An Ana White Table for My Sister

My sister moved recently and was in need of a dining room table.  We looked & looked but couldn't find anything we loved that also had a price tag that we loved.  So I found a great plan on Ana White's website & we begged my husband to build it for her.

If you like to build things, and you haven't been to her site, please take a moment and do that.  Right now.  Ana is a genius ~ she finds pieces that people love and she makes simple, easy to follow plans for them.  There are cut lists, shopping lists and step by step plans.  And they are free.  Something else that I love about her site is the 'brag' posts that people can add.  Once you've completed a project, she encourages people to add pictures & notes.  So if someone made the project with different dimensions or changed it up a bit, you can read about that too.  Its just an amazing resource.

The plan for this specific table, the fancy X farmhouse table, is here.

So, Doug built the table.  I didn't get many pictures of the table in progress (I was upstairs painting at the time) but here it is, unfinished.

I stained it with a dark walnut gel stain and then sanded the top pretty heavily after the first coat of poly.  That gave it the great rustic look I was going for, but the subsequent coats of poly will protect it.  Here she is, decorated for a baby shower my sister was hosting…

I just love it.  And we've already had someone place an order for one!  Building from scratch means no 'oohs & aahs' of a before & after, but it is so satisfying to complete a project like this.

In other news, we have six new foster kittens!  They are ridiculously adorable.  See for yourself.

Hope you're all having a great day!  Thanks for stopping by.
kathie

Old White Bookcases with a little flair

Soooo….

Long time, no see.

I've been away from the blog for almost a year.  I've been busy, just not blogging about it.  Life has been full, in a wonderful way.  But I've made the decision to try and get back to it.  I think I mainly got away from it because it seemed like everyone and their sister, and their best friend's cousin had a blog.  And not only did all these people suddenly have blogs, which is wonderful, but they all seemed to be professional photographers of their work, too.  It just seemed like too much to keep up with.

So I made a deal with myself.  I am going to keep up with the blog on my terms.

The blog will primarily function to:

1.  Document:  my custom work, the pieces we're building, refinishing, painting, etc.  And of course the pieces we keep for ourselves ;)

2.  Inspire:  SO much of my inspiration comes from those of you who also share your work and I appreciate you so very much.  There are few things better than finding a good before & after (right??) so I'm going to keep it up.

What this blog will continue to be:  informative, instructional, but basic.  I am not a professional photographer and although I do have a nice camera, I really don't like to fuss with it for furniture shots (I'm just being honest here).  I hope you'll stick with me.  I can't believe how many of you have stuck with me thus far… thank you :)

So here is your before & after of the day.  Dated, yucky wood, Goodwill bookcases.  Made new with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White (what else?).

Before:

And thats the beauty of Annie Sloan… when its hot outside, you can paint right in your kitchen and not worry about making your whole family sick.  Everyone can still enjoy their supper right next to a freshly painted piece!

In progress:

I painted the back first in an Old White - Napoleonic Blue mixture.  I wanted a lighter blue but didn't have any on hand.  It was WAY too bright for me so I made a trip to Chalk it Up Norcross and got some new paint, and painted a new layer of Louis Blue over the first layer.  I left it streaky/watery on purpose.

After:

Hope you enjoyed it.  I'll be back sooner rather than later this time, I promise!
Thanks for reading :)
kathie

look what my dad made!

Sooo… apparently the headboard-bench-making-bug is contagious!  My dad has been bitten big time and is churning out some fabulous stuff.

This is my favorite so far ~ it is so unique.

If you are in the market for one, let me know ~ for instance, he has just made me another one from my grandmother's full sized bed.  She passed away in December.  The bed was really special to me but we didn't have a need for one of that size, so now its a bench!  I'll post pictures when I finish it.

Here are some others he's made (pictures aren't that great, sorry):

Love this rustic black one ~ it has already sold.

And this fabulous king sized off-white beauty has sold as well ~ its actually on a friend's front porch :)  Love it!

 I'm also really into this table/bench set and am trying to convince him to make this next.  For indoors or out!

Here is a sneak peek of the bench being made from my grandmother's bed.  Promise I'll post when its finished!

In other news, I don't want to totally ignore the fact that I've been gone from the blog for almost 9 months (no, I'm not pregnant!).  Those of you who know me know I have horrific migraines and have had them for almost 17 years.  They are worse at some points in my life than others, and they have been awful lately.  So I've been focused on my health and getting better, while my dad focuses on furniture (and what a blessing!)

Promise I'll be back sooner rather than later :)
kathie

We have a winner!

The winner of the fabulous Annie Sloan giveaway is….

Debbie Cook!

Debbie, congratulations!  I am jealous :)  I've emailed you, so when we get your shipping information, we'll have that package right off to you.

Don't forget to visit PAINT, you'll be glad you did!

Happy new year, everyone!
kathie

Annie Sloan Giveaway ends TONIGHT

Friends,  I cannot think of a better way to start the new year than as the winner of this huge Annie Sloan giveaway, courtesy of my friend Virginia! I know the holidays have been nutty ~ I have neglected to publicize this as much as I could have, as we lost my grandmother right before Christmas.  She was 94 & lived a long & happy life, and she died in her sleep.  She was able to live independently in her apartment (in a retirement community) until she died, which gave her great joy.  What a blessing for her, to pass peacefully in her sleep!   But the time is NOW to enter the giveaway… Right now we have EIGHTEEN entries on the blog.  Now, don't get me wrong, that is great for those 18 people ;)  But don't you want a chance to win also? If so, just leave a comment here, or read below for your other opportunities to win!! This giveaway is sponsored by Annie Sloan as well as all of her North American stockists, to not only spread holiday cheer but also to get the word out about the amazing tour coming up.  My friend Virginia, of PAINT (you may also know her from The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing) has offered A Few Good Pieces the opportunity to do the drawing for the PAINT winner! How do you enter the drawing?  There are several ways… *First, go visit Annie Sloan Unfolded and check out the 2012 US Tour information.  Perhaps Annie is coming to your town or an area near you?!  Learn more about what the tour has to offer ~ anyone who has ever used Annie Sloan products knows how fabulous they are… if you haven't jumped into the world of Annie Sloan yet, then this is the perfect time! *Next, go check out Annie Sloan's blog, become a follower there & comment with "American Tour 2012"… who knows what you'll find on Annie's blog? *Then, leave a comment here on my blog letting me know what you found over at Annie's place ~ I can't wait to hear what you discover! *For even another entry, go to Virginia's blog PAINT & leave a comment there… and for one more entry 'like' PAINT on facebook (you'll be glad you did!). PHEW ~ I'm worn out from the excitement already :) Our drawing for A Few Good Pieces & PAINT will be on December 31 so enter now!! AN ANNIE SLOAN PAINT CHALK BOUTIQUE December 2011 The Annie Sloan North American Tour March 27 2012 Nashville Tennessee Annie Sloan will be touring North American again next year for another hands-on workshop event. The tickets are limited and are sold per state so hurry hurry and register if you hope to attend. One lucky will be meeting Annie in person and learning her techniques at this $350 workshop FREE !!!!!!!                 For all you do all year long this is your  chance to do something for yourself.   This beautiful gift box full of goodies is up for grabs. 1.  2 quarts of ASCP of your choice 2.  1 clear and 1 dark soft wax 3.  2  pour spout lids 4.  1 ultimate waxing brush 5.  1 petite waxing brush 6.  1 pot of gilding wax 7.  Annie's great Quick and Easy paint Transformation Book We know YOUR time is valuable so WE'VE made it easy. Visit our new almost together blog and leave a comment for ONE entry. Like us on facebook for TWO more entries. So QUICK and EASY just like Annie's hands on book full of fabulous step by step instruction.           The Annie Sloan North American Tour March 27, 2012 East South Central Area, Nashville, Tennessee There is more...... the winner of this gift box is automatically registered for anotherprize. The incredible opportunity to learn from Annie with a ticket for one of Annie's 8 workshops here in the USA worth $350.00 OR  $350.00 in ASCP.     For more chances to win please visit                  A FEW GOOD PIECES The BIG winner will be announced onAnnie's blog January 10th 2012. you better watch out you better not cry  you better not pout i'm telling you why ANNIE SLOAN is coming to town!     DRAWING DECEMBER 31             happy new year to all             and to all a good night.     g