When James said, "Confess your faults one to another," I'm not sure he had this in mind. But this post is especially for those of you who have long been amused by my style of getting things done.
In the last year or so, I've become a fan of HGTV. My favorite programs are Design on a Dime and Designed to Sell. This summer I've also followed Design Star. (One of the judges reminds me of Steve's sister Robin, and when the finalist Jennifer smiles, she makes me think of my friend Marla.)
Earlier this summer I developed a monster rash from poison ivy, and my doctor put me on steroids for two-and-a-half weeks. She told me I would have trouble sleeping and would probably feel a compulsion to clean out closets at 2 am.
Well, no closets got cleaned out, but I did catch up on some reading. One night I explored all the bells and whistles on my cell phone. And I spent the better part of many nights dozing in the recliner watching the news and HGTV. We went way beyond Steve's favorite question: "How many of those shows can you watch?" to my own: "Just how many times can I watch the same re-run?"
Being fully saturated, I finally had to act on all I had learned. My project has been two old rickety chairs from the church. Brother Jerry Larpenter installed cross pieces to make them a little more sturdy. My vision was to paint them a glossy brownish-red. Last night I opened the paint can and went to work. The color wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but I was sure that when the paint dried, they would be beautiful.
This morning I was all set for coat #2, but the shade looked even worse in daylight than it had last night. I took a closer look at the paint can and realized that the color was named for something to do with wine. I remembered seeing a lot of old paint in the shed, so I went digging around for something to mix with my paint to get the color I wanted. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I was not going to the store. Without going into detail, I'll just say that the mixing process involved some old spray paint.
When that didn't work, I went back to the shed, dug back a little farther, and found just what I needed, or so I thought. I mixed it all together and set to work applying the paint. The longer I worked, the worse it looked. It was time to break down and go to Wal-Mart.
When you combine cost of paint, plus multiple trips to the store, plus hours of labor, these are truly THRIFTY pieces of furniture. They may not be safe to sit in, but THE CHAIRS will be in our new Sunday school classroom on Sunday!
And now for my personal decorating tips. Tip #1: If you are looking for a distinctive shade of purple, may I recommend Krylon's Gloss Cabernet. (Spraying in red-brown primer will only deepen this lovely paint color for a more customized appearance.) Tip #2: If mauve is more your taste, mix in Krylon's Gloss Canary in a ratio of 1:4.
Happy decorating!
6 comments:
I can't believe you didn't offer to let me see these beautiful chairs after church tonight! :) I will definitely have to drop by your class Sunday morning!
This is David (using daughter's account). You can buy brand new chairs from Wal-mart cheaper and easier than all that hoopla! However, your story is worth the expense!....David
It's never quite as easy as it looks on those shows, is it? But there's always a sense of satisfaction to be found when completing a project. Did Brayden help?
Nancy, please don't look too closely.
David, you obviously don't understand the sense of virtue that comes with attempting to recycle instead of sending my pennies to China. :o)
Brent, by the time I finished this project,there wasn't much to feel satisfied about! There were even more mishaps after I wrote the post. Yes, Brayden did help. When it was time to replace the seat, the screws were stripped, and I had to break out the carpenter's glue. Brayden sat on the chair until the glue was set. :o) By the way, do you remember our first do-it-yourself project? It was a desk that we put together. Seems we had a few loose screws that time too. :o)
Thanks to all of you for reading my foolishness!
While pregnant and having the motivation of a slug, I too over did HGTV. And if that weren't enough I found DIY! So I feel your pain. And so does Brad because he was the one who got suckered into "my" projects! Michelle
I love your blog! I didn't know that you, too, are a fan of HGTV! I don't think I'd ever tire of watching House Hunters, Decorating Sense, and Design on a Dime.
One of the old church chairs sits in my dining room. I love making old things, things with a history, a part of my home. I didn't spend as much time and energy on it as you did, though. Just a coat of ivory paint.
I'll be looking forward to learning more new and interesting things about you! I appreciate you!
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