New sectional







It is May and the sectional finally arrived.  It took forever.  I am not a patient person, I was sooo tested.

It finally arrived!!!!! and Bouche loves it...









March 2012

While on our trip to NC/VA, it was decided that friends would gather at our house the following year.  This gave me the excuse I needed (like I need an excuse) to go shopping for a new sofa.  Afterall, most of our friends are at an age where inflatable matresses are not so comfey, so I needed to lay in supplies of non-inflatable sleeping options.  So where does a girl go??  PotteryBarn of course!

I decided that I need this beautiful sectional with a sleeper sofa, and lamp.  It wasn't going to be delivered until May, so I had time to get some other projects done.  I really wanted to re-do the table located in the nook, so I had 2 months to get it done before the sectional was delivered.

This is the original finish of the table and chairs

I had to strip the finish using a chemical stripper, then sand it down.  I only stripped the portions that I was not going to cover with paint.

I created a stencil with my cricut, and painted it with flat black paint.

After painting the stencil and allowing it to dry, I sanded / distresses the stencil.  Then I applied a wood conditioner, and an antique walnut stain.

Once stained, I applied several coats of polyuerthane to seal it, then I painted the sash and legs white to match the trim in the house.

I created a similar stencil for the chair seat bottoms.

I disassembled the chairs, sanded them, and painted them white.

VOILA! Finished!

Ahead of myself - February 2012

I got a little ahead of myself.  In Early February Kevin and I received a very special invitation, to a special place, for a very special reason.

We had the extreme pleaseure of meeting the President, First Lady, Vice President and Secretary of Defense of the United States of America.

Leon Ponetta, Secretary of Defense

Vice President Joe Biden

It was very cool, but not quite as cool as getting to hang out with some really great friends in North Carolina the week before the event. It really gave us the opportunity to decompress before the high stress trip to D.C.

The boys went and looked at lots of airplanes and projects, and Karen and I did some antiquing.

Gene posing with the fantastic bratwurst prepared by our gracious host in the North Carolina Estate prior to our trek north to Smith Mountain Lake.

The boys geeking out while haning out in the hangar at Smith Mountain Lake while the snow came down.

Jack hosted a scotch tasting at a local tavern near Smith Mountain Lake, VA.  Some men look great in skirts.

February 2012 - Corvair College 22

It has been a long while since my last update, and alot has been happening.  In February we hosted Corvair College in Georgetown Texas.  It was a huge undertaking.  We handcrafted 17 2'x4' EAA worktables for the event.
We had 50 builders show up to work on their engines under the guidance of the great William Wynne

Master bedroom Update

I found this great 6 arm chandelier on Overstock.com for under $200. I saw it in a local store for over $1200 and fell in love with it, so I went on the hunt. Fully lit, it was brighter than the surface of the sun, so we installed a dimmer switch, and can easily adjust for romantic lighting.

The chair is banana leaf from pottery barn

These beautiful jars came from Hobby Lobby and Target, the shells were collected over the last 20 years.I have had a blast decorating my bedroom, and finally have time to share the results with you. I have had a hard time deciding between French Country, and coastal theme, so you will see bits of each.

Below is a drying rack I made for my laundry room. I saw this rack in the Ballard Designs catalog for $199, and decided I could make it cheaper. For about $50 I made 2 this size.

Master bedroom Obsession Project Update

This past week, Kevin and I closed on our new home. We have been very busy getting the house ready for the move. My dear sweet husband has indulged me, and helped me to complete a MAJOR project in the master bedroom... before we move into the house. I really wanted to do something to make the house my own, and put my special mark on it, rather than just having a cookie cutter new home.

I started the project by refinishing the furniture in my bedroom.

After we closed on the house, I headed to the paint store. We started with painting the bedroom walls.

Then I headed to Lowes and had all of the wood cut for the major project. Kevin met me at the store, after I convinced the young man to cut all of the wood for me :-)

My Mini Cooper loaded down with construction materials.

So... We installed crown moulding, and put casing around all of the windows.

Construction underway!

We met one of our new neighbors, and he offered up the use of his nail gun.... THANK GOD!! So we installed the boards and battens in about 3-4 hours.

Once the boards were up, there was still alot to do..... paint and caulk, but we totally ran out of steam, and it was Sunday night, and we were supposed to go to work in the morning. So we both called in 'Sick and tired' on Monday and headed to the house to finish our projects. I completed painting and caulking, and Kevin was able to epoxy the garage floor!

Moving day is this Friday..... stay tuned for the Master bedroom reveal!!

Distressing Update

After many hours... about 8 total... of sanding, painintg, and sanding again, then waxing.... I have finished the dresser.

Before

After... looks like a different piece of furniture to me. It looks soooo much smaller in my room