Take a design risk!

Last year when we visited my parents, I went to a cute little consignment shop to look at a table my mom scoped out. We were searching for a square 6 seat-er in lieu of our round 4 seat-er. It was an antique pub table and it came with 4 chairs. I loved it - dark wood, strong base - chairs were hideous but I could fix those. They just needed some glue (they were a little wobbly) and some new fabric. Daniel on the other hand thought everything was too old but was kind enough to indulge me. Sold! You see, I don't always like new. Refinishing or refurbishing often times has more character. Plus it's usually cheaper.

We've lived with it for awhile just as it was (well I recovered the seats of the chairs at least). Unfortunately, the chairs bit the dust very quickly so we bought some new ones at Goodwood when they were going out of business. Again, we lived with them (unfinished) for a while. About a month ago I decided it was time to do something with them. No more procrastinating what seemed like a daunting task. So I started with staining the bench and chairs that were completely unfinished (I was still too scared to touch the table). I used General Finishers gel stain in Java.

That took me pretty much all weekend since it took two coats of stain for each chair (4 in total) and the bench. Then once again, we lived with it. I was a little disappointed that the stain was so matte looking although it said it was more satin-y. But the color matched the table perfectly. Then the table started to look like this...

And the chairs started to look like this...

Note to self: clean from under high chairs more often.

Well after much back and forth in my head (what? that's normal, right?) I decided it was time to tackle the table. When we first purchased the table I contacted someone who specialized in refinishing and painting furniture. He freaked me out by telling me that the table could have oils and finishes on it that wouldn't accept other stains, etc. So I was too scared to do it myself. But he charged $250 to do it. Hmmm...let me think on that. Yep, I'll take the risk and do it myself. What did I have to lose?

I decided this weekend, since we had no major plans Friday night or Saturday, that it was time for me to finish this project once and for all...and tackle the dreaded table. Plus I couldn't live with that gaping bare spot anymore and the food smattering the chairs were getting to be too much. (how do toddlers manage to smear food everywhere!?)

I started by sanding the top of the table then just took the risk and applied the stain. It went on perfectly. I applied two coats so it was even and also touched up the chairs. But it was still missing something. And I'm not talking about the smudges you see in this picture...

Those smudges are from where Charlie decided it would be fun to climb on the table. Really!? I promise I do watch him but he's a sneaky little booger. One second he was just walking around and the next second he was on top of the table giggling. Thankfully you can't see them now.

But I digress..while the table was nice and even now in color, it still lacked the special "umph" I was looking for. Before I tackled this I did what all women do, I asked everyone their opinion. Almost everyone told me to just keep the chairs and tables one simple color (stained) because that would match anything down the road. (sigh) I just wasn't convinced.

So when I was at my mom's I told her my dilemma. She said "you know what I say? go with what makes you happy. you can always paint over it if you don't like it later."   BINGO! That was just the push I needed.

Because we have two little ones, we can't really use table cloths or place mats with them unless they are plastic and wipe easily. I wanted something that looked like a table cloth without having to clean it constantly. I decided to stencil a pattern on the table. Here's what I used...

I chose the stencil on the left because of it's lacy feel and rounded edges. The table is square so something round would soften the table rather than make it harsher. The General Finishers milk paint in Red Pepper was something I purchased at Goodwood because it was a unique red/orange color that you can't always find. Figured I could use it at some point. Viola! The stencil was only a few bucks at Hobby Lobby as was the roller.

I didn't tape anything or space anything perfectly. I let my imagination and eye be the guide to the layout of the stencil. I learned quickly that just a little paint is best so that the stencil is crisp.

The first few turned out like this...

See how it is mushy looking and the edges aren't very crisp? As I went along, I got better. But what about the three that looked bad? I remembered I had wipes and thought "huh, wonder if they will take off the bad stencils?" A part of me worried that it would also take off the stain but I thought it might be worth the risk. Ever usedthis stuff - Goof Off?

It's a miracle worker! It took the paint off no problem and took off just a tiny amount of stain, not even enough to need retouching. Look, it even says "The Miracle Worker" on the label!

I removed the first three stencils, now referred to as my practice stencils (maybe not so smart to practice on the actual project? Probably should have thought that out a little more) and painted over them. Now they all look like this...

See how much crisper the stencil looks now? Almost like I stamped it on. And when I finished the table this is what it looked like...

Then I decided to incorporate a little something on the bench...

The bench seats three so I placed three fleur de lis on the top. And the chairs...

Each one has a stencil in the indention where you sit. And you can see how they all play off of each other...

I love the color and patterns but I was still left with the dullness of the stain. Plus I knew from my procrastination that the stain didn't hold up well to food and cleaning up from messy toddlers. Did you know spaghetti sauce can eat away the stain? Neither did I until I found a spot I missed at some point over the past year. I toyed with wax but in the end went with polyurethane for it's durability. I chose a semi-gloss finish. The guy at Lowe's told me that satin would be best for scratch-ability but gloss is best for cleaning. I went half and half and hope I get the best of both worlds. One coat on everything and two coats on the table top, chair seats and chair backs since those see the most wear and tear. I do recommend letting it sit overnight or longer once the final coat is applied so that all tackiness is gone.

In the end, I couldn't be happier. It's exactly what I wanted. Bright, unique and it offers the table a little "je ne sais quoi" (French for "I don't know what" or something special). It isn't every one's style but it's mine and I love that I followed my gut and took the risk.

By the way, those vases are my new color choices. Every where I see green, orange or turquoise/aqua blue, I flock. I've always loved blue and orange together so perhaps in our next house I'll incorporate all these colors together for a brighter splash of color.

Just goes to show, taking design risks can pay off! When was the last time you took one?

Life's a beach...

One of the advantages of having parents who retired to the beach is that well, you get to go to the beach for free! So not long ago we once again descended on visited Nana and Pop-E's house for a week. The boys have such a fun time visiting because there is so much to do and see in Beaufort, NC. They live just a block away from the water front and everything is side-walked. That means Charlie gets to walk as long as his little legs will carry him (and when they fail, he has Pop-E to carry him.)

The only downside...a 6-7hr car ride to get there (depending on how many times you have to stop). Without kids and if you don't stop, I think it's only 5.5 hours but rarely does that happen with us anymore. We did get smart this year and get a video player. That helped Charlie some but since Cole is still facing backwards, he had to just be entertained by his mommy.

How do you take such a long car ride with toddlers? Well for one, come prepared. We had snacks, drinks, movies and toys for them to play with. In adddition, we only stop if we have to. That helps us get there as fast as possible instead of prolonging the torture trip for them. Some think you should stop and let them stretch their legs but I say get there as fast as possible (but don't speed or do anything unsafe). We also opt to travel at night on the way there so they will sleep some. Most of the time that works but not always. On the way home, we travel around lunch and don't let them take a  morning nap. By this time, they are so tired from playing all week they usually sleep for a few hours of the trip.

This was Charlie happily munching on ice (his new thing thanks to Pop-E) on the way home...nice and peaceful.

And this is Charlie one second later as he dumped it all over our lap...but those few minutes he as quiet and happy made it worth it!



And cute little Cole forced to sit backwards and look at a seat the entire trip. Soon buddy...soon and you'll be able to face forwards.



Daniel likes to put his headphones on and listen to a book on tape. (or book on ipad) I would rather read or look at a magazine. And since Charlie was watching a movie with sound, it worked out perfectly that Daniel could check out.



And then there's me...trying to read and entertain the kids. I finally moved to the back seat part way through the trip so I could regulate entertain the boys as needed. 

 But I have to say, it's not as bad as one might expect. As a parent, I would highly recommend driving if it's less than 6-7 hours. Just prepare that they will get cranky, time it best with the child's schedule and bring entertainment.

Once we got there here are a few pics of the adventures. Cole got moved down the lower seat in the stroller which let him see better. Boy was he a happy camper! 

This one may be one of my favorites. We eat like kings when we are there since mom and dad are such fabulous cooks (recipes to come). One night we had a roast and one of the best parts are the bones. Cole and Daniel went to town...Cole has no problem diving in to any kind of food. Hmmm...who does that remind you of (like father like son?)

And then there is the fun of learning to look for bugs (or ants). We learned to say "shoo shoo buks" (and no, that's not a typo...Charlie can't say his "g's" yet so it is a "k" sound instead. 

 Charlie also loved playing with the lawn mower that Nana bought for $1 at a yard sale. Best buck she ever spent! We are afraid of the "momo's" in real life but this play one wasn't scary.

And who could resist the sunset walks on the waterfront at night (or early in the morning if you're woken up by say a 9.5 month old that gets up with the chickens).

Anyone else been to Beaufort, NC? Have any travel tips for long car rides with toddlers? I'm going back in a few weeks with just kids. The sitter is off for a week so we enlisted the help of Nana and PopE once more.

Father's Day 2012

I had to wait and post this late because I didn't want anyone to tell Daniel or my dad what part of their Father's Day gift was (and we weren't visiting my dad until last week). Here's how this project started...the week before Father's Day weekend, I decided that I wanted something more sentimental to give Daniel. I decided this oh...around Wednesday. My friend, Jaime, gave me a general idea and that's what sparked it. Before then I was so consumed with normal life and busy at work to think sentimental (shame on me). As you may recall, I made this for Daniel last year which is a shadow box of his dad's military medals.

Anywhoozle...I started Googling ideas and decided that handprints of the boys were the best option given my time frame. (although I did get some brilliant ideas for Christmas)

First let me share how we spent the weekend, after Cole was displaced from his seat by a very rude Pug (ahem...Stella), we spent the weekend working outside, relaxing and normal weekend activities. Daniel didn't want to do anything special so we just took it in stride.

As for his gifts, we got him some movies (Sherlock Holmes, the 2nd Ghost Rider and John Carter). If you didn't know, Daniel and I are huge movie watchers and we like to add to our collection as we can. It's what we do when we often times can't find anything to watch on TV. In addition, we bought him something he'd never get for himself - tinting for the front windows of his truck. And then there was the sentimental part...

This is to remind you when
 I have grown so tall,
that once I was quite little
and my hands were very small.

This is something anyone can do inexpensively. I got the the details from this blog. I still think hers looks better than mine but maybe it's because I need to practice more or maybe it's the paper I used. I think hers matched and coordinated a little better with her background. Anyway, I followed her suggestions but with a few tweaks.

Step 1:  paint a canvas - either mottled like mine or you can paint it one solid color (like my dad's). You can see below that this is mottled but for my dad's I just used red spray paint.

Step 2: cut out hand prints from any type of paper (thick wrapping paper, craft paper, leftover wall paper, etc). Be sure that you trace enough of their arm/wrist so you can adjust the length when you put it on your canvas. I had a friend come over and help me hence why you have no pictures of this step in the process. Getting two little boys under 2 to cooperate so I can trace their hands was no easy feat!

Step 3: after cutting the hands out, use Mod Podge to apply it to your canvas. Be sure that you leave enough room for the writing. I suggest cutting out the writing in step 4 and temporarily laying it on the canvas to be sure you place the hands in the right spot. When I did the mod podge, I put some on the canvas and then again over top of the hands, being sure to push down all the little fingers so they wouldn't curl.

Step 4: find your favorite saying or poem and print it in various fonts on regular paper. Once printed, turn it over and take a piece of chalk and rub it vigourously where the writing is on the reverse side. Don't go over the actual writing, you're doing this on the back of the paper. That way, when you trace it, the chalk will come off on the canvas.

Step 5: trace the writing on to the canvas. The chalk will stay on the canvas where you traced it since it's on the other side of the paper. You can also do this with pencil but I had better luck with chalk. Then take paint, a permanent marker or a paint marker and write over the chalk. The chalk or pencil will wipe off easily once you're done with the project.

Step 6 (optional): I sprayed a thin layer of clear acrylic over the project when it was dry so that the sheen was the same on the hands, paint and background. Made it look more uniform.

Here's a shot of my dad's:

You are the
World's Best
Pop-E
Hands Down!

Because of the space, I painted little stars around the middle of his since it looked a little plain. I also gently traced their hands in paint to better define them and put their names on the side of their hand print. That's all optional too.

The pictures don't do them justice...maybe that's the photographer and my rushed/secret state as I had to do this all incognito in 3 days. And maybe because I made 5 trips to Hobby Lobby until I finally figured out the paper situation and had my act together. That's what happens when you rush and don't think things through in projects like these!

Project Cost:
    canvas $4.99
    chalk $ free (already had)
    paint pen $1.99
    paper $ free (used scrapbooking paper but is 30 cents a peice if you had to buy)
    paint $3.99 for a small can (although mine was free since I already had this too)

          Total: $7 (or $12.50 if you didn't have all the supplies on hand)

Not bad! Both my dad and Daniel loved them and we'll always remember the boys when they were little now.

So what did you do for Father's Day? Any fun ideas you have for dad's? Daniel's birthday is coming up so suggestions are welcome!

The Mission: Organization...again

Currently this is our situation...

See a little problem? Yep. Me too. We have lots of stuff that needs to fit in a tiny small house. I don't want to throw away, sell or donate things that I know I'll want when we eventually move to another house. Or they are sentimental or I just plain like it. I'm definitely not a pack rat, thankfully, but I do believe in keeping something you know you may need down the road...even if it doesn't work currently. Otherwise, I just end up buying it again and that's a waste.

So once again I find myself in the need to reorganize our closets, baskets and other storage options. It seems that this is a yearly task at least. This all kicked off with my own closet. For a small 1950's house, we actually have his and her closets. Granted not very big but at least we don't have to share. Because that would be bad. Very, very bad.

One night, as I'm once again searching for a shoe and tripping over bags and coat hangers, I decided to work on a little re-do. The boys were on the bed playing and watching TV so I could keep them contained. Do you know I totally forgot I had some cute clutches I found in a bin? Score! In my excitement I forgot to take a before picture. Ooops. But here's the after...and yes, this is MUCH better than before. Keep in mind "lots of stuff, small space".

At this point when I showed Daniel the closet, he said "it's just a place for bags and shoes. You have a problem!" To which I replied, "no I don't, it just looks that way because I don't have alot of room."  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

You'll notice in the above picture that the clothes (shirts, tops, jackets are all on top) are organized by color. I started doing this many years ago and I highly recommend it. Makes it so much easier to find things that coordinate since color is often the primary factor. I've tried others ways (t-shirts together, blouses together, etc) but it always was hard to find the right coordinating item. I was even able to use those 3M hooks and get a large overnight bag hung in the dead space above my clothes (instead of underneath where it took up valuable space).

One of my favorite blogs, YoungHouseLove, had recently blogged about a week of re-organizing (although I didn't realize it at the time since I was waaaay behind on my blog reading). So thus inspired, I tackled the kids toys on Saturday.

First, I've heard read heard and read that kids will tire of toys quickly since they see them all the time. That seems to be the case with us. We have three spots where toys are stored: living room, boy's room and the guest/office/man room. The more I thought about it, the more I decided we should give him fewer options. I plan on rotating out the toys every 6 weeks-ish in order to keep them interested. So up went a huge bag of toys to the attic. Plus, a few that had balls were useless given that all the balls are lost. I'm sure we'll find them eventually. In fact, I vaguely remember one being in the fireplace.

First step - sort through all the baskets, bins and toy boxes to figure out what belongs to what.

Second step - put away all the baby blankets, burp clothes and other paraphernalia for babies that we don't need (for now). In other words, clean out this corner cabinet in the boy's room.

Slowly but surely I found all most of the missing pieces to their toys. I even found the lost duckling that goes to the red barn. It's one of his favorite toys since the four little barn animals all make sounds. It's how he's started learning animal sounds. (thanks Aunt Carol/Uncle Si!)

And we were left with bliss this...

side note: I'd like to move the chair in the corner back to it's rightful place so the basket can go there but we have a baby jumper where it belongs. So yes, this space is a little cluttered still.

Now I have a better place to store their shoes plus I have an extra basket that's totally empty! Whatever shall I do!? I'm sure I'll find something to store in there.

Perhaps the most dramatic change was their cabinet and reading corner. Take a look at the before again.

And now...

Ahhh. I love looking at the before and after. There's so much more room and that empty basket makes me want to leap for joy! Even Daniel commented on how much cleaner things were looking. Charlie even started playing with toys he hasn't played with in months. Seems to already be working. Well until he finds an electronic, dirty dish from the dishwasher, or cell phone he's not supposed to play with.

Next up...the dreaded bathroom, guest/office/man room closet, hall closet and hall cabinets. We also will need to clean out our bedside tables but more on that project later since we got a nice little surprise this week.

Here's a snap shot of what lurks behind the bathroom cabinet. It's amazing we can even get ready each morning.

Anyone have any great ideas for organizing under a small bathroom sink that has the pipes horribly placed right in the middle? Any other cute, crafty ideas for organizing?