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!!! 

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! 

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!

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

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!