So Far, So Good.

Here is a list of what I've accomplished in the bedroom over the past two weeks:

• Bedroom walls and ceiling are painted
• Horrid mauve carpet has been ripped out
• The china cabinet has been painted and moved into the bedroom
• The glass knobs for the night stand have arrived and been installed
• The night stand has been moved into the bedroom
• The stencil for the closet arrived
• Some art for the room has arrived

What I still need to do:

• Buy frames for the remaining art 19 March
• Purchase spray paint 19 March (but went with metallic acrylic craft paint instead)
• Paint frames
• Get tiny washers and nuts for the night stand's knobs
• Finish stenciling the closet
• Hang art
• Organize closet, shoes, etc.
• Organize bookcase
• Decide on window treatments, buy them, and install

So, that is where I stand right now on the bedroom project.  Here is a teaser of the finished project:

Obviously sooo not finished!

Pittsburgh Trip

Late last night we got back from our shopping trip to Pittsburgh.  It is a bit of a hike for us, so we spent the night at the Hyatt Place-Pittsburgh Airport.  We were quite happy that they upgraded us to a cafe suite, so we had a nice living room area to hang out in.  The girls, however, had other ideas:

The girls breaking in the beds at the Hyatt

My eldest daughter's best friend moved there last year, so her mom and I conspired to surprise the girls with a sleepover.  I'm happy to say that that went off without a hitch, and our two girls stayed up until 3:30 in the morning catching up and eating a giant cookie. 

They are too flippin' cute.

On the way to Liz's best friend's house, we passed a candy shop called Andy's Candy in Burgettstown.  It is the sort of old-fashioned, handmade chocolate shop that is a rare sight now... so of course, we stopped.  

I couldn't stop laughing at these bunnies!

With the egg-hiding rabbit holiday upon us, there were loads of springy sort of chocolates... bunnies, eggs, chicks, flowers.  I was gobsmacked, though, when Evie, the middle kidlet, picked up this:

BACON!

Hold the phone.  Chocolate.  Covered.  Bacon.  And not just teeny tiny bits of bacon swimming in chocolate, either.  This glorious creation is bacon strips enrobed in the creamiest milk chocolate around.  

I bought 3 packages of it.  Before you scream glutton, only one package is mine.  My BFF, Lola, gets one, as goes my other partner in crime, Corey.  Everything goes better with bacon, and that includes friends.

On our arrival day, we went to HomeGoods to scope out their offerings.  I ended up getting most things for Lily, who needed a new harness, leash, and some dry shampoo.  Since it is nearly time to start foraging in the woods for wild ramps and mushrooms, I got her a dayglo orange harness so that any spring hunters won't mistake her for a turkey.  

I think she's embarrassed

Sadly, the console tables were pretty picked over at the HomeGoods we went to, so I didn't get one.  I was excited to find the Cynthia Rowley quatrefoil towels that I had picked up at a HomeGoods in Florida, so I got a few more of those.  I didn't find a jewelry box that fit my standards, but I did find a necklace tree to keep them in check for now.

On day two, we went to Ikea.  I forgot the camera in the hotel, so the pics I did take ended up on my Instagram feed.  Fair warning, it's mostly cake-related.

Ikea was PACKED with people since they were running a new event (Bring Your Friend) and the kids even had to wait 20 minutes before they could get into Smaland (the little kid playground inside).  I was armed with my list, most of which was to replace the Ikea 365+ dishes that have broken or chipped, bigger bowls for pasta, some food storage bits, another roll of paper for the easel, and some bits for the front porch remodel.

food storage bits

I generally cook a few times a month, in huge portions so that they can be divided and stored in the freezer.  Dinner in our house is a simple affair:  I just pull something out of the freezer the night before and either finish cooking it, or heat it up.  These food storage containers make that job a lot easier.  The red-rimmed 365+ container has a little vent at the top to make reheating in the microwave that much easier.  It seals like no one's business, and freezes without any freezer burn issues.  It is also under 5 bucks.  It comes in a few different sizes, but the one I rely on is the 10x7x4-inch badboy.  They easily store a main dish for 4 people.  There are larger and smaller sizes, so you can easily find one to fit your needs.

The bowls are the Reda food containers (they have all sizes), and they are the nesting set of 5 different sizes.  These are about $4 at the store, even though the website states that they are $2.99.  I use them to store leftovers, extra egg whites, and veggies that I've pre-cut for dinner.  

I stocked up on some must-haves:  Ribba frames, Bevara bag clips, and Kassett magazine files.  

My most favorite thing I picked up was a set of Dinera bowls for pasta.  They didn't have 8 in the beige that we originally wanted, so we settled for the green, which has grown on me.  I am really happy that I got them.

They're already washed and in the cabinet.

The other 365+ bowls and plates are on the 2nd shelf next to the owl mug (West Elm).  We wanted to have a set of 8 so that we could entertain comfortably, since there are 5 of us, and six of everything just isn't enough.  In case you're wondering, the hobnail-looking mugs are from Target.

Today, I've been getting the raised garden beds put together and prepping to get that all set up before Wednesday.  More to come on that note.  I hope it is just lovely where you are!

The Weekend List

If all seems quiet on the Pennsylvanian front, I'll have you know that we've been busy little beavers groundhogs.  I feel like Home Depot is my second home, since I've been there so often in the past few weeks.  I don't know whether to be proud or sad that the people at the paint counter now recognize me, but I'll err on the side of proud.  

We decided to take a break from our busy bedroom-remodeling schedule to go to Pittsburgh this weekend.  The walls are painted and the ceiling is slated to be painted before Friday.  I've ordered some details for the room, but it is still missing quite a lot by way of finishing.  For that, we need some serious shopping options.  I do not live in an area of the state that has any serious shopping options (I've scoured our ONE TJMaxx too many times, and know their inventory by heart... and it is a 1-hour drive each way).  Time to bring out the big guns and get to HomeGoods, Ikea, and Pier 1.  Basically, if it has a home section, we're going to it.

On the purchase wish list (whole house):

• curtains (because we haven't perfected "total darkness" yet).
• pillows
• mattress pad with 21-inch pockets
• frames
• art of some sort, maybe
• some sort of organizer for the girls' art supplies
• twin-sized sheets (hello Target 400 thread count!)
• lingonberries (hey, it's Ikea... we need them).
• Dignitet curtain wire 
• magazine holders/organizers
• a bench for the entry
• a console table for the entry

There's the list.  It seems rather haphazard, I know, but it is the sort of odds-and-ends kind of list that gets created when you live in the boondocks and can't find certain things.  

Tonight, I also picked up something extra special to use in the bedroom decor project.  I'm really quite excited about it, especially since it got the seal of approval from my BFF, Lola.  I was completely on the fence, and when one is on a fence, one should have someone like-minded to push you off of the fence, and onto the side you really wanted to go to, but didn't think you were bold enough.  Of course, I can't reveal anything about it until the big reveal, but let's just say that I'm jumping around my house just thinking about it!

Okay, here's a hint:

Pow!

Is it metal?  Shiny things?  Gold?  Silver?  I want to tell you, really, I do.  But that'd just spoil the surprise.  There is nothing worse than a spoiled surprise, except for your ice cream landing on the sidewalk.  *sad face*

Random puppy shot:

Lily makes everything better!

I've been going nonstop since last Thursday night (filling holes, sanding, washing walls, taping, painting, etc).  Not to mention kids, general cleaning, reading, shopping, and planning our weekend lists.

After work and playing chauffeur to the eldest kidlet, I will be taping off the walls and prepping the ceiling for paint.  I'll also be doing quite a lot of measuring and prepping in the closet.  We're planning on tearing out the pink carpet on Sunday, so it is going to be a busy, busy sort of weekend.  Rumor has it that we are supposed to get some lovely spring weather... we might even see 60 degrees!  Here's to hoping we can turn the heat off soon!

Just Call Me Tex...ture

I bought a teeny watercolor painting on Etsy.  I think my mother's love of birds is starting to rub off on me, because right now, I'm totally into all things birdie. The print arrived, and I thought about framing it.  With the new wall color (I promise, the bedroom is nearly done), I am not precisely sure what sort of metal color I want to go with, so framing right now, isn't an option.  This bird print really needed some texture.

I had the idea to mount the print onto a canvas, and add some texture with some acrylic gel medium.  The resulting image changes the look of the art medium from watercolor to acrylic, complete with brush strokes!  The best part is that I don't have to drop some money on a frame unless I really want to.

texturing & mounting supplies

What you'll need:

• brushes- a wide one and a tiny one
• a canvas the same size as your print, I used this one by Windsor Newton
• acrylic gel medium (I used matte, it also comes in gloss), I used Liquitex matte
• scissors, for trimming if necessary
• your print

The first thing you'll need to do is trim your print to fit the frame.  If the print has the same color background as the canvas, being exact isn't completely necessary.  If, on the other hand, the print is dark, you may want to either paint the canvas to match the background color or use the canvas as a guide to cut the print to fit.  You can also self-mat the print by using a larger canvas than needed, just be sure to use a level and a ruler to make sure that the spaces are level and as equal as you want them to be.

After my not-so-exact trimming job

Once my print was trimmed, I set it aside and went about covering the canvas in gel medium.  This layer should be thin and even.  I used full-strength gel medium (it can be diluted with water up to 25%), because I didn't want the additional water warping the paper.

The thin and even bottom coat

Then, I placed the print on top of the canvas, making sure the print was straight.  I used my hand to apply gentle pressure to the print, from the bottom corner upward, so that there wouldn't be any air bubbles under it.  

No bubbles!

It is perfectly fine to have gel squooshing out the edges,
just as long as the print sticks.

The great thing about gel medium is that you don't have to wait for the gel to dry before moving onto the next step, which is making sure the edges won't lift.  To do this, I put a thick coating of gel along the sides of the print.

It'll dry clear and the edges will be less noticeable.

Next, gel medium needs to be generously applied to the whole print.

I put on a big glob of gel, then spread it around

Keep in mind that your brush strokes will dry as they are.  If you want to have softer brushstrokes, you can dilute the gel with about 15% water.  You might want to test it on a piece of the print that you trimmed off (if you did) to see if the paper will warp.  If it does warp, reduce the amount of water in the gel until you get a result that doesn't warp the paper.

Completely covered

Next, if you want finely-detailed brush strokes, take out your tiny brush and go to town.  I used my tiny brush to "paint" feathers onto my bird, and to create texture that highlights the legs and tail.  I also swiped it around the outline of the bird's head, back, and belly.

Don't forget that this will dry clear,
and the texture will simply highlight the print

Once I completed texturing, my bird looked like this:

Put your canvas in a safe place to dry.  In my house, this is the top of the chest freezer, where little kidlets cannot get to it.  

Once it is dry, pop some hanging hardware on the back, or frame it if you want, and hang it up!

This is what birdie looked like after it dried:

On my office wall, from about 6 feet (2m) away

You can see bits of texture from a few feet away, but as you get closer, the texture is more evident.

Just in front of birdie

From the side.

Extreme close up. 

I am definitely putting this sweet little bird in my bedroom, but I'm not quite finished working on that room.  Where would you hang such a tiny piece of art?  Would you leave it on a wall by itself for the biggest impact, or would you display it in a group?  Do tell!

Removing Dirt Stains from Pottery

I have a thing for white McCoy pottery--especially planters.  I do.  I love the way the white has aged to a buttery cream color, and I even love it when the surface is covered in crackled crazing.  The thing I don't love about aged white pottery is the dirt stains on the planters.  You may pick up a planter thinking, "Oh, I'll just clean this off.  It is just dirt!  It'll come right out!"  So you drop about twenty bucks on a dirty little planter, all sorts of happy with your vintage score.

That is, until you get home, and after scrubbing for what seems like forever, you're still left with a grimy, dark ring around the inside of your planter or vase.  

Have no fear!  After much scrubbing, soaking, scrubbing, and waiting around, I have figured out an easy method of seriously improving the appearance of stained white pottery.

I picked up this small, McCoy planter on ebay for a steal, since the saucer had been majorly chipped on one side.  I plan on using this in the front porch remodel, and the chipped side won't be seen by anyone.  McCoy planters of this size run about $20, but I snagged this beauty for a mere $8.  

Try to see past the dirt here.

Chips Ahoy!

Even that is dirty!

After washing the planter with a regular kitchen sponge, it still looked very much the same as when it arrived.  I decided to get serious and bust out the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

Post kitchen sponging only

This is what it looked like after Mr. Clean had his way with it:

Post Magic Eraser

I use a cup full of hydrogen peroxide in my laundry to whiten my whites, since we don't use chlorine bleach in the house if we can help it.  I decided to give an overnight soak in peroxide a try.  I filled a large soup bowl with peroxide and put the planter in upside down.

Nighty night, Mr. McCoy

In the morning, I woke to this:

As my cousin Nicole would say, "Meh."

Slightly faded, but not much improvement.  I rinsed the planter and put the peroxide in my next load of laundry.  It was time to bring out the big guns.  But, not until I provide a little backstory:  My mother hates the fact that I don't use chlorine bleach in my house.  She hates it.  I explain that vinegar and peroxide work just as well at killing germs, but without fail, whenever she comes to stay, she will pick up a gallon of Clorox and a bottle of Soft Scrub with Bleach.  They sit under my kitchen sink most of the time, unless something of major proportions happens (like the youngest child fills the toilet bowl with toilet paper and floods the bathroom).  

So, I busted out the Soft Scrub.

She even bought the bonus size.  I've had this since last July.

I folded a piece of paper towel and squirted the Soft Scrub directly onto the paper towel.  Then I swiped it over the stain, leaving a thick layer.  I also turned on my kitchen fan, since the smell of this gives me a headache.  

A thick layer is necessary

After a few hours, I checked my progress.  The stain was still there, so I rinsed the planter off and reapplied.  I ended up reapplying three times between noon and 10 p.m.  The last application stayed on overnight.  I was very pleasantly surprised when I woke up this morning, rinsed the planter, and was awarded with this:

Yay!

There is only one tiny area that still has a very faded stain on it, but it is hardly noticeable in natural light.  

I did a bit of research on using full-strength bleach to lighten stains on pottery, and it isn't recommended, as it can affect the glazing on the item.  If it is a high-value piece, I wouldn't trust anyone except an expert.  I did see a post where several collectors used high-strength peroxide from perm solutions to lighten their pottery, but it requires more stringent safety measures than simple paper towel application (like gloves and maybe safety glasses).  

Here's a before and after:

Overall, I'm really happy with how the planter turned out.  Now, I just need to figure out what to plant in it!

Young House Love's Winter Pinterest Challenge

I've been an avid Young House Love reader since way back in the day when they were This Young House.  I love me some Petersiks.  So, when my favorite Youngsters decided to team up with Sherry's BFF, Katie Bower of Bower Power Blog, and two other illustrious co-hosts--Megan from The Remodeled Life, and Michelle from Decor & The Dog, I was completely on board.

The biggest challenge of the Winter Pinterest Challenge is narrowing down a project to conquer.  I decided that my challenge would originate from one of two boards:  Do or 1868 Pleasant.  At first, I was going to sew up the pillowcase dress for my two youngest kidlets (they take the same dress size).  I received the Amy Butler fabric a couple of weeks ago, and thought that this would be the perfect time to light a fire under my butt and get it done.

But then, I found a pin about distressing wood with paint and Vaseline (petroleum jelly).  My love affair with painted furniture has been ongoing, but really hit home during my field trip to The Blue Cupboard.  I wanted something that picked up the shabby chic vibe that Stacy cultivates in her shop, without the whole Rachel-Ashwell's-cabbage-roses-on-everything element that makes me cringe.  This could be because I've been suffering living with a pink walled, pink carpeted bedroom since July, but I'm completely not about the florals.

Of course, last Friday, I found my future nightstand at the thrift store.  Did I mention that there was also a large, basketball-sized red cabbage on a table?  An actual cabbage.  I asked about it, and the clerk told me that if I needed it, to take it.  I thought it was very sweet, but declined, leaving it for someone who did indeed need food (insert shameless plug to ask you to please "grow a row" in your garden this summer to donate to the local food bank, veterans' home, senior center, or soup kitchen).

the latest resident at Danielle's Home for Rescued Furniture

I stopped by Home Depot to pick up some paint, and ended up with a quart of Behr's paint & primer in Belgian Cream in a flat finish:

and some sandpaper.

Since prep is 75% of painting work, it was time to get down to business.  After the dropcloth was down and my painting clothes were on, I removed all of the knobs from the cabinet.

There was a spot on one of the drawers where some tape had been applied, so I had to bust out the Goo-Gone.

While cracks and dings can be lovely on a distressed piece, some of them just need some love... and wood filler.

The legs also needed some filler, since there were deep chips in them.  I filled in all of the divots made by screws, and all of the larger scratches.  The legs had to set up for a minimum of 8 hours, so we went on a shopping trip to find a new quilt for the bed, since the current turquoise one clashes with our bedroom's future paint color (we're still prepping the bedroom for paint, if you're wondering what is up with that).  After the wood filler set up, the above crack looked so much better!

Then it was time to sand down all of the finished surfaces that would be painted.  I painted the insides of the drawers as well, but they were unfinished, so no sanding was necessary.  I did wipe them down with a damp microfiber cloth after everything was sanded.

I love this tiny sander

I don't know about you, but if I don't empty out the dust catcher immediately after I turn the sander off, I completely forget to do so.  My dust catcher is a bit sticky to get off, so I got my face too close to it and ended up with a face full of dust.  A lot of sneezing followed this, so I'm going to make a note to wear a dust mask when sanding and emptying the catcher in the future.  By the time I finished sanding, it was around 10 p.m., so I changed my clothes and cozied up on the couch with the tall drink of water that is my man.  I watched a couple of episodes of Lie to Me then hit the hay.

When I woke up, I started in on the Vaseline application.  I like that there was already some greenish paint crazed onto the wood, so I wanted to make sure that some of the petroleum jelly was on those bits.  I didn't want to go overboard, so I applied a few thin swipes with my finger, since the original post said not to apply it thickly.  

The Vaseline is hard to see in the photo, but it is there.

Once I was happy with what I had, I applied the first coat of paint.  The spots with the Vaseline were immediately noticeable, even with paint on them.

After the third coat, however, it was somewhat difficult to tell where the Vaseline had been applied.

Do you see the Vaseline spots?
Neither do I.

I would suggest numbering the drawers and taking a photo after the first coat to help you keep track of where you need to rub paint off.  I'm sure that the bits that I missed will eventually have the paint rub off, so I'm not that worried about it.

Once my final coat was completely dry, I took a paper coffee filter and used it to rub the areas where the Vaseline was applied.  I just moved it around in a circular motion, making sure that  there was no peeled off paint bits around the edges.  

When the paint was completely dry, I could see a little crackle-like finish
where the Vaseline had been applied.

I rubbed off all of the jelly-covered spots.  This is what one drawer ended up looking like:

I scored some fantastic glass knobs on ebay on Sunday morning, and am excited for their arrival.  Since the bedroom is going to be dark, I really needed something to reflect some light.  Besides, who doesn't love a little sparkle?  

Photo used with permission
Want knobs at great prices?  *Find them at GrandCentral on ebay!

I waited a good 12 hours for the paint to completely dry.  It still looks very naked.

I wanted to get some sort of idea as to what it'd look like when the knobs do finally arrive, so I popped in a couple of glass knobs that I had laying around.  I only have the two, and they're too big for the nightstand, but you can really see how the light is refracted by the glass.

I kept the flash off

I styled it up a bit, and shopped the top knobs onto the bottom two drawers so you could get the idea of what it will look like when the knobs finally do arrive.  It is also in the dining room at the moment, because there is no sense in putting more furniture into a room I'll be painting this weekend.  I love how it came out!  

Doesn't it look sweet?

*The folks at GrandCentral kindly allowed me to use their photograph, without any sort of exchange for promotion or perk (so they didn't pay me or give me anything for free).