Sunday, April 27, 2008

~ Happy Sunday, Day of Rest

It's been a crazy month with a bit of stress, so today was day of rest, for one of us. Actually Sweet Daughter had the day of rest, she has the flu. You can only go so long stressing out the body and then it just slows you down as it needs to. I'm remembering how it was if she had a cold when she was little and really loved the attention of homemade chicken soup and ginger ale, and some nice apple and orange cut up in finger size bites. That's exactly what she got today, too. Closing on her first home is Wednesday. I don't think if she gets the flu again she will be resting my sofa. She will be in her own home. So for today, I get to be a mommy, to my quite grown kid.


I have a total fascination with clouds. Their beauty is just amazing. On that last trip to Sanford in the previous post clouds led way to the fun day ahead. Before leaving the house I did a search for any architectural salvage stores in Sanford. Although there weren't any, a shop name came up, Sweet Peas. After a bit more searching I found an address and we went looking for it. The location was a little ways from where we usually go shopping but we found it. Isn't the shop wonderful? I found her blog and recognized the work of Sadi Olive on it. Small blog world.

The store was filled with some wonderful things. As I talked with owner I found out that I had actually visited her previous store when it was closer to where I live, but she had moved it to Sanford.

Isn't that gable fabulous!? I was wondering where I could use it.
The color of this old wood piece was so beautiful. Gently worn and the just the prettiest blue. I'm happy we found this store. I'll be back again. Hope you enjoyed your visit.

Monday, April 7, 2008

~ How-To, White Glazed, Cottage, Shabby Part 2

Don't be afraid to try this. Just start small. You will be so happy that you did when you find some old ugly table or something and you can transform it!
Or even a simple resin urn, that can look so much better with a little aging.

(White stone looking resin urn/ raw umber glaze.)

After you've done this finish a few times it is so simple, you forget a few other things to add. So here is a continuation of the last post so you can have some questions answered.

Paint finish:
Use satin finish paint for your basic white, cream color.
Do not use semi gloss for this because the glaze will not adhere to it as easily. Satin is a good choice, but you wish to use a flat paint, then the glaze will absorb very quickly and if it is on areas where you don't want it, you won't be able to wipe it off without it still showing where it had been. If this happens in any area while you are painting, just remember you can go back over it later lightly with the white paint.

Deglosser/liquid sandpaper:
If there is any shine to the piece at all, you can use a deglosser, or liquid sandpaper. Just follow the directions on the can/bottle, they work really well.
One advantage of using these liquids is that they can get into tight crevices where it is so tough to sand. Just make sure to clean it very well beforehand with TSP or Spic n Span, and then let it dry completely.

Glazing to get into all the deep areas:
You can also use an old brush to pounce the glaze into the deeper carved areas. Then you wipe off the excess with your damp cloth, and when it is t0tally dry, you dry brush back over just the highest areas with the same white/cream color or even a bit lighter color.

Topcoat Poly Acrylic:
So what if this is for cabinets in a kitchen or bathroom where you will get a lot of wear? In this case I really love Min-Wax Poly Acrylic Water Based
top coat. You will want to let your finished painting work dry very, very well before applying the top coat. Then 3 coats is great. You can then actually clean your cabinets if they need it with without harming the finish, and it will keep them from getting dirty to begin with.

One of my favorite projects was done by my friend Tammy. She was like some of you and really was a bit scared to try it, but she didn't like her bathroom or kitchen cabinets. She did her bath cabinet first. We talked along the way because it was all so new to her, and then she showed me her painted bath vanity. It was great! But she wasn't sure how it turned out. Why? Because her teen aged daughter told her it was dirty looking. So funny.... aged nicely, not dirty at all. With this new experience under her belt Tammy talked her husband into doing their wood cabinets in the kitchen. Up until then he said no to painting them.

So he did it all the right way. They purchased a sprayer, and he painted all the cabinets. They did a complete kitchen redo while using the old cabinets, saving a ton of money, and it is still an all time favorite redo for lots of people.

If I forgot anything else, I'll add it later. Good Luck with all your painting projects. Just give it a try and don't give up. Everything is easier after you do it a few times.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

~ Lots of Love, Locks of Love

She was a beautiful little girl. Funny how you don't quite realize things like that when you are just working so hard day to day. By the time she was two years old, she had the sweetest lovely hair that just curled on the very end. Right about 2 1/2, she decided to get a haircut. And she did, all by herself. Just a little pair of scissors and her own little hands. She neatly put the pretty strands of hair in her toy drum. I cried and cried. She was a punk baby! One side of the front was so short it just kind of flipped up, and then there were some long strands left on the other side. I remember her hugging me & patting me on the back as I sat on the floor, telling me...it's OK Mommy.

A few days ago, she went to the hairdresser to get her long hair cut. Very short. Short enough to have a ponytail to send off to "Locks for Love."
She had been talking about doing this for awhile and she finally took the time to let her hair grow long enough to do it instead of going in for her usual trims. It's only hair, she said, it grows back on me. Not on little girls who are going through chemo.

I cried, but to myself this time. Not because her hair was all cut off again. Because of the beauty of her soul and the kindness of her spirit. But it did remind me of the funny episode of her doing her own hairdo so many years ago.

Thanks so much for your well wishes for sweet daughter's hunting. It has been a really difficult and agonizing time. The house she had a contract on had lots of problems, including termites, bad electrical, wood rot, air conditioning defects & mostly no working appliances. It has been heartbreaking to see her go through this. Kind of like ending a bad marriage to someone you love a lot.

There were ducks nearby. She really loves baby ducks. As you can see from the picture she has been crazy about baby ducks since she could walk. She canceled the contract yesterday, and this time it was me telling her it would be OK. I know it will be, but it sure hurts to see your daughter go through these things in life. I'm just thankful it wasn't a defective husband she was canceling. Really. :)

I'm not sure if she is willing to pursue this any further. At the moment we are both worn out from all the running around and stress. It doesn't look repairs are going to made correctly and would have to be done over again. And of course, I'm sure there is another house out there for her. Most likely not with water and ducks in the backyard though.

If you know anyone who would like to donate a ponytail here is the website address. Locks of Love