Updated Adirondack Chairs

We've been working hard trying to get the backyard done so the girls can finally play outside this summer.  One thing that has been an eyesore are our Adirondack chairs.

I go the first one almost 10 years ago, and then a second one a few years later.  The colors never quite matched and they have really started looking old and worn.

I tried to find a color that was close to the original paint color so I wouldn't have to paint more than one or two coats.  I used Annie Sloan chalk paint and mixed equal parts Louis Blue and Florence. 

They only needed one coat and it took me about a day to paint both chairs.  I rubbed them with steel wool to create the smooth soft finish like wax usually does.  I couldn't use wax because sitting out in the sun all summer would cause the wax to melt.

Here is a look at the before and after:

What a huge difference a little paint can make.  I don't know why, but it still amazes me.

I finally have a place to sit outside and drink my morning coffee.  I could not be happier.

Linking To:

Silver Pennies, Two Crochet Hooks, The Foley Fam, The Chicken Chick, House of Hipsters

Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, Thrifty Décor Chick

Miss Mustard Seed



Desk Redo with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and New Top

We have one more project we can now check off Madison's Big Girl Room makeover.

When she started kindergarten last year, the first thing she asked for was a desk.  She couldn't wait to do her homework in her room at her very own desk.

We searched for a long time for just the right desk (i.e. cheap).  I finally found it at an estate sale for $20.00.  It was a hunk of junk.  I got the usual eye rolls when I brought it home and then I started to wonder what I was thinking when I bought it.  I did not have high hopes for this makeover.

When we first started working on Madison's room she wanted pink walls.  I did not want a pink room, so we compromised and I told her we could paint her new desk pink.  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Antoinette.  Madison told me not to distress the desk because she thinks distressing makes everything look old and she didn't want that kind of stuff in her room.  Her reasoning:  "I'm getting a new princess room and princesses do not have old things."

The paint is not actually as bright as it looks in this picture, it's more of a pale rose color.  I just have terrible lighting in this room so none of my pictures came out very clear.

 

This is what it looked like when I first got it home.

 

Not only was it chipped and dented, but it had water damage on one side and was so dirty.  I think it sat in a garage for many years.

 

The first thing I did was do a lead test on the paint.  It was negative so we were good to go.  I pried off the top because there was no way to fix it. 

I used 1x6's and 1x3's to build a new top.  I cut the boards to size, sanded the tops and sides, rounded the corners and stained the boards.

I used flat metal plates from Home Depot to connect the boards together to make one solid top.

 

I placed the top on the desk and used L brackets underneath the desk to connect everything together.

 

Last, I cleaned the hardware with Brasso and steel wool and put everything back together.

 

Madison and I both love it how turned out.  The only thing left to do is get a piece of glass for the top so she can actually use the desk.

 



 

Linking to:

 

Elizabeth & Co., Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

A Bowl Full of Lemons, Between Naps on the Porch

DIY Showoff, Thrifty Décor Chic, Miss Mustard Seed

 

 





DIY Bookshelves

We started working on Madison's room earlier this year.  She is so excited with all the new stuff in her room and I am excited that I almost have one complete room in our house.

Our most recent project was a set of bookshelves for her wall.  I love that it adds a little bit of decoration to the room and I love that it's so easy for both my girls to put away the books.  No more piles of books laying around on the floor.

I had some leftover wood from an old project so the only thing I had to buy was a countersink drill bit. 

I used a 1x6 for the back piece against the wall, a 1x4 for the bottom and a 1x3 for the front piece.  I put all five shelves together in one afternoon.  The priming and painting took the longest with all the drying time.  Once they were done, I hung them by drilling right into the wall studs.  It was such an easy project.

Most days I find Madison sitting in front of her shelves reading a book, then rearranging the shelves so they look pretty.

Linking to:

Elizabeth & Co., Coastal Charm

Between Naps On The Porch, DIY Showoff

Keeping it Simple, The Girl Creative

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

 



Bedside Tables

It's not very often that I hear the word "No" from my husband.  In fact, I don't think it was until this project that he ever said no to any crazy thing I wanted to try.

I searched for bedside tables for quite some time.  I wanted something substantial, and I wanted them similar, but not matching.  I found one at a garage sale for $7.00 and the other at a rummage sale for $20.00.

Here's what they looked like before I started painting.

 

The original plan was to paint the bottom yellow and stain the top.  I actually like the way they turned out, but the yellow was really pale, almost white.  It looked so bad against our white walls.  I knew I would have to redo them if I wanted to keep them in our bedroom.

Every time I look at this table, all I see is a smiley face.

They sat in my room for a couple weeks before I could figure out what to do.   I ended up deciding on purple.  Not something I would usually consider, but it was that or gray, and I really wanted some color in our room.  When I told my husband, he didn't even consider it.  He said no and walked away.  Obviously he ended up giving in, because now I have purple bedside tables.

So, an unusual color choice for sure, but I love them.  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Emile.

Linking To:

The Girl Creative, The Shabby Nest, 733 Blog

Somewhat Simple, Shabby Creek Cottage

One Project Closer, Thrifty Decor Chic



Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

So, it's been long time.  Anyone still out there? 

I recently discovered Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and I've been painting like crazy.  I love this paint so much.  It makes everything look so good and it is so easy to use!  After I purchased my first can, I drove back to my local stockist (The Vintage Bricoleur) and bought more 3 more cans of paint, clear wax, a wax brush and two paint brushes.

We've been looking for a buffet since we moved into our house two years ago.  It couldn't be just any buffet, it had to be the one I pictured in my head.  And, it had to be cheap.  We found this buffet at an antique store in Sacramento and when I spotted it at the other end of the store, I knew it would be coming home with me.

It was completely scratched up and had dings all over the top, but the drawers worked great and it was solid. 

I sanded the top and took off all the original stain.  I restained the top using Minwax in Ebony.  Then three coats of polyurethane to get a streak free finish.

Next I filled all the scratches and dings with wood filler, then sanded it down after it dried.

The great thing about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is that it the furniture does not have to be primed before you start painting.  However, I wanted a little bit of white showing after I distressed the buffet, so I did prime this piece before I started painting.

I came home from work one afternoon and thought I would be able to paint the drawers before I had to go pick up my girls.  I had about 45 minutes.  I ended up painting the drawers and the buffet while I was waiting to pick them up.  I picked them up, painted my second coat, waxed the entire thing then distressed it a little bit.  I had done almost the entire thing in one night.  I only had one more coat of wax and I did that the next day.

I could not believe how easy it was and it turned out exactly the way I wanted it.  My husband is always pretty skeptical when I start something, especially something this big, and he loved it.

I used Annie Sloan's Louis Blue paint and the hardware was spray painted with Krylon Oil Rubbed Bronze.

Linking to:

Keeping It Simple, The DIY Showoff, Mod Vintage Life,

Between Naps on the Porch, Elizabeth & Co.

Bowl Full of Lemons, Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Sugar Bee Crafts, Miss Mustard Seed, One Project Closer

Thrifty Decor Chic

Buffet Redo

I found this buffet on Craigslist a few years ago for $40.  It came with a hutch so it was a pretty good deal.  When we moved into our current house, we used the bottom half to hold the TV until we could find something better.  We ended up really liking the set up, so we kept it.  The only problem was, the buffet hadn't been painted yet.

It sat in our family room like this for almost a year, through parties and holidays.  My mom was so embarrassed for me.  Every time someone came over, she would tell them that it would be painted soon and that's not the way it would stay.

Finally, before a big family party, I took it out to the garage and painted it.  The original plan was to paint the bottom and stain the top a dark brown, like our dining room table.  For some reason, the stain would not take, so I had to paint the whole thing.  I used a flat interior paint, distressed the edges and then used Minwax Finishing Paste to seal it.  I love the way it turned out.  I have a hard time with the gloss paint because it leaves too many brush strokes.  With the flat paint, I don't have any.  The paste gives it a smooth satiny finish. 

It's been painted since May and I don't have a single scratch or ding on it.  The finishing wax is so durable!  Even with both my girls opening and closing the doors constantly, it is still holding up. 

Linking to:
Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Sumos Sweet Stuff
The DIY Showoff, Keeping it Simple, C.R.A.F.T.

Dining Room Table Redo

I bought a dining table and chairs off Craigslist several months ago and it sat in my dining room taking up space, collecting junk.  I had towels on the chairs because the fabric was dirty, and it was just a mess.  I started working on the chairs a few weeks ago and kept dragging my feet, not really getting it done.  I didn’t really know what I was doing and I was scared to mess it up.

Today we had a housewarming party and I really wanted the table and the chairs to be done so everything would look nice.  So I was outside in the garage every night last week stripping the old stain, sanding, painting, more sanding, more paining and then I put a top coat on the table.  I can’t believe how different everything looks with a little bit of paint and new stain.  I love how it turned out and it was much easier than I expected it to be.

Before:



After:





I’m totally hooked on redoing furniture.  I have a buffet for our TV that’s next on my list of things to do.   Hopefully it won’t sit in my garage until Christmas!

Linking to:
I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Funky Junk Interiors Tatertots & Jello, Dittle Dattle, Between Naps on the Porch, The Girl Creative The DIY Showoff, Skip to my Lou, Keeping It Simple, CRAFT
Making the World Cuter, Sew Can Do, Embellishing Life

Update

How about an update on what we’ve been doing lately.  If you remember what our backyard looked like a few months ago, you know it wasn’t pretty.

April:

In June we rented two giant dumpsters and a jackhammer to get rid of all the concrete:

We hired someone to pour new stamped concrete and build a wall around the area where we will be laying sod.  We will bring in dirt so that the grass will be even with the top of the wall:

And the front of the wall:

We still have a lot more work to do but I can finally envision how everything will turn out.  I can’t wait to get some color back there.

When we’re not working in the yard we are going to soccer games:

Playing at the beach:

And taking silly pictures: