Friday Update ~ 09/11/2015

Hi, all!  I hope everyone had a great 4 -day work week!  Here in the Houston/Galveston area it has been raining all week with a cool front on its way.  The weekend is supposed to be dry and gorgeous! Fingers crossed.

MASTER BATHROOM

We made HUGE progress in this room.  I seriously can't believe how it went from looking like a major construction zone Friday morning to feeling like a real bathroom by Monday night.  There was lots of laboring over Labor Day weekend.

Here is what we had Friday.

And this is now.

I haven't had much time to work in there this week but the plan is to get the tile caulked and faucets and sinks installed over the weekend.

FURNITURE

(HUGE SIGH)  I am having some finishing problems with the two navy dressers I have been working on for my mom.  It is extremely frustrating.  This is not my first, second or third project and I am using the same products I usually do so it is annoying when products act weird.  There is a chance it was the heat and/or humidity but that is something I always have to deal with so I really don't think that is it.  Those dressers should have gone home at the beginning of the week and yet, they are still in my shop.  On top of that, I am trying to finish up some client pieces that need to go home early next week.  I am feeling a lot of stress and pressure to get things done quick and my products (and weather) are making it hard.

I know I will get it done.  It just gives me anxiety when I get so close to or go over my completion dates.  I like to stay on schedule.

Earlier this week I shared our master bedroom dresser and was supposed to share our end tables' makeover yesterday.  Well, I didn't.  Things were just too busy (and I was too exhausted) to finish the post.  Sorry.  I hope to get to it this weekend and share first thing next week.

Here are the master bedroom dresser before and after shots.

MISCELANEOUS

We have tons of stuff going on right now.  The bathroom remodel.  Our side yard was tore out earlier this week to prep for our flagstone/pebble patio but it has rained all week (pouring right now...so bad the dogs stepped out to see the crazy wind and rain then turned around to come back in) and we have a muddy mess.  The other business (tell you more about that soon) has had a big week, exciting week but it has taken up a lot of my time.  Furniture projects in the shop.  Things are busy, busy.

SIDE NOTE:  I can't believe it has been 14 years since the tragedy of 9/11.  That day is imprinted in my brain.  I was standing in my College Station apartment getting ready for speech class, watching the Today Show.  Then everything changed.  I skipped school that day.  I couldn't tear myself away from the TV.  By the weekend A&M had organanized all kinds of tributes to be done during the football game.  It still amazes me that in a few short days this was organized.  (I am in the red section).

Please thank your first responders and service men/women.  It is free and easy and it does make a difference in their day.

Have a great weekend!

Master Bedroom Dresser Reveal

Wow.  What a weekend.  We made tons of progress in the bathroom.  It is starting to look like a bathroom again and less like a construction zone!  I'll have pictures and info about the bathroom on Friday or you can go to Facebook and Instagram to see some progress pics.  Today, I am going to show you our new dresser.

When we started the master bath renovation I decided to give our master bedroom a mini makeover.  The decor and color were never right for me.  Everything I used we previously owned or was handed down when we moved.  It was a weird mix of stuff that didn't work in the space or for us.  I painted the bedroom Pale Smoke by Benjamin Moore which coordinated well with our bedding.  I hated it.  From the first day it was on the wall, I didn't love it.  Unfortunately, there was no time to repaint the room then.  We were in the middle of unpacking, painting other rooms, and doing the kitchen renovation.  The master would have to wait.  See the first Master Bedroom Revel here.

So over the past few years I have been thinking about bedding color, furniture style and other decor details for the room.  I had an idea for furniture but I try not to get my mind set on something specific because it is not always in budget or available.  Mostly I needed pieces that had tons of storage.  A dresser that is at least 70 inches long that can hold much more than our current dresser.

Current Dresser.

My mom found this large dresser at a garage sale.

Does it look familiar?  It should.  It is the exact same dresser that my grandparent's had and I now use as a coffee bar!

Same company.  Same material.  Same dresser.  For this makeover I wanted a natural driftwood finish.  Something similar to these tables I did for my sister-in-law.  Pine can be hard to work with sometimes.  It wants to be really dark or really light so I knew a natural driftwood look might be challenging.  And it was.  So much so, that it didn't happen.  The driftwood stain didn't even change the color.  Not going to lie, I was disappointed but not shocked by this.

Plan B was the weathered wood look.  I tend to like driftwood better because I am drawn to the brown tones.  A weathered wood finish had me nervous because of all the gray tones and I wasn't sure I liked it at first.  Now the walls have their new color, we have new bedding and curtains, as well as new end tables.  It is all coming together and I love it.

Here are a few more before shots.

For this finished I used Rust-Oleum Weathered Gray stain for the first coat.  I let it dry over night then I distressed the wood.  I used 220 grit to lightly sand, focusing on the edges.  The last color coat was a white glaze (a glazing medium + antique white latex paint).  Finally, the clear coats.

The coffee bar has the original hardware but I wanted to do new for this makeover.  Something much more updated and sleek.  Hole size was a problem (as always) so I went with these soft iron colored handles.  It required drilling all new holes but they cover up the old ones.   :)

It has been great having such a large dresser.  The storage space is amazing and I finally have a home for my folded clothes.  Obviously I still need to add some decor on this wall (notice the new paint color) and a few things on top of the dresser but all of that will be shown in the room reveal.

Check back tomorrow to see our end tables!




Monday - Inspire Me Monday (Sand & Sisal,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Domestically Speaking, Sweet C’s Designs)  Made by you Monday (Skip To My Lou)

Tuesday -  Show and Share (Coastal Charm), From Dream to Reality (The DIY Dreamer), Show and Tell (Sugar Bee Crafts)

Wednesday:Wow Us Wednesday (Savvy Southern Style),  Be You tiful (Art is Beauty)  Wednesday Before and After (The Dedicated House) Work It Wednesday (The Blissful Bee, The Turquoise Home,  The Happy Housie, A Place of My Taste) 

Thursday: What To Do Weekends (Crafts ala Mode ),  The Best DIY Party at the Handmade Hangout (A Glimpse Inside, Christina’s Adventures, From Gardners to Bergers, Redoux Interiors, Too Much Time on My Hands), Creativity Unleashed (Practically Functional, Shaken Together, One Project Closer, The Bold Abode, and The DIY Village)

Friday:  The Party Bunch (The Idea Room, 30 Handmade Days, Whipperberry, The 36th Avenue),  Creativity Unleashed (Practically Functional, Shaken Together, One Project Closer, The Bold Abode)  Fabulously Creative Friday (Jennifer Rizzo Blog), Friday Furniture Fix (Thirty Eighth Street, Patina Paradise, 58 Water Street, Anastasia Vintage, Slightly Coastal)

Ebony & Brass Buffet Makeover

So several months ago, a woman in my neighborhood contacted me about buying some furniture from her.  I am always in the market for furniture especially when it finds me...and is only a mile away.  A dining set that includes a buffet, china cabinet, dining table and 6 chairs was part of the purchase.  Originally I thought about keeping the buffet for me and using it as storage/dresser in our bedroom but it isn't the right piece for that.  Fast forward a few months and my mom expressed some interest in it.  She is currently trying to furnish their apartment in Houston and rearrange/change the furniture in their Mid-County home.

After some discussion, measuring, planning and trips to the storage unit, she decided to take the entire set!

Just a little note about the furniture:  The set has Max Barnett stamped on them.  Max Barnett was a well known furniture store in New Orleans that occupied the Art Deco building at 600 Carondelet until the 1970s.  The building was recently purchased and is currently being renovated into a hotel.  The licensing info I can find on Max Barnett says it started in 1908 but after the 1970s I am not sure what happened.


The furniture is great quality, heavy and well built.  It has been neglected a little over the years but I am hopeful all the pieces can be beautiful again.

The buffet had its makeover first and the result is stunning.  This is definitely one of the best before and afters of Fisherman's Wife Furniture.  I love that my mom wanted it stained (I didn't really give her a choice) and the wood was preserved.

Here are the before pictures.

Obviously the piece is in decent shape and is a pretty design but up close you can see the wear and tear its had over the years.

The pulls are brass so they were polished back to their bright, clean finish.  (See my How to Polish Brass Tutorial here.)

The entire piece was stripped and sanded before stain could go on.  Almost all the imperfections were fixed with sanding and I only had to fill a few places where the veneer damage was extreme.  Thankfully my mom helped out on this project!  Thanks, Mom.

She loves to paint furniture black.  Its a thing.  We don't even ask anymore what color she plans to paint stuff so I wasn't shocked when she said she wanted the piece stained ebony.  HAHA.  Of course.  The thing I love about Minwax Ebony stain is the rich, dark color still shows the grain.  The ebony stain and the mahogany wood are a perfect pair.  It took two coats of stain to get the rich color then I did 3 coats of clear coat.  

Pictures do not capture how beautiful this finish is.   

Here are the after shots.

Gorgeous! It has been given new life.

I mentioned before she bought the entire set.  So guess what I am working on this week?!

This guy was stripped and sanded today.  I am so excited to see its transformation.

SHARING AT:

Monday - Inspire Me Monday (Sand & Sisal,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Domestically Speaking, Sweet C’s Designs)  Made by you Monday (Skip To My Lou)

Tuesday -  Show and Share (Coastal Charm)

Wednesday:Wow Us Wednesday (Savvy Southern Style), Inspire Me Wednesday (Seven Thirty Three, Happiness is Homemade) Be You tiful (Art is Beauty)  Wednesday Before and After (The Dedicated House)

Thursday: What To Do Weekends (Crafts ala Mode ),  The Best DIY Party at the Handmade Hangout (A Glimpse Inside, Christina’s Adventures, From Gardners to Bergers, Redoux Interiors, Too Much Time on My Hands), Creativity Unleashed (Practically Functional, Shaken Together, One Project Closer, The Bold Abode, and The DIY Village)

Friday:  The Party Bunch (The Idea Room, 30 Handmade Days, Whipperberry, The 36th Avenue),  Anything Goes (Bacon Time),  Be. You. Tiful Link Party (Chic California), Creativity Unleashed (Practically Functional, Shaken Together, One Project Closer, The Bold Abode)  Fabulously Creative Friday (Jennifer Rizzo Blog)   

Friday Update ~ 08/14/2015

Do y'all ever have weeks when you just can't get in the grove and be productive?  I had two of those in a row.  Yuck.  Then all of a sudden this week, I was on.  I mean, really on.  Things got done this week and it felt good.  I had help though....my mom worked with me two days this week.  Having two set of hands working really makes a difference.  :)

FURNITURE

Many of you know that my parents have been living in Germany the past year.  Now that they are back in the States, my mom is trying to get some projects done.  She has been using a mix of furniture for years and now she is wanting refinish or paint the pieces she likes, and replace the pieces she doesn't love.  I mentioned I had a dining set in my storage unit and things snowballed from there. This week the buffet was stripped, sanded, prepped for new stain, stained, and clear coated!  It is drying today so tomorrow I'll put the pulls and doors back on.  Here is a sneak peek:

Crate & Barrel Inspired Dining Table and Chairs

Hi all!  Today, I have a pretty dining room table and chairs transformation to show you.

This table has been through some stuff.  It was purchased years ago with a stain finish.  The owner decided she wanted something different and the table was painted.  She wasn't loving the painted look so she tried to fix it.  That's where I come in.  The table and chairs came to me like this.

Friday Update - 02/06/2015

Do y'all ever have a week where it feels like a Monday every day?  That was my life this week.  Not that fun and not that productive.  I went to bed at 8:40 on Wednesday night after falling asleep on the couch before that.  Something about this week was off and I couldn't seem to get focused.  Hopefully, after a relaxing weekend I will be ready for next week's to do list.

I did get a few things done so it wasn't a total waste of a week but I feel like the list got longer instead of shorter.