this is 30: 2013

Wednesday, December 25

Tuesday, December 24

Sunday, December 22

If you've never met him, you're missing out. Whether you call him Gene, Daddy, or Sid it all means the same thing...awesome! I am truly blessed to come from not only a "use your hands" family but one that drops everything and anything to do something for you.

Being one of three girls, we have learned to wait in line for Sid's great creations. Come with a drawing or an idea and he can deliver. Normally this process involves me "taking measurements" however Sid isn't a big fan of "about 62 inches" or "like waist height" so thats when a husband comes in handy!

As you walk in our [Davis] house, nearly every room has something that is branded with "Handcrafted by Gene Guertin" underneath or in a drawer. Joe's bedside table, our amazing dining room table, our wine glass bar area, and the sideboard when you walk in the front door, the desk in our office, and so many more things are products of my father's hands. Many of the things that are made for me have my one of a kind dark wood stain on them, custom mixed with love.

My most recent order into Sid's workshop was a new sideboard. I was inspired by something on Pinterest [imagine that ha] and although I love a good piece of painted furniture, I wanted my new lighter custom mixed finish applied. I sent Sid the Sasha Waddell piece and our measurements and boy oh boy did he deliver!

Our biggest pet peeve of the piece currently there is that of course our floors are somewhat off as many old houses are and the drawers don't seal shut so I am constantly trying to close that 1/4" gap. The current sideboard was at one point used to hold a TV and therefore had a place for baskets and other items to be seen. In our den, I'd prefer to have it all sealed off.

Prior piece (notice ALL the clutter on the random day we took this photo)

new piece in daddy's workshop

The first order was for soft close self sealing drawers and door hinges which even though they are nearly triple the price of the standard ones, doors and drawers will not slam or open on their own! Officially worth it!

Custom 7 layer stain borrowed from Jenny Steffens Hobick's blog with only one change...satin poly vs. danish oil so that it could withstand the wear & tear of being in an entry way. What a great, great finish for a fabulous piece (& recipe below)

Jenny Steffens Hobick's Headboard Finish1st : Sand, Sand & Sand
2nd : Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner (Minwax)
3rd : Stain mixed in equal parts : Special Walnut, Provencal & Golden Pecan (Mixwax), brushed on and left on
4th : Special Walnut & Weathered Oak (Minwax), brushed on, then wiped off
5th : Light sand & buff
6th : **This was the step Sid changed** Minwax Satin Polyurethane vs. the Danish Oil rubbed on that Jenny originally called for
7th : Light sand & buff

The final touch was for the amazing knobs and drawer pulls that were the icing on the cake (left knob & pull from Rockler...center/right knob & pull are from Home Depot). Left knobs (matte) were the ones that were chosen to match the satin finish.

Final pieces are below!

Saturday, December 21

frames are up!

Sunday, December 8

frame remodel with rub n' buff

we now have two mirrors in our house that belonged to joe's family that we are so grateful to be using! the one over our sideboard in our entryway as well as the one now over our dresser in our bedroom.

the newest addition in our bedroom is a beautiful round gold mirror embellished with flowers. on either side i was hoping to find some very thin gold frames that were 8x10 and then do some mats inside them with black & white photos.

while i could not find gold frames that were not too tackily shiny or too chunky, i found thin wood diploma frames at hobby lobby (40% off $4.99) and learned from Our 5th House about the use of rub n' buff! these turned out awesome!!!

$4.99 frames from hobby lobby in a wood finish always 40% off

i did not sand or prep the frames at all. 1st coat of gold leaf color rub n' buff applied with an old rag t-shirt. then i waited two hours and went back with my fingers and came back over some places that were not covered as well. the final step is to buff off with a clean rag to get that buffed look. no sealant needed for things like this! more photos to come when they are finished and up on the walls!!!

Thursday, December 5

merry everything Ella Grace

Thomas & Sallie's sweet Ella Grace received her first needlepoint gift from her Aunt Ali & Uncle Joe :) I cannot wait to meet her in person [hopefully soon]! Whether it be for her rocker now or her big girl bed later, we hope she enjoys this for years to come!

Wednesday, December 4

my first sweater!

if you know me at all you know that i love knitting & needlepoint & crafts & paint & organizing & planning anything...everything that involves me putting all of myself into something in order to complete it, i love [middle child...habitual fixer...type-A extraordinaire].

knitting is my selfish gift to myself. aside from my husband's aunt jean i have yet to make something for someone other than myself. this does not include the [secret] box of baby blankets in the basement for no baby in particular which will eventually be gifted to just the right sweet bundle of joy.

this was no exception. i am so proud of myself that i knit my first sweater! my favorite knit shop in atlanta (lovin' knit) helped me get the confidence to do it! using a purlbee pattern & madelinetosh "tosh sport" yarn i got started!

this took months [according to my ravelry page i started it on 2/13/2013] although i of course had many many other items i was working on while doing it. i officially finished over thanksgiving and started the blocking process Sunday [see below with the soaking & wool wash]. i am so excited and will post a photo of me wearing it in action this weekend hopefully!

Saturday, November 23

Ohio Bound!

Last night we had a casual going away party for Rachel & Patrick! They will surely be missed but the midwest [Ohio] will be getting two awesome people!

all the state maps from Atlanta to Ohio served as the table decor!

guests signed the inside cover of the new Garden & Gun book, The Southerner's Handbook...some things those midwesterners may need to read for themselves! Great coffee table book

Tuesday, November 19

china cabinet refresh!

I cannot contain the excitement on this one! We were gifted 1960s Ethan Allen yellow furniture a few years ago and have enjoyed its classic craftsmanship. In researching about the pieces, I came across a really cool newspaper ad from July 20, 1960 which you should look at too just because old newspapers & prices are fun to see! Lawrence Journal 1960

Our modular pieces were two full size dressers, a corner desk & chair, and two small hutches with a single drawer & double door cabinet underneath. In the past these daffodil [read: yellow] hutches graced our living room and dining room. We recently replaced for art in our living room but the china still needed a home in our dining room.

After successfully having a blast with the Annie Sloan chalk paint in the kitchen, I knew I would take on the challenge...painting over the yellow and modernizing this piece for us! The true test for the ASCP was the laminate top. I had been given tons of advice from many people...do not paint this or it will be ruined...sanding, stripping, and all sorts of other chemicals were involved in getting the laminate seal off the top of the dressers.

With zero prep work (I did wipe down the furniture with a damp paper towel ha) 2 coats of French Linen ASCP, 1 coat of clear wax, 1 coat of dark wax glaze (equal parts dark wax & non-enviroment friendly mineral spirits) later we have success!!! The back of the cabinet I antiqued in Old White (2 coats as well) with the clear wax and dark wax glaze. I certainly would not recommend the dark wax glaze if you're the perfectionist or want a solid matte color. However for the purposes of this piece it turned out so awesome!!!!

The original hardware which I was convinced would not work is back on the piece! I wish I had the space to have the 2nd hutch side by side to this one but for now, one will have to do! I guess Joe can have his workshop in the basement back until I find something else to paint!