The Lowboy Is Complete!!

Look!! It's done!! Finished!! I'm in love!!

Such a pretty little piece we keep our phones and chargers tucked away. It's handy right in the family room hallway. 

So... Looking back:

                              YUK

Adding AS "Creme," "Louis" blue and "Versailles" pale green.

Examples of the painted layers and distressing.

I wore my little sanding mask and cleaned the floor and table with a wet rag.

After adding the new colors daubed here and there, I did distressing with a block of coarse sand paper. I want it to look like it had been painted and repainted. Used ins loved.
I followed up with AS Clear wax.

Painted the drawer pulls Creme and
then sanded for that aged look.

The hallway with the new, improved Lowboy!

All done!! What do you think??

Dad's little shelf

I'm still trying to incorporate some of my Mom and Dad's things into our home so I go in the garage where their furniture is. This little shelf lived in their apartment, and also my Dad's, to show off two little Korean dolls he brought home after the war. It matched a beautiful, large oriental fan that decorated their bedroom wall.

It's just particle board painted black. Nothing fancy but it could live on the wall in our TV room to hold a speaker. I used some metallic paint, lightly dabbed onto the surface with a paintbrush.

It looks a little like granite or marble.

 And here it is!! Perfect.

More Inspirations!! The Dallas Aquarium with Steve and Maia.

Had a bad 2 days today so no update. I've got some little projects planned but the coughing is back and I'm not sleeping well. I give God the glory for allowing me to even do the creative and fun projects around the house as I've had to give up so many other activities so I'm not complaining. Maia and Steve have colds and feel really bad too. Poor things.

So here are some awesome photos from the Dallas Aquarium.

Be back soon.

I'm stuck on the Lowboy. Help!!

Here is the Lowboy that has lived in every room downstairs. It is brown with brown faux leather inserts on rage drawers and sides. I'd like to keep it in the family room but add a little style. 

My first try at beautification was ASCP in Old White on the wood trim. I added a little distressing. 

The top and inserts got a burnt sienna wash.

Below is where Mr. Lowboy is leasing space in the hallway through the family room. 

Next I painted the top with Creme paint. Blah.

Here is an example of the Old White/Creme with sandpaper distressing and ASCP Cocoa in the grooves.

So, then I tried using Cocoa on the top.

Going crazy, I covered the top again in Olde White. Still blah. So I brought out the sandpaper and went a little wild. Interesting but it now has that "side of the old barn" look.

Now I made a bold decision.

To be continued...

Some fun around the home! A new table for the TV room

I've been trying to use some of my Mom and Dad's things in our home just to have them close. Nothing fancy, just things that make me smile. This is a recent project with their little breakfast table. I'm putting it upstairs in the game/tv room.

First I cleaned it real good with soapy water and then sprayed Windex to remove any soap left on the wood. The plan is to make it somehow bring out our movie theme. Think think think. Oh! Movie sayings!!

Here is the link to the rub-on movie phrases shown below ordered from Amazon.

Here is the little two leaf table before. The sayings came on a sheet so first I cut them apart to begin planning their placement.

I choose a peacock blue paint I got in the bargain bin at Lowe's for the table top.  Used an almost dry brush --  one coat.

It was pretty easy to rub the letters with a wooden tongue depressor type thingy. I had a couple of peeling paint issues (paint sticking to the paper) but I figured it out and moved on. 

I made pencil marks to keep the sayings even. Afterwards I used a clear sealer over the top. Three coats. Then a single coat of satin Minwax.

And here it is!! 

We love it!!!

Sad to report: had to recover the footstool.

As I wrote a while back, the Old White chalk paint and wax method on the vinyl footstool looked so great!! Until the animals and daughters used it. It got scratched and the corners cracked from use us putting our feet pushed against them. I kept painting over the blemishes until the paint was just too thick and cracked more. I really think less paint would have worked longer. 

 

Oh well, so I saw this photo:

Which was exciting because I already had fabric just like the zebra pattern!! 

So, out came the scissors and the handy-dandy fabric glue, and viola!!

Cut to fit against the trim that's already there.

I just folded the hem under, glued and taped. 

Now, cats and people can use the footstool and everyone is happy. :)

Catching Up!

It's been a little while since I updated so I'll try to catch everyone up on a few projects I've completed. It means so much to me to have these projects to do. And it's funny when I look around the house how it seems I redo the same areas over and over in the 13 years we've lived here. 

Some rooms, like the Living Room and Dining Room have only had furniture rearranged or rotated accessories. Maybe new throw pillows but nothing big. Other rooms, particularly the Family Room, has had many changes. It's a small room, open to the Kitchen and Breakfast Room, and where we all hang out.

Here is one configuration that lasted about a week until darling husband decided to order the ugliest recliner ever made...

      The ugly chair

I'm embarrassed to write how many pieces of furniture were purchased trying to have a comfortable view to the TV no matter where you were sitting! Having it in a side cabinet was awkward. We finally gave in and put the TV over the fireplace mantle and boom!, the room just came together.

We gave away ugly chair and bought dear husband a very comfy recliner. You've seen the changes to the red chairs so next -- the updated Lowboy!! :)