Friday, November 9, 2012

Refinished kitchen Table

When we moved to Texas we didn't have a kitchen table so we went weeks without having one... and if you've never not had a table it can be a pain. I found myself standing a lot more and not thoroughly enjoying the meals I made. 
 As we searched high and low for a table I found my dream table at place called Star Furniture. Unfortunately the price was a little too high for us 1600. Yikes. wasn't about to fork out that much for something I know would get mangled with kids to come. So my search continued. Until I found this beauty on craigslist.



I love white/cream colored furniture. So this is how I transformed this old piece into a brand new one.
I sanded the chairs with 220 grit just enough to take off the finish. make sure to wipe off twice to get rid of all debris. Then add your primer (I used Kilz oil-based) it doesnt need to be perfect just make sure not to leave drip marks. Sand again to get a smooth surface. Make sure to clean your brush immediately if using oil-based.. it will ruin your brush if you don't. I recommend buying Mineral spirits and alcohol to remove paint from brushes. Read the Directions on your paint clearly. I then mixed a satin blue with sparkling lake turquoise color and put a light coat on the chairs. After that dried I sanded lightly again to get a smooth surface. Next I used just an off white paint. I did 2-3 coats. Sanding in between each coat. I distressed more heavily on certain parts to get that aged look and for the blue to show through. You can't really see the blue in the pictures but its there.  I also added to the chairs  minwax stain to produce yet another aged effect. Just simply apply with brush and wipe away with lint free rag. The finish I used a polyester semi-gloss. As reupholstering the chairs: 
I removed the hideous seat covers and added new ones. I learned the hard way and had to make two transactions on the foam. I didn't measure correctly the first time so they ended up being too small. Lesson learned always ask someone to check your measurements. Even with all the purchases I made to redo the table and chairs it still cost so much less than buying my dream one. And I actually love this one more. 
As for the table I should have left it the way it was but I started sanding without thinking and created huge dent marks and sanding marks so I had to sand it all the way down to the wood and stain it again. The stain had too much red in it but I still like it.. maybe in a few years i'll redo it to the stain I like. 



 Here's the complete finished project!!  

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Halloween Party

Last year if you remember, I had planned a Halloween party for friends and Family and even planned it a week before halloween so I wouldn't have the chance of delivering on my party... but that whole plan did not work out because little Calvin decided to come early but I can't say he crashed my party because well he is much more important, I was just sad i couldn't use my clever costume... This year however I was determined to have a Halloween party. It was Calvin's Halloween Birthday Party. We invited a couple friends and fam.

 Calvin and Hobbes with mr. Snowman who melted away at work. 



Here are a few pictures of the dinner.

I made 123 chocolate cake and put them in jars as well.

We went trick or treating with aunt Becky and her kids. Calvin got quite a selection of candy and a nasty fever that night. He's been sick for month now. Poor guy. There is only one thing I like about him being sick and that's I get lots of snuggling time with my little guy which doesn't happen very often.