Hello Winter!

According to the calendar, winter is here! The Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, and the shopping and decorating are well under way for many. How about you? Have you started?

I'm s l o w l y getting there. Had to have a little chat with myself about my Christmas decorations.....not buying anything new this year. It's so tempting. There's always something new and shiny that catches my eye! I'm easily distracted like that. So, I reluctantly agreed with me. Nothing. new. this. year.

But then.....I saw it. It may not have been shiny, but it caught my eye.

It's not very big. And didn't cost very much. So I broke my own agreement.

Can you tell what it is?

All fluffy and white....just like our ND winters....

No. That's our dog Mollie. That's not it.






This is it! An adorable little feathery white tree! Table top size.....can you see it in a white iron urn? With some white lights, and maybe some silvery or frosty ornaments? Which I won't have to buy because I already have some!





Ok, I caved. But for $2.49, I HAD to buy it. It's just what I needed to get myself going....just in time for winter!


Tell me, do you buy something new each year? Do you stick with a theme for Christmas decor? Are you traditional? Rustic? Junky? Do tell~

Wagons and Dolleys and Carts...OH MY !

Nuff said.

Before and After, Dining Table Delight

It's hard to pass up a good ole chunk of wood furniture like this at a garage sale!

 The chairs have such sweet detail.  (and yes, scratches count as detail too)

The drop leaves make this table perfect for every occasion. 

Unfortunately, a previous "very" over-zealous varnish job required paint stripper and lots of sanding.

Ahhh...the chairs are looking much better!  And might I say, would look good with either fabric on the seats.



Hey, those legs don't look too shabby!

I mean they look fab shabby. 

I mean...I SHABBIED the legs!

And several coats of durable poly later...

TA DAAAA!!!

LINKED TO:

Met Monday

Sometimes being NAKED is better !

I really never considered that being "naked" would be the better option.

But indeed, these chairs prove me wrong!

Check out our FACEBOOK page, look through the posts, and encourage Tesa to show us what the chairs have been up to...

Harvest Table and Pie

Harvest is complete, the leaves have fallen from the trees, and....

IT'S TIME FOR SUPPER!!!

This table once stood proud in a school library.  But just like the leaves falling from the trees, time for change crosses our path once in a while.  And this one needs some serious attention!  The high gloss "locker room grey" has got to go.

And oh my goodness, look at that wood on top.  "Wood" appear I have my work cut out for me!!  (tee hee)

With the rough style and chunky legs, I knew exactly the paint treatment I wanted to try on this table.  Not sure what the proper name is for it but I call the technique "dragging" the paint.  It's tricky and a bit messy but often gives a nice layered look with the application of a few different shades of paint and a bit of sanding.

Basically you brush a thick layer of paint on a scrap board, then DRAG it along the surface to be painted.  EZ PZ, right?  Well, you have to watch for drips and streaks but the nice part is that you can continue with more layers until you have the look you desire.

Unless...

You get started and realize it's NOT the right technique for this project.  And the oops paint turns out to dry a bit more vomit green than the autumn gold you thought you saw in the can.

Now that's a drag.  Pun intended.

Anywho, let's move on with the project!  Massive sanding was bringing out the beauty in the wood top.  Things were looking up, finally.  I did run a bit of Formby's Furniture Refinisher over the top also to get the varnish out of the grooves.  Then more sanding!

I love the age that still shows in the freshly sanded planks!

And now I must throw you an apology.  You see, as the sale got closer, things became a bit hairy scary at my house.  And as surprised as I am to have gotten a few before and "in progress" photos, the "after's" are a bit scarce.  Here's the table with wheels added, a wonderful coat of walnut on top, a fresh non-vomit color on bottom, and surrounded by other fabulousness at the sale.  Wish I had a better picture for you but it looked divine with all the autumn colors surrounding it!!  Almost made me want to bake a pie.  Almost.

Linked to:

Furniture Feature Friday

Met Monday