Sugar Highs!

I got to make a cute little smash cake for the first birthday of a friend's daughter. Smash cakes are my favorite! And pink ones rate especially high. Happy birthday to the sweet princess!

To keep sugar highs to a minimum, I did a no-sugar-added cake with bananas, strawberries, and applesauce. Granted, the frosting was genuine all the way...

Thanks for stopping by!

Precious Pairs

I worked on this adorable little pair several months back but didn't have a chance to show them off then, what with other bigger pieces getting the spotlight. But these are just too cute to pass over.

They were originally a tired and dilapidated couple of wobbly end tables. My husband did the clever work of sturdying them up, and I took a few days to cover the evidence. The top of one of the tables was in obscene shape with waving, warped veneer. That took some intense mudding and sanding.

But it was completely worth it. Pieces like this are worth the little extra love needed to give them a new life.

I did a soft white base with a dark espresso glaze. And some distressing to highlight those cute curves and turns even more. 

Here they are in their cute new home! And I made a lovely new friend in the process of working on these. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Family Lovelies

This past year, we (I use that term extremely loosely, as my contributions were highly limited) cleaned out my paternal grandparents' amazing historic home in preparation to sell. They've reached another stage in their lives of needing more attentive care, so the monumental task of going through family heirlooms and decades of pack-ratted junk of questionable value took a while.

In the terrifying basement, we came across this woebegone little desk. It had, in its glory days, belonged to one of my aunts. Years of neglect and moisture damage had left it to be passed over by most eyes.

I didn't think the original top would be able to be salvaged...

With it being a family piece, I wanted to keep it in the family. So when a cousin was looking for a nifty little number for her room, I showed her this jewel in the rough.

She needed something that would coordinate with her amazing bedding. I WANT:
http://www.zappos.com/echo-design-jaipur-comforter-set-queen

So this is what the little desk turned into, after extensive structural repair for the moisture damage:

As I started prepping the top to apply a new surface, I realized the original top might be able to be restored after all, which is always groovy. It came out pristine.

I kept the original hardware and matched it to her bedspread, and added a crystal knob to the top drawer that was devoid of a handle.

The desk itself was treated in a creamy white and then glazed with a gray tobacco glaze before being poly-coated. 

And, of course, fun paper for the drawers. That makes everything better when organizing, right?

(Doesn't work for me...)

I'm so happy this piece has a new lease on life while still being a part of the family. Here's to making old things new!

Thanks for stopping by!

Family Gatherings

A few years back, when they moved, my aunt and uncle generously gave us a bunch of their old furniture, including a dining set. We used that set for a long time, despite the fact that the chairs were a dark hunter green and the stained top was worn through and marked with crayon in short order by grubby little hands. It was a godsend for us.

Until we found the ornate 1930s dark veneer table and chairs that are currently in our dining room. It suits our style better, at least until I find my elusive Hollywood regency mustard yellow velvet dream number. In the meantime, my mother-in-law expressed an interest in the old dining set, with an update. So for Christmas this year:

The hunter green turned black, and the cushions were updated with a classy country check that my in-laws picked out together. It looks great in their new kitchen.

The maple top gave me fits. I'm still learning my staining technique. On this project, I learned that you can't apply a dark stain to a light, domestic wood. Even with wood conditioner. Probably some of you wood pros could have told me that. 

Each stain pass, the top ended up blotchy and mottled. I ended up sanding it all down and starting over, after exhaustive research on shellac techniques and cutting. After a shellac half-cut and a reapplication, the stain went on like a dream...

And now I have a ton of shellac and alcohol, if anyone needs any.

It's got a handy drawer on the end for silverware or whatever. The knob got a glamor update, of course.

It's got such warm tones for fall, and it works in their country kitchen so well. 

We got to use the new table for Thanksgiving dinner when extended family was in town. Lots of people can fit down the sides and on the nice wide ends. 

Thanksgiving happened to also be my mother-in-law's birthday this year. With all the regular Thanksgiving pies, I opted for a mini cake for her. Because you still have to have a birthday cake, even if your birthday is overshadowed by pumpkin pie...

Also because cake always looks better on jadite

I'm thankful for my in-laws who opened their home for us to enjoy Thanksgiving together, and I'm thankful for my own two munchkins!

Hurricane Hazel

 

Our Amazon

A belated happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for stopping by!

First Celebrations

Back in August, we celebrated our second daughter's first birthday.

I went with a Beatrix Potter garden theme, as the girls' room is all Beatrix Potter and we are big fans of all of her precious literary endeavors. Also because I could get and grow a lot of gorgeous produce at that time of the year to keep costs down, and I'm a cheapskate like that.

So check out the adorableness of these invitations. Unashamed plug here. You have GOT to check out Shortcake's Signs custom invites and have her work something up for you. Granted, it might spoil you for anything ordinary from Vistaprint from here on out, but here's my area of choice to splurge on.

She does custom lettering in any type of font that you wish, and her drawing and art is unreal. She recreated this iconic Peter Rabbit scene for these invitations. Also, she's my sister, so that's where this degrades into pure nepotism. Believe me, it's entirely to your advantage here...

Fall Fruition

Some things take a long time to come about.

I started upcycling furniture quite by accident. I couldn't find a coffee table I liked, and in browsing internet pictures, I happened across a picture like this.

A little wild, I know, but I loved the vintage vibe. And I found a similar table on Craigslist and started my learning journey on the coffee table we still have and use and climb on daily, and in the process I started messing around with other pieces of furniture:

But it didn't come with a hexagon end table. They are hard to find, apparently. I drove all the way out to Anderson one day to look at one, only to discover that it was molded plastic and not wood. I came across plenty of others that were too plain, or just too pricey for me to spring for. So I was ecstatic to finally snag this little pair at an auction recently...

I wanted something with plenty of detail and ornate design that would stand out with all of the glazing goodness I had planned. So, finally, three years after my original inspiration, I finally have my vintage end table.

In peacock blue, of course. Put on your surprised face. 

Raise Your Glass

I LOVE sewing machine cabinets. I have two in my living room right now, one as an entry table and one as an end table. The variety of styles and the versatility of function never fails to please my heart.

This particular table had a non-functioning machine unit that I gutted at the beginning of this transformation. The original hardware was just peachy, though I gave it a face-lift with a hammered copper paint job. A couple of coats of poly are in place to keep this piece pretty for the long haul.

This particular shade of a pale bluish green, called "Irish Eyes", is perfectly soothing and sedate under that lovely espresso glaze--don't you agree? I'm loving Irish Eyes right now. This transformation also got a moderate distressing, especially along those lovely legs.

But that's not the best part. This piece is hiding a secret. Underneath that quiet, sedate exterior lies a wild party animal just waiting to burst forth. This end table doubles as a frivolous drink station!

OK, maybe not that wild...

With a little rigging on the inside, a heavy-duty rubbermaid container sits sturdily within and can be easily removed and replaced for ice removal and cleaning. It sits just below the surface so that with the top closed, you'd never guess the crazy secrets lurking beneath.