Painting fool….

Ok what can I say it’s been 2 months since I’ve posted a thing. Not any reason just did not feel the desire to blog. But here I am again.

A quick recap on those past 2 months include lots of company, fun day trips, and house hunting in earnst. We did find a home and are hoping to close early May. We did the practical thing and chose a newer one story home. It is beautiful and has my required soaker tub and gas stove. Can’t compromise on those two amenities!

With the move looming I have planned out every detail of how I want to decorate and what I will take. Lots of craigs listing to purge items no longer wanted. I was very surprised as I packed (yes I have the entire house packed already minus what we use daily) the few boxes that I have. I have been purging over the past two years since moving here and it shows. My son in law who is always a dear and moves me will be very happy about that!!

In planning my decor I decided to jump in and start painting some pieces. Well actually I painted this piece:

And was so thrilled with the results I just couldn’t stop. I stripped all the glass off and then painted with a latex, sanded and exposed areas, stained, and then waxed thoroughly with minwax. I really love this piece!

I had always wanted to try Annie Sloan so invested in 3 colors and did this piece first:

The paint was thick and covered well but does not go far at all. I was able to do this piece, a chair, this stand:

And this chalk board:

It was an ugly cast off picture in a gold frame and I salvaged the frame. It has a matching piece that I turned into a bulletin board at work. The chalk board came from Home Depot and they cut it to size for me! Jimmy and I love leaving notes for each other so a chalk board is essential.

I used my favorite latex and did this piece:

It was blue:

I fell in love with one like it on Pinterest in ivory with the blue inside. It was filled with milk glass and I just had to have it!! I antiqued this piece. The inside is Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue. I have feet for this that I will put on after the move. I think the ivory is a huge improvement. And some legs will just really add the finishing touch!

On a roll I painted this bench:

It will take place of honor in the entry way below the chalkboard. It looks very Plain Jane but I’ll snazzy it up with the perfect cushy cushion.

I spend too much time on Pinterest and so desperately wanted a buffet to transform. Imagine my delight when I was given one free! I wanted to create the perfect TV stand for the family room. I took this:

And made this:

Now this is where I say I will never waste my money on Annie Sloan again. It does not show in the pic, but the wax went on streaky and uneven. The piece looks blotchy. I may repaint the entire piece. I left the top drawers out so I could put the DVD player, roku, and assorted electronics on a shelf. I spray painted the original hardware and really like how it turned out.

Aside from using Annie Sloan, I experimented with Americana chalk paint from Home Depot. It was super thick and again did not go far. It covered well but unless thinned with water was globby.

I must admit I painted most of these pieces in my dining room. But scrapping paint splatters off the hardwood was not fun! I finally moved to the garage for the last few pieces.

What’s up next? I have a dresser that was given to me with the buffet. But think I’ll play with some color on that piece. And with yard sale season starting up who knows what treasures await my brush!!

Beside painting, and when I’m wanting a break from the brush I worked on this:

Desperately needs blocking. It is a lovely soft Louisa Harding yarn that I got in a $5 bag at goodwill.

When Becca was visiting (during my two months of incognito) we decided to knit projects together. Our first project was this:

Aren’t they just the cutest? They are the Little Cotton Rabbits. Still needing some clothes however….

I belong to several FB knitting groups and saw numerous Hitchhiker scarves and knew I wanted to knit one. So this has been our second KAL project. We decided to create a FB KAL group to invite others to increase the fun! Here is mine so far:

This yarn just makes me think of the Pacific Northwest with all the beautiful colors in it. Once this is completed we have plans to knit an awesome sampler blanket. I’ll be using a soft alpaca and silk yarn in pebble grey, can’t wait!

Currently Jimmy and I are stuck working opposite shifts but we are able to get days off together. We use this time to get out exploring the area. Recently we took the dogs to Silver Falls. Unfortunately only one path is pet friendly and it does not go by any of the falls. But the hike was beautiful nonetheless.

Training a puppy has been interesting. Misha is very smart and quickly catches on. With the help of an Easy Walker, leash training has been simple with no struggle and fight! She has grown so fast. I just cannot imagine my life without boxers. I love these two!