Purple Duck Creations

Make it stop!

2011-07-11T15:27:00.001-07:00

I came across this article on HGTV.com today....Seriously???

Why oh WHY do people still insist that empty frames are fashionable? They were a novelty when they first showed up (what, like 2 years ago???) They can be a great background in store displays or photo shoots. But in a home they are simply lonely and sad. I mean seriously, get some pictures people!!! You can even leave a couple empty and I wouldn't complain. But how boring is a person who doesn't have a single image that is more worthwhile then a wall of empty, lonely frames?

(yeah...there was my rant for the day.)

My pretty cabinet

2011-05-23T18:32:00.001-07:00

Lookie what I made in woodworking class last semester! I totally love it. I need to get it hung, obviously, but it looks cool even sitting on my living room floor.

I even learned dovetails...I cut those babies by hand!

This is an experiment in blogging from my iPad. I think I need to work on lighting my pictures, but I have high hopes that this will help me post more regularly. We'll see...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

I {heart} Lonny

2011-01-20T18:48:00.000-08:00

I heard about Lonny Magazine not long after the first issue, and I've honestly been hooked ever since. Do any of you not yet read Lonny? It's a totally free online mag...I probably love it because I would devour interior design magazines, but can't afford any right now...except, I'd probably read lonny even if I had the funds to have dozens of magazines mailed to me every month. For my design class last semester, we had to find lots of pictures out of magazines...I printed all mine from lonny!

Why do I love it? Well...it's awesome :) The rooms are never boring. I think I love every one they show! They aren't "done up just for a photo shoot rooms"...they are places where people (designer type people) actually LIVE. The rooms are full of life, because you can tell the items were bought over time, and are pieces the occupants truly love. Rooms that have evolved to be just what the designer is and loves. I sit and swoon over peoples collections, and think "I need an interesting collection to start!" (I don't collect anything in particular, but I'm gonna find something good soon, I'm sure! Then I'll blog all about it)

So...just because I think everyone should be hooked on lonny...some images from this months issue...

Hello fabulous room! I think I'm very drawn to blue lately, which seems weird since I don't like any of the blue's in our house...and we have a good number of blue rooms...but this room...love it! Colorful, and vibrant, and interesting.

Eggplant and burnt orange??? Yes PLEASE! This room is so soft, but alive and energizing.

Check out the curtains in this bedroom. I think new curtains
just went on my list of things I NEED.

Birth of a Flute

2011-01-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

So, I'm trying to think about what to blog about tonight...and I'm thinking, and I'm thinking....

I haven't created anything recently (we were all sick through Christmas break, and my shop is really cold right now) and I don't have pictures of the nightstand I built last semester (and Mr. Duck already has it cluttered with books, and I don't want to clean it off and make the bed all pretty right now :p ). But I do have a lot of fun projects coming up with the new semester starting. So I'll tell you about this...

(no, I didn't make this one...I took the picture from Wikipedia)

Mr. Duck and I are taking a Native American Flute making class. Fun, hu? I get to learn some more woodworking skills, it fulfills a Fine Arts credit, which we both need for our degrees, we get a cool instrument (or as many as we can make) at the end, and we get to do it together! This guy (clicky!) is our instructor. He's fairly deaf, and a good deal crazy, but a lot of fun, and he knows his stuff. According to a few people in our class that know something about these flutes, he's one of the best flute makers out there.

For our class, we all have to make our first flutes the same key (size), but after that, we can try other keys if we'd like. (I'd like at least one as small as he will let us make and one nice big one, as well as the normal sized one) We can also choose and bring in our own wood to work with. I found a really pretty maple, and Mr. Duck has some nice walnut. I'll have to bring my camera in to class so I can show you pictures as we go along. It should be very exciting.

Oh, I'll tell you what I learned the first day of class....Oak and Pine have absolutely no sex appeal....so don't pick those for flutes. :)

Bet you all thought I vanished!

2010-12-14T21:23:00.000-08:00

Well...I sorta did. At least from the blogging world. I've just been so occupied with school, and then trying to figure out how to keep my house running with my limited time (answer to that, if you are wondering...teach your kids how to run the laundry, and make it their own responsibility to have clean clothes...)

This semester was totally worth it, though! I LOVE being in school, and learning fun new things. I really loved my design class, and gained a lot from it, but my truly exciting fun awesome class was woodworking. I had a blast every day in there! We started with safety and how to use all the cool, big machines without cutting our fingers off. Then our first project was a nightstand (I'll have to get pictures of that one tomorrow to show you cause it's awesome, too) Then we were told we could build what we wanted if we had a plan (either one we found or our own). We've been really needing a good ottoman. I wanted a nice big one. I'd show you a "before" but it was just a pile of boards :) and then I turned them into...

(that's a kid's rocking chair in the back...just so you don't get confused and think I made a truly giant ottoman....It's 3ft square and about 14in tall)

I'm in love! There is something incredibly satisfying in having something made by my own hands.
I even turned the legs on the lathe (which was, hands down, the funnest part of this whole thing...and since I loved making this, that is saying something) They are not all quite the same, but considering it was my first time and I mostly eyeballed the curves, I think they are pretty close. I was a little worried when I decided to use a lathe for this, because I think most turned legs tend to look very traditional or very country and neither of those fit my style. These, I think, lean toward traditional, but the curve is simple enough that it's not quite. Next semester, I want to try to make some candlesticks...and a lamp base...and...(can you tell I have lathe on the brain?...anyone out there want to contribute to my lathe fund so I can have one to play with in my own shop? This is the one I want :)

So, there is some of what I've been up to while I've been not blogging. I'm going to be on Christmas break now, though, so maybe I can get caught up with some projects I managed to squeeze in these last few months.

Linking up to

It's a Paint Booth...sorta...

2010-08-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

Lookie! It's a paint booth. :) Only took us three weekends, but we got it done. Did you know they make ultra thick plastic? Well, if I thought about it I would have known...but until I asked the guy at the hardware store what would work for a paint booth, and he was all "plastic" and I was all..."I tried painters plastic and it was a disaster..." and he was all "HAHAHA YOU FOOL! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!" (ok, not really...) He pointed me to the "6 mil" stuff, which works quite nicely. Eventually I'd like to add a 4th wall, and top and ventilation...but for now, this catches the overspray quite nicely, and I got this....

To protect my lungs while I work in here. Pretty, eh?

Now, if only I'd remembered tack cloth when I bought my plastic, I'd have several finished projects to show you...as it is, I have 3 sitting in the garage, sanded and waiting to be cleaned up properly before they can be painted. I don't have school tomorrow, though, so I'll get them done then.

Fantasy Friday - my dining room dream

2010-08-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

This is what my new dining room would look like in a perfect world!

I've been dying to paint my room Gray forever. I want a neutral background because I want to bring in lots of color in accents and I like to change them up frequently. And gray is less stark then white and less boring than cream. It looks so calming and soft. I think SW Gray Screen would be perfect in our space.

I think my dining table is perfect, so I wouldn't change it up at all, and I have a chandelier very similar to the one here. I'd just need permission from the landlord to switch it out. (I have permission to paint, and switch out curtains...do you think that extends to electrical fixtures?...hmmmm) Then, I'd add ultra modern and colorful dining chairs and layer in colorful, whimsical accessories.

Very eclectic, but the idea feels so "me" and fun and makes me smile.

Art (I love art from The Black Apple!)

Chairs (from my file...anyone have the link?)

vase

candlesticks (from my file...now that I'm planning on doing this on a regular basis, I'll keep better track of these things)

Learning things is lots of fun!

2010-08-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Lookie what I started this week!!!! I'm going back to college. Mr. Duck has been going part time for about a year, and amped it up to time and a half this semester, so we figure that since we were living off of school loans anyway, I should take the time to go back and finish my interior design degree. Well, start over really since none of my credits transfer, but it's been several years, and I wasn't that far in, so I'm ok with starting over. This semester I'm taking intro to interior design and beginning woodworking. I figure they both go along with what I'm doing for work, and they are both things I feel passionate about.

Woodworking is going to be really exciting. We went over safety for most of the tools this week, and Monday we will be voting on our first project. We all have to do the same one, but he has 3 for us to choose from. I'm hoping for a nightstand/end table, or a small desk. I just hope it's not something lame that I don't need/want or I may rush through it to start on whatever I want....well, whatever I want that I can actually make with the skills I'll have learned by then...but it's not like I don't have any experience...it's just mostly assisting, and theory, and watching the Wood Whisperer...So I'm excited to take this class to get more hands on time with the tools.

I'm really excited about my design class, too. Like I said, I've taken it...but it was online, and some things are hard to really grasp over the internet...like exactly how to say "juxtaposition"...I know how to say it now, but it took me a long time to really feel confident with it. And "Analogous"...I'm still not quite positive how that one is pronounced...I should look it up...Also, they have a lab on campus with fabric, floor and wall-covering samples so I won't have to drive all over collecting them for class projects, and we'll do field trips to local stores that designers would shop at, and my teacher has worked locally in design so she will know of other places to shop. I didn't get any of that in online classes. Not that I didn't learn a ton before, and even studying and reading about design since. I'm just looking forward to being able to really focus on it again, and have teachers and peers to talk to.

So I may be posting on awesome stuff I'm learning, and pictures of awesome stuff I'm doing. Should be exciting around here!

Not so busy....

2010-08-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

It's been hot here...and I mean, really hot...and I don't know if you know this about me, but I don't function well in the heat. I don't function well in the cold either, but I think I function better in the cold then the heat...and since a lot of what I do is painting, and you're not supposed to paint when it's really hot, I figured I had a good excuse (ok, not really...I just get lazy in the heat...) But I did want to show a few of the things I've been up to. Mostly this last week as it's been slightly cooler, so I got slightly productive...

Trying out oil based paint

Is it wrong to want to marry a color? I know, this needs to be sanded and have another coat of paint...but that color! In case anyone is dying to know, this is SW Lime Ricky. I totally heart it!

Painting a little table and adding a lock for a niece on her way to college.

I know the black is a HUGE improvement...but I kick myself looking at this picture and wondering how I could forget to paint the hinges silver!

Trying to construct a paint booth since it's so windy in our yard, I feel I waste more paint then necessary....this was meant to be a quick fix, but is a total fail!

The spray gun blows the plastic all over the place (even though it's anchored top and bottom) and there is no way to clean up the saw dust it kicks up, so it kicks it right onto my wet paint. I'm looking at other options, but if anyone has an inexpensive idea for a paint booth that they'd share, I'd appreciate it...I'm thinking of getting foam insulator boards or maybe cheap paneling and something to brace it up....

And building planter boxes.

After the luck we had with tomatoes in our tiny plot this year, we want to expand and have more veggies next year. This box is for my sister-in-law's yard, but she said we could use it for the next few years. I'll post some more pictures when it's all set up.

Newest peice of furniture

2010-08-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

We managed to get a smokin' awesome deal on a great piano this week. My girls and I had been saving our pennies, then we got some unexpected funds via a laptop we sold. I wanted a short one mostly because I thought it would be more visually pleasing in our space, and because it would be easier to move. Plus it needed to be in tune, or at least not damaged so it could be tuned, and have an OK sound. My sister-in-law stepped in to help with the shopping since she and her husband know a thing or two (or a million more then me) about pianos. They spotted this one on KSL (utah version of craigslist...but better), and suggested strongly that we snatch it up. So we did :) It sounds great, is in tune, has no stuck keys at all, is well made and a good brand (is brand the right work...make? model?...whatever....)

When I was originally shopping, I was really wanting one I wouldn't feel bad about paining, but this one has a really nice cherry finish....I still want to paint it, but I don't know what color yet, and it still feels like a crime to paint pretty wood. But then, I feel the dark wood just gives such a heavy, dated look to a room. I'm wanting to paint the living room, and I could work it around the dark wood, but I have a vision for light and fun with colors that pop....and I'm not sure a dark piano fits or adds to that vision. Especially where our floor plan puts the piano smack in the middle of the room backing the sofa (yeah, we have a weird big room with not many walls...but the piano kind of works there, so I'm going with it for now.). So the piano is kind of the main focal point in the room, which I'm OK with, but it makes me want to paint it more since it's so prominent....

heehee...did you like my long rant there? do you have an opinion on painting nice wood? I generally say do what you love and what works in your space, and I know I'd love it painted...but I also know it will be a good deal of work that my husband won't be too happy about helping me with. Guess we'll make a decision if we ever get around to painting the front room...

Oh, and in case you've never seen a pretty piano makeover with paint, here is one....see? nice hu? so fresh and clean.

and another...

and another...

Love a good garage sale!

2010-07-31T12:23:00.001-07:00

I rolled my family out of bed bright and early with a bag full of pop tarts and pushed them straight into the van to go find awesome at garage sales. At first...nothin'. We only saw a few sales and they didn't have anything really very good. Then, as usually happens, we called it for the day and then saw one more sign. It was placed oddly so it was hard to find the garage, but when I spotted it, I knew I was going to be IN HEAVEN! The garage was PACKED with end tables, side tables, serving tables, dining tables, dishes, vases, and chairs...and I would have bought every single thing if I could have afforded it. Most was in beautiful shape, and vintage lines and build. Unfortunately, I couldn't, so I restrained myself to 4 items. It took me a good while to really decide which to get.

Ever since seeing this post from Memoirs of the Shoe Obsessed, I've been pining for a telephone table. Not that I want to do exactly that, but because it was such an awesome transformation, and telephone tables aren't something you see everyday. So you know this was the first one I grabbed...
Even the upholstery is in really great shape, but just a bit too dated. I'm going to check my stash to see what I can find that's fun, then decide on paint.

Then this one...I love the curved legs and scalloped apron...I'm seeing a little girl's room paint job.

Then this...She started refinishing it, so the topcoat is bubbly from the stripper, but other then that, it's really in great shape...sturdy, drop leaves work great...I usually don't buy a piece without a clear vision or idea for it, but it was such a unique piece, I couldn't leave it behind.

AND!

Did you notice this bowl? It just seemed so interesting and unique to me, that I had to have it. The glass is that 70's green stuff that usually just looks tacky, but I just feel in love with this one. I don't know if it's the shape or what, but I snatched it up!

One thing, was that this garage sale, being hard to see, didn't look real well attended. I asked what she would be doing with the stuff unsold and if I could call to see if she still had stuff in a few weeks when my budget allowed for it...she said that she does one every couple weeks. You know I'm going to be going back! There were a couple items that I had a VERY hard time walking away without.

The story of a refinished table (part 2 - stain)

2010-07-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, part two took a long time. It's been very HOT here, so I've only been able to work very early in the morning...turning one day's worth of work into several. So let's jump in. I left you with a damp table waiting for grain to raise....
After about an hour, if you run your hand over the surface you will feel how bumpy it is. Use 220 grit sandpaper to smooth it. This is usually a pretty quick process and I use my hand to feel for bumps as I go to make sure I get the whole thing. Wipe it with a cloth and then a tack cloth to make sure you get ALL the dust off.

I'm working with this water based stain in walnut, and I'm starting with the idea that this top cannot get too dark. I haven't worked with a normal stain for a long time, but I know most of the directions say to spread it on, let it sit, then wipe it off. This one says that too, but that method doesn't work very well because it soaks into the wood so fast. Plus it dries so fast that it's hard to use that method and get an even color. (at least for me...some people may be more talented...but I'm going to tell you how I found to work well with this stuff).

Start by applying liberally, then you kindof buff it in. Try to use really long smooth strokes with your rag, and when you get streaks or blotches, rub them out as soon as you see them(sometimes it takes a good bit of elbow grease). If they are being stubborn, try putting more stain on it, buff out the blotch, then rub it out smooth. This stuff dries fast, and you can probably do a second coat after it sits for an hour or so, but don't let your blotches sit. They won't come out...even though the can says you can add more stain to wet and even out blotches or streaks, I've found it doesn't work after it's sat very long. It also says you can try spraying water on it to get it wet and even it, but I didn't think that worked well at all...just made weird water drop pattern that I couldn't get to buff out.

See how you have some grain with no stain down in it? For the first coat it's not a real big deal, but to get rid of it, you have to put a good pool of stain and rub both across and the long way to get it down into that part, then smooth/buff out streaks. A lot of times, after the first coat, it won't mater how well I got these spots, the grain will still suck the color off the surface and leave light spots.

Very blotchy after the first coat. It's interesting to me to see how different spots in the wood absorb color so differently. Between coats, be sure to use tack cloth to get rid of any dust that has settled.

When putting on the second stain, I'm sure to focus on the light spots, but hit the whole thing again. At this point it's looking pretty good, but I think it can be a little better...

3rd coat....really focus on light spots, and even out to get a nice, even, dark color.
When that is nice and set, I brushed on polycrylic in semi-gloss. It's also water based, so it dries nice and fast and has a lot less smell then the oil based stuff. It looks like milk in the can and goes on very cloudy, but dries nice and clear. You want to put on thin coats, in long even strokes going with the grain. Be careful not to "overbrush". It can be a fine line. If your brush isn't sliding easily over the surface, if it feels tacky at all, you are overbrushing and will leave visable brush strokes. As long as it's sliding easily over the surface, the poly will self-level pretty well and give you a nice smooth finish. Watch for drips down the sides, or bubbles in the finish. Drips, you can just brush out if you see them when they happen. Bubbles are a little trickier because you have to brush them out, but don't want to overbrush....it's a fine line...sometimes I'll add a little more poly and then work out the bubbles.

You want to wait at least 3 hours between coats of poly. The directions say to sand between coats, but I was worried about having stain problems like we had before, so I just didn't and guess what? It was just fine :). I've actually done that before and had not problems with the results after not sanding. It bonds just fine. You just have to be more careful with each coat because you won't be fixing it with sandpaper. I use 3 - 4 coats...on this I did 3 and felt it was good.
And finished! again...:) No more drips...no weird light spot in the middle....Now it is ready to be sold.

So worth it!

2010-07-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished it. I built two new front legs and delivered this chair today. At the end of a project I get all worried that they are not going to be happy with my work. For this one, I was worried because I hadn't been able to match the old color, so I had painted the whole thing a brown that was close...I was worried they would be mad. When I'd picked it up from this older couple, they told me it had been his step-mother's, but that if it couldn't be fixed it wasn't a problem. But when I brought it back today, I could see in their faces how happy it made them to see it in usable condition...sturdy and in one piece. It made all the difficulty we had in fixing it so worth it. I pretty much love my job :)

(of course, I forgot to get a final picture before delivering it...maybe I'll call to see if I can come by and get a picture...)

The story of a refinished table (part 1 - prep)

2010-07-20T10:01:00.001-07:00

This is the story of a table with a lovely walnut colored top.
See? Pretty! But let's take a closer look.
(If you click on the image you can see it bigger, and get full appreciation for my screw ups) I got drippy poly down the sides because I was working in an area that didn't have very good light...so I missed them.

Then, you have to keep in mind that this is a truely handmade table top. It is smooth and fabulous, but it is not 100% flat. When we went to lightly sand after the first coat of polycrylic, one little spot did "something weird". It cut through the single layer of poly on one tiny high spot (even though we were very gentle with it and it was set plenty long) and took off the stain. It was a hard spot, so the stain hadn't gone deep. I figured I'd just re-stain that spot, but I went to hit it and it was like it had pulled the stain off *below* the poly because it would not take stain on that spot again...like I said...weird! Anyway, we wanted pictures of the table for advertising and stuff, so we decided at that point, to fix it, we'd have to strip it anyway, so I finished a few more coats of poly hoping that it wouldn't look as bad in the morning...But it did.

So, due to one little weird spot, you get to take the ride with me as we refinish this table and I'll share what I've learned and what I used on this project.

Step 1....sand the table.
I know that I only had a couple little mistake spots. And I tried to spot fix them, but since we were going from such light wood to such a dark stain, I quickly found it was not possible to do to my satisfaction. (well, the drips could have been an easy fix since I could have just re-done the end with drips, but the top could not easily be fixed). Mr. Duck was in charge of the sanding. His weapon of choice for this is a belt sander. It is MUCH faster then a palm or random orbit sander, and helps give a flatter surface, cutting though stuff more evenly...but I think it must take a skill I don't have because I feel like I always cut through the wood too fast and take off more then I want to. I would have used a palm sander for this and taken a day and a half, where it took him about 2 hours. Start with course grit and work your way to finer grits. He used 40, 80, 120, then 220 on the belts. 40 cuts through VERY fast so it's only used with extreme caution, and he only put it on when he found the 80 was having a hard time getting though the finish. Mr. Duck's tips on using a belt sander - "hold the sander in a 'neutral' hand position...not tipping it front to back or sided to side because that will leave gouges. Let it sit flat on your surface and only use your grip to slide it around."

Follow up with a sanding block and 220 grit paper. Pay special attention to the end grain as it will absorb stain faster...the smoother it is, the better it is to work with.
This is a good time to take a break and see what is growing in the garden, and see how cute Katie is :)
Step 2 - Set up your work space and gather supplies
Put your table somewhere with good, even lighting (to avoid drips the second time around....) and gather your supplies. I like to work with water based products whenever possible...they are less smelly, dry quickly and don't require special attention when disposing of rags and brushes. Plus, the water based stain comes in TONS of colors. Yes, that is water in a spray bottle, I'll get to that in a moment. For rags right now, I'm using an old baby blanket, But t-shirts work very nicely too.

Step 3 - pre-raise the grain
Because I'm working with water based stain, I want to pre-raise the grain. When you put water on wood, it will absorb the water and the grain will lift up giving a bumpy surface. Minwax makes a wood conditioner that will do this too, but I've found this method to work just as well on hardwood. On a soft wood, I'd use the wood conditioner. To raise the grain, give the whole top a liberal misting of water. I have read that some hard water will leave spots and to use distilled water...I use filtered water and find it to work fine. Let this sit for about 1 hour then hand sand with 220 grit.

This is the end of part one (as I'm blogging while eating lunch and waiting for my hour to be up to sand....) At this point, you are pretty much at the end of the "prep" phase of refinishing a stained table. Next up, we'll actually get some color on that top!

A new table finished

2010-07-10T11:41:00.001-07:00

Well, it took a bit longer then we'd planned, but I'm so happy with how it turned out.
I'm trying to decide if I want to glaze the apron and legs...I probably will because Mr. Duck feels like there is too much contrast...I kinda like it, though. I think we'll bring it into the house to set it up for a proper photo shoot if my brother is willing when he is here tomorrow, but for now, you can see my snapshots.

The top and apron are solid ash. The legs are reclaimed and I'm not sure what they are, but they are solid. It measures 37 x 89 inches and can easily seat 8 people. This table will be listed for sale (once I make a final choice on glazing the apron and legs a bit) so if anyone is interested, contact me for price information.

Linking up to

Never look at catalogs the same again

2010-07-09T08:06:00.001-07:00

So maybe I'm slow, and everyone else has discovered this already, but I just had to show you this blog I stumbled across. I laughed so hard! It's called Catalog Living, and gives short stories of "the people living in your catalog." See if you can find my favorites (the q-tips, and the ball of twine...)

Sweet and Sophisticated

2010-07-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Remember this little thing? She was pretty scratched up, but sturdy. And I had a vision for her the moment I saw her!

Do you like it?

I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.

A new color for the hardware.

Nice glossy black, and a touch of surprise pink inside the drawer.

And I had the ultra cool fabric I've been dying to use, and I thought it was perfect for the top of this table! I think it's the perfect balance of sweet and sophisticated.

Linking up to

Almost finished...

2010-07-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm sitting on a ton of projects that are *almost* finished. I just need to add one final touch and they'd be done. I'm measuring my progress by how many blog posts I've done, though, so to make myself feel better, I'll post on what we've been up to this week. Then we all know I'm not a total slacker...

A large part of our time has been spent on this big project, which should be assembled by today and finished by this weekend! (finishing is my favorite part)...But we kept getting interupted by this project...
Which Mr. Duck told me would be a pain, and difficult, but he let me say yes (because I always say yes...) because I said it wouldn't be too difficult.
Here is where it started...we're just supposed to be fixing the one leg, which meant cutting a new leg...but in the (difficult) process of attaching the new leg, the other front leg, which was already cracked, decided to REALLY crack, and we decided we couldn't send it back to them knowing the second leg would be breaking soon, so I'm going to make another front leg...as soon as I get my jig saw back from my sister in law...Guess I need to call them to update them on it since it's taking me a little longer then I'd predicted....

But now I know how to cut out pretty curvy legs! :)

And then there are projects like these...
That are sitting finished and ready to sell, except I need to replace one drawer slide, and it's a weird one that I had to order and I measured it wrong, so I need to re-order it so it will be another week before I can actually list it for sale.

I also painted a candlestick holder...it was cream and they want it silver, but the silver I started is very "glittery" looking and I was hoping for more of a "brushed nickle", so I think I may hit the store for a different spray paint....(anyone had any luck getting a bushed nickle? which paint did you use?)

Thrifty finds

2010-06-26T12:04:00.001-07:00

Today we headed out for a hike and stopped at the thrift store on the way home. We had to restrain ourselves a bit because we were in the little car instead of the van....but we did manage to pack if full of awesome stuff....
Like a race track! That was something we obviously needed :)

I found this picture for $5! I love the vivid colors in it and it just makes me happy...though I'd like to get rid of the gold frame (can anyone say "spray paint" with me).

I also grabbed this little table...it's pretty scratched up, but I have a vision for it...but you'll have to wait to see it ;)
We didn't pick these up today, but since they were free, I'll count them under thrifty. We had a tree in our backyard taken down and I asked to keep some of the pieces. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them yet...but I can't pass up free.

And a picture of Katie being cute in the shop...just because she's cute!

New look

2010-06-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

I am now, officially a business...along with that came a new name, and a new look...I'll be polishing it over the next few days, but I'm happy with the name. My husband says the duck is too "girly"...but I'm a girl, so he can live with it. :) So now that I'm *hopefully* done wading though paperwork (almost...) I can really start doing the work that I find so fun...refinishing! Right now, I have a country style table that we are building a new top for...ok, we're really building the table, but it was because I'd found nice legs... Tomorrow we will build the apron and then I'll be painting and staining everything. I have a chair I'm repairing for a customer, but I had to wait for a tool to be shipped here because I'm having to build a new leg for it. And I'm planning on hitting garage sales on Saturday to look for awesome stuff! I'm so excited about this journey I'm on. It's going to keep me busy, but it is something I enjoy so much! Fun times ahead! :)

Fun frames

2010-06-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

(please forgive my horrendous picture here...our walls make everything look yellow...and I obviously have a less then steady hand....)

Have I mentioned yet that I love my Kreg jig? Just sayin'....

I wanted to put up some kids art, and this wall was just begging for some color. So, I threw together a few frames(yeah, literally took me less then 20 min/frame for all the cuts and assembly and sanding), covered them in craft paint, handed the kids some paper and brushes, and let them go to town. (I did warn Betty that the pictures would be hung this way, but she insisted on making her fairy (the top) that way...maybe we'll say it's flying...)

I want to make/find a more interesting coat hook, but I had that one in storage, so it will do for now...then I want to find a fun/ornate frame for that bare spot in the middle and put some kind of family organizer...either dry erase, or chalk board or something...

Now to see if that lowest frame stays on the wall, or if Katie will insist on carrying it around the house...

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What the heck did I do today???

2010-06-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

So, my goal is to have something to blog about every week day. Ideal would be a finished project...but some days that just isn't possible. Like today...what did I do today to blog about? Well, I have no spectacular finished projects, but that doesn't mean we didn't work.

Today, was a trip to the Lumber Yard! It took us a while to actually find the type of lumber yard we needed...one with a large variety of unfinished boards. We finally found one that had what we were looking for and came home with.....

Enough boards for 3 dining table tops.

(do you like my stellar MS Paint skilz?)

Oh, I can hardly wait to go back to the lumber yard! They had some awesome stuff including some very pretty zebra wood and other exotics that would be so fun to play with....though we may need to do smaller projects with something expensive like that...I'm really wanting to make some small pedestal tables for our bedroom...that would be a fun place to use that :)

The douglas fir is what we used for our awesome farm house dining table (which I totally love!) and we are planing on making 2 almost just like it (just with slightly different joints, and one will have a stretcher)

The ash is going to go with these legs which I picked up at the ReStore a while ago (love that place.)
Then I spent the rest of my day doing this....

Can you see how grimy those things were? And I couldn't just wash them and lay them out to dry cause they get all spotty...I had to wash them and buff each one dry. (I talk like I'm done, but I'm actually only taking a break halfway though...I think I'm going to get a bowl of water and move into the living room where I can watch tv for the last 2 hours of this project....) But it's totally worth it to see all those sparklies so clean! My girls keep walking though the kitchen going "awww! Pretty!"

So that sums up my day. Busy, with very little to show for it....now off to finish washing crystals....

A little step stool

2010-06-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Our new kitchen has cupboards that go all the way to the celing....I can't reach that high. I'm not terribly short, and I usually have my husband around to get the stuff that is WAY up there...but I felt short in this kitchen.

A couple days ago, we picked up a Kreg Jig. I was wanting to try it out cause it looked cool. Hence....I can now reach 2 shelves higher then I could before, and my girls will be able to help unload the dishwasher. Win!!

This whole thing took me just a couple hours, including putting together the jig. I had plenty of help from my husband...we have a new to us table saw that hadn't been tried, plus, I've never used a table saw before. So he did that part, and helped me put it together, and helped me figure out how to deal with not being able to get the drill in straight on the second side (we ended up putting the square drive on a small socket wrench...). But I designed, measured, jig sawed, sanded, and did most of the screws. Overall, I'm really pleased with myself. :)

I think I want to paint it orange...

Sassy in Black

2010-06-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Before....(if you followed my old blog, you probably saw this before here with the story of finding this beauty...where I explain that my kids were making forts with blankets and that's why there is such a mess in the background....)
And some fresh paint, and new hardware....

I may have to change my mind about letting this one go....except I don't think black will look very good next to our walls....*sigh* I'm sure someone will fall in love with it :)

I had planned on keeping the original hardware, but some of it had been horribly bent...so I just went with all new, and I'll hang on to the good ones for another project.

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So Hot!

2010-06-09T17:04:00.001-07:00

Before...
After...

I picked up this little table for a whopping $5...the fabric and foam I had on hand, and about $6 worth of paint. Oh, and a new bolt for one of the legs. Without the bottom it's a little less stable then I'd like it to be, so I think I'll be adding some leg support blocks so it will be rock solid before I list it for sale.

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A pretty pair

2010-06-08T07:31:00.001-07:00

These things were sitting at the thrift store for a couple weeks...I'd walked by then several times, and watched the price drop, and decided to rescue them. A little paint, some new fabric...

They do still need to have a clear topcoat put on, but I wanted to see if anyone out there could give me their opinion first. To glaze, or not to glaze....My goal is to sell these. Most of these makeovers that I see in blogland end with dark glaze. But I'm really liking them as they are. Here is a blogger who's work I really love who did a chair with the same color and fabric as the blue one, but glazed.
And my blue one...not glazed. I love the glazed...I love the pop-iness of the color on the unglazed....does anyone else out there have an opinion?...anyone?

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Fail!!..but at least I have roses

2010-06-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

So, I'd set a goal to not go more then a day with out finding something awesome to blog about....starting out real well, eh? I don't even have a good excuse for most of this week...I was reading a book...But then, yesterday, I set out to work on the project I'd been planning all week...but I threw out my back and couldn't find any pain killer. But today, I actually dug into it. Recovering seat cushions.

Yeah, that's how far I got....There were a TON of staples in that thing...then the pads are in good shape, but in lots of pieces and I'm going to need glue to keep them in place while putting the new fabric on...and I didn't want to go downstairs to get glue, so I gave up for right now... I plan to finish them later tonight with my husband around to do my bidding...like going to the basement for glue.

However...this is what our yard gave us today!
I'm going to need to find more vases. They smell lovely and I want them all over my house! We have 2 more bushes that haven't opened up enough to see what colors they are going to be yet...I'm excited. And I'm grateful for our lovely home with a yard that my kids can run in, a small plot for vegetables, and lots of lovely 50 year old rosebushes.

Today's Haul

2010-05-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Today, I had planned to hit an estate sale that looked interesting...but I got there and saw stuff under a tarp on the lawn and no-one in sight...sad day! I've still got to find the ad to see if it's actually tomorrow because I spotted some cool stuff. Of course that left me completely unsatisfied, and since I was close to the DI (awesome thrift stores in Utah), and it happened to be the one that my "master shopper" sister-in-law swears is the best one for furniture, I waited around the half hour for it to open...and boy, I'm glad I did! She was totally right! The DI I usually go to is pretty good for furniture, but often seems pretty over priced. This one had great finds at GREAT prices.

First thing, I came across this sweet little chair. Ok, I do see that it's not sweet right now...I'd call it kinda sad/puky green/dated ugliness....but in my imagination it's sweet :) I've been shopping for fabric online this afternoon :)

Next up was the area that usually has headboards and big flat stuff like that. Down low, I spotted one of these little beauties! They were there because the table they were with didn't have bolts, so it was in there with the legs pulled off. The top is in OK condition, but it doesn't have a leaf, and I'm not excited about it...but these legs! The guy who puts sold signs on big stuff saw me caressing a leg and asked if I wanted the table. I replied "I want these legs!" lol. He said they wouldn't sell it separately, so I bought the whole thing. those legs...totally worth it! They were on a big dining table, but I can totally see building them into a sofa or entry type table! (anyone have ideas for a lame looking table top?...)

Last, I came across this hutch. It's in pretty rough shape and needs some repairs. It may loose the upper doors. I don't have a clear vision for it yet....it will come to me though. For some reason, I keep feeling it will go really funky and colorful. Maybe red with white details on the drawer fronts. I'm totally keeping the dangle hardware though!
Ok, I'm going to head out to the shop to sand! Fun afternoon :)

More thoughts on the chandelier ...

2010-05-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

So, this pretty thing has been on the forefront of my mind all day. I don't know why...before this morning it wasn't even next on my list of projects...high on my list, but not the top. But then posting about it this morning and looking some more at this one....well, how could I not be thinking about that?!

You have to understand, I bookmarked that link quite a while ago. At first I looked REALLY hard for a chandelier to do this with, but never came across one. Then, we moved and our new house has these weird colored walls. It looks very lovely with whites, creams and browns...but that is about the range of colors I can use in here(however, we have a landlord who is very understanding and says we can paint as long as we OK a color with him first...he can't get too upset about just white, right? now if only I can find the time...). So, I was set on the idea of doing something fun with this fixture and then selling it. But, today, I haven't been able to get that pretty yellow thing out of my head all day.

And, another dilemma....the whole tutorial was never posted. I'm sure I could figure a lot of it out, but some of those wire details are just so fun! And I don't think I have the skills to muster my way though that. So...after a lot of thought and mustering my courage...I hit the "contact" button and sent a message asking for the rest of it. It was kind of scary....I mean, I don't want to be a bother to anyone, and I don't like to be pushy...but it is just so pretty! And guess what! Right away Stacie sent me an email saying that she'd be glad to post the rest of it over the next several weeks! And she was very nice and did not chew me out about how busy she was with other stuff, or point me to all the other cool stuff she has posted there (because she really does have some cool stuff!). Did I mention I don't like to bother people...my imagination runs away with me sometimes.

Oh, I'm so very excited! Whether I end up keeping it, or selling it (I am supposed to be using this stuff to cut down on the student loans we have to take out, after all....But I'm not sure I could part with it...) I will know how to do it and as some point I WILL have a fun light for over my dining table!

Oh, Stacie...Thank you! For posting such an inspiring piece in the first place, and being willing to share with me how to do it! You totally rock :)

In the shop

2010-05-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

My shop right now is full of fun stuff! I'm excited to see how they will turn out, but I thought I'd take a quiet minute to show what I've got going on.

This desk is about 80% sanded and so close to ready to paint! I'm going to paint it black. Some of the handles are a bit bent up and need some cleaning, so I'm trying to see if they can be bent straight again or if I'm going to need to replace them...I really hope they can be kept because they are so pretty.

Last Saturday the ReStore was having a "door buster" sale....all used doors were $5! I picked up this one, and two solid/ heavy ones that we're going to use as work benches in the shop. This one I'm planning to use as a table or maybe a storage bench. I have an odd spot next to my desk where there is a large window, and I think a table/bench for a couple plants and office stuff would be nice there.I'll probably paint it white or light grey/blue.
This table looks really small in this picture, but it's actually big enough to fit 2 chairs on each side. It's really in very good shape, and is completely sturdy. I just want to paint the apron and legs white and put a darker stain on the top.
How awesome is this chandelier?! My cousin found several of them at the ReStore and gave me one! It's missing about 4 crystals, but other then that it seems to be in perfect shape. I'm trying to decide if I want to stay safe and paint it white like this one from I Heart Naptime (which would be totally beautiful with this piece) or get a little funky and go apple green, or bright yellow (something I would TOTALLY do if my house were painted white and I could keep it for myself....I would LOVE to have something like this!) Anyone have an opinion on which they think I should do?

I have a bunch of pieces that were too far back in the garage to get good pictures of, but I'll be sure to post them as I get access to them.

Showing off my new table

2010-05-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

I am absolutely in LOVE with my new table. It is sturdy, and big, and beautiful...and we made it ourselves!

Close up of the top finished before it was attached to the legs...

It was first inspired by this table from Knock-off wood, but then we looked at a ton of pictures of farmhouse tables as well as watching a few videos on how to build them and looking under a bunch of other tables to see how they were constructed. I have a feeling a couple friends thought I was a bit insane when I asked to look under their tables...but it was totally worth it to learn what options there were for putting the whole thing together.

We wanted it to be very hefty looking. So the original plan was to use 2x8 planks for the top, and 4x4 posts for the legs. When we got to the store to buy the lumber, all the 2x8s were rather twisty...so we looked at the 2x10s and they looked lovely, so we went with those. Also, the 4x4s were not very pretty, so we switched to 4x6s.

We made a couple mistakes in the construction...Nothing that should cause major issues probably...but we learned a ton and if/when we build one again, we won't make those mistakes :) The legs are a little too close to get 3 chairs comfortably between them, but I really like the overhang on the end. I may make benches to get around that issue.

For the finish, I started with minwax wood conditioner, and then minwax water based stain in "toffee" and brushed on polycrylic in satin(3 light coats). I must say, I really liked the water based stain. Instead of spreading on a layer then wiping it off, I kind of buffed it into the wood. I felt like I had a lot of control over the depth of color that way, and it was easy to even out places that got a little blotchy. They also had a HUGE selection of colors. I would for sure use this stuff again.

The only major issue (other then the chairs not fitting) is that the wood is just so very soft. I can't let my kids do their homework on it w/o making them use a clipboard or something under it. I'm pretty sure that as it get's roughed up from use, this won't be as big of a deal, but right now with the finish so smooth and new, it bugs me a little. Next time, I think we'll use and work with a harder wood. Of course, I was reading somewhere that acrylic paint can take up to a month to fully set, so I'm wondering if polycrylic is the same way and it will be somewhat harder in a couple weeks. I'll keep you posted on that :)

Linking up to...

Welcome!

2010-05-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the beginning of a brand new blog! I'm setting up this blog as a place to post furniture projects I'm working on. Many will end up being for sale, as I simply don't have enough room in my own home for all the things I want to create. I love seeing an old piece of furniture that has so much potential, and bringing it back to life and making it beautiful again. You will likely also see posts about things that inspire me, awesome thrift store finds, fun design and craft projects I do, furniture I build...and really whatever else I feel like putting up here. I hope you enjoy your stay here.