Before & After for an UgLy bUffeT !!!

 

 

here's the story of the WINNER of ReInVintaged Designs'

 "ugly dresser" contest!!

i know she's actually a "buffet" but who are we to discriminate!

isn't she BEAUTIFUL NOW?!?! 

 

 

 

 

 

When she came to me, she looked like this!

her owner had found her at a garage sale... someone had considered refinishing her.  check out her fantastic Jacobean legs!!!  she screamed potential!!

 

her owners wanted her to be "red" and "black... ish" :)

my FAVORITE paint is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint so we went with

Graphite & Emperor's Silk

 

once again, i'm so not good at all the pics along the way... tho i did a little better this time!!

 1.  i knew i wanted little distressed "peeks" of the Emperor's Silk, so i hit all the "distressing areas"... like the corners, edges, and embellishments with E.S.  you can kinda see that in the pic above!

2.  i knew i wanted the doors and drawers to PoP with the Emperor's silk... so they got two coats.

3.  next, i got out my favorite sanding sponge block thingy!!  looks just like this one!!  my husband said to me last night as i was frantically looking for it "you mean that thing's not dead yet??"  not quite.... :)

 look at that Emperor's Silk peeking through!!!  love love love!!! and i LOVE the drawer embellishments after i went over them with the sanding thingy!! 

4.  i applied A.S. dark wax to everything... but especially paying attention to the drawer embellishments. 

 

 i clearly lack ANY photography skills!!  flash or no flash... they both look terrible! 

All Put Back Together!!!!

the ONLY problem with this piece is she doesn't get to stay in my house!

its a... DIME!!!

ok... so for those of you following along with the "skylar saga"... you know we were expecting 6 balls of furry love in a week.  baby daddy... unknown.

at first everything seemed to be going ok.  her ... boobs... got HUGE!!  her belly... sorta got a little bigger... sorta... not really... 

i kept reading oodles of info on prego dogs and what to expect and the different phases...
my father in law built this amazing whelping box for her to whelp in!  whelp... that's when a dog gives birth... yeah, i didn't know that either :)

something wasn't right though... we just knew... mike and i finally said it out loud a couple of days ago.  i knew we needed to go to the vet.

so this morning, i load sky in the van and head to work.  every day i go to McDonald's for my diet coke.  today i got sky a sausage biscuit.  she loved it.  she dropped a piece of biscuit in the cup holder.  i keep change in the cup holder.  i said "sky, DON'T eat the money!!"  what she heard was "waa waa waa blaa" as she scarfed down the biscuit crumbs.

we go into my office... we're there all of 12 minutes when i notice sky is awfully quiet.  that can't be good.  so i start investigating and BAM, she pooped.  thanks sky.  then she got a drink out of the water fountain... aka, toilet... and locked herself in the bathroom twice.  i love that dog.

off to the vet...  here's a break down:
1.  skylar is a BEAUTIFUL lab!  her head is proportionate to her body.  she's muscular not fat. 
2.  skylar has a WONDERFUL personality!  not hyper, skittish, or aggressive.
3.  skylar is NOT pregnant anymore :(  at some point she lost all her babies...
4.  skylar is SUPER healthy!!  there are no adverse affects from the miscarriage.
5.  skylar DID NOT listen to her mommy and she ATE A DIME!!!
6.  skylar will be eating peanut butter smeared on bread twice a day for the weekend in hopes of pushing out the dime.
7.  mommy and daddy will be looking through all of skylar's poop this weekend making sure the dime passes.  fun.

so there it is... no puppy love for the gonser's.  i'm sad.  we're all sad.  but when i needed it most, mike reminded me of this:

"i'm sorry... remember God gives us what he wants us to have!!!!!  i'm not sure if i made that up or what!!!!  Love you!!"

and mike is right.  God IS taking care of skylar!  and God's plan isn't always OUR plan.  He loves all his creations... even dogs... and He's keeping Sky safe.

so... that's it.  oh... one more thing...

if you've ever wondered what it looks like when a dog swallows a dime... this is it!!  oh, and if you've wondered what it's like to for the dime in the poop... let me know... i'll get you our address!!!!

 

love to all!!!

laurie

is that a LAUNDRY ROOM or a PARLOUR?!?!

i REALLY need something more mentally challenging to do during the day... because what happens is, i'm bored... so i start looking a furniture and decorating blogs... and i trip up on one like i did today and i'm sitting here BEATING MYSELF UP!!!
~ my house isn't big enough
~ i don't decorate enough
~ my laundry room isn't spotless
~ i don't make my own homemade laundry detergent and keep it in a pretty glass jar on a tray!!!!!

WHATEVER!!!  WHO DOES THAT?!?!  my cleaning lady said to me two weeks ago "it was nice to be able to walk into the laundry room and clean that bathroom"... she clearly lacks a FILTER!!!  but the point is... not only is my laundry room NOT SPOTLESS... you USUALLY CAN'T SEE THE FLOOR!!!  IT'S COVERED IN LAUNDRY!!!  IT A LAUNDRY ROOM!!!!  DUH!!!  heck, for at least two months, the toilet seat didn't have a lid!!  our dog thought we installed a drinking fountain for her!   

why am i telling you all of this... because that blog inspired me AND made me feel like i'm incompetent!!  i know that woman was just showing her lovely home... and some great ideas... but i want my readers to know i'm REAL!!!  i REALLY work 40 hours a week!!  i REALLY have 6 kids!!  i REALLY have 2 dogs!!  .... and a hubby... and puppies on the way... and a furniture business... and my kids activities.... blah blah blah!!  that is REAL!!!!!

i realized this morning, i've gained 8 lbs!!!  i seriously can't fit into 75% of my pants/jeans.... i beat myself up about that too!!!  but NO MORE!!!!  i'm back on track!!!  i've isolated the problem!!  i had a LOOONG talk with myself!!!   i can do this!!! 

okay... now... my husband is going to DIE!!!!!  and i want to warn you... the pictures involved are VERY GRAPHIC!!!  there's a chance you're going to need therapy after this!!!  brandie layne... if you are reading this... after the vomiting stops... you may want to book a flight to elkhart for an intervention on me!!!  and all my other "organization loving friends"... you're welcome to join in!!  brandie will need help!!  i will be inserting some pics of a "laundry room" i found on line... i will NOT reference where as i'm sure it's a lovely family...

 

 

 

what caught my eye is the LAMP!!  REALLY??  do you have lighting issues?  because if not... what the?!?!  a lamp in MY laundry room would be crushed in seven seconds!!  and how about the soap... on the tray... in the jar.... does she sedate her kids???  mine would have it knocked over... brady would bury army men in the powder... that's not going to work for us...

i just don't know what to say...

 

OKAY.... READY??????

 

i just texted one of my kids.... my instructions were:

"open the laundry room.  DON'T touch ANYTHING!!  send me a few pics"

 

what she expected to find was a pristine laundry room that i was about to brag on!!!  what she REALLY found was this:

 

NOW THAT IS REAL BABY!!! see the basket... heaped with junk... THAT is MY organization!!!  oh, and don't forget the pink drawers!!  that's where i keep "extra school supplies"!!  see the purex that i BOUGHT... in the plastic container!  oh yeah!!

we have a complete toilet seat!!  the towel is my "laundry sorting"... i think... please note, there ARE both HAND SOAP and TOOTH PASTE!!!!  we wash AND brush!!!

and finally... check out the sorting!!  that's ALL ME!!!!

 

 

HONEY... I'M SO SORRY I AIRED OUR DIRTY LAUNDRY!!!!!  BUT I HAD TO!!!  ladies... i hope you giggled alittle... i hope you feel good about yourself... and i hope you have an AMAZING WEDNESDAY!!!!

 

laurie

 

definitely meant to be...

some days i'm super in the mood to write... not so much today!  but i do want to share a cool "God thing" that happened this morning!

i've already told the story of "hope" the breast cancer awareness dresser:

when i had this idea i was super excited!!  i really genuinely love giving back.  i personally feel i'm blessed coming and going!  so i like to give it back!

i've been alittle bummed that "hope" has just been sitting in our garage... covered up... :(  definite sad face...

well, my daughter sabreana works at The Fix Salon in Elkhart (alittle plug there!) and she along with the salon are very involved with Hello Gorgeous... doing make-overs for women battling cancer.  i LOVE this organization!  of course i also love and support cancer research and prevention organizations, but right now, cancer is a reality, and Hello Gorgeous is a wonderful group of people, working together to help women feel beautiful during the fight for their lives!  i knew i wanted to donate 50% of the proceeds from "hope" to Hello Gorgeous!

but i can't donate it if "hope" is still sitting in my gargage!  i feel like my hands are alittle tied... a piece like that needs more exposure than i can give right now, to really maximize the money it raises...

here's where God steps in!!  this morning i found out Hello Gorgeous is having an event Saturday, November 10th at the Century Center in South Bend!!!  WITH A SILENT AUCTION!!!  now THAT is what i'm talking about!!  THAT is where "hope" belongs!!   so i contacted Hello this morning... they even realized i'm sabreana's mom :)  ... and i'm happy to say, "hope" WILL BE IN THE SILENT AUCTION NEXT WEEK!!!    and 100% of the money is going to Hello Gorgeous!!! 

of course i did all of this without consulting my hubby & business partner!!  bad laurie, BAD!!  so i emailed him... confessed what i'd done... and i just got the thumbs up email a second ago!  whew!!  i CAN go home tonight!! 

i am just soooo excited!!!  God stepped in and "hope" will really be able to raise some money!!!  now to find the replacement handles for the top drawer ASAP!!! 

have a blessed day and be creative!!
laurie

home...

our preggo lab has decided she needs to pee every twelve seconds, and since mike could sleep through an earthquake, guess who gets to put her out? yeah, this girl right here!!

at her 4 a.m. potty break, i couldn't go back to sleep and all these thoughts were churning thru my A.D.D. brain... furniture... custom orders to get done... ideas for new pieces... blogging... topics i want to cover... why am i not a professional writer?... why didn't i take art in high school?... i loved going to my grandma's when i was a kid... why did i love going to my grandma's?... why won't my kids go to their friends' houses?... why do all the kids congregate at OUR house?? ...

WOW!!! i totally need medicated!! 

unfortunately, i've forgotten about 95% of my 4 a.m. brainstorming... i guess that's why they say to keep a note pad on the nightstand.  heck, i think i HAVE one on the nightstand... buried under socks with no mates... my dog chewed Cubs cap... nail polish... treasures my dogs chew and i take away... 

but one thing i DID retain is this issue with my kids... they almost NEVER go to friends' houses!!  95% of their social time is spent having friends over to OUR house!  WHY??  why oh why won't they go anywhere?!?!  now, i'm just kidding really!  i'm glad our children like being at home.  and in six short years when i'm dropping my bigs off at college... i'll cherish every one of these hectic weekends!  soooo.... WHY??  our kids explain that "our friends like you guys and think your fun.  you are way funner than other parents".  ok, duh... we all knew that!!  of course mike and i are fun!!  hello!!!!  but i think it's more than that....  i think it's the whole "atmosphere" of our HOME.  we don't have the biggest house... or the newest... its almost never perfectly clean... it has it's share of clutter and we offer all our guests a lap full of dog hair as a parting gift :)  ... but our home is cozy... and full of love and laughter... a listening ear... a shoulder to cry on... and always a cuddle or two!  i think THAT is why our kids like it.  they know i can whip up a bake good on demand... they know their dad will always go out to play ball with them... we're always ready to hear them when they're ready to talk...

welcome to the gonsers...

 

 

all that got me to thinking... WHERE WAS THAT PLACE FOR ME??  of course i loved being at home... but if i could tell you the one place on earth i could go... and have all those feelings i mentioned above... it would be my grandparents (speraw)... i have so many many memories... grandma's cooking... grandpa's chair... the coziness of their family room... the tidiness and calmess that was always present... the perfume my grandma wore... the hostess snacks she kept in the drawer... and i never worried what my grandparents would say ... or that they'd judge me... 

so on this dreary day... when so many people on the east coast CAN'T go home... i'm asking you ... where is that one place... that one cozy homey place you love to be... ??  cherish it! 

phil 2:3

last night, mike and i sat down to go over our sales and expenses for ReInVintaged Designs ... a task i dread.  but after looking at it in black and white, we realized how truly BLESSED we've been with the business!!  mike commented, "we're doing well... we've even donated several items..."  and i said "yes, and look how blessed we've been in turn!!"  this after coming home from getting the chifferobe (i know what it is now!!) 

 

i think it's somewhat natural to doubt yourself... and i find myself questioning my ability and value... stupid i know... but it must be human nature.  when furniture isn't flying out of the house, i start wondering what i'm doing wrong...

 

today has been a GREAT day!!  "rudy" a chest that just wouldn't sell, finally did!  then, i got  a GREAT email from the buyer thanking me and telling me how much his wife loved it!  that made my day!!  i love hearing from satisfied buyers!  ...  i also found some fantastic new treasures!!  ...  i've had several inquiries about other pieces!!  ...  just a wonderful day!!

 

then at lunch, i remembered back to 7:15 this morning... in the mcdonald's drive-thru (where i am every morning!!)... as i pulled up to the window, i could hear the lady behind me ordering...  she sounded mad or cranky... and i knew then i had to pay for her breakfast!  i know what it's like to start the day grouchy!  so, for the first time, i did that thing... where you pay for a random person's order.  it was only $3... menial really... but i'm hoping the gesture put her day on the right track!

 

did i have a good day because i bought a stranger a sausage mcmuffin?  are we selling more furniture because we continue to give furniture away?  i don't know.  i do know God wants us to BE a BLESSING and BE BLESSED!!

i'll leave you with this:

 

 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves

Philippians 2:3

get a NEW vision!!

i've said it before... sometimes my first "vision" of a project... doesn't work!  it's hard to admit.  we all want to think our work is great and everyone will love it!  but sometimes that's just not true!!  this theory was just proven!!

i picked up "rudy" at a yard sale just down from my house.  he was A MESS!!!  mike had to do some work to him just to get him ready to paint. 

INSTANTLY i had my "vision"!  i would paint him Annie Sloan "Coco" and his drawers would be "Old Barn Red".  He would be spectacular!!!

I think he turned out ok... but there he sat... august came to a close... september came and went... into the middle of october, i couldn't take it anymore!!  he was eating up precious workshop space!!  i drug him out and decided to leave his body "coco" but to paint his drawers ASCP "old ochre"... tone him down a bit... i got two drawers done and walked away... leaving him for at least a week... i thought about setting it on fire, i'm not gonna lie!! 

okay, time to get serious!  i was either going to finish this thing or burn it!!  not satisfied with the "old ochre" plan i tried "vision number three"!!!  i guess third time IS the charm!!  my new plan was to decoupage the drawers!!  so i sent my 13 year old daughter down to dig through scrapbook paper with these instructions:  "come back with some 'old looking' paper"... SHE DID GREAT!!!  she picked some fantastic paper!!!  and i set out to give rudy his final make-over!!

how i did it:

1.  using my ever intricate measuring and cutting techniques... i held my scrapbook paper up... pressed down and "folded it" where it needed to be cut.  hey, the piece is shabby chic!! no need for perfection!! 

2.  i applied watered down tacky glue to the front of the drawer.  i carefully laid the paper down... made adjustments... was super easy!!  each drawer was two pieces wide.  after the whole drawer was covered, i did a light coat of the watered down glue on top of the paper.  i gently pressed out bubbles and wrinkles with my finger. 

3.  after i did that with all the drawers... i set them aside to thoroughly dry for a couple of days. 

4.  finally, i did two coats of clear shellac on each drawer. 

5.  after letting the shellac dry for 24 hours, my husband put all new hardware on.

6.  the final change i made... i am IN LOVE with ce ce caldwell's "virginia chestnut"!!!  maybe it's because it looks like chocolate!!  i painted just rudy's top with this chocolaty delicious color... he had some natural "shabbiness" and that color enhanced it perfectly!!!  i topped it off with dark wax!

and...
TA DA!!!

after sitting in my workshop for TWO MONTHS.... one week with the new look and RUDY IS IN HIS NEW HOME TODAY!!! 

 

My husband ended up liking this piece so much, he wanted to keep it!!