Almost there

So close to being happy with my new blog look, love the background picture! The header needs some work, was happy with it but now I have a background and layout I like the header just doesn't work for me anymore. Tried to designed a new one today but I just wasn't in the creative mood.

Speaking of creative things, I think that I have finally come up with a design that I like to finish the chest of draws that I have been redecorating for the last month. Best thing is that my wonderful husband likes it, he thinks it's abit girly but likes it as a girly design. I don't mind really if it looks girly (a girl created it afterall), and everything in our house is pretty gender neutral so a pop of girlyness wouldn't be so bad.

I used photoshop to come up with the design, and I pulled apart of clipart that I found, took the bits I liked and made them work together. Using photoshop I have also been able to give myself about how the finish chest is going to look (love photoshop!).

Now I just have to transfer this design to the chest of draws, a friend suggested that it would be quicker to just draw the design with a pencil then fill in with a paintbrush. The other option is to transfer the image to a piece of card or clear contact to use as a stencil, probably go with the first option, seems to be the easiest way to go.

Also finally got the metal baskets that I found at council pick-up spray painted, my wonderful husband suggested that I went with a clear finish, glad I did. Here is a picture of the finished baskets in their place in the kitchen cart.

The clear coat allows the original colour and look that first attracted me to be seen, and because I don't know what they were used for before I came across them it also protects the food that I will be storing in them. Next is to make some liners for the inside of the baskets, the holes in the baskets are far too big and things fall through (onions, potato's, ginger etc) so a liner will keep everything in, and will give both baskets a uniform look (and hide the not so pretty contents of the bottom basket).

Alittle concerned..........

In a previous post I mentioned a bad experience purchasing paint for my current redecorating project, things haven't got any better. I have made my own grey tinted paint and covered the draw unit with two coats and have just finished two coats of the top colour.

I wanted a nice warm but still bright red, so far the colour is more pinky-orange. Not too impressed, but since the paint cost me $30 I am going to have to just go with the colour. I know that I have only applied two coats and hopefully the colour will deepen with further coats (please!). I am sure that the end result with the black stencil I am planning will still look great and bring a great splash of colour and the feeling of warmth to our bedroom. I have been enjoying sitting and applying each coat of paint, been nice to have a purpose and something to aim towards. Didn't enjoy the sanding! Awful job! So glad that I am now painting. My fingers are covered in paint, first whitey grey and now pinky orange (which will hopefully be red soon) and I am itching to go and apply another coat! Not till tomorrow, have far to much housework to do and the paint has to dry properly in between coats.

Still nothing on the job front, I have been alittle more proactive with the Chaplaincy jobs. Updated my online application and filled in some new questions that SU have added to their online application, and signed up for their RSS feed. That way I know when new schools come on the website, so far there are no schools in the Sunshine Coast area :-( but I have applied for a High School in Caboolture.

It begins!

I have finally began a project that I have been itching to do for a couple of months now. The redecorating of our chest of draws. Ever since I found this picture I have wanted to recreate this look to really warm & brighten up our bedroom.

I have my red paint and my husband got a friend to help him take the chest of draws downstairs, now I am in the process of sanding. I am not a huge fan of sanding, particularly when it takes sooooo long! But I know that preparation is so important to the finished result. Particularly with a colour like red. I will say that I didn't have the best experience with the place that I got my paint from, granted I didn't go in as prepared as I normally would be, I did need a bit of advice especially with whether I needed a grey tint undercoat. To get a good red colour and not pink generally it is a good idea to use a grey undercoat instead of a white one. But I spoke to two different people (in the same store, standing right next to each other) and they gave me two different answers, one said that a grey tint was a good idea to get the depth of colour needed with red, but the other person said that it wasn't necessary with the that particular colour red. Didn't get the undercoat, but my husband did suggest that I just tint the can of white undercoat that I already own.

Here is the before picture, as you can see the chest is in great condition (little dints and scratches on top) but just alittle dated, actually alot dated for my current tastes.

Can't wait to show you the finished chest of draws after I have finished with it!

I have also finished the book case that I have been working on, love the result! I will post some pictures soon. It the mist of unpacking stuff that I had to pack up from preparing for all of the redecorating.

Redecorating

As well as reorganising and am also redecorating some of our furniture, we have had a few pieces for 5 years and some pieces more than that. On my hit list for redecorating is;


1. Bookcase (my husbands, it is one that belongs to his Dad so it is quite old)



2. Dresser draws (mine, had it for a couple of years before we got married)

3. Bed side table (these we have had for about 5 years, bought not long after we got married)


First is the bookcase, mostly cause I already have the paint. It is left over from when I stained and painted our bed a few years ago. I forgot to take a before picture, but this bookcase started its life (before it came into my life) black, then got painted the colour that I am use to seeing it which is a beige/pinky colour, and now it will be a chocolate brown glimmery colour.

Here is the bookshelf after two coats of white base coat/primer and one coat of the final colour, the paint is quite thin since I have applied the first coat with a brush. The more coats that go on the less the brush strokes will be visible, and the final coast I am planning on applying with a roller to give a nice flat finish.

I also have plans for the dresser draws, found the picture below on the American Better Homes and Gardens website, and I would love to recreate this look. I have a very similar dresser except that mine is taller and will be living in our bedroom instead of the kitchen as a kitchen island (though love the idea of using two chests of draws and a solid cord door to make this kitchen island.....maybe when I get my own house)

Have absolutly no idea what I want to do with the bedside tables......thinking maybe painting them black but not sure.