Table This

Our kitchen has been graced by a very old pedestal table.  Great grandparents bought it, as best I can determine, sometime around 1920.  As you can imagine I am not getting rid of it.  Add to that my children have laughed and snacked into the night with all their high school friends sitting around it.  They've learned to make pizzas there; pies, cookies and a plethora of craft projects.  They've laughed so hard orange juice spewed out their nostrils; they've dined there many, many nights regaling me with all they've learned in world history, American history, and biology.  And sitting at this table, we've settled matters like curfew, dating and for whom we will vote for president.  And I've been enlightened to the lyrics of Bob Dylan, Adele (Seriously?  Set fire to the rain?  What does that mean?), and The Beatles (yes enlightened).  There is no way I am changing out this table for a fancy new one.

Soooo...I am redoing it. I got all three of the (rarely used) leaves out of the garage and set it up.  Using my handy-dandy palm sander and 120 grit sandpaper I roughed her up never looking back.  And then, because I start something that looks like fun, someone else decided to "help me out". <Ahem>

 Finally all that old-fashioned varnish is off and ready to be stained again.  Mmmm the scent of wood; the speckles of wood dust in the air and the smooth, buttery feel of a freshly sanded surface.

 








What you'll need to stain and refinish your wood furniture:
1.  Furniture stain (I prefer Minwax)
2.  Finish.  For this project I used clear gloss Polycrylic by Minwax.
3.  Rubber or latex gloves
4.  Plenty of clean, cotton rags
5.  Tack cloth.  Be sure to go to your home improvement store and get this item.  It is key as you'll need to thoroughly wipe away all dust in between sandings.
6.  Sandpaper
7.  Plenty of foam brushes

Here are some good tutorials:
1.  Yankee Magazine  there are two pages to this tutorial so be sure to click on to page 2 as well
2.  DIY On The Cheap  
3.  Fresh Home Ideas  

Here's what my table looks like after 3 coats of finish.

Since this table will see plenty of craft projects, baking, and board games I applied five finish coats.  It is beautiful and glossy! 

If I had to speculate I'd say the tables have turned.  What a re-leaf!
(scroll your mouse over the photo and click to view a larger version.)

Hi-Ho, Silver!

Y'all know I've been spending this past week sanding, staining and refinishing a family heirloom.  It's a big project and requires a lot of waiting in between coats of finish.  And soooooooo...

I've been meaning to freshen up a granite table I picked up about 3 years ago.  You guessed it.  I hauled it out to the backyard and cleaned it up.  Removed the granite from the frame and discovered my biceps came in handy.  That small slab of granite is about an inch thick and I'm guessing it weighs around 70 pounds.  No exaggeration.

Once cleaned I set about painting it.  I've been wanting to paint something metallic for the house and I didn't want to start on something major in case I didn't like it.  This little side table was just the thing.

Here's the after photo. Sterling, isn't it!

If I don't like it in a week or two I'll re-do it.  Stay tuned.

Purely speculation on my part -- I'm thinking this  silver table may prove to be a shining addition to the family room.  (scroll your mouse over the photo and click for a larger view)

Tres Chic

I saw these all over pinterest and after tracking down some trays of my own, I got busy. 

DIY--here's how:  You'll need trays.  Silver, pewter, aluminum, even old-fashioned TV trays will work.  And you'll need painter's tape.  I usually use the blue version but to create clean edges I've dicsovered Green FROG TAPE  is the best.  I love it. 

Step One:  Carefully tape off your tray making sure the edges between the tray and tape are clean; like this:

          Step Two:  Apply a primer  
Step Three:  Begin painting with chalkboard paint.  Spray paint does the trick still I prefer the paint-on version.  I seem to get better coverage when I use a foam brush.  Allow paint to dry about an hour between each coat. For best results I apply four coats.

Voila!  Just look at these!  The added bonus in this case is the magnets work too!

These are tray chic and I'm speculating I'll be serving up more of these chic projects!

Magnetism

I saw this post on pinterest and wanted to do it with my kids.  After a few trials I came away with these directions.

First things first--time for an outing to Michaels or JoAnn's or some craft store in your area.  I bought all the items at JoAnn's.  Here's what you'll need:

1. They're called floral marbles.  I call them glass discs.
2.  Krazy glue or Gorilla glue.  I prefer the Gorilla glue but you have to be very careful not to use too much of it.  When Gorilla glue sets up it foams and oozes out from under the magnet.
3. Magnets.  The larger the magnet the more sticking power.  Try to purchase magnets a little smaller than the glass discs.

4.  Glass bead adhesive.
5.  And photographs.  I compiled a number of digital photos and printed them as 3 x 5s at my local Target store.  I tried printing them on Kodak photo paper off my home printer but didn't get the fine detail I got through actual Kodak professional processing equipment.

Step one:
Arrange each disc atop the photo you wish to use as a magnet.  Trace around the outside of the disc directly onto the photo then cut that photo just slightly inside the tracing marks so that the photo fits the disc perfectly and nothing overhangs.
Step two:
Spread the glass bead adhesive around the flat surface of the disc leaving the adhesive to dry for about 40 seconds.
Step three:
Affix your photo against the adhesive so that when you look through the glass disc you can see the photo.  Press the disc onto the photo very firmly and if any adhesive oozes out wipe clean with a paper towel.  Leave overnight to set.
Step four:
Dab three to four drops of crazy glue against the magnet and affix to the back of the photo paper.  Leave the magnet upside down so that the magnet doesn't slip off the photo paper.  Your krazy glue will be set firmly enough in about an hour so that your magnets are ready to use.

Purely speculation on my part but I'll bet you're attracted to making these and sticking them on your fridge, too.

Forcing Bulbs

     My garden produced a bumper crop of amaryllis this year.  These are the apple blossom blooms in variegated shades of pink.
     I received my first amaryllis bulb in full-bloom for Christmas 2002.  My neighbor, with whom I became good friends, left a potted, blooming, fragrant display on my doorstep Christmas morning.  Joy!
     She taught me that I could plant them in my garden where they would bloom in early April straight through late July.  These bulbs, 54 this year, came from that original gift.  She also taught me that I could force amaryllis bulbs like this and others like tulip, daffodil, narcissus, and more!
How to:
For single bulbs, use a pot about 1 inch bigger than the bulb. For multiple bulbs, pick a larger container and place bulbs close together.  Amaryllis should only be forced in soil though I have seen them forced in water.  The bulbs forced in water are weaker and smaller and will not bloom for long. Soil should be fast draining and have plenty of sand.

Fill the bottom of your pot with soil so the bulb will rest at correct depth. Spread out the roots of your amaryllis bulb. Place bulb in the partially filled pot and continue to pack with soil. Be sure to leave about one third of the bulb above the soil line. Water thoroughly until soil is moist. Continue checking bulb for moisture each day and water as needed.  Time to bloom varies depending on the type of bulb. My experience has been they take about 7 weeks to bloom.  I start my winter blooms on November 1st.  For indoor, spring blooms I start them on February 1st.  Keep your potted amaryllis in a sunny spot.  You will enjoy your blooms for about 2 weeks.

Once your indoor blooms have finished.  Cut the greenery down to the bulb leaving about 3 inches of the neck.  Dry bulbs thoroughly to avoid rot.  Store in a cool place for your next forcing or plant in your outdoor beds.

If I had to speculate, I think once my bulbs have finished for the summer, I'll be culling about 20 of them and setting them aside for forcing in November!

A Stitch in Time

I am blessed to have had two grandmothers willing to teach me their homespun talents.  One was an avid gardener and a seamstress.  Both were top-notch chefs.  And one was a fancy embroiderer.  Often embellishing baby bibs, pillow cases, and tea towels.

Lately I've been whipping up dishtowels with fruit and vegetable motifs. I stow them away for my children who, I someday envision, will be thrilled to have these homespun crafts in their own homes.  A lot of the posts on this blog have their roots in my Grandmothers' talents.  I cherish having learned their arts and crafts  and I love passing these gifts on to my children.

My hat's off to you, Grandma!

It's purely speculation of course, but I'm pretty sure I'll be stitching and embroidering tea towels for my own grandchildren one day!