Late Night Redo

I had schoolwork to do, dishes in the sink, a floor to mop...but meh, who needs to do those when you can refinish a piece of furniture?! Totally sound thinking, I only had to be up at 5am to start everything I "forgot" to do.

I have had this piece for a few months now. I picked it up at the Cement Factory. I had these grandiose plans of Ian making this amazing coffee table and unfortunately he is just too busy to get it done. So I went with a mission and came out with something that worked! I have no idea if it is supposed to be used as a coffee table or really what it is at all, but it works and it was something like $30. DEAL.

The top opens up and there's storage inside. There was also a rice mat on top, in that indent, but that rice mat and I weren't getting along, so it had to go. 

My original plans were to fill in that indent with wood and stain it, in a herringbone pattern, but again my husband never found the time haha. I have had Annie Sloan paint ready to go for maybe 3 months (but who is counting?!) in Provence and Old White, but recently our Arts & Crafts Center got in the Americana Chalk Paint and I decided to try it! I have to say, it was thinner than Annie Sloan and required a few more coats, not to mention there were more visible streaks. I am not a huge fan, but it will do and it was not horrible!

Here is after two coats of my top color - The coverage is not fabulous:

I decided to paint the bottom in a blue color (Americana Vintage) and the topic gray (Americana Primer). I wanted to attempt a herringbone pattern on the top so I just lightened the gray with Annie Sloan's Old White. 

I'm a lucky duck, my husband helps me with most of my projects. He is precise, so I left the taping to him!

While Ian handled the herringbone pattern, I decided to tackle the hardware. My curent obsession: Anything GOLD. My house looks like it has the Midas touch and I'm totally okay with that. I knew I HAD to paint the hardware gold. Unfortunately the pieces do not come off and are too scrolly to tape off, so hand painting it was! I went to a local store, Homac, and picked up some paint. Well, I thought it was "normal" paint...turns out it's powdered paint. I decided to make it work (said in my best Project Runway voice). I've never worked with it before, but turns out that it has fabulous coverage and stays on really well.

When all was finished, I used Annie Sloan Clear Wax to seal it. It's not my favorite piece, it's a bit more busy than I was picturing in my head, but it will do! the room is a tad brighter now and I feel like I've accomplished something....finally.

Rosalynn is 7?! Where did the time go?

It's been almost a week and I'm still in shock. My baby girl is 7 years old. When did that happen?!

Her one want was to have an American Girl Tea Party, so I did the best I could! Japan is a little difficult to make some things happen. It's an amazing place, but sometimes it is challenging to find everything. A big THANK YOU to my Momma who shopped for and shipped me what I needed, to my neighbors who helped with everything else! I love where I live!

Onto the fun. Daddy might have been sneaky and went for something else besides fruit punch, lemonade or tea....I thought it was funny! >>>>>>>>>>>>>



We went with the "normal" American Girl theme. Red, Pink and White stars and funky designs. I was fortunate enough to find little poofy balls at a local store, Daiso along with red tea cups and saucers. I made the bows from Daiso bows and clips. We had mini and full size snacks...we had to include our dollies! My neighbor made the cake...it was soooo cute...and the delicious macaroons! Another neighbor made the matching dresses! How fun! She is the owner and creator of Lil Stitchings....she sells adorable things and really went out of her way to get this perfect. Roz LOVED it and Abby is super jealous. Unfortunately Abby was too sick to enjoy the party :( but she enjoyed some cake the next morning :) We had a hair station and a mommy/dolly bracelet making station. Super cute! Rosalynn was so happy.

 

The best part?! My happy birthday girl!!

 

It wasn't a huge and elaborate party, but it was a fun little party! I'm so glad it's over and done with! Though Rosalynn is already planning her 8th birthday....a STAR WARS party, be proud, Uncle Adam!!

Slow and Steady...& Random Ramblings...

I feel like we take forever to finish things. I guess as long as we finish them, that's all that counts...right?

Our dining room is slowly, very slowly, coming along. My sideboard just needs a good coat of blue paint and dark wax.

In October...ignore the adorable hooligans in the picture

 Changed out my wine chiller for the new coffee maker...(No idea why we chose to live without a Keurig before!)...Notice the awesome plates that sat there for MONTHS.

I added some drapes, actually put something in that blank frame, hung those lonely stacked plates, added a tray that I got from the cement factory (I'm moving away from silver so I intend to paint it gold) and yay for new placemats and table decor...brought to you by good old Crate and Barrel.

After much fuss about a table, we are deciding to redo the one we have since I just can't get what I want here. If you know me well, you know that I've been slightly obsessed with Ana White since Pinterest introduced me to her site, over a year ago. Right before we moved and right before the movers came she posted a table....

http://ana-white.com/2013/05/plans/husky-farmhouse-table
....and I want it. Unfortunately in Japan there are not many options as far as building it, and I knew that coming here so I didn't even try for that exact table and a bench to match. I've gone back and forth between others but I don't want skinny turned legs nor do I want straight legs. We found a table at the furniture store here with turned legs that we could've salvaged just the legs off of (it was cheap), but they were too skinny for what I was going for. I've cried out of frustration...yes, I am pathetic and I do not have a life. Without the options to really go at it and build the table and bench that I want, I will be waiting until we return to the states...sad face. In the meantime, we get to redo what we have and we'll be adding a little extra seating, which I will put together as soon as I sand, stain and paint and fix my very well used table :)

I'm hoping to get this room done in the next few weeks! My first session of classes are almost over for the semester so I can find more time to work on fun stuff!

My projects for the week include:

Redoing this vase...I had been eyeing this guy for a few Cement Factory trips. He sat in the back corner and stared at me, every single time I walked into the "expensive antique room". I don't have another name for that room, so that's what I go with. My plans are to go with white, blue or cream Annie Sloan paint, complete with dark wax...shocking that I would choose those colors, I know. At $20, I thought it was a steal! Better yet, my husband convinced me to go for it...love him and it's original label was $30....score!

I was so excited with my second find, which may seem menial to the average person, but clamps! Woohoo! I had been searching for these little guys....looking in all the wrong places and stores. Now I can finally make my little mason jar lovely. They had smaller ones that I will probably go back for to hang wine bottles with.

Ian's project for the week/weekend?

Again, where else would I have found this other than Ana White? I had my heart set on another coffee table, but I just couldn't picture it in a "coastal cottage/farmhouse" home. I saw this one and it was perfect! I have this thing for turned legs and candlesticks. Ian insists that he is going to learn how to turn wood...because he apparently needs one more awesome skill under his belt. Knowing that we wouldn't be able to find chunky turned legs like that in Japan, we headed to the Cement Factory (same trip as the vase) and picked up some slightly thinner and slightly less turned table legs that we will use for our coffee table. We're working with what we have available. If the table legs don't work, we will have to figure something else out. I cannot wait to see what Ian comes up with.

A random bit that I have been working on and improving....me! I joined Weight Watchers a bit ago and have been losing weight ever so slowly, yay. I figure that I better get on a program so I'm not losing too quickly, since I'm not fantastic at pacing myself. It's working and I'm happy about it :) Slowly, but surely, everything is coming together!

The 2014 Overhaul

 

There's so much of my life that I want to overhaul for 2014. Not to say that I am not already blessed, but if we're being honest here...I'm not where I want to be nor am I who I want to be. I can speak for everyone in this household, we all feel the same way. Time for some changes. The saying is "New Year, New You", right? Time to take control.

My number one issue....technology. Yep, I will freely admit that I have been one of those who gets together with their friends so we could all pinterest and facebook on our phones the whole time. Since noticing this, at the beginning of 2013, I vowed to change it....and I have....just not completely. When your phone, tablet or computer get in the way of you actually living life in the real world, you have a problem. I will admit it, Ian and I argued about this not more than 2 weeks ago. I believe it was me saying, "You never put that damn thing (tablet) down!". It's true, of myself more than I'd like to admit too. We have greatly decreased our electronics usage and what do you know, we're...wait for it...happier and more connected! I challenge everyone to do the same. You honestly don't realize how much time you spend online or on apps until you put the electronics down. If you aren't attached to your phone already, good for you! I aspire to be like you in 2014. I am getting there, and it's marvelous :)

  I care too much what others think. I'm guilty of being a people pleaser. I would do anything for anyone...well almost anything, this people pleaser did have her limits. Towards the end of the year I was stretched so thin that I suffered, Ian suffered, the girls suffered, friendships suffered and the business suffered. Nothing went smoothly and I felt like my life was a wreck...not a happy place to be in. I had a fantastically craptastic attitude from about October 15th until this morning when I woke up with the will to change. I was miserable, critical, rude...not my normal bubbly and happy self. It's hard not to be cynical and mean when you feel like you're never doing enough. Let's face it, you can't please everyone. I used to be the type where I would post that we're not taking orders and taking a vacation (which we're on right now), but if someone messaged me I would appease them by doing their order right away. I have some none too thrilled with me people right now, but I refuse to work on our much due vacation time. It's "me time", darnit!

I'm a lot of things and not all of them are good in every situation or easy to take in all the time. I'm loud, obnoxious, nerdy, I speak way before I think, I act long before I use my brain, I'm passionate about everything I believe in, I think outside the box, I'm far from perfect and my all time favorite...I'm too much. All things I've been criticized for....all very true, especially the first four haha. I'm proudly obnoxious and nerdy, I'll admit that. I need to learn how to weed out the "friends" from the actual friends. I've never been good at this....ever. I was never gifted the fantastic ability of foresight, nor was it something I picked up along the way. Some things I need to scale back on so I can make quality friends: I trust others....recklessly. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt....always. I believe that there is good in everyone. I'm an open book so others can learn from my experiences and the crazy life I've lived (most have NO idea haha). The moral of the story in my long nonsensical paragraph: I have realized that I am who I am and that's not going to change. What is going to change, however, is the way that I decide who becomes an integral part of my life and who I allow to remain close to me. I am sure this sounds mean, but not all are worthy. I will also be a better friend to those who are worthy :)

 Lastly, I need to finish the stuff I start. Which goes hand in hand with me putting myself and my family before others. Let us view what happens when I put everyone else first:


 My lovely incomplete and very bare mantel.

That was SUPPOSED to be a wine bar, until Ian's Keurig placement somehow transformed it into an incomplete coffee bar. Notice the frame of nothing, the not painted buffet, the horribly staged coffee bar accessories, the plates that need to be hung up on that wall but I can't because, oh wait...

 ....I need to actually paint it first. Though this tape that has been up for a few days adds a bit of character. Another project awaiting completion.

Even better....how about my empty, lonely, frame. I at least painted it, burlap matted the frame and hung it...that counts for something, right?

   

Or here's a view of awesome. This is the start of my gallery wall. Don't you just love how it has highlighted our room...for the last 2 weeks...leaning up against the wall it should be hung on, incredibly incomplete. I need to paint that clock, finish my state cutouts, vinyl that window, paint that box and make it into a family quote sign, frame some pictures....the list is never-ending.

This is my year of doing (in all aspects of life) not just talking, since I have a knack for leaving things the way they are. Game on, 2014.