from old to new again

Refinishing furniture has started to become one of my hobbies. The process can be long and tedious but the end result is usually worth it. I have done a night stand, a vanity and bench, and now I just refinished one of our old dining room chairs into a new desk chair for me.

I have been using a padded ottoman to sit at my desk but it was kind of difficult to stay there for more than a few minutes. My back wasn't supported and it was pretty low to the ground so the desk was about chest height when sitting. So I needed something different.

I quickly learned that chairs are not cheap! I've never had to buy one before and it isn't something I look for when I'm out shopping to compare prices so I had no idea how pricey they can be. I remember my parents getting a new dining set when I was little and storing the old one. The table and one chair is now my mom's sewing/gift wrapping table in her craft room and the other chair kind of floats around our house, being used when ever someone needs it for something. So I decided to take one of these chairs and refinish it. The seats had been recovered once but that was probably 15 years ago and the stain finish on them is older than me.


I got some sand paper and went to town! I sanded down every nook and cranny to try and get the glossy finish off so the paint would stick. That took about 2 and a half total hours (longer than I thought for one little chair.) Then I got some walnut brown, satin finish spray paint (one of my all-time favorite products) and sprayed the entire chair. One can was exactly 2 coats!

Then next came the seat. I got some 2-inch thick, high density foam from the fabric store to replace what was on the original seat. I covered that with batting and then fabric I fell in love with at the store. I am not so great at getting the corners to look right so my mom helped me out with that. She's such a good problem solver when it comes to stuff like that--love her! I originally wanted to make curtains out of this fabric but I really needed something darker so I went with some dark gray panels I found. But I couldn't stop thinking about this fabric so I thought this would be the perfect place to use it. I also got some extra because it was 50% off so I can make some pillows later!

And there you have it! Check out the before and after :)

well done wells fargo

This morning I was watching some Brendan James performances on YouTube. (No, listening to his CD non-stop for the past 5 days is not enough...don't judge.)

Anyway, the video for Nothing for Granted was about to play when an advertisement popped up. Usually I skip the ads when the "skip" button appears but I was hooked in the first 2 seconds. "Times Square, New York. April 7, 2011. 10:45 AM." That's all it took.

How come nothing random and fantastic like this ever happens in Utah? It's just one more reason to add to the list of why I want to live in New York.

A dirty book is rarely dusty...

This is just something I have wondered about for a while. Everything nowadays has a rating. A little warning ahead of time to tell you what to maybe expect. Movies, TV, even video games have a rating. However, books have yet to participate in this trend. Now I understand that the section where you find your books at the store is probably a pretty good indicator of what may be written inside. You aren't going to find any Harlequin Romance novels in the kids' section. But when you become an adult, its not as easy to tell.

A few years ago I started reading Wicked. I was so excited and, to be honest, expected a Disney-esque storyline like what I have been told the musical is all about. But to my surprise, I was reading about mythological porn! Not something I was ready for. I kept on reading and eventually passed the graphic descriptions of certain...things...but I just couldn't finish the book. I just didn't find it interesting enough to keep my attention. But it remains in storage when maybe, one day, I will pick it up again.

The next book I sort of wish came with a rating is Water for Elephants. I haven't yet finished it but so far it has been a fantastic book. I really like the story and it has been an easy read. However, again there are just some graphic areas that I was expecting. I'm not saying that it's something that should or shouldn't be in the book but, sometimes just a little heads up would be nice. I've become so accustomed to having an idea of what's in store when I go to movies or watch TV shows so why should books be any different? Just give me a little bit of an idea of what I'm getting myself into.

Do you have any books that "surprised" you in this way? Also, if any of you have any suggestions for books that I need to read let me know! I need one for after I finish Water for Elephants.

p.s. The title of my blog is from an unknown author. I found it fitting...

let that igloo cooler mark your piece of paradise

this weekend consisted of...

shorts. new sandals. bright nail polish. hammocks. outdoor malls. sunburns. mosquito bites

summer is on the way!