Mint Green Inspiration

Am I the only one who has a hard time getting back to work after a holiday weekend?  I hope you all had as relaxing of a weekend as I did.  We had some of my husband's family here and it was quite fun.  I didn't take a single photo.  I wanted to be more present this weekend and that meant NO CAMERA...or computer. 

It is officially the first day of summer break!  It's mid morning and the kids and I are still in our pjs.  That doesn't happen very often around here, but it feels nice.  I thought I'd allow the kids one day of pure laziness before the summer morning schedule begins {clean room, make bed, chores, dive team...}.  

For me there won't be much work going on during the day with four kiddos running loose around here, so the plan is for me to get up early so I can fit in a couple hours in the garage before they wake up.  Wish me luck...I'm SO not a morning person!  Anything before 6 is akin to death :{

I've been rooting around Google Images trying to find the perfect shade of mint green for a dresser I have waiting for a make-over.  Here's some inspiration.

Playroom Progress #2

Our playroom is coming along...SLOWLY.  I would love to devote more time to home projects, but the reality at the moment is that there is not enough time in the day - if only I could survive on less sleep...but alas, I can't without getting a wee bit testy!

The pinch pleat drapes were so much easier than I had anticipated.  I'll put a tutorial together and show you next week.

We've got family coming into town for the holiday weekend, which means cleaning, washing and grocery shopping!

Have a FANTASTIC weekend :)

Sneak Peak

I am finally finished with Michelle's table!  It was quite a large undertaking and because I was trying to fit it in between client projects, it has taken me quite a while to complete.  Here's a sneak peak.

This table is made of pine which can be tricky to work with.  Here are some things to keep in mind when working with this type of wood.

Pine can be easily dented with your fingernail.  Because of this, it's not always worthy of refinishing.  But if you come along a table as beautiful as this one - you do it anyway.

Orbital sanders {even high quality sanders} will leave swirl marks in the wood.  Most of these marks will not become obvious until you start staining.  I learned this the hard way.  I started sanding the finish off this table with 40 grit and slowly moved my way up to higher grits thinking that the unsightly swirl marks would disappear as I did.  I was wrong.  In compete frustration, I turned to the internet for a solution.  The solution...hand sanding :(

 {I need one of those body bugs to count my calories as I sand - it's quite the workout.  Maybe if I knew how many calories I was burning, I might not feel so guilty for the absence of exercise in my day.}

Pine doesn't absorb stain evenly and the result is unsightly splotches.  To help with this, apply a wood conditioner before.  Different wood conditioners are available for water-based and oil-based stains.  The wood conditioner will raise the grain the of the wood, so it will need to be sanded again after.

Do you have any additional facts or tips when working with pine?

Silhouette Wall

Because you can see them from my front door, I get a lot of questions about my silhouette wall.  They were so budget friendly and quite easy.  I followed Caitlin Wilson's tutorial and used simple IKEA Ribba frames.  I love how they fill the wall leading up my staircase.  

I need to re-do Zac's.  He keeps complaining that I made him look like Abraham Lincoln.  I made them 8 months ago and I'm thinking I'm going to make him sweat it out for another 8 before I get around to it....oh the power!

Cupcakes and a Birthday Party

A couple of my best-ies had birthdays over the weekend.  These two are twelve months and two days apart and most of the time are best friends.  This year was an "off" year for parties with friends, so they opted for a combined family party- score!

My sister and her roommate, Ashley, came down from Utah for the occasion.  Lucky for me she happens to be the Cake Optimist and offered to make the cupcakes - double score!  They were SO delicious.  My favorite part...the coconut filling.  To. Die. For.  Fortunately it was my binge day {still on that dumb diet} so I ate 3.  Un-fortunately, I had to been seen in my swimsuit after that :(

If you're in the Provo area, give Ashley a holler - she's also great with fondant.

My favorite picture of the day.  They opened up their cards and were completely shocked when money fell out.  Who cares about a new bike when you have six bucks!  Right?

Thanks for putting up with my family posts :)  Life has been hectic and it makes me crave family time.  After this next week I'll have a few stressful things out of the way, and I'll be back to posting more before and afters.

A French Dresser

I just finished painting this dresser for quilter extraordinaire, Stephanie.  It's going in her entryway and I hope it looks fantastic in her space!  Every time I have to take sandpaper to a newly finished project, I cringe.  It's so hard to rough up something I just spent so much time trying to get as smooth and perfect as possible.  Fortunately, she only wanted a minimal amount :)  I think it turned out perfect.

Here's the craigslist listing photo of it before.

Yesterday I finally got around to painting the little girls' twin beds.  Zac's been out-of-town all week, but he'll be back tomorrow {phew!} and I already have him committed to taking down the old bed and setting up the new Saturday afternoon.  Can't wait!

Also, if you're like me, and a sucker for the French Provincial style, I Heart Mesa has a dresser very similar to the one above listed in their weekly Craigslist Collection.  And for only $80 bucks too!

Last thing...I would love to turn my Furniture Share page into a photo gallery {with 3 photos across}.  Anybody know how to do that???

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading :)

Features

It's quite exciting to open up my Google Reader, to start going through my blogs and find...my furniture! 

Today my red dresser was featured on Design Sponge here.  And last week Becca of Blue Cricket Design wrote the sweetest post about me and my blue dresser here.

For me, this makes all the long days and late nights worth it.
 

Table Update

Good morning friends!  I'm blogging over at Three Men and a Lady today with a table update.  Check it out here!

Picking Paint Colors

The first place I look for color inspiration when painting a new piece of furniture, is the Martha Stewart paint collection at Home Depot.  Yes, I love my Benjamin Moore paint decks, too.  But with thousands of colors to chose from they can be a little overwhelming.  The main reason I love Martha Stewart's paint, is that she's already done the dirty work for us.  She's weeded through all the ugly and unnecessary and left us with the best colors to chose from.  She doesn't have some of the brighter colors I like, but I always start with her first and move on from there if I need to.

Where do you go for paint color inspiration?

SALE!

A company induced SALE!  We've got company coming in for Memorial Weekend, so in an effort to clear out my living room showroom, I've dropped prices in the shop!  

Among others, these beauties are still available!

A Long Week

It's the start of a new week and I'm personally hoping that it's much less busy than the last!  My mom took the little girls a couple days and I worked from dawn until dusk.  By Friday I was craving time with my hubby and kids.  Here's our weekend in photos {minus the work, of course}.

 Splash pad with friends.

Dinner at Rumbi {we LOVE chopsticks}.

Feeding the ducks.

 Working in the backyard.

 Swimming at the parents'.

It was just what I needed :)

I am taking on a limited number of projects this summer and at the moment I'm booked until mid-July.  If you're in the area and need something refinished, send me an email asap and I'll see where I can fit you in.

Also, a big thank you to Lakeitha from Home to 3 Duncan Boys, Rachel from Sweet Spontaneous and Meagn from Miss Madison's Charmed Life for sending in their projects!  Check them out here.