The Tables Are Turned!

It was a day of painting tables yesterday.  Check out the before/after shots of some of the tables I've been working on.

This table above was a quick fix. Just some sanding and a new coat of creamy white paint.  The table below was a mess. Chippy, peely paint all over.  I started sanding it with my orbital sander but my wrist went numb after 20 minutes. My darling husband even volunteered to take a shift, to no avail.  I ended up using a paint stripper to take off 4 layers of white paint and brought it down to the natural wood.  I then primed it and painted it "Ivory White" by Benjamin Moore, #925, one of my favorite whites.

 

I promised to show you a picture of the finished outdoor table that Ken built after our glass bistro table broke.  I stained the wood with a teak finish and put three coats of low luster polyurethane over it.  It's not walmanized lumber, so we don't know how long it will last out here, but it bought us some time. 

The drop leaf table below I bought an an antique store a couple of weeks ago.  It was outside and looked like it had been rotting there for a few years.  I've been too busy and couldn't muster the energy to tackle it before yesterday, but the sun was shining, the birds were singing and I already had the paint stripper out...so I had no excuse to put it off any longer. 

It is far from perfect, but that's what cottage style is all about, right?!  I have one of these on my sunporch and we use it all the time.  We eat dinner on it in the fall and spring when it's not too warm in there. The dropped leaves come up and are supported by wood underneath. I think I'm going to finish it off with a coat of "tudor brown" bri-wax that I bought at Allegan Antiques today. It's a shade lighter than the dark brown wax.

And last but not least, we bought this at a Douglas garage sale, (thanks Paul and Michelle). It was forest green and came with 6 folding chairs for $40.  I used 4 cans of spray paint for another $20 and now I have a nice large table for entertaining. Again, not the table of my dreams, but it'll do, and the price was right!

Okay, so I may have to replace the $5 umbrella that I bought at a sale last year. That's as far as it will open. I am thinking of covering it with some thatch and turning it into a tiki bar umbrella. I'll keep you posted!

And, just when you thought it couldn't get any better, I had to include a shot of the nicest Macker Tournament Basketball players around. These guys should've taken home the hardware for Sportsmanship, but instead came home with scratches, bruises and sore backs.  They came in 4th out of 15 teams.  Not bad for a bunch of  "has-beens" in their 40's!! We didn't hit any garage sales on the way to Ludington and back, but a good time was had by all!

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Ahhh, summer!

We had some friends over for a backyard barbeque last week and it was good motivation for me to spruce up my deck area with some accessories.  I haven't been working on outside projects yet this summer, and still haven't planted all my flowers as you can see, but it was a beautiful summer night and we had fun chillin' my the pool and catching up on life.

This old rug isn't really meant for outdoors, but a neighbor gave it to me several years ago and it's weathered three summers on the deck uncovered.

Sooo, for my birthday this year, (July) I've hinted that I wanted an outdoor pergola built for over this deck area.  Ken built this deck the first summer we moved in after we put the slider in.  There was never access to the back yard from our house except through the garage. Since we are definitely backyard bums, we knew we couldn't live with that arrangement.  I think a pergola would define the deck area nicely and jazz up the space a ton. It would come out from on top of the slider trim and connect with pillers to the outside corners of the deck.  Pleeeease honey???

This table top was a happy accident. The girls and I were lying by the pool one day, when "crash!!"  Ken was trying to put the umbrella through the hole in the glass top and the whole table shattered....so, instead of running out to buy another table, he spent a couple of hours in the garage and built a new one.  I actually like this look better. I just finished staining and sealing it today and will post pics of the finished product. So happy to be married to a do-it-your-self-er!

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Small Change

A client of mine just sent me an email encouraging me to look at artist Rodney White's prints online. She said she thought I should definitely buy the one that says, "There is no such thing as small change".  These pictures remind me that even small change(s) can make a big difference.
This chair just needed a coat of fresh white paint.

This old metal stand I found in Pentwater. It was brown and rusted.  I spray painted the whole thing black with a metal spray paint.

My niece Kari, the photographer, reminds me to try to take "before" pictures and "after" pictures in the same location and exact same pose.  I'm too scatterbrained for that Kari.  I always forget what way I had the piece. I'm lucky to remember to snap a photo before I go to town with my paintbrush!!  This table is an example of my awful photography skills, but oh well...you get the picture...literally.

Having fun these days redoing these desk chairs with fun fabrics.

And, this has nothing to do with small changes other than how much these precious kids change every time I see them, but I couldn't resist including a shot of my nieces and nephews, (and my own two girls) who were downtown for a photo shoot a few nights ago with my parents.  I love my sisters' kids as if they were my own, (and sometimes claim them as if they were).

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"Not So Shabby" Grand Opening!

Just wanted to show you a few pics of what will be at the 'store' this weekend during "Not So Shabby's" grand opening.  The hours are Friday, June 18 from 10-8 and Saturday, June 19 from 10-4. Most of the booths, (including mine) will be marked down 10%.  There's door prizes and give-aways and even a noon picnic on Mainstreet on Friday! I will be there from 10-1 on Friday, but on Saturday, I'll be cheering my hubby on at the Gus Macker Basketball tournament in Ludington.  Come "Feel the Zeel" this weekend and get some great deals at one of the hottest new spots in town!

I'm bringing a full van load to the store for the weekend festivities!  Don't miss out on some great accessories, furniture, signs, pillows, lamps, and much more!

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Still Pickin'!

Call us crazy, but this past Saturday, "The Zeeland Pickers" set our alarm clocks for 6 A.M and headed up to Pentwater, Mi. for their annual village wide garage sales!!  We're usually up there camping during their sale weekend, but this year we made the trek without the camper.  We definitely could've used a trailer though to haul back what we found! 

Here's a picture of Ken trying to
strap a vintage settee and armoire to the top of our mini van!  I found three more fabulous pieces that I begged him to throw up top as well, but he was already nervous about this arrangment!
It was an hour and 10 minute drive home, so the next four sales we hit, we were asking for straps, ropes and bungee cords!  We rolled home looking like the Beverly Hillbillies!

Here's the treasures laid out in our driveway.  Our neighbors could only shake their heads and laugh!

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Workshop or Garage?

This is what our garage looks like on any random day, especially after a garage-sale-ing Saturday! I couldn't wait to get started on painting some of these pieces. 

This coffee table I've had for about 6 years.  I like the size because I can move it around from room to room easily.  I've grown tired of the dark finish though and wanted to give it a new look.

I decided to sand it down, leaving the top natural, and paint, rather than stain the legs.  As you can tell by the top of it, my girls had some fun using it as part of their 'stage' downstairs.  Many a pair of high heels have strutted their stuff on the top of the piece!

After I power sanded the top and sides, I washed it all and used light brown colored "Bri-Wax" to finish it off.  I love this product.  A friend I taught with years ago introduced me to Bri-Wax, (thanks Kelly) and I love using it to finish off painted pieces that have a flat sheen.  It protects and polishes painted and stained furniture. 

The scars from the girls' high heels only added to the character of the finished product!

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Bedroom Makeover A Success!

Okay, so here is the "before" picture of Kennedy's bedroom before the new paint color went on. She had an antique 3/4 size bed and asked for a twin bed because she felt her bed took up her whole room, (which it kinda did).
Her snow globe collection about to be packed up in boxes, thank goodness!

These next few shots aren't the greatest angles because her room isn't huge, but I hope you can get the picture. 

Kennedy and I did pick the comforter out together, but she had no idea about the rest.  She was truly surprised when she walked in.  The room does feel much bigger, and she really liked how it turned out.  Made the last three nights we were up until 2:00 A.M. worth it!!

My husband built the day bed for her.  Truly a labor of love because when we put it in the room we realized the mattress was a bit too small for the bed, and he needs to take it apart and scale it down. My fault. He asked me to get the mattress first, but I just told him to measure a standard twin. Oops. 

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Happy Birthday, Kennedy!

These are my girls.  Brecken is on the left, Kennedy on the right.  I haven't shared much about them in these posts, but they are my greatest joy.  Brecken looks like me, but acts just like Ken, (God bless her).  Kennedy looks like Ken, but acts just like me, (God forbid).  They are both growing up to be such amazing young women, (no thanks to me or my parenting, but by God's grace).  It's Kennedy's 12th birthday this week, and she asked for a bedroom makeover for her birthday.  The designer in me jumped at the chance...the Mom in me cried because she's growing up.  I knew this makeover would include getting rid of the little girl's bookcase that she's had since she was five.  It would mean  taking down the princess wall art that hung over her bed for the last 4 years. It would mean stashing away her snow globe collection and replacing it with Justin Bieber posters.  I'm not ready.  I stood in her doorway last night staring at the fresh coat of "brighter than I want it to be" green paint and cried. Happy Birthday Kenn!  Love you tons!

Here are some pics of 'rooms' I saw staged when my friend Julie and I were at Ikea this spring.  I might use some ideas for inspiration in Kennedy's new room. I'll post pics when it's done after her birthday room reveal  on Thursday.

 This was cute. I'm helping my friend Deb pull together a black/white inspired room for her daughter.  It's a fun, dramatic look. (This one is at Ikea-I'll post Deb's pics when we're done).

This one I really liked. Kennedy would love the netting and the chandelier.  

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