Chalkboard Table Reveal & Christmas Gifts

Well, I know it has been a while since I last blogged, but today I feel as though I have a little "extra" time. 

I never showed you how my chalkboard table came out.  Here are the before pictures.

 The top had several gouges that I filled in. You can read more about it here.  After I sanded and painted the table the gouges weren't noticable.  

This is what table looks like now. I decided to use black tinted chalkboard paint so the kids could draw on it. I haven't had a chance to take "stylized" pictures, but you get the idea. I painted legs with chalkboard paint to keep uniformity with the top. 

If you want an idea of the dimensions of the table, that is an outline of my son, Seeley, in the picture. Say about two feet...give or take a little. I'm quite the artist right?...Okay, only in my dreams! But the great thing about having little ones is that they don't care if you're a horrible artist. It is more of the time spent with them that counts. 

Seeley is super excited to play with his trains and cars on the table. We regularly draw roads and scenery for his cars. 

Another way we use the chalkboard table is for my oldest daughter to practice her spelling words. It makes learning a little more fun. 

Besides being an art table, it doubles as an oversized coffee table in the living room. It is still a little too tall for this, but we may eventually cut down the legs and inch or two. I have two little foot stools that tuck perfectly under the table. The kids use these as chairs when they are making their chalk creations. 

One thing that I want to note about chalkboard paint is oils show up on it very easily, but these can be wiped off. 

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The past couple of weeks I have been working steadily on a few handmade gifts for Christmas. These will go mostly to family, but some will go to friends as well. 

On the list to make this week is homemade soap. I have been dying to attempt to make homemade soap for at least a year, but with Christmas coming I have more motivation to attempt it. It's one of things that feel completely overwhelming to try, but from what I've read it is very doable and maybe "easy". 

Hopefully, I will get a few pictures posted soon of my soap and some links to tutorials.

In my next post,  I will reveal the other little gifts that I have been working on.  

So... life has been pretty busy around here. I went yard sale shopping two weekends ago, so I did not get to work on fixing up anything. I did find some awesome deals that I will share with you later. This past weekend I was out of town visiting friends. It was nice to relax and drink a cup of coffee or two with them. 

 My family isn't expecting company until this weekend so I have most of the week to take over the house with my upholstering and painting projects. A local flea market is having a sidewalk sale the first weekend in November and I am trying to prepare a few things to put in it. 

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Here is what I have been working on these past few days. 

I picked up this table a couple of months ago at a yard sale. I had originally wanted to use it as an oversized coffee table, but after I got it home I realized that it was too tall for that. 

I think it was originally a display table. What ever gave me that idea? Well....maybe it's the giant duck head logo attached to the front of the table. 

Since I don't want to cut the legs down, I have decided to use it as kiddie table for when we have dinner guests over. It is also VERY useful for the kids to do their school work on. We were also able to get a few chairs on loan to use with this.

The table top had a few gouges in it. After I sanded the original finish off,  I filled the gouges in with some wood filler. You can see what I used here.

Then, I sanded it down using a sanding sponge. I chose the sanding sponge because it had the beveled side that could fit in between the detail work. I neglected to photograph the actual table top for you, but I will be sure to in the near future.  

That's all I have to show you for now. I look forward to showing you more soon! 

The Swivel Chair

I have so many DIY projects that I would like to conquer, but I feel like everything is going at a snail's pace. I am having to learn to be patient and take one project at a time. 

With that said, here is what I have been working on this week.

It is the swivel chair that I purchased at a yard sale last month. 

Here is a closer look at the legs. 

They were originally a chrome color. If you would like to see the original you can see it here. The new color is called "Hammered Finish" by Krylon. It comes in a spray paint and adheres to plastic, wood, ceramic, and metal. I used this spray a couple of years ago on the handles of my dresser. 

Sorry, I don't have any photos of it. 

Did you see my friend the spider? It appears that he wanted his photo taken too.

I am still unsure what I need to do with the seat cover because it has some wear on it.

Any suggestions?

A Settee For Me

Yesterday, I shared with you that I went to a few yard sales over the weekend. Well, here is my prize of the month. I am just tickled to have found this. I have been drooling over the settees that I have been seeing on different blogs and pinterest for about three months. (Okay, not literally drooling) It is amazing to see how great these bad boys look when reupholstered. I admire the talented people who take on such a large task. 

I am just so amazed at the amount of grace that God showed me in being able to find one in my area. Especially, one that fit within my budget. I have been scouring Craig's List and Bookoo as of late looking for one that fit within my budget. 

I have only seen a few online that have the wingback. I searched the Internet over the weekend and to the best of my knowledge I think this would be considered "Louis XV Style". 

(Feel free to correct me if I am wrong!) I know that this had to be manufactured in 1929 or after because of a tag underneath it, but I still cannot pinpoint the exact year. 

All of the legs are in wonderful shape. It really has great bones. 

Here is a close up of the fabric. I am not too hip on this color and pattern, but I definitely can live with it. Hopefully, in the near furture, I will be able to reupholster this. Maybe with a grey fabric? That is, if I am brave enough. 

In addition to the settee the size of a small bus, these were an added bonus. SCORE! They look like "his" and "her's" chairs. Are you getting this? They match the settee! The man actually told me that he'd only sell this to me as a set. 

I had to make three trips to get these home, which included having to borrow a truck. 

I could just hear the iconic words of Ricky Ricardo to Lucille Ball coming out of my husband's mouth when he discovered that I bought MORE furniture! 

"Lucy, You got some 'splaining ta do!" And I could just picture Lucille's deer in the headlights facial expression on my face. 

Uh oh, I'm gonna be in trouble.  

As if we needed more furniture. I took a count of how many pieces I had in my living room this morning...are you ready for it? I had 9 chairs and 2 couches. That is, if you consider the settee a couch. 

My husband is used to it by now. He even told me that I couldn't sell HIS wingback chair because he already staked his claim on it. He really is a furniture fanatic like me! 

Hopefully, I will be able to get some booth space this month.

Yard Sale Finds

Boy, has this weekend has been crazy! I literally have been running around town ALL weekend. Don't worry...I've been quite blessed through the whole process.

Last weekend I really had the urge to go yard sale shopping, but I chose to sleep in instead. So when this Saturday rolled around, I was ready to go. I woke up at 6 a.m. and was at the first sale at a quarter till 7. (Sales usually don't start here until 7 a.m. and people are not so thrilled if you are an hour early!) I managed to hit 5 yard sales and was done for the day at about 8:30. 

I found a lot of cool stuff and I will show you pictures tomorrow. I am especially thrilled about the new vintage furniture that I have been drooling over for about three months now. Do you want a hint at what it might be? Think Louis XV style, but you will just have to come back tomorrow to see the actual pieces. 

Since I brought home a couple of new furniture pieces on Saturday, I need to make room in my house. Here are some of the pieces that I will be putting up for sale in the near future. 

 I have had this piece for about a month and I originally planned on reupholstering it, but I just do not have the time or the space. This lovely piece was originally constructed in 1960; it is a very sturdy chair in superb condition. 

Do you remember the chair that I showed you last week? Yes, the one that I made the slipcover for. Though it has been well loved, I will have to say "good bye" to it. I am not quite sure if I will make a new slip cover for it or sell it "as is". 

In addition to these pieces, I have two others that I am currently working on. 

The red rocker is waiting patiently for it's new look. 

See ya tomorrow!

Rockin' the Slipcover

I mentioned the other day that I have been busy creating a slipcover for my chair.  Today, I am excited to show you the results. 

I'm totally in love with the fresh new look the slipcover gives this piece. It is rather inviting isn't it?

 Sit down, stay awhile. Would you like some coffee?

Here is the before picture...yes, it's straight from the 1950's. It's rather bleak looking, but I assure you this little piece of history has been well loved. It's the beloved chair of our taller guests, probably due to it's higher back. Plus, it swivels and rocks...my favorite combination. 

The new look helps accentuates the chair's good qualities. 

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Now, let's get real here. Did I totally knock this slipcover out of the ball park?

 Truthfully?... no.   

Am I satisfied with it? Yes.

But, I made mistakes...and a lot of them.

For example, I totally botched the whole cording thing and only made enough for three sides of the chair. This left the back a little naked. I blame it on my "I'm so tired, I'm turning into a zombie stage". You know, the stage where you are almost at a good stopping point, but not quite, so you try to power through it by sheer will and determination.  

Secondly, I only did cording on the slipcover skirting, but had I to do it over again, I would do cording on most of the chair. It really adds definition to the piece. To tell you the truth, I was a little afraid of cording to begin with, so I left it alone until I was feeling a little more confident in my slipcover sewing skills. 

Lastly, I would add additional ties to the bottom of the chair. Since this chair swivels and rocks, it sits at an angle. This leaves the bottom of the slipcover open and I had to safety pin it closed. 

So why I am admitting all of this to you? Why not pretend that this is the best slipcover ever made and I will never take it off my chair again? Here's the deal. Some people have a natural talent for acquiring new skills. Then, there are others who have to work really HARD to acquire a new skill. It takes a lot of time and dedication to do things right. Don't get discouraged when you attempt something for the first time and totally botch it up! That's life...you learn from your mistakes and carry on.  

For now, I will keep this slipcover. But I assure you, the next time I will do things a little differently. Who knows, I just might knock the next one out of the ball park!

Adventures in Slipcovers

In addition to totally stripping the upholstery off the red chair this past weekend, I started making my first slipcover. Yes, thanks to Mrs. Mustard Seed I was feeling very inspired. I really never knew slipcovers could look THAT good. When I think slipcover, I think sheet draped over the couch. It's just not my style. She has a talent for turning the ordinary into extraordinary. She has several video tutorials on how to make your own that you may be interested in watching.  Be careful...you might just get sucked in by her sweet charm and sheer awesomeness. Hours may pass by quicker than you realize. Can you tell I'm a fan? I feel like such a groupie! 

Weekends are always a good time for me to conquer projects that I don't have the time for during the week. Here's how far I got on my slipcover. I just had to stop before I became a zombie from lack of sleep. 

I didn't get to see how the back of her slipcover looked in the videos, but here's what I imagine it may have looked like..minus the skirt and tie backs of course. 

I totally forgot to show you a before picture and I promise I will in the near future. 

In addition to watching most of Miss Mustard Seed's video tutorials, here's the stack of books that I have been reading and perusing through. As you can see, most are from my local library. 

Happy Tuesday!

Grammy's Front Porch

 My children always anticipate going to Grammy's house where they enjoy spending their long summer evenings. Upon entering Grammy's house children's laughter echoes from the walls. Like the laughter that can be found inside the house, it is always present outside as well. The grandchildren enjoy trips riding around the property in the golf cart, with Grammy as the chauffeur. When the kids are not riding in the golf cart, they can be found swimming in the pool. They have become quite the little fish.

My Mom is the most bubbly, cheerful, giving person I know and It seems as though my children are the happiest at their Grammy's house.  

Recently, one of our dear friends offered to give me a church pew. I did not have any room for it in my house, but I recalled my mother stating how she'd like to have a church pew for her front porch. I was pretty tickled that she received such a beautiful blessing. 

It is the perfect place to spend those long summer evenings watching the kids and swim.

Mr. Teddy seems comfortable doesn't he? 

Here's the detail on the side of the pew. (Did I make you dizzy? Sorry about that!)

It's simply beautiful isn't it?

On another note, here's what I spent my last few evenings working on.

What's on your project table this week?