My Weekend Project

Not this past weekend, but the weekend before, I just got tired of my coffee table. I had just had enough of the orange colored finish.

I've had this coffee table for four years. When I got it the price was right--FREE! Someone had thrown it away at the apartment complex where I lived at the time. I remember how excited I was, because I didn't have a coffee table at the time, and I loved the curvy legs. I know why the previous owners threw it away, though. The finish was marred all over with white water marks. But I didn't care, because I knew a little mayonnaise, baking soda, and a hair dryer would remove those fairly easily.

Anyway, one thing that I was never terrible thrilled with was the orange finish. It's a pine top, and for some reason, all manufacturers seem to stain pine that icky orange color. I lived with it for four years. I had plans to do a cool design on it like this table that my good friend over at Red Hen Home did. I just love it! I even printed out a large scale print of that graphic to transfer to my table... I love the look, and I admire her ability to painstakingly paint each of those letters and design details, but sadly, I just didn't have the patience to do it myself.

Red Hen Home

So...I had Jim help me carry the table outdoors, and I then proceeded to sand off the finish.

Before Sanding

Before Sanding 

Do you see how orange the finish is?  Yuck! You also can't see that the finish was starting to wear off on one of the corners, which drove me nuts to no end.  I was always trying to get that one corner to match, but of course, I never could.

Admittedly, this table would have been perfect for the French chocolate advertising graphic...I'm kind of sad I didn't do it. But, on the other hand, my coffee table is usually used as my desk, so I wouldn't have seen the graphic anyway, unless I cleared off the table.

Sanding the finish was a pain! I used our mouse sander, which made it a bit easier, but factory finishes are killer to get off. Of course, it would have come off faster if I had had the correct grit of sand paper, but I wanted to get it done and didn't want to take the time to drive to the store to get the right paper. It took longer, but it did work.  Sorry, no pictures of the sanding process, because I didn't think about it when I was covered with dust.

Our beautiful mahogany library table--inspiration for our coffee table

 Once it was sanded, I used some stain that we had left over from when my dad finished this table for us. This is the first piece of furniture Jim and I bought together. I've shown it to you probably a million times. But it's solid mahogany, and gorgeous. I decided our coffee table would look wonderful that color.

Here is the coffee table stained.  I was really worried when I finished staining it, because the knots in the pine were so shiny and still looked orange!  Ugh! I had ruined it!  I couldn't sand it down any further, because I had already sanded past the veneer in one spot! The only thing I could do was pray that the clear coat would make it look better. But I couldn't do that until the next day, because I had to let the stain completely dry.

Fortunately, the clear coat made a HUGE difference, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out!!!

Finished and beautiful!

Well, as always, I try to give you a side by side so you can see the difference, so I'll do it again!

Before

After!

Better, don't you think?

Liebster Award

My dear blogger friend Mrs. DiscoBows and I always seem to be doing the same things at the same time even though we live across the Pond from one another.  Both recently married and renovating our homes, I believe we've learned we can count on each other for advice when we need it.

Well, Mrs. DiscoBows nominated me for a Liebster Award!  She Goggled it and found out Liebster is a German word meaning someone you hold in high regard.  Well, what can I say.  I hold you in high regard also, Mrs. DiscoBows!!!  You're a fantastic woman!  Thank you!  Please check out her blog, Disco & Bows, because I know you'll like her as much as I do!

Okay, as with all Blogger Awards, there are rules, and here they are:

1.  Each person must post 11 things about themselves.

2.  Answer the questions that the tagger set for you, plus create 11 questions for the people you tag.

3.  Choose 11 people and link them in your post.

4.  Go to their page and tell them.

5.  No tag backs!

Well, here are the questions that Mrs. DiscoBows chose for me:

1.  Favourite Food?  Basically anything Italian. I love Lasagna.

2.  What had you been drinking the last time you had a hangover?  It has been so long since I had a hangover, I don't remember what I had to drink.  Probably some fruity-artsy-fartsy drink.

3.  Most unattractive quality in a person?  Dishonesty.

4.  Where would you most like to take a vacation?  Italy!  Duh! Italian food!!!

5.  Favourite song to dance to?  I don't think I have a favorite...basically anything with a good beat.

6.  Favorite item of clothing?  Do shoes count? I love my shoes!

7.  Savoury or sweet?  Sweet.

8.  Sun or Snow?  Sun.

9.  Your worse trait?  I procrastinate. 

10.  Favourite colour?  Pink

11.  Life motto?  Live, Laugh, Love.

Now the hard part, coming up with 11 questions:

1.  Favorite flower?

2.  Favorite class in school?

3.  Favorite movie?

4.  Favorite drink?

5.  Who do you most admire?

6.  Were you popular or shy in school?

7.  If you could do absolutely anything for a career, what would you do?

8.  Beach or mountains?

9.  What do you think is sexier, jeans and a t-shirt or a tuxedo?

10.  What phrase or word annoys you?

11.  What one word describes you the best?

Eleven chosen blogs:

1.  Red Hen Home

2.  Small Home Big Start

3.  Ann-Kay Home

4.  Cozy Canadian Cottage

5.  New Scribbles

6.  Chatting at the Sky

7.  Domestically Speaking

8.  Dreamy Whites

9.  Goodbye, House. Hello, Home!

10.  Her New Leaf

11.  House and Home Defined

Phew!!!  I thought coming up with the questions was hard, but deciding between all the many deserving blogs was even harder!!!!  Check out all these blogs. They're all wonderful, and I know you'll enjoy these ladies as much as I do. 

Okay... I can't leave you without something beautiful to look at!

Dark Cabinets vs. White Cabinets

There is discussion on a website I frequent that has me thinking.  The discussion is about dark cabinets or light cabinets, and I am amazed by the comments.  Of course, there were the usual positive comments about both: White cabinets look lighter, brighter and cheerful, and dark cabinets look rich, sophisticated and warm.
The comments ran the entire gamut.

Other design

Now I agree that dark cabinets can look rich and sophisticated. They look gorgeous in this kitchen. Don't you just love the glass in the doors and contrast of the backsplash with the dark cabinets? This is one kitchen that does not look dark and formal to me, which is one of the reasons I tend to avoid dark cabinets. I could actually live with this kitchen.

One comment that struck me about dark cabinets is that they are easier to keep clean than white cabinets. But I just do not see where they would be any easier to keep clean than white cabinets. They still attract the same amount of dirt and grime no matter what color they are, unless of course you don't cook or never use grease.

It may be that dark cabinets are easier to keep looking clean, and that I might be able to agree with as long as you didn't look at them too closely. Com'on, admit it...We've all gone into kitchens where they looked beautifully clean, and then when we looked closely, we saw the grime on the cupboard doors. I know I'm not the only one.

Traditional Kitchen design by Chicago Kitchen And Bath Rebekah Zaveloff

One of the things that I love about white kitchen is how clean they always look. The dirt can't hide. You can see it immediately when tomato sauce splatters on a white cabinet, and if you're like me, you wipe it off right away so it doesn't become hard and cemented on. Spills, wipe them up immediately, and they don't stain.

Some people think white kitchens look sterile. Looking at the kitchen above, with the white on white, I can see that some people might think sterile when they look at it. That might be because white on white kitchens have to be kept clean. Anything that's out of place stands out, but when accessories and kitchen supplies are displayed artfully, it can make a white kitchen very pleasant.

Traditional Kitchen design by Chicago Kitchen And Bath The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn

This picture shows a beautiful a mixture of white and dark cabinets, an option that can be the best of both worlds. Some people love the look, others like things to match. As you know, our kitchen is a mix of white cabinets and oak cabinets, so this is a look I particularly like. What I really like about this kitchen is that it feels warm and sophisticated while still being bright and cheerful. (I will admit that although I love the lights over the island, I'd be driven nuts trying to keep the fingerprints off them!!!)

So what do you think?  Dark or white?  There are pros and cons to both, but both can be absolutely beautiful.

Quotable Thursday on Sunday

I found this and had to share it with all of you...  This quote describes my husband, Jim. I hope all of you have someone like this in your life, and if you don't, I hope you find that someone soon.