It’s not a party without penguins and a leggy blonde
Posted: March 13, 2014 Filed under: Lurayville, Renovation | Tags: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, dining room, vintage sideboard, yellow is a happy color 3 CommentsWell, we’re back.
That was a long ten days, that was. The flu fairy came to visit. Everybody’s better now. That’s all I’m saying.
Last night we hosted a potluck dinner to celebrate a committee that BluesRay’s been chairing for nine months, who have now successfully finished their task. A dozen people came.
It was the first time since we’d started renovating that we’d let anybody in the door who wasn’t family or close friends or a contractor. I cleaned for three days. It’s amazing how paint cans and brushes and tools and extra doorknobs can spread themselves thin all over the house. Just like plaster dust.
And there is nothing like the threat of “company’s coming!” to induce a panicky rush to tidy it all up. We can’t have anybody thinking that we’ve been actually living in a renovation project now, can we?
Thousands were without power but I built a table
Posted: February 6, 2014 Filed under: Fun Finds, Makeover, This Old Row House | Tags: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, building a table, makeover 5 CommentsThis past week we’ve had two major winter storms. One brought over a foot of snow, the other brought enough rain and ice to knock out power to 650,000+ people. I couldn’t go to work. I got to build a table on my unplanned day off.
Last summer I rescued a weird industrial sort of “tabletop” from my dad’s hoard of stuff.

One of the weird things we found in my father’s basement hoard. It appears as though something once covered the middle area because it’s cleaner and lighter. Mysteries!
Why was it partially painted? What was it originally used for? Yep, there’s more!
Fauxthentic hope chest update
Posted: November 9, 2013 Filed under: Makeover, This Old Row House | Tags: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Hope chest, painting 2 CommentsWell, I agreed with everyone who commented, texted and emailed to say the freshly painted hope chest heart looks too new.
I roughed it up with coarse sandpaper. This was faster and easier than having the grandkids over for multiple weekends.
Then I gave it a heavy coat of Annie Sloan’s dark wax to highlight the flaws and tone down the bright color. Read the rest of this entry »
Not quite in love
Posted: November 8, 2013 Filed under: Makeover, This Old Row House | Tags: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Family, Heart motif, Hope chest, paint 2 CommentsI’ve wanted to paint my hope chest for a long time. No, not change the color. Just add a bit of interest. My original thought was to use flower designs from the rug. Ultimately, though, that seemed too modern for this antique pine chest.
I got a better idea when we found a drawer full of paper patterns in my father’s workshop. Read the rest of this entry »
Month of Makeovers Day 25: I get by with a little help
Posted: October 25, 2013 Filed under: 31 Days, Makeover | Tags: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Home Improvement, makeover, massive Empire dresser, paint, painted dresser 2 CommentsHave you been sitting on the edge of your seat just dying to know what happened with the massive Empire dresser I abandoned in melodramatic despair on Day 15?
It’s finally gotten a makeover with a little help from ManRay–aka Mr. Janeray.
Read the rest of this entry »