The Giant That Took Over My World

So when you last left the center of my world....me.....I had just made the decision (under duress) to purchase (well actually won at auction) a huge behemoth of a china cabinet made in the 1960's. Please read about it HERE if only to understand the thought process that goes into such a carefully constructed plan. 

So now I owned the danged thing and I needed to get it home. Dear GMan looked at me in "that" look with his head cocked to the side and said "Where are you going to put that thing"? Which isn't really a legitimate question in this phase of the acquisition process now is it? I had no idea and of course....no....it wouldn't even come close to fitting in his SUV. So we made the emergency call to our dear friends Theresa and Larry and sweet Larry came to our rescue. Without spending too much time on nonsense like how to get it home, the boys hefted and heaved and hoed the thing into the truck and I tagged along carrying my purse and the glass shelves....I HELPED!!! Really I did!!! Did I mention this was the middle of summer and about 115 degrees here in Phoenix? I was sweating in places I didn't know I had and I wasn't even the one doing the manual labor!

I had them drop it right in my dining room because that seemed a reasonable place for it which is where it remained until October. Yes....October. This piece of furniture just NEVER ENDED! I kept painting and painting and painting and there was no end to it. 

So the first thing to do was choose the color and I was wrestling between Letterpress Grey and Bohemian Blue both of which I adore but I'm super glad I chose to do a combo of the grey and accents of Beadboard White. 

The first thing I learned is that this cabinet had NO solid wood anywhere on it. It was a very poor wood veneer done in the 60's when they basically laid contact paper over pressed board. It happened, however to be in excellent condition but I knew that my beloved paint which covers EVERYTHING with no prepping, priming, or sanding might need just a little bit of extra grabbing power so I prepped for a bit of light sanding with a sanding block. 

And then I took the back panels off so I could paint the inside unobstructed. 

So after I painted the back panel in the lovely bright white Beadboard White I put the panels aside and started painting the cabinet in earnest. 

I'm not sure if it was the number of coats or the sheer size, but this guy wore me out and I thought I would never finish it. I honestly did tons of projects in between just because the immensity of it. It will probably be my last china cabinet. Here's how it turned out.

I think he turned out handsomely and I'm so glad he doesn't live in my dining room anymore. He went quickly to a new home and I know they are enjoying him where he BELONGS.....not as the white elephant in the middle of mine!

Packing My Bags For The Beach

 I'm packing my bags to get out of Phoenix!! Here is a basic truth about living in the desert...it's hot in the summer. I mean UNBEARABLY hot....and no one has any patience with everyone being hot. So the only reasonable thing to do is get out. And any smart person knows that they should head to the beach. Right?

So when the sweet gals at Junk In The Trunk announced that they were doing their fabulous vintage market in San Diego....in July....right near the water.....I waffled.

I hemmed and I hawed....I sat a spell and thunk on it. I deliberated. I carefully weighed the pros and the cons. I calculated profitability vs effort. 

And 30 seconds later I pressed SEND! 

No brainer.... 

Duh... 

So here I find myself packing up to head out to San Diego. And it couldn't come a moment too soon! May and June nearly killed me! But I wanted to do something a little different this summer. I've been super inspired by maps and globes and the saturated color that I associate with summer. So I've been on a quest and here are some of my treasures that will be coming with me to the beach!

See a color trend? I just can't get over the gorgeous blues in the DIY Paint line! 

It is so easy to paint with this paint. This color (Pedal Pusher) is so yummy! If you want to learn how to paint with chalk and clay paints and you are in the Phoenix area, check out my workshops HERE!

Check out my market schedule so you can come find me HERE!

Pin me please

Wanna Be A Mermaid?

Wanna Be A Mermaid?

Phoenix in June....yup...not a surprise to anyone but it's hot here. Yeah it's a dry heat...but so is my oven. I kid you not, this past Sunday it was 120 degrees at my house. For real. I'm not exaggerating for dramatic effect (although I've been known to do that).