I NEED A PERSONAL SECRETARY!!!!

Oh Wait!

I HAVE 

a personal secretary.

And she's a pretty one!

But she didn't look like this 

when I got her.

No indeedy!

She was battered and banged

and beyond just refinishing because 

of deep gouges and holes that

needed to be filled.

Here are some closeups of how she looked.

She was already undressed before

I remembered to take pictures!

Inside she was NOT PRETTY either.

 The inside is much prettier now

with Valspar's blue haze paint.

The drawers needed some serious sanding.

The hardware was not salvageable.

It had rusted through in some spots.

But-Oh Baby-

She's got pretty hardware now!

I love this piece and decided to keep it 

SO-I gave my daughter

my other secretary that I bought 

when she was a baby.

And now this one is 

MINE ALL MINE!

Yep--I made that sweet little 

secretary over.

Now HERE is ANOTHER secretary

I would like to make over.

I see she has the BLUE going on already-

maybe I can just add a coat of white paint?

Thoughts?

ps.  Just so you know I am working

like a crazy woman to get my 

junk wonderful stuff together for my 

Etsy shop---

which I hope to open this weekend!

(fingers crossed)

HAPPY OCTOBER FIRST- I am BACK!!!!!

I did not want to come back until

life had leveled out and I knew that

I could be here on a regular basis.

Thought you were rid of me, didn't you?

You were wrong!

BECAUSE-

The old broad is back!

I sure have missed you guys

and have
LOTS TO SHARE

with you.

I will fill you in on more details

of our 

Summer Of Angst

as time goes on.

Let's just say 

I am glad that this 

SEASON IN MY LIFE
is over (for today).

Lest you think I was sitting on my 

big ugly butt all summer doing nothing-

I did several projects.

But, I am going to share just 

ONE PROJECT

with you today.

I have had this old piece for about

100 75 30 years.

It was made by 

WHITE FURNITURE.

They made fine hand-crafted pieces in

 North Carolina for many years.

This has a 

HEAVY SLATE INSET TOP.

The wood was in bad shape and not

worth restoring/refinishing.

Here she is all gussied up with 

White Dove paint.

Yes-yes- now I see it - the black cord hanging down.

AND- in case you are wondering why the picture looks a 

LITTLE SQUIGGLY--

I might have had a BLOND MOMENT 

and had my

camera set on SLO-MO....

yeah...

Surprise!  Surprise!

as Gomer Pyle used to say.

Here's what that ugly puppy looked like before-

And, just for fun,

I painted the inside blue!

Fun is different things for different people, you know.

Well, I won't bore you with more today-

I want to get around to 

VISIT YOU!

And, just so you don't think 

I have lost my sense of humor

I will leave you with this-

Being as this is now

Halloween Month....

(I am the one that is smiling kindly)

    I am sure I can get an 

AMEN from my kids on that one!

Lovers OF Louvers Will Love This Project Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Well-In the end it looks pretty good

if I do say so myself.

Remember when I painted the little black TV white here?

Well, I picked up a little chest from a thrift store to set it on.

However, it was so ugly I kept it covered with 

Gramma Hazel's piano scarf.

Not wonderful but tolerable.

The fringed skirt hid this beaut!

Now, I am not one to paint GOOD wood furniture.

This is NOT a good piece.  It has a cultured wood top.

Anyway, I gave her a ride to the kitchen

using the finest moving technique known to man 

to keep from scratching the floor.

Maybe I could patent that technique and sell it?

Anyway, you can tell the old boy is out of town

because I painted it IN THE KITCHEN.

Up she goes to the top of the kitchen table.

She is perched on little painting triangles from Home Depot.

Here she is after two coats waiting to be waxed.

I might have muttered a couple of 

bad words to myself trying to get paint

in all those louvers-to say NOTHING

of the words I might have muttered

trying to BUFF THE WAX on those things!

While she was waiting to be waxed

SOME ONE "might have" 

spray painted the hardware

in the garage while the old boy was out of town.

Finally, waxed and hardware reinstalled 

she is moved back

to the little sitting room 

where she is used to store

all my loose leaf binders of ideas.

Did I mention I painted inside with 

Annie Sloan's Old Violet

which looks quite blue in this picture.

So, there she sits.waiting for me to light a fire

and watch Downton Abbey...

or any old Robert Redford film.

Do you see that rock down there on the left?

That is a huge piece of Amethyst -

a gift from my son and his wife brought back from their honeymoon.

Isn't it gorgeous?

It was the birthstone of my brother and my father.

A piece I hold dear.

It is full of dazzle in the daylight and so gorgeous.

MamasBoy ALSO brought me a large

piece of petrified rock that sits on the

other side of the fireplace.

As if the rocks in my head aren't enough.....

Speaking of dazzling...

MyHero will be quite be-dazzled when he gets up this morning.

I might, or might not, have

a few new treasures to show him that I found

while he was out of town.

un-huh-

Maybe if you are VERY GOOD 

and promise not to 

run your finger along the edge of the cake

and lick the icing off 

because you think no one will notice-

well, I just might share my 

new finds with YOU, too!

Happy Monday!

Am I the only idjit in the world that loves a Monday?

Annie Sloan Saved The Day-er-Table

After Christmas I switched a room around

and have a "free-floating" chair.

The chair is down-filled and 

OH-SO-COMFORTABLE

....but...

it swivels and rocks.

Now, while that is a bonus it also 

creates a problem.

Where the heck am I going to put my coffee cup?

Y'all KNOW how much I love my coffee!

I need a little table!

It has to be a SMALL table because otherwise

I can't swivel the chair.

 I remembered I have a little table

that is kind of a discard.

With chalk paint there ARE NO discards.

Here's what she looked like last night

sitting between my chair and the fireplace.

Pretty cute, huh?

Wanna see her UGLY face?

She looked like this when I started.

I wanted a little lower shelf for a basket

to hold my pens and a pad and camera cord.

Hmmmmm.....

No way to cut a piece of wood to fit today.

I need a template.

How to make a template?

How about tinfoil?

Using the template I cut a piece of cardboard to fit.

Pretty ugly, huh?

No problem.  We (me, myself &I) wrapped

 that baby with heavy muslin.

Ready to paint I turn the piece upside down on these little cheese colored supports.

If you have never used these things 

to paint with you need to 

pick some up at Home Depot. 

They are cheap and can hold a ton of weight.

They keep the object elevated so you can paint 

all the way down to the base.

First coat on-

Finishing up...

A light sanding, wax, and slight distressing

and she is ready to go

once I slip the "shelf" into place.

Lamplight gives her a golden glow.

Not bad for a discard!

Can you believe it?

I HAVE  FIRE COMING OUT OFIMY CUP!!!!

Well-YOU might not believe me but I bet I can

trick the grandkids!!!!!

Have a great Friday!

A Disappointing Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Project

Well, lest you think my life is 

one big bowl of sweet cherries....

Ummm....This was a FAIL.

This old table was a junk pick 

and started out like this.

Yes- That's right.

I am working on the kitchen table.

Here is what that bottom piece looked like.

The top had lifted, too.  

I nailed it down and spackled the cracks

and the damaged bottom..

Can't get your putty knife in the small container?

No problem- Use the butter knife from your good everyday set.

I was afraid the old finish would bleed through

so I gave it a quick  dose of sprayed on primer.

Just enough to seal it.

See how smooth the bottom is all sanded down?

Two coats of Annie Sloan Old White covers it.

Not being content with the all white,

just call me an idiot

I decided to add some AS Provence.

This Provence 

I bought from an online dealer is

 REALLY THIN.  

Not at all like chalk paint 

I have purchased in the past.

I mean-THIN-like it was watered down.

Hmmmmm.

It went on like gel.

Did I like it now?

Not really~but like the pig giving up its bacon

 I am committed now.

Once it was painted I dressed it up with one 

of the Graphic Fairy's offerings.

Yes-It's true- I just use a plain old Sharpie.

Which means I have to go back and touch up 

a bit here and there.

All done and sitting outside so I can wax it.

Hmmmm...

Nope still not liking it.

It is holding an old slate that I painted

of my three youngest kids when they were little.

The ghost is Mimi,

Mama's Boy is in the middle.

Scary TPot brings up the rear.

Well...

There she is.

I am going to pass her along to someone.

I hate when I put all that work into something

and then don't like it.

Does that ever happen to you?

I guess I will just go join my husband in his office.

I put a new sign on his door for him.

I should feel right at home in there.

ps.  I MIGHT have painted some PUMPKINS
with Annie Sloan paint and 
I MIGHT LOVE THEM.
You'll see..........

French Provincial End Table ReDo

Bonjour or Good Morning

French or English- Take your pick..

Want to see what I have been up to?

Pretty darned cute, huh?

Paris inspired!

Simple and sweet.

It didn't start out so cute!

It was REALLY REALLY dirty

and pretty beat up.

I didn't have any white chalk paint

so I scrubbed her down and used good old

Behr ultra white in a semi gloss.

Two coats did it.

There is no distressing on this piece.

Distressing, isn't it?;>)
I lined the drawer with some 
"watercolor" wallpaper that I 
have had for at least 15 years.

Anyway- I think it turned out pretty cute

and this is going in some sweet girl's 

Paris themed bedroom.

And speaking of Paris~

When MyHero and I got married he

promised to take me to Paris for our

5th anniversary.  

He came through on his promise. He did!

He took me to Paris.

Paris, Wisconsin!

It coniists of a few houses and 

some closed down stores.

How about THIS place?

Now-Look at the top of that picture.

Does it?

Yeah......

Welcome to my world!