It's a Desk!

Comcast somehow half-cancelled our service appointment yesterday and didn't show up, or contact us. Extremely frustrating, but after some considerable finagling we rescheduled for tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm going stir-crazy and I have a desk I haven't shared with you yet. I escaped to a local coffee/fro-yo shop (mostly for the wifi), and here you go:

It's all set up in my office/craft room with my just-for-work computer on it. I finished it off with a spray polyurethane sealant (I don't remember the name and the can is in the garage at home), but I loved it. This bottle's sprayer was different, it sprayed in a straight line so getting an even coat was a breeze. If I ever use a spray primer again, I'll look for a similar spray pattern. 

Pink Surprise

It's pink! Pink accent paint! And it looks really bright and scary in the can!

I actually love the color as is. However, when I put the gray paint on I wasn't 100% decided on where the pink would go, so I decided to paint the whole thing gray and then layer pink selectively on top. That way, everything ends up the same pink, instead of a muted pink-over-gray right next to a bright just-pink-and-primer.

I applied some blue painter's tape to keep my edges clean, and got started.

I believe this was taken in between coats.

Come back tomorrow for the finished project!

2nd coat-check!

For the second coat, I switched to a foam brush. Roughly 10,000 times easier (roughly), no brush strokes, and it went down in about 45 minutes instead of 2.5 hours.

The above pic, taken after coat 1, shows off the brush strokes better.

This is after coat 2--much better!

On deck for tomorrow: Accent color!

1st coat-check!

I started with a typical art-class paint brush and cut it around the hardware. 

This is the the only picture I took while painting, or rather, while pretending to paint. I'm not sufficiently talented to actually paint within the lines with my right hand while simultaneously taking an in-focus picture with my left hand. If you look closely, you'll notice the brush is hovering just above the surface. That's the way I roll? 

And boom, the first coat is done!

I used a nylon brush paintbrush, and struggled against brush marks the entire time. It was a losing battle, though it's hard to tell from the pictures. 

I tried to do long brush strokes, but I couldn't get the right amount of paint on the brush. It would either be way too little and it would only cover about 6 inches; or it would be to much and it would go all over the place, but only in the immediate vicinity of that first touch and no where else. I did the best I could, and changed strategy for the second coat. More on that tomorrow!

Too humid to paint

The internet said it was too humid to paint today, so I didn't. It was hard to pinpoint how humid is too humid, but some consensus emerged at 70-80%. 

It's been warm with scattered showers today, by the time I got home from work the humidity was 79% and climbing.

Other than some light sanding, the desk was untouched today. I do have this glamorous shot from yesterday, though.

Primed and Ready!

Today's mission was priming, two coats, please. Except I stupidly only bought one can of primer. Because you can totally get two-three coats out of one can, right? WRONG!

This is how far one can got me. Roughly halfway through the actual desk, not a drop on the door. Emergency trip to the hardware store! Because really, what DIY project would be complete without one?

Picked up three more cans, finished the first coat and let it dry for an hour:

 Then I put on the second coat and called it a night:

Remember how I didn't sand the inside panels of the drawer? After the second coat, you can't tell. At least not yet. We'll see how it looks once it's completely dry, I might skip sanding next time.

Next steps: light sanding to even out any heavier spots, and the first coat of actual paint. Not sure how long it will take the paint to dry, so I'm only planning to do one coat tomorrow. We'll see.

Refinishing the desk: Part 3

Polished off the sanding tonight (that's almost a pun, right?), filled in a couple nicks and called it a night.

You'll notice I skipped the inside side panels of the drawer.

I started them, as you can tell from the picture. I started them and quickly decided it wasn't worth it. They'll only be visible when the drawer is open, and oh my god all those corners!  If I were to do it, it would take another 4 hours; I honestly do not have it in me.

I filled in a tiny hole on the top and a nick on the side using Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler. I didn't have a putty knife so I improvised with a plastic fork and my finger. It worked just as well and I'm no worse for wear. Let each spot dry 15 minutes, touched it up with some fine-grit sandpaper and considered throwing on a coat of primer.

I ultimately decided to save the primer for tomorrow. I had the time and the energy to throw on a coat of primer and close up shop for the night; however upon reading the directions, I realized I would need to leave the garage door open while it dries. Which is fine, just not at 10:00 PM. So, that's my plan for tomorrow. Layer of primer when I get home from work, pack for an hour, repeat. The directions say to use 2-3 coats,

After 8 hours of sanding...

...the sanding isn't quite done.

The body of the desk is almost done. The inside of the right leg isn't there yet, the finish there is more stubborn than it has been on any other piece. And, obviously, I haven't touched the drawer yet.

Please excuse the moving-mess in the background. 15 days!

Surprise Furniture Project!

I visited my mom yesterday, and brought home my desk ahead of our move. I've been told the work-at-home equipment from work is very temperamental, and the tech team only comes twice–to set it up when you start, and to tear it down when you leave. So I want my workspace set up before the come; this way the desk will be there right away when we move in.

We also discussed refinishing furniture, vis-a-vis a dresser she's giving us. We sanded the top a little bit just to see, and the varnish started coming off easily. That dresser will be coming up in a truck the weekend after we move in, and I'm planning to tackle that right away. Get it sanded and stained before taking it up the stairs, right?

Mom also sent me home with some borrowed and donated tools: steel wool, and hand-sander, and an electric belt sander. And an itch to refinish!

So I started with the desk? Wasn't really planning on it at first, but I have a plan that I'm excited about. I sanded a little corner last night before I remembered to take a picture:

And I've spent most of the day–6 hours so far–sanding. I've been re-watching Downtown Abby while I'm at it, which helps pass the time. Taking a break for the moment, and I'm hoping to finish up later tonight.

Cake Topper

I saw this cake topper on Pinterest a while back:

It's available for purchase at Etsy. While I love it, at $300 it was well outside my budget. But I just couldn't get it out of my head. I loved it so much I wouldn't settle for something else. So I made a trip to the craft store and pulled out the hot glue gun and ~6 hours later: 

This is something I will keep forever. I used several costume pieces I had "inherited" from my grandmother, a plastic teddy bear barrette from childhood, silk flowers, and lots and lots and lots of beads. Bonus points if you spot the ballerina! 

Out of respect to the original crafter, I will not post a tutorial for this project. I don't think doing so would be ethical.

No-Sew Necklace Display

I had been draping my necklaces over my earring stand (at right), but they were getting in the way. Inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, I made the necklace "rack" (at left) with an inexpensive poster frame, fabric, screw eyes and knuts.

Supplies:

• 1 poster frame (or other frame)
• Fabric large enough to cover frame (I used half a yard for a 12" x 18" frame)
• Appx. 30 3/4" screw eyes
• Appx. 30 8-32 finished hex nuts

Tools:

• Electric drill with 1/16" drill bit
• Hot glue gun and glue
• Iron and ironing board
• Ruler or yardstick
• Pencil
• Fabric scissors

1. Remove the plexiglass (or glass) and backing from the frame. Measure the length and height of the backing. 

2. On the back side of the backing, draw a straight, horizontal line all the way across. This line should be roughly three to four inches from the top edge. 

3. Measure and mark one-inch increments across the line. 

4. Drill a hole at each marking, skipping the first and last two marks.

5. On right-side (RS) of backing, screw the screw eyes into the holes. Secure them with a knut on the wrong-side (WS). Set aside. 

5.  Cut fabric so that it is two inches wider and two inches longer than the backing. 

6. On WS of fabric, make one inch folds along each edge and iron the creases. 

7. On RS of fabric, fold the top edge back so that the distance from the crease to the first fold is equal to the distance from the line you drew on the backing from the backing's top edge. Iron this new crease. Be careful that your fabric is oriented the same way as your backing. 

8.  On right side of fabric, measure and mark one-inch increments across the length of the newest crease. 

9. On right side of fabric, cut a small + at each mark along the crease, skipping the first and last two marks. You will be making two small cuts at each mark; one vertical and one horizontal. 

10.  Fit fabric over the backing, putting the screw eyes through the snips in the fabric. Smooth. 

11. Carefully glue the fabric in place with one line of glue above the screw eyes and another line below them. 

12. Flip the backing so the WS is facing you. Position the fabric so the 1" folded edges overlap the edges on the WS of the backing. Glue the fabric edges in place. 

13. Reassemble the frame.

Invitations

Invitations, check. I designed these myself and had them printed on paper similar to watercolor paper. My future-mother-in-law, myself and two friends spent an afternoon painting the flowers with watercolors. 

Thanks for all your help!

Letting them dry on the table...

And the finished product! We left the response cards unpainted; we are encouraging our guests to color or pain them before returning them. While my fiancé and I were at work, my mom spent the morning getting them ready to mail. Thanks, Mom!

Christmas Decorating 2011 Pt 1

I decided to move the Christmas tree off the dining table, so that we can dine at the table. However, because it is a small tree and because we have a dog who likes eating things he shouldn't eat, we can't put it on the ground. Solution: put it on top of his crate. And then I had to make Christmas really hit that corner. I wish I took a before picture.

A picture that I hate but my fiancé loves is in that corner. It's bright orange and green, and has a quote from Camus on it. Normally, it escapes my notice because it's in an out of the way corner; until that same corner became Christmas Central. So, I found a simple, non-permanent way to make it fit: cover it with fabric!

Materials:
Transparent tape
Straight pins
Framed picture/image/art piece
Enough fabric to cover your art with at least 2 inches overlap. I used 1 yard for a piece roughly 18" x 18"

Make a note of how your piece is hung. Mine is hung by a wire, so I needed to secure the fabric in a way that would not impede the wire. If your piece is hung differently, adjust accordingly.

Please note: the apparent right side in this photo is actually the top. 

Lay your fabric down, wrong side facing you. Center the art piece on top of it, wrong side facing you. Fold the top of the fabric over the art, smooth, and secure with transparent tape. Repeat on the bottom. The tape is circled in the picture at right.









Fold one side of the fabric over the art. Using straight pin, pin folded fabric to the fabric on the top edge. Repeat at bottom. The pin is circled in the picture at left. At this point, you will have excess fabric at the edges. Repeat on the other side.












Gently pull and fold that excess fabric diagonally, in such a way to minimize the bulk. Pin in place. This pin is circled at left. Repeat at each corner.





 Hang and admire.

 More details about the mini-transformation to come!

Glue Stuff Together

Gluing ceramic to styrofoam? Use the right glue. This to That tells you, giving three options: good, better, best. Quick, easy, painless and super-sticky.

via StumbleUpon

Things I've Learned From Watching the DIY Network

My fiancé and I watch a lot of home renovation shows. While we hope to one day own a home, we don't right now. Right now, we're that couple who say "what were they thinking?" when the do-it-yourselfers on the TV unknowingly remove a load-bearing wall, when we also can't tell the difference between a wall that's load-bearing and a wall that isn't. However, we have learned a thing or two watching other people's mistakes.

1. Get a realistic idea of what things cost before setting your budget.
It seems 9 out of every 10 projects go over budget, and every single of those homeowners is surprised to spend as much as they do. But if you plan to gut your kitchen, rewire, change the plumbing, move walls, replace cabinets, redo the floor, and get all new appliances, $10,000 is not going to cut it. In the worst case scenarios, the homeowners don't realize they're in over their heads until the room is gutted and inhabitable, so they have to find a way to finish the room. Sometimes they have additional savings, sometimes they have to get a loan, but over budget is over budget. You'll save yourself a lot of stress, time, energy and money if you look at costs way before you plan to start. Get realistic quotes and estimates for everything you plan to do; look at countertops and floor tiles so you have an idea what you'll pay to get the look you want. Then set the budget and save.

2. Everything is easy with a pro by your side, telling you what to do.
But unless you are lucky enough to  make it one of these shows, you won't have a pro by your side. Do your homework before hand. Look for how-to videos on Youtube, home improvement books. Ask your friends and family if they have any experience doing the same thing, see what tips they have. If you're really lucky, one of them may volunteer to help out.

3. Make decisions and take accurate measurements before demolition.
That "measure twice, cut once" mantra is really important. Measurements need to be exact, or they will create more problems later. You don't want to be the one saying, "I think the door is going to be about...here," demo the wall, then find out the opening you made is too big and in the wrong place. Now, in addition to cutting the opening and installing the door in the correct location, you also have to fix the wall you destroyed.

4. Everything has to be straight, square, and/or level.
And getting it that way is much harder than it looks. If it isn't square/straight/level, it makes everything else you do more difficult. And uneven floors are annoying.

5. Unless you are an electrician or plumber, don't do your own.
This needs no explanation, but I'll give one anyway. If the wiring or plumbing is screwed up, it creates a dangerous home. Bad wiring can start fires. Bad plumbing can create mold problems, or flood your house. If you have both bad wiring and bad plumbing you might be able to put out your own fire, but let's not find out.

6. If you're doing your own construction work while consulting with a contractor, he is billing you for his time. 
You think you're saving money, which you might, unless you do it wrong. Then your contractor will eventually swoop in and fix your mess, and he gets to bill you for fixing your mistakes plus doing the job right, in addition to the time he spent giving you "free" advice.

7. Don't start a new project until the previous project is complete.
People who break this rule end up with so many incomplete projects that their homes are barely habitable. You shouldn't need to worry about your toddler falling through the hole in the kitchen floor; you should fix the hole in the floor.

8. Take little kids to Grandma's.
They don't understand the concept of danger, they won't stay in the playroom, they won't sleep through it, and they think they can help you. Take them to Grandma's, drop them off at a friend's house, get them out of the way. Then you can focus on the project without worrying about them.

9. If going over budget will threaten your financial security, don't do it.
No home improvement project is worth bankruptcy.


We've agreed to follow these rules when it comes to our own home, when we have one. We've also agreed that when we're ready to buy a house, it'll be move-in ready. We can deal with ugly as long as it's functional, we can always redo a bathroom at some point down the road. However, I would love an unfinished basement that we could finish ourselves...