Today I'm Linking Up With Classy Clutter

So I decided to try this whole Link Up Thing and Linked my TV Stand that I just finished. Go check out  Classy Clutter. They have lots of things to check out and learn from. If you have something to share link up and have fun.



Other than that there isn't much going on today. We worked on the wood for the counter top yesterday. Oh my what a mess. They obviously used flooring from somewhere. Where I do not know. But they put it on the wall dirt and all. Yes I said dirt! We literally had to scrape it off. I told Dave no way is that going in my kitchen. Either we clean it or we scrap it. So 5 hours later we have enough done to do the sink area. Here are pictures of the basement and wood pile. What a mess.

See it looks like beadboard. Not a bad concept or idea just not very good execution. That is a duck border along the top. Kind of pretty too bad they had the flood down there.

Any way everyone have a great Easter!

A Kitchen Cupboard Repurposed

When we moved in there were cupboards already in the kitchen...kinda obvious huh. They were nice enough but we had recently replaced the cupboard's in the trailer with oak from Menards and we brought them with us. So I used the corner base cabinet that was here to make a tv stand for our room.

  First we put a 2 x 4 in the center for a brace

Then we added some 1 x 6 pine boards across the top. These were just scrap out of the scrap bin that I had for my stockpile at the trailer. They have lots of knots, dings and even some grooves on the edge for a rustic look. I used some wood filler to fill in screw holes and gaps. Then I used my electric hand sander with 80 grit and sanded down the top and sides. I also rounded the edges out a little bit.

I have been doing some research on chalk paint. Annie Sloan has a chalk paint line but at 30 something a can that is out of my budget. I found a recipe online that calls for baking soda. I went to Menards and bought sample pots of Pittsburgh Paint in White Chocolate and another blue green color. Sorry I can't find the card to tell the color. That happens alot to me. I sit something down and it walks away in this house. But no one touched it. Any way. 

I mixed the chalk paint at a 3 to 1 ratio. First I mixed the baking soda with water and mixed it really good. Adding just enough water to make it soupy. Then I added the paint and mixed it with a whip. 

I used a foam brush and brushed on 2 coats of the white and let it dry inbetween each for 24 hours. Then I dry brushed the blue over the top and also let it dry 24 hours. I literally just randomly slapped it on. Now the blue is not mixed with the baking soda yet. I did that later for the inside. Then I mixed a glaze with Minwax Dark Walnut and water. Using the wipe on wipe off I glazed over the paint and again waited 24 hours. With the glaze you want to wipe in on with a clean rag. Then using another clean rag wiping it off after about 30 seconds so work in small areas. This tied it all in.

Then I stained the top with the dark walnut stain. This made all of the rustic in the top pop out. Again waited 24 hours and brushed on one coat of Poly. One side of the cupboard did not have a door or drawer so I added some from the sink base that fell apart when we took it out. The left side has a drawer and the right is just a front glued on with wood glue. I put the glue around the edges and clamped it letting it also dry for 24 hours. Then I painted those without using the glaze. This made them stand out.

I finished with the paste wax again. Now the chalk paint has a rough finish so you want to use something to put over the top. Not only to smooth it out but for protection. I didn't want a shine on the body so I opted for the wax. This smoothed it out and gave it a dull sheen.

This is how it turned out. It looks like it has been sitting in a barn for years. This antiquing is pretty easy and lots of fun. 

Chalk paint is wonderful stuff. You can paint over anything with it with no sanding or primer. So we have a beautiful tv stand and best of all it cost a total of 4.00. Repurposing is the way to go. The uses are basically endless. Look around your house. What can you use to make something else?

I 

Brighten Up My China Cabinet

   My china cabinet used to be my mom's. She gave it to me about 20 years ago. I love this cabinet. It had seen better days though. Being shoved into the kitchen at the trailer it had gotten bumped and bruised.

Using the same technique as the table, I washed it, then used gel stain. This time I brushed it on lightly with a foam brush and let it dry 24 hours in between 3 coats. Then I finished it with the finishing paste wax. Look at this beauty now.

I absolutely love using the gel stain to brighten things up. It is so easy and doesn't change anything about the piece. We are having so much fun doing this. and it is a great filler project. Easy to do and fills in time while waiting for other things to dry. 

A Table Revived

  Wow have we ever been busy. Remember this table.....

Well just look at this beauty now.....

It doesn't look like the same table! I am absolutely in love with this table. Here it is in the sunroom. 

I left most of the imperfections. I think it gives it character. I love the ring and all of the dings on it. 

 

I found a website with refinishing tips. First I washed the table with the equivalent to dish water. Then I let it dry for 24 hours. The next day I used Minwax Gel Stain. I love that stuff. 

I just used a rag and wiped it on. Then I rubbed it off with another rag after 3 minutes. After another 24 hours I repeated the steps again on the center of the top to darken it to match the sides. The next day I used Minwax finishing paste wax. I forgot to take a picture of that stuff. But it is in the stain isle at Menards. I used a rag to wipe it on, waited 10 minutes and buffed it out to a shine with a clean rag. 

This is the first of the never ending list of projects. We have been working on the dining room floor. Remember all of the paint? Well 95% of it is now off. We will be renting a floor sander probably next weekend and start sanding away. I can't wait to show that off once it is done. It already look 100 times better. And the wood is absolutely beautiful under all that crud.

In a Perfect World....

  Ok this is a bit of a rant. In a perfect world......when a company says their product will do something it would be nice if they wouldn't LIE! LOL. Now I know I was not born into a perfect world. I know better than to read a label and think ok this will do just as it says. But come on people. At least tell me in fine print we said brush this stripper on like we say, wait the 30 minutes, and go out to completely evaporated product. And then we are going to take the 6 bucks you just wasted to buy our crap, pool it with all of the other fool's 6 bucks, and fly to the Bahama's.

  Menards only has 1 brand of stripper. Zinsser Stripfast. After wasting the first can because it even evaporated in the bowl, I bought another. Ok call me crazy but what else do I do. The paint ate right through the 50 grade sandpaper after 2 small areas. And at 4.00 a belt this could get really crazy. So I played around a bit. If i work in very small areas and start scraping immediately it takes most of it off. Yeah finally figured it out.

  Dave's brother in law is a contractor. He said use Strip Ease but alas Menard's doesn't have that one. In the mean time....Sorry if I offend anyone, if I could find the fool who painted this floor, I think I would shake my first living being. But after 3 hours I do have most of it off. Nothing worth anything is easy.

Dining Room Floors....Oh the Joy of Removing Paint

  In one of my earlier posts I mentioned that someone had started painting the dining room floor. Well we have started to redo the floor and oh boy........

What a mess huh. But the wood is beautiful once it is sanded. When we get all done I will share pictures. 

I know I said get the kitchen done first then go to another room but that plan has changed. I have all of my china in boxes still so we need to get the Dining Room done so I can get that out of the spare bedroom. I need to get the dresser out of the Living Room. This house is still a wreck because I do not want to take care of anything until the rooms are done. Or at least far enough I won't have to clear it out to do a little bit. 

I also found 2 fantastic tables at the ReStore yesterday. I LOVE them. 

The first is a drop leaf with a center 5th leg. The veneer was peeling very bad so that is being stripped off. It is mahagony and has beautiful detail.

Look at those legs and the curves on the edge. I forgot to get a complete before picture so this is in progress. 

And those legs. Oh the curves. I can't wait to finish. But the best of all....It was only 4.77. 

The second table is also a drop leaf. It has these old metal locking hinges on the bottom. Rollers on the bottom of beautiful carved legs. This table was 9.77. Gotta love the ReStore. 

It needs some work but it is going to be beautiful. My Big (little) helpers helped me clean it up and also helped with the veneer. They just crack me up. 

Coupons....Oh how I love to save money

  For the last few months I slacked off from the coupon world. I love saving money. Being on a limited monthly income I have to make it stretch as far as I can. And you gotta love the internet. I found a couple of sites I really like about couponing. They share the deals that they have found and break it out in easy terms to teach you how to save hundreds every month. The Krazy Coupon Lady is the first site I found. She has several helpful pages and breaks it down by store. Well yesterday I went to Kmart. I don't usually shop there but I really need to figure that store out! It is down the road from us now where before it was across town. There isn't any other store around it so it used to be out of the way. When we first moved in I needed the cordless screwdriver and some new bits for the power drill. My son went with me and we picked those things up there. I still am not sure how but I received a 5.00 gift card on that shopping trip. So yesterday I went down to use it. I got free coffee and filters with the card and some reward points I had that were going to expire. Hmm every little bit helps. I have watched extreme couponing in the past and wondered how they save so much at Kmart. Well I am definately going to have to figure this one out.

   I have never really had a big stock pile like they do on those shows, but I had enough to last us at least a month on several things for really cheap. Once I went to Walmart and after checkout they owed me .98! You can beat free but them owing me money was even better. I love going to the store and having the total come to 300.00 but only paying 100.00. It is such a rush.

  My computer is acting up so in a few weeks I am going to be buying a laptop. Then I will fire up the old printer and be printing away. I love living here in so many ways. One of the ways is that most of the stores I shop at for the deals are now within a 4 mile radius. And 4 miles is the farthest away. Most of them are within a mile and right around the same area or even in the same block. Not so much driving now. Double plus. And yes I shop at several different stores. Some people think that is a waste. Well if I shop those stores in the same day it isn't a waste at all. And with all of the free or next to free stuff I get it makes it even better.

  I got the grandkids those heavy Disney kids sippy cups at Rite Aid free and man did they love them. For my girls I have gotten so much of the Glade products free or next to free for their Birthdays and Christmas I don't think their houses should ever stink. At Christmas time I got Glade Candles for .29 a piece at Target. They typically sell for around 4.00 a piece. I could go on for hours about all of the stuff I have bought with coupons. Things that otherwise I could not afford. Does it take time and efforts. You bet. Is it worth it. You bet.

  Swagbucks....I love that site. I have also slacked off on that. I spent about 5 hours total on that site and earned 50.00 in Amazon.com gift cards. So that comes out to about 10 bucks an hour to sit on my butt. Woot Woot Lol. That is how I got the modem for ATT internet. If you haven't tried them you should. Click on the link to the right on my blog and have fun!