For whatever reason, Thursday’s have morphed into the unofficial “Reveal Day” on the blog.
So as not to disappoint, here is the reveal on the desk I promised.
This is where we started:
Then as I shared earlier, this is where we left off: (Click here for that story.)
From here, all of my plans to leave the top as is, flew out the window! You see, I didn’t love the aged gray paint color with the faux/cherry redwood shiny plastic looking top.
My first instinct was to sand the top down and stain it. But as I started to sand in one little spot on the corner, the wood underneath was….well let’s just say it wasn’t going to work.
My next thought was to paint it white. And then I painted it black. I wish I had some super cool, artsy reason, but no, I just grabbed a can of leftover black paint instead.
The legs and the top are both a chalky paint. The black is the same paint I used on this project and this project.
Although I did paint a second coat on the legs, one coat of paint without a bonding agent did the trick on the top!
Knowing that this desk would get a lot of use, I did add Miss Mustard Seeds Top Coat to protect the finish.
The desk is ready for paperwork and tax preparation!
Because I had nothing else better to do yesterday but everything on this list…
I decided that this was the day to repaint my wine cabinet.
Makes perfect sense, right?!
The cabinet was the mate to this dresser, which also got a facelift.
They were purchased at different times, from different people, but fell into the same décor pool. And now they are together again, with complimentary finishes.
Since I was on a roll of chalkboard painting things black for the graduation party,
My first thought was to paint this with chalkboard paint also.
And then I said to myself because well, no one else was around, “Wendy, let’s not use chalkboard paint. You know that you are never going to write on it. It would get all messy and your cleaning skills don’t need to be challenged”.
So I stuck with the black, but changed it up. I used the Rustoleum American Accents line in Canyon Black. I have used this on my back door and several other small projects. It never fails me.
With the dresser, I painted everything except the top. As for the cabinet, there were a few clearly defined squares on the sides. Instead of painting everything and making a solid black piece, I decided to paint just the squares.
First, I hauled this baby out to the garage. Thank goodness our neighbor had left his two wheel cart with us for a couple of days. (Note to self: get your own two wheeled cart, it made life so much easier)
After making sure the cabinet was cleared of dust, I used green Frog Tape to define the sections I wanted to be black.
Then it was just a matter of painting within the lines.
It was a pretty muggy day, so I let the paint dry for almost 3 hours. Then I added a light second coat to cover the brush strokes.
I could tell right away that I had made the right decision about this cabinet.
Love it, love it, and love it!!
A rating of “three loves and two exclamation points” makes for a successful DIY project in my eyes!
There are so many “How to make a pillow cover” blog postings available that I don’t feel the need to reinvent that wheel.
However I am finding that most of them are “No Sew Pillow or Envelope Pillow cover” tutorials.
I have been sewing consistently now for about 4 years. In that 4 years, I have sewn in thousands of zippers. I hear from people on a daily basis that they HATE putting in a zipper. But like anything, the more you do it the easier it gets.
In fact putting in a zipper is so second nature to me that I was making an envelope closure cover the other day and when I went to turn it right side out the bottom was open.
What the what?
I had put a zipper on the bottom. Total forehead palm slap Homer Simpson moment.
So if you really don’t like to put in a zipper, just keep practicing. I promise it gets easier.
Taking my own advice, I have been practicing with my scroll saw in the hopes that someday that second nature thing will kick in so I can create beautiful things like this.
There hasn’t been a lot of cooperation from the weather lately to give anyone reason to go outside for any extended period of time. Minnesota is cold in the winter, no one will ever deny that. But sometimes we get a few “warmer” days to enjoy the great outdoors without the threat of frost bite within 3 minutes.
I took advantage of such a day today. My scroll saw is in the garage. The garage is still chilly but doable.
I have shared with you the metal signs Jack made for the shop.
Now I want to cut some out from wood and possibly paint or stain them.
This I where I started.
Did you know that Michaels will take Joann Fabric coupons? Me either. I had a 60% off coupon from Joann’s and bought a Tracer machine from Michaels.
It’s basically an old school projector without all of the bulk.
Find a design or picture you want to trace put the machine on top of it and project it onto whatever your want. I choose half inch plywood.
I lightly traced around the letters with a pencil.
Using my beloved drill press, I drilled holes where inside cuts will be made and then started cutting around the outside.
Now the practice makes perfect part. 🙂
I should be quite talented with this scroll saw décor thingee by…..June, when it warms up enough not to have to wear my winter jacket in the garage. 🙂
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