Just a small project

I have no idea why I dragged one of these home with me other than I saw one on a blog that had been made to look adorable. But, where that blogger dove in and recreated her end table, my dislike for this style furniture wouldn't let me get close enough to poke it with a stick.

This end table ended up buried beneath everything else at the back of my storage room. So when I had exhausted all options in finding a base for my paint display I remembered waaayyy back behind dressers and desks and a few more dressers and desks and a table and some chairs and under the wall-mounted saddle stands was an end table......

It didn't even warrant a decent before shot.

But one never knows, does one?

It would work in my hour of need. All I had to do was take off the top tier, take the legs off and move them around so the front decorative legs were now on the wide side. Glue, clamp, fill holes, paint. Just a small project.

And it turned out well. I didn't sand because the table seemed so far from smooth but it sure chipped like crazy! Guess it had a smoother finish that I thought.

 I enjoy watching the random chipping spread. Call me crazy ......

 Big chipping happening here.

 Purdy

This is my favorite kind of chipping. It looks so natural.

I had measured and measured again obsessively so I knew this table would work.

 And it does. This probably won't be the permanent display - it will get too small fast when my next order of paint arrives. And then I have some other tricks up my sleeve.

(Disclaimer: Don't just plop pieces of furniture on top of each other. Be sure to use the appropriate hardware to safely secure everything.)

In other news, Inspector 19's tumor thing was indeed cancer. The vet believes she got everything out so there will be no more worries. I have to make an appointment for the staples to come out and then we wait for the fur to grow back. What a trooper the good Inspector has been.

Linking to:
miss mustard seed
the dedicated house

Tough times for Inspector 19

Inspector 19 is on medical leave until further notice. I'll have to stumble along without his attention to detail for a while, but I'll miss him. He is so dedicated to his work!

You have a screw loose.

Goldilocks? Here? 

Milk Paint? Not much flavor.

Measure twice, cut once.

I know you're back there.

---------

He gets along with everybody.

Loves a good practical joke.

And knows the value of a good nap.

Inspector 19 had an abscess behind his ear that was removed but came back. And shrank. And grew. Shrank again. Then became 2 large lumps. We'd been giving him antibiotics - a hazard pay job should anyone want it - and our vet was monitoring him. But it wasn't enough and back to the clinic he went.

Cat abscesses are such a strange thing. I haven't done any research of my own, but you can bet I will. 

Inspector 19 came home with a new look about him.

Turns out the abscess thing, and I call it that because the vet had never seen anything like it - had gone down his ear canal to his eardrum. The vet had to take some extreme measures.

 The patient back at home.

 Picture worth thousand words.

He's taking it in stride. Not much flusters this cat, ever. His confidence and calm should help him heal.

But.

And there's always a 'but'.

We'll find out on Wednesday if the growth was cancer.

I know I'm more worried than the Inspector is. I'll worry for the both of us.

Linking to:
my uncommon slice of suburbia
knick of time interiors
elizabeth and co
miss mustard seed
the dedicated house

The new kid on the block - white wax.

Before I got sick this is what I had lined up as the next project. Just a nice bookshelf, perfect to display paint in.

 
Then I fell asleep for about a week so nothing was painted, vacuumed or put in the dishwasher. Funny how when you're sick none of that matters one bit. When I was awake I concentrated on the important task of searching the web for a black and olive wide-striped sweater. Natural fiber. Under $100. I had no luck.

Ah well, since I feel better, it's back to furniture for me.

I finally got to try the white wax from Miss Mustard Seed. It gives the paint a very pretty soft, marbled look. Sometimes dark wax is simply too heavy and that's when white wax can step in.

And of course I was using milk paint so I got fabulous chipping, too.

This bookshelf matches the stereo cabinet (below) I did a couple weeks ago.

 I looove my stereo cabinet.

I even used the same vintage wallpaper on the shelves. (The combination of the wallpaper and Dried Lavender milk paint is my new favorite.) And, this bookcase is replacing the stereo cabinet that has been temporarily displaying paint. Yahoo, I get to bring it home!

I read somewhere that it looks like dessert and I have to say, that's exactly right. I've had whipped desserts that didn't look nearly
as yummy as this wax.

 

Now I'm working on a base to attach the bookcase both for more space and for added height. 

Linking to:

furniture feature friday

party junk

elizabeth and co

knick of time interiors

my uncommon slice of suburbia

the dedicated house

The end of the official junking season

 Our quaint little town transforms for one weekend a year when it goes from cute little tourist town to something else entirely.

The hoards arrive.
We have a city-wide yard sale every September and it attracts people from far and wide. Folks come to sell or to buy or both and it's a crazy festive weekend. But be careful where you park. Just sayin'.

This year it started on Friday for the first time and although the majority of vendors wouldn't be set up until Saturday, I decided to get a head-start. Plus, I'd been sick for almost a week and had cabin fever BAD.

Here's an email I sent to a girlfriend about Friday:

She says she laughed and laughed and read it to her husband. Huh.

After the aforementioned hill-climb my legs were jelly. I didn't realize what a toll that little escapade had taken on me. I walked back to the main part of town on quivering legs that were wanting to lay me out flat on the sidewalk. I amused myself imagining various scenarios: 

I'm at the Gate and Saint Peter is looking at his book:

Saint Peter: You're early.

Me: Yeah. Sorry.

Saint Peter: What happened?

Me: There was this garage sale being billed as an estate ..........

Saint Peter: GAH! Not another word! ACK! Get in there! I don't want to hear about garage sales!

(Typical man.)

The first thing I did was look for a cane so I could make it to my car without drawing attention.

I found an unassuming brown one.

When I got home I decided to jazz it up a little.

I'm thinking of painting some canes to sell. We're a nation of baby-boomers and canes will be the fashion accessory of no-choice, right?

Saturday I went back to the sale with Mr. Bad and my cane and we did a fairly quick tour. We had a commitment for mid-morning so we couldn't do even a quarter of the sale.

None the less - we found some interesting stuff.

I painted the plant stand and bird cage stand before I thought to take
a group picture.

Here's the hand-chopping fan - love those old guys - and the smallest metal cage I've ever seen.

 The clock turned out to be not working but cleaned up it will be a cute dust collector. I'm thinking the cage was for transporting small critters from pet stores way back when? Anyone know?

 

 This poor shade plant got cooked in the hot sun. It's perking up now but I still have to cut off all the black leaves.

An old drawer with casters. There were 4 sets of 4 casters in there. Usually it's only 3 of each so I was dancing my happy dance. With a cane.

I have no idea what these cup things are. The woman selling them didn't either but she told me they were lead. I think they're zinc but I'll refrain from licking them until I know for sure.

Sedums! Succulents? And the coolest metal lampshade. It looked better before my dog knocked it into the gravel. I put it on the lamp between my old black typewriters and it looks fabulous there.

Oh yeah, and the bookcase. It will be part of a paint display. It has nice lines and will sit on top of this when they are both finished:

Someone bought my other display furniture so I'm using my stand-in until this project is done. I hate putting items in my booth that are not-for-sale so I use a smallish unpainted hutch for backup should a display sell.

Jacksonville's next big event will be in about 4 weeks when we get the fall colors. It's lovely!
(This view is across the street from the one above.)

David Gibb Photography

Looking forward to it! Fall is my favorite season.

Linking to:
wow us wednesdays
furniture feature friday
party junk