Another Friday Find!

Happy Friday Y'all!

I just wanted to share a couple of pics from another fabulous Friday find!  I picked up these great, wooden chairs for my porch over Spring Break (along with a couple of other projects - toddler not included!), but wasn't sure what my plans for them were until I found 'The Table' for my porch in Round Top. 

Since I had refinished the table with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in a mix of Old White and Pure White, I decided to simply use the same mixture on the chairs.  The truth is, it was the thought of sanding and prepping six chairs for painting that forced my hand with the ASCP, and because I decided to go with a mixture of whites, there was more than enough for both the table and chairs . . . and perhaps a few other projects as well.  Yay!!

I'm so excited at how my porch is shaping up, and can't wait to share my other projects with you too!  I still need to distress the chairs to echo the finish on the table, and I have ideas on seat covers too, but I think they look FABULOUS already!  Don't you?

And here's a little painting tip I stole borrowed from the kitchen:

Use plastic wrap to keep your paint fresh between coats!

Simply push the plastic wrap down onto the surface of the paint so that no air is trapped between the paint and the plastic wrap.

This keeps films off pudding or whipped cream and keeps your paint from drying out as well!  I was able to do this and store my ASCP inside for several days without pouring it back into a tin or having it get goopy!

Blogapaloosa starts in TWO DAYS!!

Sharing this sassy project at Debbie Doos, Cowgirl Up!, It's Overflowing, Nifty Thrifty Things, It's So Veri Cheri, I Heart Naptime, Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  I Should be Mopping the Floors, Brassy Apple,

Beach Cottage Beauty

Good Morning!

I am so EXCITED to be nearing completion on some of my big projects!  Including a redo of this 8' picnic-style table for our back porch!

The back porch has truly been a work in progress, almost 4 years in the making - actually 9 if you count the work we did ourselves before we decided to double down and hire someone for the infrastructure!  Perhaps I will give you a glimpse into that transformation soon.  But for now, I am happy to say that we have moved on to the fun part - decorating!!

Of course with 5 children and 1 income, this requires doing things on the cheap {grin}.  Luckily, I am NOT scared of a little paint and elbow grease!

Since we covered the porch last Spring, I have been in the market for a wooden table and chairs to replace the all-weather furniture that has been living outside.  Ya know, spruce up the space since things are now protected from the elements.  I needed it to be long enough to hold my whole family - which swells to 8 when you include my angel (mother-in-law) - which we always do!!  Anyhoo, I found this 'diamond in the rough' in Round Top (if you haven't been, what are you waiting for?!?!?), along with a 7' primitive bench to go along one side.

Perfect!!

Despite the artistry, which is not my cup of tea but obviously something someone put some time and effort into so props for that, I knew that I would be sanding down the top and repainting the rest to mimic this inspiration piece (also at Round Top), which wasn't long enough AND was three times the price!!

My table isn't antique like the inspiration piece (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those wooden casters) but is well-made from reclaimed wood, so it's solid!

After sanding off the finish on top,  I used Minwax Wipe-On stain in walnut to darken the wood and give it some more contrast against my brick.  Then I sealed the top with three coats of Wipe-On Poly from Minwax as well.  I found both of these products at Home Depot and am really happy with how they went on - much easier than stains I have used in the past.

For the skirt and legs, I decided to give the much-touted Annie Sloan Chalk Paint a whirl to see for myself what all the fuss was about.  It was a little tricky painting the skirt, since it's flush with the table top, but the imperfections just make it more appealing to me!! The chalk paint definitely takes some getting used to because it dries very quickly, but I love the way is distresses and the finish is so smooth once it's sanded.  However, I'm not crazy about the price, so I might be trying my hand at mixing some of my own too.  We'll see!

I've got a set of six chairs from a Spring Break 'Friday Find' that I will be painting and distressing with my mixture of ASCP Pure White and Old White as well, so I plan on getting in some more practice!  You can see the chairs in some of the pics - only $30 for all six - SCORE!!

Voila!

It feels very beach-y to me!!

Perfect for Summer in our little slice of paradise!

Sharing this sassy project at Cowgirl Up!, It's Overflowing, Savvy Southern Style, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Debbie Doo's Newbie Party, The Southern Institute, Randee's Organized Chaos, Don't Mess with My Tutus, Blueberry Cottage, The Artsy Girl Connection, It's a HodgePodge Life, Trendy Treehouse