Jenny Garland

Antique Desk Rehab

My fabulous mother-in-law (I know, I'm super lucky to have a fabulous mother-in-law) gave me this antique desk. She thinks it's from England and we have no idea how old it is. It's solid wood and very sturdy though.

This is what it looked like before .... Nice bones but icky finish.

It had a deep crack on the top right...

And here is my lovely desk after I had my way with her :)  ...

I forgot to take a picture of the crack after I filled it with wood filler and sanded it down. You can hardly tell it was ever there. Yay for wood filler!

PS - I am *almost* done with the dining room!! I cannot wait to show you pictures early in the week :) Stay tuned.

In Progress...

I have no patience. I want things done yesterday! You can see why this dining room rehab is the bane of my existence right now :) Where are those magical DIY fairies that pop in and do everything while I sleep?

Here's where I'm at tonight:

* All 8 chairs are sanded, primed, and painted (Whew! I just have to wipe a poly sealer on 'em):

* Corner cabinet and two bases of table are sanded and primed. Um, I also decided to refinish an antique desk (you'll see that's primed in the picture). Why, oh why can't I just finish what I start instead of adding more to do?

* Still have to paint the darn things. Seal them. And then sand, prime, and paint the table top and cabinet doors (back right). Oh, and recover the cushions. Wait until you see how cute the fabric is.

I'm tired just thinking about this! Night, friends :)

Whoops! Sorry About the Hiatus :)

Hi friends. I would like to sincerely apologize to all those affected by my lack of blogging as of late. I am sure you all have been stressed out, unable to eat, and incapable of functioning at work. Be sad no longer, my dears. Here I am :)

We went to Myrtle Beach with family for a week and had a fantastic time. Lots of sun, warm ocean swims, and tasty seafood. Here are a couple pictures from our trip... (Sara Paige is modeling the Bjorn cover I made for her)  

 

 

   

Other than that, I signed up for a couple craft shows this fall (yippee!). More info about that soon :)

I am still working on refinishing the dining room furniture. I bit off a bit more than I was planning to chew on this project. I've almost got everything primed (gray color) and think I'll be able to start painting it black this evening. Here are some pictures of progress so far...

 

 

What have you all been up to?

A Couple Projects

So I got to the gym this morning, dropped both girls off in the excellent childcare, and hopped on the elliptical machine. Then a silly thought popped into my head. "What if I bolt? Just for 45 minutes or so. The girls are safe and happy." Oh, the things I could do... Um, a shower without company would be nice. Or grocery shopping alone. Or a nap. Or a pedicure. Or running into 7-11 to get a Big Gulp of Diet Coke. Or finding some poor bystander to talk with about anything except Mickey Mouse.

By the time I finished daydreaming, fifteen minutes had passed and I figured I might as well finish my workout. You know, instead of abandoning my children. Maybe next time. Kidding.

Joking aside, a big reason I love crafty stuff is it's mine. I spend all day caring for and entertaining little ones.

I wouldn't trade it for the world. And most of the time it's just where I want to be.

But I miss achieving. I long for a performance review, some objective indication of whether or not I'm doing well. It's so easy to lose yourself staying at home. How do I explain to others what I do all day? It's not glamorous. It's monotonous.

I craft to keep my mind sound (weirdo, I know). When I create, I relax. I have an tangible indication that I have done something. It may be small and unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn't bother me.

I try to squeeze in at least an hour a day (during nap time or after the girls go to bed) to work on some project. Some days I can find more time and other days I can't find ten minutes.

Here are some things I've been working on...

I took matted frames and covered the mats with scrapbook paper

to make these CUTE egg prints really pop:

I took a couple ordinary glass vases and wrapped some jute to them to perk up my mantle:

I'm in the process of sewing drapes for my family room and kitchen. Last night and this evening I finished hanging the curtain rods:

See the back door in the second to last picture? Anyone have window treatment ideas? I have the fabric cut for everything else, just gotta sew it. 

You Too, Can Spray Paint Glass

Here's the pretty little glass piece I found at the thrift store the other week.

This afternoon while Kate and I were playing outside, I spray painted it white. It took 20 seconds. That's it. All I did was wash it well first. No primer, nothing fancy. Just cheapo white spray paint. I can't wait to put it on my bathroom counter and fill it with cotton balls or Q-Tips. Decisions, decisions...

Go ahead and spray paint glass, don't be scared :) Just be sure it's only a decorative piece and you will not be eating off it.

I Just Gave my Thrift Store Planter a New Life

Remember this post about my thrift store finds?

Well, here's my friendly planter before. She was solid and sturdy but a little boring. And pretty outdated.

Don't worry, little planter. I'll jazz you up.

After a fresh coat of paint, a little sassy leopard print ribbon (mmhmm, you got a problem with it?), and some jute wrapped around her handle, my planter's a new woman:

She's the perfect container to hold my ivy which has defied all odds and survived.