Last but not least...

I finished the buffet - hooray!  Well, all but finished.  I still have to wipe on the poly but I thought I would take some photos of it first before it goes to it's new home (and before there are anymore *ahem* mishaps - see previous post).

Here's the before:

You might recall that when I started sanding, it came out all flaky because some Wally had obviously not sanded or prepped it properly before applying the lacquer.  I bought some Minwax Antique Furniture Refinisher to try and remove the lacquer.  I managed to get most of it off before finishing the whole tin.

After I sprayed it the first time there were big yellow patches which came through the paint so I had to spray some stain sealer on it a few times.

Here's how it looks now (remember I still have to apply the poly)...

Normally I would paint the inside of the cupboard and drawers and line them, but I was really pushed for time and now I'm just buggered.  I need a holiday.  It's a good thing I'm flying up to Darwin tomorrow night to see my BFF.  Hooray!

I'll be back in five days to get started on repairing the burnt table top of the dining table.  I'm hopeful it can be easily fixed without having to do the whole table top, but that might be wishful thinking.

Megs x

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Got a light?

I was hoping to have some photos for you of the table and chairs I finished for my husband's niece (see previous post), but unfortunately I received a call from my brother-in-law Tony (yes my husband shares the same name as his brother - long story) this morning telling me something had happened.  Here's how the conversation went down:

Me:  "Hello"

T:  "Hey Megan, how ya goin?  We've got a problem with the table".

(Immediately my heart sinks as I fear I've done something wrong or broken something without realising it before I handed it over to them)

Me:  "What's happened?"

T:  "It caught fire."

Me:  "What the @#$?!"

T:  "We had a tealight burning and it fell over onto the newspaper lying next to it.  So one end of the table is burnt.  Does it have protection on it?"

Me:  "Ummm not for fires, no."

Turns out he was asking about the protection because they sprayed something on it to clean it and it left some spray marks.  I did three coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly so I was pretty sure it was protected.  Anyone else have this problem?

T:  "Can you come into the shop and fix it?"

Of course this is not possible as it's school holidays.  The salon is having it's big opening tomorrow and I'm sure the customers wouldn't appreciate me sanding and painting etc while they're trying to get prettied up.  I haven't yet seen the damage from the tealight inferno, but they'll bring the table back to me next weekend.  In the meantime a tablecloth will have to suffice.

Soooo, here's some pics I took but without all the dressing up (and minus the charring)...

Anyhoo, hopefully it'll be easily fixable and my husband's niece can complete her adorable salon.  (It looks fantastic so far).

Megs x

A Sneaky Peeky

Two down, one to go!  Some of you remember I had one week to paint an extendable dining table and six chairs, an easel and a buffet for my husband's niece who is opening her new hair and beauty salon.  Well I managed to finish the easel and dining table and chairs, but the buffet still waits in the carport.  As the salon won't be completely set up until Tuesday, I'll give you a little sneak peek of the table and chairs so far. The table is covered in hair products at the moment until her shelves are set up. I'll post some more photos when it's all prettied up.

Here is the buffet.  I'm hoping to have this finished by the end of this week.  School holidays this week - NOOOOOOO!

The reason I couldn't get to this was because once I took the sander to it, the lacquer on top went all flaky and scratchy and wouldn't smooth out.  From the looks of things, it hadn't been sanded down before applying the lacquer. A bit cheeky considering the price she paid for it!

I've heard so much about Minwax products from fellow bloggers in the US that I needed to give it a try.  I went to Bunnings and found the Wipe-on Poly, which I will show you in my next post.  But on the shelf next to it was this stuff:

Have any of you used this before?  I'm going to buy some steel wool tomorrow morning and have a crack at it.  I'll let you know how I go.  Hopefully I won't end up in hospital after ingesting this stuff, as the skull and crossbones at the bottom kinda makes me nervous :(

I'll be back in a few days!

Megs x

My Pretty Drawers

Actually, they're more like Bombay bloomers.  Oh hang on, I'm talking about the wrong drawers!  Oops.

Well some of you have asked how I line the drawers in my furniture.    Here are some pics of some of my drawers (and a cupboard)...

Some people do it different ways, but here's how I do it and it works fine:

Stuff ya need:

-  Double sided craft tape (I just get mine at Kmart but you can get at any craft shop);

-  Fabric;

-  Iron (note this is the only time I use my iron - I usually buy stuff that I don't need to iron HAHAHA!)

-  Spray starch (I have one that smells really pretty).

1.  Cut out a piece of fabric slightly bigger than the inside of the drawer.  

2.  Starch the fabric and give it an iron.  Then place it print face down inside the drawer and run your fingernail along each of the four edges to get a sharp crease.  (If you're a nail biter, maybe just use a ruler or the blunt edge of a butter knife).

3.  Place the fabric on your ironing board, spray starch, fold over creases and press with iron.  I do this so there are no messy fraying edges.  Then put aside.

4.  Get your double sided craft tape and tape down on two sides of the bottom of the drawer, then peel off the backing.  Repeat on the other two sides and peel off backing.  Then I always do another one diagonally down the middle for extra hold.  

5.  Once all backing is peeled off the tape, carefully place your fabric, making sure that the front end is the neatest because that's what people see first.

I choose this tape because if you want to change the fabric it can be easily done.  For an extra somethin' somethin', I sometimes put a couple of drops of lavender oil in the drawer before I put the fabric in :)

There you have it.  Easy peezy lemon squeezy.  I believe painting and lining the drawers really finishes the whole piece off.  It's like a little surprise when you open the drawer.

So go fill your drawers up ladies!  That so doesn't sound right, but you know what I mean.

Megs x

I'm still here!

I've been neglecting my blog for the past week or so I know, but I have been flat out with a few big projects on the go.  My brother-in-law rang me yesterday morning asking me if I could paint a big French dresser, a table and six chairs and an easel for his daughter's new salon that is opening NEXT WEEKEND!  So no pressure.  Her salon is called "An Affair In Paris" (or something similar), which will contain everything French.  But as you know sometimes when one is thrown into the deep end, one produces the best results.  Fingers crossed I am that 'one'!  I will post some photos of the pieces once they are in their lovely new home.

In the meantime I'm still working on my retro liquor cabinet and a chair on which I have today attempted the double piping (or welting as some like to call it).  I'm not going to say it's easy yet.  I have managed to do the seat, and now for the back and arms.  Mr T helped me a bit - in fact I could say there were "words" exchanged when he was leaning over me while I was at the sewing machine.  There were also a few harsh words to my daughter who bugged me all day about making a mess playdough.  Poor kid.  But you know what it's like when you've got your mojo on and you can't stop.  I have promised playdough tomorrow after school.

I have also managed to finish two bedside tables.  The nice lady who bought my bed end was after a couple of white ones (she was eyeing off the tables that come with the Queen Anne dresser and stool but there was no way I was separating them).  I managed to come across a couple that were attached to an old Queen Anne bed head.

One of the legs was broken off but we managed to fix it.  The tables were pretty nasty.

Here's what they look like now

The lady wanted just plain white, no distressing.  Easy.

Now about three hundred more pieces to go!

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend.

Megs x

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