My Sewing room and the painted desk

Well, I knew it wouldn't last. That great looking room has seen some changes tonight. Not bad, just different. Since the desk is so wide, it almost needs it's own wall. But that can't happen since I have this sewing cabinet that opens up HUGE! And I have an extra cubby to put on the left side which creates a large U-shaped cabinet!

And the space beneath the built in shelves is not that wide leaving me very little space due to the french doors (wish I could replace those with bifolds or something). The only thing that fits in that space is the cutting table. So some rearranging has occurred. The desk is almost finished so it's already sitting in it's new space. I've been looking for some fabric for the roman shade I want to put on the window, it's like a giant black hole at night. I have found two I like but cannot find the name or manufacturer of the second. Any ideas?

I'll bet you guessed that the huge open space in the middle of the room is for opening up the cutting table, right?
One day, one day, like when I win the lottery (oh, do I really have to buy a ticket), I will replace that Albany Oak cabinet and the cutting table for this, if it's even available by then.

And when I do, I can empty the drawers of the Ikea cabinet and use it in the kitchen!
Or I could go work some shifts somewhere and buy the combo table/cabinet. Nah, I'll wait for the big lottery, LOL!

Cedar Hill Ranch is giving away a gorgeous tea set!

How generous is that?

http://cedarhillranch.blogspot.com

Follow up on the desk....

Howdy! Just sitting around thinking I need to post something while I've got your attention from Saturday's post! I've been working on my desk (off and on) since Saturday evening.
First I cleaned off the greasy grime (you know the kind, the slimey kind like over your stove?) on the keyboard shelf and the front top of the desk. Wiped down the rest of it which wasn't bad. And removed the keyboard shelf so I could access some areas to paint.
Didn't bother to sand anything, I was too anxious to try the chalk paint! It took hours (no joke) to paint every area that was visible and it swallowed up 1/2 of my quart of paint. I decided to paint over the Louis Blue top of the desk with Old White, so when I sand it, the blue will show through. Applied clear wax to everything I could reach (not done, need help to turn it over), and followed with dark wax.
Let me tell you, that wax is THICK and DARK! Here is how the desk looked after I swiped it with the dark wax...

Being the lazy busy woman that I am, I seriously was considering leaving it like that. I mean I could deal with it, but what would the majority say? That I was being sloppy. Why should I care? Why indeed, but I figured I would put in the extra work and see what happened. So, this is what the other side looks like with some of the dark removed. *Note: I have not removed the excess wax from the entire inside area marked with arrows...

Whatcha think? Am I on the right track or do I need to remove more dark wax? Add more? Please don't say "Distress"! Remember I'm soooo lazy uh, busy, I mean. Opinions please?

New used desk

Hiya! It's Saturday afternoon and I'm sooooo sleepy! I taught a class this morning and since I only had one person attend, it went by quickly and we were done before noon. I teach the guide classes on Pfaff sewing machines at the local dealer's shop.
Anyhow, I made my first Craigslist purchase this past Tuesday morning. I found this awesome, solid pine desk, but had to drive clear from I-10W to I-45S to get it. I was nervous that it might be a lousy deal after driving so far. And when I arrived, the home it was in was so dark, I couldn't hardly tell what was what. The seller assured me it was solid wood, but I couldn't tell in the near-dark! I was still wondering about it the whole trip home, hoping it was a good buy and not a mistake. Until my son came to get it out of the car and had to use a dolly to bring it inside. I tried to lift one side of the desk while it was in the SUV and could not budge the thing! It IS solid pine, massive and heavy. I'm pretty sure it is made in Mexico as I have seen that kind of furniture before when I lived in Del Rio (3 miles from the Texas/Mexico border.
So, I paid $60 for the desk. And since I had the class this morning I knew I could not go to Wonderfaux Studio to pick up some Annie Sloan Chalk paint to paint this sucker (longest sentence ever?), I went yesterday just before they closed. The paint cost more than the desk! Well, the brown bag special plus extra wax and a wax brush did. Here is a pic of the desk before I get started (same pic from Craigslist). See ya in a bit, I'm off to start painting!

The Den: The Great Reveal!!!

First, I saw this awesome bathroom with board and batten installed. Then I saw this room and this little boy's room (which btw, helped alot with installation of the hardboard)!
Finally! It's taken me a full 2 months to get to this point. Ripping out old baseboards, cutting panels of hardboard, cutting more MDF than I care to ever work with again, and PAINTING! So much painting! Layers and layers of paint, I really believe this room has shrunk by at least 2 inches in every direction :-(
But, it is worth it. In the end, the room is awesome, I know I will enjoy every minute I spend in it, whether I'm planning my next home project, drafting a pattern or sewing, and of course, playing games and watching Netflix the whole time.
My favorite color is BLUE. Always has been. My bedroom at our home in Portland, TX was blue. EVERYTHING was blue. My Dad built desks for us, mine was blue. My Mom bought these pretty glass sconces to hang next to our desks, Daddy painted the inside of mine blue. First house my parents bought, I painted all the mismatched furniture a Turquoise Blue so they would sort-of match. Even the inside border of the mirror (which I still have) got a coat of the Turquoise paint.
Well on to the show, huh? I love leaving the best for last so if you are really impatient, then just skip the middle and go to the end of this post, LOL!
In it's last life, this room was my Dad's room. He had had a stroke in March 2010 so when we brought him home, this was the only room downstairs that we could use for him. And someday, when he is able to come home again, it will again be his room. But in the meantime, I've prettied it up and will use it for my studio. So this is where we were 2 months ago:

Here are some pictures taken during the makeover.

Oh, I can't contain it any longer! Please keep in mind that I'm not done "decorating", or bringing in all my sewing stuff yet. And one day I'm going to replace that long sewing table and the cutting table with an all-in-one. My camera is not that great AND it's after 1AM in the morning. But for now, this is my dream space. Hope you like it :-)

And here are the shelves I built and installed, just for fun!

In case you are wondering, the colors are: Benjamin Moore "Cotton Balls" for the board and batten, and Behr "Sonata" for the upper walls. I would love to hear what y'all think!
Love and hugs, Edna

There IS an end to this job after all!

Oh my Gosh! Almost finished! Next step is to paint the window sill and baseboards with my nifty Benjamin Moore "Waterborne" oil paint that cleans up with water! How sweet is that? Hope to start moving machines and cabinets in tomorrow evening :-)
I am LOVING this room. Great reveal coming up ASAP!

Screaming Meme: Give~a~way

Screaming Meme: Give~a~way

Meme @ Screaming Meme is giving away 2 quarts of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in your choice of colors!

The Den: Continued

Wow, it's been over a month since I started working on the den. I think I sort of bit off more than I could chew this time. I say sort of because 1) I can do the job, but 2) it's taking WAY longer than I ever imagined. I believe age has a lot to do with this problem. You know, I think it's true when they say, "it's all downhill once you hit 50". But I've also heard it about 30, 40, 50, etc. Guess it's been a downhill climb for years but now I'm rolling full steam ahead!
I want to post pictures for you, but I would rather finish up the room first. I'm almost done, all that is left is to paint the left wall as you walk into the room and paint the baseboards one more time.
One of the major problems with this room was not the installation of the boards and batten, but the PAINT. I started with a Behr satin finish. Then I decided to go with a semi-gloss. I purchased the Behr Premium Plus Ultra which has the primer in it. Well, after noticing major streaking (you could see the color of the Zinsser primer underneath) after 3 coats, I called Behr. Yeah, they called me, and suggested that I was going to need 2 more gallons of paint to get proper coverage. Hello?? This room is 12 x 12 feet and I was only painting 5 feet up on a 9 foot wall! Sure they would reimburse me for the extra 2 gallons, but who was going to reimburse me on the time?
So I changed paints. I went with Benjamin Moore Aura after reading various reviews. Holy guacamole! $60/can! I could not get a good match so I just completely changed colors to something lighter, sort of an off white. I've gotten great coverage with it. 2 coats. But it dries FAST! No sooner do I brush it on and it's already drying to where I can't go over it with the next brushing. So you have to work fast and don't go over your previous strokes.
I also decided to add 2 shelves to the wall on the right of the door. I just got that up and screwed in place tonight.
This job has shown me how wavy and uneven our walls are. Never going the panel installation route again. But if and when we decide to sell and move from here, the new owners can remove everything since nothing is glued in place. Just nails and caulking, etc.
Last night my hubby said I can have the room for me since it is downstairs and he likes it upstairs. I HAD told him he could take it. But I'm happy to take it. I was mine before, hehehe! And one day when my Dad comes home, it can be his room again. So I'm gathering knick-knacks to put on the shelves. If only I had all the beautiful things my Mother had given me before I had kids! See ya soon!

Cedar Hill Ranch: Chalk Paint Class Give-Away

Cedar Hill Ranch: Chalk Paint Class Give-Away