Projects

We've been working hard on a wide variety of projects the past few days. The weekend brought us a break in the weather that allowed us to work outside in the afternoons and that was perfect for getting some items sanded and ready for paint or stain. Here's a few things we've been doing:

 This table is almost done. A little touch-up on the base, then wax and it will be ready for a booth--as soon as I get the two chairs painted to go with it. Haven't started on those yet, because I got sidetracked on little things like this:

The lamp was white with green bands; I found the shade on eBay and waited until I found a lamp to paint to go with it.

I've had this box for quite a while and it didn't sell. It was painted gold with flowers decaled on it. I thought maybe a white chalk paint would give it more appeal.

 It's hard to see in the photo but the top has embossed strips, very pretty.

I think I wasted my time on this. The frames on the pair were ugly. I tried white with gold glaze, distressed and waxed. Not lovin' it.

Here's a corner detail:

I painted this brass frame white; the glass was broken so this will sell as it is, as a wall accent.

The other painting in the pair. I am thinking those frames will need to be redone. What do you think?

This is another piece I've had for a long time with no sale. It was green with flowers on the drawers; I went with black and white for a more primitive look. We'll see if I guessed right.

A small rack that was pretty beat up for a new primitive look.

 Chalkboard! I'm playing with this technique, with mixed results. This one came out well. It has a silverplate frame, so it's an upscale chalkboard :)

This little desk is a "married" piece. We found the rolltop section, then added the base from a table we had that had a bad top. The pigeonholes inside the desk were missing, but we found some at an antique mall and with just a little cutting, they will fit. It also needs is for one piece of the webbing that holds the rolltop together to be repaired. I think it will be pretty cute when we're done with it. I think we've invested too much but it's neat to make something useful again.

This poor little thing was a mess! It had been in a basement and was covered with mildew and dirt. It took a lot of scrubbing to clean it up, but look at it now! I'm sealing the top today, then wax and it will be ready to go.

I love the way the top came out; I used General Finishes Java Gel Stain on the top, and GF's Antique White on the base.

Larry has put a lot of time into this medicine cabinet, stripping away years and layers of paint. It's ready to go.

Still has the original latch;  love the way it looks.

This round mirror was painted orange! Getting a new look with black.

This one is going to take me a while. I've just started priming it; Larry did some repair work on the base and I hope it will look as cool when it's finished as it does in my mind right now. Fingers crossed! I'm thinking aqua and yellow, with an ochre glaze and white wash, floral transfer on the door to give it a French country look.

One last thing is the wood chest under the medicine cabinet. Larry stripped, sanded and stained this old wood tool box to bring it back to its original look. (The chair is one of the two that will go with the table in the first picture.)

So that's what we've been up to--that and quite a few more things. It's been a busy week, but we have lots more to do to feel like we're getting ahead of the game. Right now storytelling is quiet and I can let myself sink into this work. It's amazing how relaxing I find it, and how often I find myself with a paintbrush in my hand at midnight. Working for yourself is cool, but there's no one to tell you it's quittin' time!


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