Friday, December 14, 2012

Projects

It's been a while since I posted any projects on the blog.  (Actually, it's been a while since I posted anything at all!)

Moving into a larger home has left me thrifting more than my dear husband would like, but once the projects are finished, he's much less apt to object to my slight addiction.  :)
There are several things I forgot to take photos of; Jemma's new darling vanity/dresser and a cute little chair I intended to use in my sewing room, but seems to have made it's home in the family room, but other than that, I think these are it so far.
I gave this little nightstand a new look for our guest room.  It's painted a pale aqua and I added the applique on the top drawer and replaced the knobs. 


 This next project was a big one.  
That's a complete understatement.  
It took me MONTHS to complete.  
We found this table and chairs on craigslist and paid $150 for the table and 6 chairs.  Booya!  I know!  Smokin' deal.  Two of the legs were a little lot mauled from the previous owner's dogs, so I had to patch those up, sand and paint six chairs, reupholster them (which, by the way, I only finished the day before Thanksgiving because I had the help of my amazing father-in-law.  THANKS BEN!) And after sanding down half of the table top, I decided I wanted to just build a new top and only keep the legs.  So, after a couple of trips to Home Depot and disassembling the original table, Brandon and I built a new top, stained it, painted the legs, built a new apron and painted it, assembled it all and got it in the house the week before Thanksgiving.
phew.  
I am so glad that is all done and that I don't have a garage full of furniture anymore or an empty dining room for that matter!  


 Before and After


I cannot tell you how pleased I am with how it all turned out.  The table is 8 feet long now and can easily seat 8-10 people.  Bring on the guests!!!  (Hint, hint.)
I definitely think I need to sew a larger Christmas runner for this baby.  That runner looks so teeny on there!


My most recent project was a pair of nightstands for me and Brandon's room.  I found these matching nightstands at our local goodwill for $19 a piece and just used the leftover paint and stain from the table, so it was a grand total of $38 for the pair.  AWESOME.  They have a funky smell still...I need to spray them down with lysol or something.  For now, they have dryer sheets inside...any ideas???


 I swear one of them was burned or something...one whole side was almost completely black.  Maybe that's where the weird smell is from...
 Anyway,  here are the after shots.


 I actually did have to buy some black spray paint for the drawer pulls, so I guess that tacks on a couple dollars...still pretty inexpensive for large nightstands.


 It is SO nice to have our lamps off the floor and somewhere to set our alarm clocks!
  

And, I built this car.  lol!  Just kidding, duh.
We just FINALLY got a second vehicle.  JOY to the WORLD!  It's a 2011 Toyota Corolla and we love it.


So there you are...the last 5 months worth of projecting.  
I have to admit that while I'm working on a project, I can be a little cranky.  
It really is not all that fun.
It's mostly really hard work and going to bed with super sore muscles from sanding and lifting more than you should have in one day!
But, it's also giving new life to something possibly abused and neglected that's fun.
It's the satisfaction that comes when the project is complete that's awesome.  
So, I'm sure there will be many more projects in the future...sorry Brandon!  ;)
Let the happy times roll!

Thanksgiving

We were fortunate enough to have FAMILY come visit for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Brandon's parents and Grandma Ruth came and spent 4 days with us and we had a blast!
Their first full day with us we trecked over to the historical city of Savannah.  I say "trecked" because we had to take a semi-long detour due to traffic and then Jemma had to stop like 3 times to go potty.  Next time, she  cannot keep her thermos with her.  Sheesh!
When we arrived, we had a picnic lunch at a sketchy park (we had NO idea where we were going or where to start...the city was MUCH bigger than we had anticipated and, frankly, Brandon and I had not done enough research/planning before going.  We then decided it might be best to take a guided tour.  Best idea ever.  We rode a trolley and the driver was a wealth of information.  Next time we go we know exactly what we want to do, thanks to his knowledge.
On the trolley.  :)

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving Day primarily at home.  We had a full-fledged-feast with tons of leftovers.  I guess three additional adults do not eat as much as I anticipated ;)
The weather was gorgeous, so we spent a good amount of time outside riding bikes and drawing with sidewalk chalk.  :)


...And taking pictures...
which, believe it or not, I did not take enough of!  (Our SLR was and still is in the shop...it got dropped and now we get to fork over $*** big ones to get it repaired.  Merry Christmas to us!)

We were SO grateful to have family here for our first major holiday.  
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Ben, Tina and Ruth for flying across the country to spend it with us!