Free Sample to the Rescue

Another project on my to-do list while Will is away this week was to revamp my floating shelves. I bought these two Pottery Barn shelves at the Countrywood Garage Sale last year. I think I paid around $30 for the two. One is 3' long and the other is 4'. At our last house they hung in our living room.

Before

In our apartment they are hung in our dining area. We have a dark top table with a wrought iron base and wrought iron padded chairs. I thought the light colored wood stood out from the dark pieces to much. Also, I've never been a big fan of light wood.

So, after a quick sand and prime, in came the free sample of Glidden paint that I received in the mail recently...Onyx Black. And drumroll please...

After

I really like the way they turned out. Amazingly I was able to completely cover (minus the back of the 4') with the paint from one 2oz sample. All I had to purchase for this project was a can of spray primer that cost me about $4. Four dollars and a totally new look. I'm pleased.

What can I paint next?

Jamie

Weekend Projects

This weekend I had a little streak of craftiness. Months ago I bought three Ikea mirrors from a thrift store in Canton, MS. When I purchased the mirrors they were hunter green in color, not a color I often use in my decorating. At some point I painted them to coordinate with the colors in our bedroom. For the past several months they have been hanging on a wall that leads from our bedroom to the bathroom. I haven't been satisfied with them for a while but couldn't quite decide how to improve on them. Finally, after seeing some different projects on other blogs I decided to go with a quatrefoil design for the mirrors. I ended up having to hand paint the pattern. Had I thought this project through from the get go I could have cut my work in half by using spray paint and the stencil I created. Oh well, live and learn, and make it up as you go. :)

I'm satisfied with the overall look now. Will likes to point out that the pattern is not centered on any of the mirrors. It's interesting how different the same pattern looks when positioned differenlty.

On top of my craftiness, I had a Martha Stewart moment. I made a batch of strawberry freezer jam. It's actually my third batch of the summer, but we're eating through it pretty quickly. It feels good to know all three ingredients that go into the jam I put on my pbjs, biscuits, etc. The hardest part of the whole process is cutting and mashing the berries. This go around I had to use a fork to mash the berries. As Alton likes to say, having the right tools makes things much easier. Let's just say this will be my next kitchen gadget purchase.

How did I not receive a potato masher as a wedding gift?

Despite my mashing travails I will continue to stock my freezer with this goodness...

I expect to get a few more projects accomplished this week. At 5am this morning I saw Will off for a 10 day trip to Sheridan, Wyoming. He and a group of youth are going to do VBS and face to face witnessing at the rodeo there. I'm going to try to keep myself busy and find ways to get out of this little apartment as much as possible. But since 4:30am is not something I'm used to seeing I think I'll start the week by taking a nap.

Good morning and good night.

Jamie