Weekend Before and After DIY

 Actually, this story would more appropriately be named "During and After". I thought I had photos of this table "Before" but I cannot seem to find them! I have had this table for over 5 years now.....one of the many pieces I have inherited from my mother's collection of furniture. She bought this table from Gallery of Functional Art in Santa Monica probably 25 years ago and had it in her home near Santa Fe. In its original form, it was multicolored like the top (I have not painted the top in this photo). Each stick was a different paint color and it looked like auto paint....metallics and very bright. 

It was fun table, but it never seemed to go with anything in the house. I did like the form of the table and did not want to sell it. I had wanted to paint it for years. But Mom was not on board. We recently tried to find out more about the artist and see if he was still working. Mom hunted around in her papers and actually found the receipt!  After contacting the gallery, we found that they had not heard anything about him for over 15 years, so it was a "go" for paint!

I was a bit worried about how to go about painting this. There were so many sticks, and getting to them all to sand them, prime them, etc. was near impossible. Thank goodness for my friends at University Art!  I went to ask their advice and they recommended a spray paint called Montana Gold Spray Color: Shock White. No primer needed and it sticks to pretty much any surface: wood, concrete, metal, plastic, etc. It dries really fast and there are 204 colors!!!! Sounded perfect. Off I went with three cans.

 The paint worked really well! It had a nice matt finish, which I wanted, and went on really nicely. The only hitch is that I needed three more cans for the size of the tables.....so many little crevices!. I think it still might need another coat, but I could not wait to try it in place.

I had a galvanized metal top made for the table a few years ago (which is why I did not paint the top!), so we put that back on. It now sits in the dining room bringing the outside in with a very large rustic birdcage on top.

 My mom has seen it and now likes it much better too!

What did you do last weekend? I'd love to see any of your "Before and Afters"!

What Once Was Old.....

 Our household has been going through some major changes of late. As families grow and change, so do lifestyles and priorities. Recently, it became apparent that my mother needed to make a change in her lifestyle. She was needing a little help managing, and her home was no longer working for her. We decided the best thing was for her to move in with us. When we remodeled our home, we dug out a basement with exterior access, bathroom, laundry room and large open space which became my office. We decided to consolidate my office and split the space in two so Mom could have a little studio and her own bathroom. The Laundry Room will eventually become a kitchenette for her....but one step at a time.

Every day, I thank the powers that be for my husband, Tim. Not every husband would welcome their MIL into their home with open arms. Not only that, he built a wall to separate the space in the basement, complete with French door. He moved box after box of books and household "stuff". He emptied her garage and gave up his parking space in our garage so we could store her things there. He made sure the SureWest guys wired her new room for TV and phone. He was there when the glass shower door was installed in the bathroom. He painted and cleaned. Now that Mom is here, he makes her dinner and lets her do the crossword puzzle....formerly his territory. Sometimes they do it together. All of this he does in addition to all of the other things he does, large and small, for our family. (Last night he brought home poinsettias for the front porch). It is a rare thing to hear any peep of impatience. It is a rare thing to have a husband like this.

So.....this Holiday Season, I feel overwhelmed with appreciation for my husband. He is better than any present I could wish for. He is better than any vacation, car or house. He is better than diamonds. Let me rephrase.....he IS my diamond. There is an abundance in his care for us. 

When Tim and I were moving my mother's things out of her garage, we discovered a little table. It was a bit forlorn, covered in cobwebs and water stained, but it charmed me none the less. The top had come off and had broken in two, but  the rest was in pretty solid shape. Someone had lovingly built this table and I decided it was time to put it back to good use. A few finish nails to put the top back on, and a couple of coats of paint, and it is a wonderful little perch for a drink and a book. It may go through more changes.... A different color, or removal of the paint for a lime wash effect. I haven't decided yet. It will evolve over time....like our family....like us.

I wish you all a

 Very Joyous and Abundant Holiday Season

P.S........Only a couple of days left to enter the Holiday Give Away:

Click on over HERE for the rules and to enter!

Good Luck!!

Meet Veronica, Before and After

I met Veronica on the streets. She started off a little worse for wear. She was homeless when I found her. Outside, the luster had faded, there were quite a few battle scars.....but then that's what life can do, isn't it? I took her home. I thought all it was going to take was a little TLC, right? I thought I could get her back on her feet in no time. But after a couple of weeks (or was it three?) of hard core therapy....after some tough rehab, I did start to wonder if it was all worth it.

But then..... after peeling away the layers of dirt....after scrubbing clean the signs of age...I could see we were getting somewhere. I could see definite signs of improvement. It was time for a brand new coat...or several. A little color to top her off. And Viola! She is ready to face the world again. And she was definitely worth the effort.

There is more about her here.

Flea Market Project: Cannell and Chaffin

I needed a little side table next to the chair in my Master Bedroom. Budget was an issue. Things add up after all. So I went hunting at the Sacramento Antique Faire the other weekend. I found this:

Cute huh? I thought a quick paint job would fix 'er right up.

I also found this:

After consulting my Mom, (who is a wealth of knowledge BTW), I found out that this company was producing high end quality furniture out of L.A. when she was a girl. So I did a little more digging. Apparently Cannell and Chaffin was/is a prestigious Furniture and Interior Design company started in Los Angeles in 1917.....and this is where my trail ends.

Does anyone have any more information about this company? I am quite curious.

I am planning to paint it gloss white with a pale turquoise top inside of the tray rim. I will show the "after" as soon as I can get all of the old lacquer sanded out of all the lovely little CREVICES!