Chalk Board Coffee Table

I bought this coffee table very cheap at an auction. Initially I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. I had thought maybe using it as a base for an ottoman but then I decided to turn it into a chalk board coffee table.

The base was a bland grey colour so I spray painted it blue. I then sanded back the top and painted it with chalk board paint. Now it didn't quite go to plan as the paint kept going very streaky. I tried using a mini roller but still got lines. I sanded back between coats but it still looked streaky. I then sanded it back again and tried using chalk board spray paint. Well it wasn't streaky but I am not sure if I am any happier with the results.

As it is for the kids I figured that they wont mind if it wasn't 100% and once there is a layer of smeared in chalk no one will ever notice.

The Littlest Man really likes this as he can easily reach. Usually with upright chalk boards he can only reach the bottom third. Now he can cover the entire area in squiggles.

Mirror mirror on the wall

I bought these great mirrors at an auction. Using my highly refined detective skills, I read the sticker on the back,  I  discovered these mirrors were originally made locally for a local motel. The motel was now having a refit and the mirrors were being replaced.

These mirrors are huge and extremely heavy. I must say the local joinery company does not skimp on materials and I certainly could not lift one on my own. This made it slow work to jazz up and also creates the problem of how I am going to hang them. In the house I rent there are no suitable hooks. But that is a problem for another day. For now I have to focus on painting them.

The first one was sanded back and my Mum spent ages taping around the edge to protect the glass from being scratched. It is hard to tape a circular surface. Here is Mum cleaning the dust off after sanding.

The mirror is so big it covers the entire surface of this outdoor table. After sanding, the mirror was painted with primer, 3 coats of top coat and then several coats of polyurethane.

Now for a finished shot.

Mirror mirror on the wall,

I really hope that you don't fall.

You are massive and weigh a ton,

and being squished wouldn't be fun.

That is one mirror sorted. Now to decide on what colour to paint my other one.

Red's Red Box

It has been a little while between posts as the flu did the rounds in the house and I then injured my shoulder. But we are healthy now and I have caught up on enough housework to allow me to head out to the shed to finish a few projects. 

I have had this timber box for years and it eventually found its way into the shed covered in dust. Time for a huge clean up because this box is going to have a makeover to become a keepsake box for Red. My little Red collects rocks and (affordable) little fossils so this box would be perfect to keep the larger rocks in.

After removing the hardware, a lot of sanding, several coats of primer it was then time to paint the main colour. Little Red got the honour of choosing the colour of his box. He wanted Red and not a subtle red either. I am not a huge red fan but it was his choice.  Here is the start of applying the red.

The red paint started to grow on me. I actually like it now. I did several coats of red and then several coats of varnish. I didn't try to distress the paint as I figured a box holding rocks will become distressed looking quite quickly anyway. I have painted inside and outside of the box in the same colour.

Now for the end result. Here is Red's red box with some of his rock collection.

A huge thank you must go to my friend Narelle who made the stencil for me. You rock Narelle.  Anyone who has ever seen my handwriting would know that there was no chance I could free hand paint or draw the B without a stencil.

Little Red was very happy with his new box and even gave me a Thank you kiss.  Awwwww.

Rocking chair

I saw this Rocking Chair and had to buy it. I got it for a bargain price but renovating it has seen me cursing my purchasing decision quite a few times.

The seat padding was glued into place and it was a huge effort to remove them. I ended up with cuts and bruises. The old varnish was cracking and took a lot of effort to hand sand off. All those loops make using an electric sander impossible. It took me hours to prepare the surface. I then did 3 coats of primer, 3 coats of the top coat and then a couple of coats of clear varnish.

It is nearly finished, all that is left is to actually attach the padding. At the moment it is just sitting there so I can take the photo. I couldn't resist showing it off now. It looks so clean and fresh now and worth the dramas that went with it.  But I think I am bored with this fabric and paint combination. I need to find a contrasting fabric print now to use in the lounge room. 

Update: It is finished now. Surprisingly it is very comfortable.

Boy's Bedroom update

Mr Gameboy and Red share a bedroom by choice. Though I sometimes wonder if it was a wise move when I hear them chatting away long after the lights have been turned off at bedtime. I had been meaning to update their bedding for a while but Red made the decision for me. I was looking at something online and Red walked past, saw a photo of bed linen, and announced "I would like that, please" and then he walked off again. Ok fair enough Red.

This was before

Now with a clean up and the new linen.

 

I had a little blue spray paint left which matched the blue on the doonas. I gave the lids of these jars a quick spray and now they have a place for marbles, shells and those annoying Nintendo DS pens that I find all over the house.

I would love to stencil dinosaur foot prints on the wall but unfortunately I only rent this house. But I will tackle that ugly lamp beside their bed. They love the lamp as it is a touch lamp but it needs a makeover. 

My Milk Urn

I feel in love with this Milk Urn the moment I saw it but it had a lot of rust in places. In fact I think in this photo it must be showing its good side. It actually looks nicer in the photo than the rusty mess it was.

Actually I am so determined to show you how bad it was that I am off to search for a better photo......    Ok I am back. Now check this out.

Can you see all that rust now?

I used paint stripper on this and please stop me if I ever suggest using it again. It is nasty horrible stuff and I had to be so careful that the children didn't come near it. I even placed it inside a child's play pen while I was doing it. Next I sanded the surface and prepared the tin for painting. I painted it white as I thought it would be a nice colour for a milk urn.  I thought that white would be a nice traditional colour.

After painting it, I discovered that I hated it white. The urn seemed to lose its charm and personality. It just seemed washed out. I then decided to forget traditional and go for bold. I really couldn't decide then what colour to paint it. In the end I decided to use a spare tin of paint I had sitting in the shed. If I don't end up liking it then I can sand it back and repaint it again.

I think the colour is more aqua than the blue showing in the photo but for now I am happy with the results. I have plans to insert driftwood sticks and hang some decorations on them. I am not paying for decorative sticks, I am being thrifty after all, so next time we go to the beach we will search for something suitable.

Carver chair

I bought this chair to use as a practice before I start doing a make over of my dinning suite. The black paint and red fabric seemed too dated for my taste. And I am sure everyone knows by now that I like colour and lots of it.

Mum stripped the fabric off for me and found 3 layers of different fabric, no wonder there were lumps and bumps. Mum took lots of photos so that we would know how to upholster it again when the painting was finished.

 I chose a blue paint and I got lots of help from Superman and Red.

My little helpers aren't the smoothest painters and I really needed to do a lot of sanding between coats to remove the lumps and bumps.

Eventually we did enough coats and it was shipped off to Mum's house for padding and fabric to be put on. I am really happy with the finished product. It looks so clean and fresh compared to the black and red.