having a gallon of the right color and a gallon of the living room color which were very close in color, so we mixed them together.  It is not the same color as my old bedroom, but I am satisfied with it, and like the warmth it brings, while being a soft color.

I'll show more photos after it is put back together with pictures, shelves, and curtains.  

Home Keeping: Bedroom Project

So, I was really surprised when Tim said he planned to paint our bedroom Saturday.

We already had purchased the paint in the spring but never got to this project!  Saturday being cold and windy was the perfect day for painting.  Usually I do the painting as Tim doesn't like to do it, but he is very meticulous and does a great job.

We moved all the furniture to the middle of our large room, and I took everything off the walls.  Tim decided to fill in all the nail holes from over the last 13 years, so we could start fresh.  Then he started with the ceiling, while the kids and I made a library run. Our local library has a great used bookstore that benefits the library.  We scored big time there.  I'm much happier supporting the library through the bookstore than through paying late fines!

I was Tim's gopher for the day, so I took a quick trip to our local hardware for more of the ceiling color.  There was just a small section left to paint, and he was out of Antique White.  When I returned he had started to cut in the wall color.   When that was done and he started to roll the color on, we both thought the color didn't look right.  A bit too bright, than the more aged goldish color.  I looked at my paint samples, compare them with our old bedroom wall color and realized I had purchased the wrong color back in the spring!  ARGGGH.  That's what I get for collecting so many yellow samples from the Colonial Williamsburg collection.  When I went to purchase the paint, I grabbed the wrong card!  I purchased CW 318 instead of CW 319.

All is not lost yet, however.  We bought the paint/primer all in one so we now have a nice, cheerful yellow to paint over, rather than the blue that had been on the walls.  And we do have a gallon of the right color because, during a previous paint sale, I had purchased a gallon to freshen up our old bedroom walls.  We put this project off because, we had decided that after Lindsay got married we would switch bedrooms around, and that Rachel and Sarah would want a different color in that room.

So, when Tim gets home today, he will roll that gallon on over the brighter yellow, and if we need more, we'll grab another gallon of the right color and finish it up!  The CW 318 is a pretty color, very sunny and cheery, but not the color we wanted for our bedroom.

Stay tuned for our continuing saga!  

It's icy here this morning.  Hope you are all safe and warm.  I'm headed out to feed horses and let the chickens roam if they want.  What are you up to today?

Surprise Plans

Tim just surprised me with plans for a project today.  It involves our bedroom.

The room arrangement is different than this already, though the bed, dresser and desk are all in the same places!

Any guesses?  (smiles)

I'll be back on Monday with pictures!

Water Color Leaf Garland

As you know I homeschool my youngest three kids (the other three are already graduated from our homeschool) and I am doing preschool with my granddaughter.

Kamryn, age 4 and Sarah, age 12 really enjoy art, and Kyle does it because I ask him to, as he just said, "It's not my top subject.  That would be math."

A few weeks ago I had them paint using fall colors.  I keep pads of watercolor paper (very inexpensive at craft stores) and watercolor packs and brushes in our art box, so this is easy to get started.  I am all about easy.

 They did some great papers, Sarah even added texture using bubble wrap.  You can see it on this last painting.  The next day I had them paint the backside of the paper too, because I had a project for fall decor in mind.

This past week I traced an oak leaf cookie cutter on the pages and then we cut them out.  Kyle took a hole punch and we strung it on twine, and hung it in the front window.

There were a few leaves from papers that had only been painted on one side, so we took fall color crayons and quickly scribbled the backs of those.  We didn't want some to be white on the back. 

I think it turned out so well, and it makes me smile to look at it.  This is a great project to do with kids, and easy.  And like I said, I am all about things being easy!

Let me know if you give this a try!

Chat:Random Bits of This and That

Well, how did four days go by without a new post?  I'll tell you how; this is our crazy birthday month, Tim had a day off and we finished school this week and had our evaluations yesterday.  Whew!

Since Tuesday's post I have run errands with Tim to Tractor Supply (he's building a chicken waterer) on his day off, gone with him and my parents to look at modular houses that could possibly be added on as an addition for them here at our house, shopped for a new gas range,  made a birthday dinner and cake for my Mom, had our evaluations for our homeschool year yesterday and then did my big shopping trip for groceries.

I'm tired, but happy.  The kids are doing great with their learning, all above grade level in reading, Sarah is above grade level with writing as well, and Kyle is above grade level with his math.  Mostly I'm pleased because they a lovely people, who care about others, and are fun to be with.

Tim is working a lot of hours this month, as they do yearly maintenance on presses and other units in the building.  Lots of hours.  I like to keep busy during these days and now that we are on our summer break from school, I can focus on doing projects around the house.  

Today I am going to paint my cabinet that Kyle bought me for Mother's Day, and I am eyeing all my other wooden furniture as well!  I told Tim that I am wanting to paint our kitchen cabinets, and he was fine with it, so I may get that project done this summer, too.

I am leaning toward the red cabinets on the bottom and white up top with on set of upper cabinets open.  It's fun to do new things, isn't it?

I also have not painted my bedroom yet, but hope to get to that this next week.  Yay!

The maple tree helicopters are flying here today, and the sun is shining brightly.  It's going to be a great day.

What are you up to?

Scenes From The Big Project

I am sparing you the really scary scenes of way to much stuff piled in my room, that needs to be gone through.  It is amazing how much a small closet can hold. ((shudder))

In case you missed it, we spent all day yesterday changing bedrooms.  With Lindsay married, Tim and I are taking the master bedroom again, and Emma is moving to the smallest bedroom.  She is so happy because even though she works from home, she is in her own room for the first time in her entire life!

 This meant though, that everyone had to move rooms.  A huge undertaking!

 By the end of the day, everyone had their bed ready to sleep in, Kyle's room was completely finished, Emma's mostly done, and the girls' room was basically done.  

They did a really cute thing.  They put their dresser with the bookcase topper in such a way that they have a super cute reading nook.

See?

I think a cute rug in this space would be so cute!  The chair is close the the big double window in this room.  It makes all the space in their room bright and cheery!

I will be painting my room soon - it is a pretty aqua color called Indigo Sea, but it's not my color scheme and it's been on the walls for 9 years.  I'll probably do the same color that I had in other bedroom - I like it very much.

Rachel and Sarah's room will get paint too, but not for a while.  Rachel loves the color they had but Sarah wants a warmer color.  So since they will never decide, I am not going to worry about it!

Emma may choose to paint hers, too.  I'll help her but want her to take the lead with it.  

Tonight we get the treat of going to the employee premier of Sight and Sound Theatre's Moses!  We are super excited.  I'll try to post about it tomorrow!

And just so you don't think we were all work and no play yesterday I'll share this video

What I Did During The Storm

You all know that I am a tea lover and that in my inherited, but not valuable, china hutch I house most of my tea things.  I've been wanting to freshen up the interior of the hutch for quite sometime, and since I had quite a bit of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint left, I decided to take the plunge and just do it!

Here is what my hutch looked like in 2007 before I painted it.  It had water damage and so I used to drape that fabric and cover it up.

I painted it white and have loved it ever since!

The interior was painted a light green and it looked pretty with my tea things.

Seven years later it is looking pretty beat up and I was no longer loving the green.

 Here is the beginning of adding the Annie Sloan "Emperor's Silk." It is lighter here than it looks in person.

Here is the finished look, and the red is more true to color.

As you can see my collection of teacups and teapots has grown since 2007.  I'm a happy girl!