I Need Your Help!

Ok, I'm going to be gone camping for a week starting tomorrow morning, and when I get back I want to start on Stella, but I am having a really hard time deciding on what color/colors to do her in.  I really respect all you fellow restorers out there, so please leave me a comment and tell me what color makeover you think I should give her.

Here she is again.

Taking a Little Break.....Camping?

I wish I could tell you that I was taking a break to someplace exotic, where I would be basking poolside. fruity drink in hand, embellished with a little umbrella,    being spritzed by the pool boy to cool me off, and ordering poolside service, but that is not the case.  My little break will be up the mountain to Girls Camp!    I have to admit though, that I am actually a wee bit excited.  Both my younger girls will be there with me, not to mention my very bestest friend!  It's not really where you're at, it's who you're with, right, and no matter whereJanae and I are, we always have a great time, and having my girls along, will make it all the better.

There probably won't be fruity drinks with umbrellas, or poolside service, but there will be dutch oven peach cobbler, stories around the campfire, and smores!  Yum:)  

I have plenty of projects to work on but didn't want to start anything until I get back, so stay tuned!

{Something a Little Different}

I was doing a little blog surfing today, and happened upon a friends blog that had this creed posted in her sidebar.  I loved it so much that I stole it from her (I think she'll forgive me though, seeing as she acquired it from someone else:).  I was going to put it in my sidebar as well (and still will), but sometimes those things get overlooked, so I decided to post it here first.

THE OPTIMIST CREED

TO BE SO STRONG THAT NOTHING CAN DISTURB YOUR PEACE OF MIND.

TO TALK HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY TO EVERY PERSON YOU MEET.

TO MAKE ALL YOUR FRIENDS FEEL LIKE THERE IS SOMETHING IN THEM.

TO LOOK AT THE SUNNY SIDE OF EVERYTHING AND MAKE YOUR OPTIMISM COME TRUE.

TO THINK ONLY OF THE BEST, TO WORK ONLY FOR THE BEST AND TO EXPECT ONLY THE BEST.

TO BE JUST AS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF OTHERS AS YOU ARE ABOUT YOUR OWN.

TO FORGET THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST AND PRESS ON TO THE GREATER ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE FUTURE.

TO WEAR A CHEERFUL COUNTENANCE AT ALL TIMES AND GIVE EVERY LIVING CREATURE YOU MEET A SMILE.

TO GIVE SO MUCH TIME TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF YOURSELF THAT YOU HAVE NO TIME TO CRITICIZE OTHERS.

TO BE TOO LARGE FOR WORRY, TOO NOBLE FOR ANGER, TOO STRONG FOR FEAR, AND TOO HAPPY TO PERMIT THE PRESENCE OF TROUBLE.

CHRISTIAN D. LARSON (from Kathy Peterson via Holly Oswald)

Thanks Kathy (and Holly) for sharing:)

Restore it Wednesday Entry

My Restore it Wednesday entry this week is Abigail.  She is my favorite piece that I have done so far.  I am so happy with the way she turned out.  Wish me luck:)

Here is Abigail before:

Here she is After:

Here's a Sneak Peak at Stella!

Introducing Stella!!  I found this lovely lady on Craigslist, and instantly fell in love.  She is so very charming, and has such great lines.  I can't wait to see her all dolled up.  Stay tuned for her big reveal!

Say Hello to Penelope!

Penelope is so adorable and looks so great sitting in my entryway!

  She was a bit of a struggle to revive.  I didn't notice when I purchased her that she had a leather inset on top. 

It came off quite easily but underneath was a cheap piece of particle board that the leather was glued to, and as I sanded, it  started splintering. 

 I was so discouraged, but the hubs saved the day with some epoxy.  He floated it out and sanded it smooth (sorry no pic).  The paint went on perfect and she turned out beautifully.

Again, here she is

{before}

and here she is

{after}

Love Love Love Her!

Introducing Abigail

Remember this little dresser that I showed you a while back?

Well she's done, and she is totally my favorite piece that I have done, by far!!  I purchased Abigail off of Craigslist from a young military couple (can't thank them enough for all they do).  It was her grandmother's dresser, and she hated to part with it, but didn't like lugging it around with them each time they moved.  Abigail had some pretty bad scratches and gouges in the top, and some minor damage to one of her legs, but I fixed her up with some wood filler and she is good as new.

After the wood filler dried, I sanded her down, then gave her a coat of spray on Kilz,  

followed by another light sanding after it dried, then two coats of paint, letting each coat dry approximately 8 hours.  Next I distressed her, then lightly glazed in certain spots with a mixture of Ralph Lauren Glaze and some brown paint.

I didn't want to glaze all over because I wanted the white to be more crisp.  After the glaze dried, I applied a light coat of Minwax Paste Finishing Wax, 

let it dry for approximately 10-15 minutes, and then buffed it with the electric buffer, which gives it a nice shine.

Again, here is Abigail

 {before}

   

 And here she is 

{after}

Doesn't she look so much happier?

Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think:)

On a different note, I just had to share this pic that the hubs took of some not so wild burros in Blue Diamond today.  Precious!!

Wish Me Luck

I'm so excited to be entering in my first ever Link Party over at Restore Interiors.  That's where you feature one of your creations on another person's blog and then they pick their favorite from all the entries.  I'm entering my red Farm Table.

Here is the before picture of it.  I picked this table up at Salvation Army, and it is one of the first pieces I did.

I started off by lightly sanding it and then painting it with one coat of Kilz.

After painting two coats of the red, you could see the Kilz bleeding through {I'm still learning} and it was turning it kind of pink so,

I stripped it all down, and started over, but this time Instead of the Kilz, I started off with one coat of black paint first and then two coats of red.

After distressing, I glazed it with a mixture of Ralph Lauren's Glaze and some black stain that the hubs had left over from somewhere.

{before}

And {after}

It adds just the right amount of extra color in my living room.

not enough {time} in a day!

Why do we have to sleep?  When I start a project, I want to work on it until it is finished, and not have to stop to eat, drink, or sleep.  I have my next project just waiting for me in the garage, but I refuse to start it until I know that I will not have any distractions and can finish it the same day.  I wish I could clone myself so that I could get everything done that I want to in a day.

Here is a sneak peek.  Any suggestions on color(s)?

Hopefully I can have this little jewel done by this weekend, and of course it is available for purchase if anyone is interested.