2010 October

Fall Cooking at Christa’s :: Pasta e Fagioli Soup

October 28, 2010 by Christa @ Stories of a House 13 Comments

I thought I’d take a short break from furniture and other projects (to rest my two trigger fingers caused by my love and overuse of my HVLP) and to share some AZ fall. I wish it could be fall all year. Our weather has finally cooled, and we’ve had some much needed rain. One was a doozy of a storm, with hail that damaged almost everyone’s car that was parked outside. I was home, and realized I was parked in the driveway because I had furniture projects going on, so I RAN to the playroom, dumped out a bucket of toys, moved the furniture aside and ran to the car with the bright pink bucket on my head to get the car in without a concussion from the gigantic hail! I pulled the car in before any damage, only to come in to find water POURING in through the dog door! It was unreal.

But after the storm settled, we looked up and saw this:

Hi, God.

It appeared to begin and end on either side of our cul-de-sac.

View from the backyard.

That cozy feeling I get every year kicked in.

I lit up my FAVORITE candle, Creamy Nutmeg…it makes the house smell divine.

And I made soup! I make all kinds of soup when the weather cools down, and I had to share this one with you because it is so delicious.

The ingredients are easy.

Brown and chop, and put everything into a pot to simmer.

Oh, man, is it good, especially if you make it the day before.

Here is the recipe. I hope it becomes a regular in your house as it is ours.

Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Linking to:

Filed Under: Recipes

Labeling the Laundry

October 26, 2010 by Christa @ Stories of a House 20 Comments

There has been some confusion in our home regarding where dirty clothes belong.
We centralized our laundry into one unit, thanks to my sweetie.

Rather than having hampers in every room – or dirty clothes on the floor – we switched to the
“bombs away” system, which looks like this:

Then, everything gets sorted into the baskets.

Unfortunately The Little Women had trouble remembering which basket was for what.

My inspiration was a $40 Target basket with a chalkboard plaque to label what goes where.
However, I bought my baskets on clearance, and saved $70+ total by doing the plaques myself.

I found these round wooden plaques at Michaels for $0.59 each.

Sprayed them with chalkboard paint.

Hot glued velcro to the back and to the basket and labeled them…

In a busy house with 3 kids, a husband and a dog, organization keeps me centered.

The girls like ‘em and are motivated to keep their colors where they need to be.

Hallelujah for small miracles.

Linking to:

Filed Under: Do it Yourself, Finding Furniture, Home Decor, Household, Organizing, Video Tutorials

Project Diaries, Volume 5

October 24, 2010 by Christa @ Stories of a House 8 Comments

Thanks for linking your beautiful projects last week!

Here are a couple of highlights:

Ann Marie at Twice Lovely created the most beautiful dresser using a projector (quick, go to her site to enter her projector giveaway!). I kept looking at the before and after and couldn’t believe it was the same dresser!

Cassie at Primitive and Proper never fails to come up with the best and most colorful pieces. She is truly an expert in color. I love this turquoise and red dresser! I always jot down the colors she uses, and many of her color choices are added to my sidebar.

If you’ve been featured, feel free to add the “I wrote a page…” button to your blog.

Okay, it’s your turn!

Please remember these simple guidelines ~
* Be a follower and/or subscriber to Stories of a House.
* Add the Project Diaries button to your post, pretty please (second one in the sidebar).
* Please only link up home decor-related projects.
* Add the URL of your post, not your general blog URL.
* Mosey on over to the other blogs and leave some lovely comments!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Executive Desk :: Before and After

October 21, 2010 by Christa @ Stories of a House 31 Comments

I could have easily had this desk done a week ago, but had so.many.issues. with my sprayer.

This is what happens to certain people with certain personality traits

who perhaps don’t think they need to read manuals on very complex machines.

Before

After

I wasn’t sure at first which direction to go with this desk that I picked up at a garage sale.
It was so stately with its’ leather inlays, yet it had feminine embellishments and feet.
I decided to go with the finish you see, and hope I chose correctly.
I guess I’ll know when it sells or not!

I loved the original hardware, so I only primed, painted black, and poly’d them with spray paint.

The big question for me is always how much distressing do I want,
and once it’s painted a solid color, where should I start?

To see the video tutorial on how I distress, it is here. (I’m sorry about the fact that I couldn’t steady the camera very well!)

Disclaimer: This technique is best used to distress small areas, like edges.
Large areas show the areas distressed as lighter than the rest of the paint, even after clear coating.
But, I’ve never had problems with edges.

I usually start with the details and edges, and highlight those first.

On bigger panels and tabletops, I do edges, both the inside and outside edge if there is one,

trying very hard not to let the solvent bite too much into the surrounding paint. Again, the smaller the areas to distress, the better.

I wanted to bring out the leather in-lays, so I distressed around them.
I should also mention that the thinner the layers of paint, the better.

And – keep the denatured alcohol away from the leather.

Yes, I ruined the black leather by being ~~stupid~~ careless and placed the container right on top of it. The protective paper was still on, but it bit right down to the leather. Rather than panicking,
I marched over to my cabinet for some blue tape, taped the gold off,and sprayed the leather back to black.
Phew. You can’t even tell the difference.

It’s fun to find what lies in drawers.

Just a few tips:

After using the solvent with the 0000 steel wool, there will be steel wool fibers everywhere.

A tack cloth and a pair of gloves are your friends.
You may have to do this step twice, wiping down with a damp cloth in between.

I always grab a bunch for $0.99 at Sherwin Williams because they are ~ $3 each at the big stores.

Also, you may be wondering why I don’t just sand through. Well, for one, I like the result of this so much more than sanding alone. Albeit, I do admit it takes more time.

And two, on more than one occasion, I have sanded the edge of a painted piece,
and it turned into the runaway latex bandit.

Which means I have to do this, and start all over. And that makes me grumpy.

We somehow need to find a way to get it inside to stage it for its’ debut on Craig (shudder),
but it is so heavy that Kevin needs two guys over here to help. He usually single handedly schleps furniture where I ask without me even noticing any effort involved. This desk is that heavy.

So, my question to you is, how should I price this piece?
Edited to add: the quality of this desk is excellent, it is 100% solid wood, obviously weighs a TON, plus has a glass cover for the top.

Pricing is always the hardest part, because some things sit and some things go like hotcakes,

and I’m still trying to figure out a rhyme or reason.

Products used:

SW Solo Low VOC in Tricorn black, semi-gloss

See tutorial on distressing here

Topcoat: Varathane, semi-gloss

Linking to:

Sawdust and Paperscraps

Finding Fabulous

Filed Under: Antiques, Before and After, Furniture, Tutorials, Wood Finishing

Video Tutorial :: How I Distress Furniture

October 20, 2010 by Christa @ Stories of a House 17 Comments

Well folks, this is my very first video. I really didn’t mind talking to myself while nobody was home.

For those who have wondered how I distress a lot of my pieces, I hope it is helpful!

I’m entertaining myself over the fact that I’m not actually in the video,
but look like a ghost against the black desk towards the end.

Anyway, I added the final finish to this desk today,
and should have pictures up tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

Edited to add: if you are doing large areas of distressing, don’t use the solvent. The dullness may be too obvious, even after the clear coat. But, for smaller areas and highlights, knock yourself out!

Until next time my friends,

Filed Under: Antiques, Before and After, Furniture, Tutorials, Video Tutorials, Wood Finishing

Project Diaries, Volume 4

October 18, 2010 by Christa @ Stories of a House 4 Comments

Thanks, everyone for linking up last week ~ as always, I love a good before and after.

Here are a couple of highlights:

Kathie @ A Few Good Pieces restored a table and chairs set into something stunning. The shape of the table and chairs are so pretty, and I love the white against the dark table top. Her choice of fabric is so colorful and happy.

My pal Melanie @ The Frosted Gardner restored this perfect little dresser. She and her hubby do such great work and I check her blog daily for inspiration. Don’t you just love the knobs she chose? I love them!

Okay, it’s your turn!

What’s been going on over at your house?

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Rustic Picture Frame

October 17, 2010 by Christa @ Stories of a House 24 Comments

I hope everyone has had a fantastic weekend.
We celebrated two of the Little Women’s birthdays, so Mama is tired!

I’m finally getting around to posting this picture frame makeover/tutorial.

If you like rustic finishes, this is for you. If you like clean lines, you will wonder what in the world I was thinking.

I took a basic picture that I bought on clearance.

While I liked the picture, the frame did nothing for me.

First, I taped the inside edges of the picture to protect it.
Then, I diluted some Hide Glue with a little water, and brushed it on.

I let it dry completely to the touch (1.5-2 hours).

This stuff stinks. Those who’ve read my blog at least a little while know that I made all kinds of faces.

Then, I used a product called Casein to create the rough, crackled finish.

Brush on vertically, then horizontally, and don’t go back over anything. Just apply it and move on.

It will look like this (very rough) after the cracks form.
Let it dry completely for at least a day, then sand it smooth.

Oopsie Daisy.

I forgot to rough up my frame with sandpaper before the Hide glue,
which meant the glue had nothing to grip to, so large chunks of dried casein came off.

I applied some Valspar Weathered crackle, followed with a coat of white paint I had on hand.

Here it is after the crackling was finished and dry.
If you cannot find Casein, weathered crackle or Hide glue with paint alone would basically achieve
the same result as with the Casein, only it will be a lot smoother.

To glaze it, I mixed some Raw Umber Universal tint into clear glazing medium.

I rubbed on multiple layers until I achieved the depth I was going for.

I am calling it good.

Although I’m not normally a crackle-loving girl, I like things to look authentically aged, so I prefer it to the smooth black frame.

Linking to:

Until next time, my friends,

Filed Under: Before and After, Home Decor, My Home, Tutorials

Chunky Sofa Table

October 14, 2010 by Christa @ Stories of a House 35 Comments

Last weekend some friends and I went to a community garage sale in our area, and I really scored.

This sofa table only took me a couple of hours to refinish, and I’m waiting for it to sell on Craigslist.

I dream of the day I no longer have to use Craig.

Wait, that came out wrong.

Here it is in its’ before state. It was $15, Broyhill.We’ve all seen these smooth pine tables everywhere.

Believe it or not, this table was once an el-cheapo, smooth pine table with green legs
and a light top, which we gave a rustic, farmhouse treatment.
We enjoy many dinner parties and Thanksgivings here,
and embrace every scratch we add to it.

To make the job of sanding through the original stain easier,
I always strip the lacquer off first, which doesn’t take long at all.

I used my electric orbital sander, and sanded through the stain with 100 grit, followed with 180.

Then, the fun work of distressing began.

Here it is after staining in Dark Walnut, and painting the base in BM Acadia White.

I couldn’t decide whether or not to rub-through the white.

So, of course I did, using my handy dandy denatured alcohol.
Not to be confused with rubbing alcohol. Or a screwdriver ingredient.
.

I guess I like both, but can’t decide which version I like best.
You will have to help me with that. If this was your style, which one would you prefer?