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The China Cabinet

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Happy Halloween!!!!

Did you all have fun trick or treating?

We sure did!

We got soooooo much candy.

Yesterday Wild Man reminded me about what we did last year with all our candy by asking if we will give him another toy if he turns in all his candy again this year.

I completely forgot what smart parents we were last year!

Gooo me!

So yep, tomorrow all the boys candy will go into the abyss of Mr. Genius' office and the boys will get a new toy...that I have hidden somewhere in my closet. Which is where I hid my bottom dollar clearanced toys.


Anywho, Remember this China Cabinet?

When I first got this FREE cabinet it was painted white a looooooong time ago and then they must have brushed polyurethane over the white. Because it had yellowed. It is hard to see in the picture, but when you got close to it. It looked like they had brushed a yellow glaze all over this beautiful cabinet..Yuck!

Then it was randomly painted black on two squares on the feet and between the two doors.

Cuz maybe that made you not notice the weird yellow glaze all over the cabinet.

Whatev..

Then of course there wasn't any glass in the doors.

Other then that, it was in great shape!

I loved the survey and seeing everyone's opinions! With 33% saying that I needed to paint it another color other then white and blue. I was looking forward to painting it black, or a mint green, or even a light yellow!

How fun would have that been?!

Then a girl named Julia found my blog...and she snagged it.

Smart girl. After she contacted me, not 5 other people contacted me wanting to buy the cabinet. But who can blame them...I wanted to keep it myself.

So thank you all for participating in my survey, but I do abide by one rule...

Whoever pays me the money gets to pick the color. ;)

Does that make me a sell out?

Probably.

Oh well.

Julia picked an antique white with glaze and then a fun paper on the back of the cabinet.

I LOOOOOVE this piece! Seriously, it was so much fun doing.

So here is the baby all finished.

Isn't she BEaUtiFUL?!

I was able to get glass in the doors for really cheap! Like cut and installed for $35! Sandra from Sawdust and paperscraps pointed me in the right direction for where to go for that. Thanks Sandra!

I love all the details of this cabinet. I sanded her down before painting, but it is really hard to make it smooth. But I actually like how chippy it make it!

Then of course there is the fun paper on the back of the cabinet.

Julia got these precious knobs from none other then anthroplogie. Does anything ugly come from that store?

Don't you like my messy garage and rotting pumpkin in the background?

Just keeping it realz people. But doesn't the pretty cabinet cancel out the ugly in the background?

I will be posting to these parties.

Cedar Chest and/or bench

I am so excited to show you the bench I just finished!

Sometimes I wish I could keep all this furniture I am painting. But the goal is to be debt free and have a lot in savings.

I just tell myself that one day I will find another one and I can keep it to make me feel better.

I have showed you all what the bench looked like when I got it, and here it is again.

I didn't have to sand it down much since it was already raw wood or really veneer on top.

Some of the veneer was peeling and I just used Gorilla wood glue to glue it.

The gorilla glue bottle is actually has a multi purpose to it. Not only does it hold great wood glue inside of it that holds the wood together great, but it also serves as a holder downer (yep, that is the technical term). Once you place the glue under the veneer and need something to hold it down. You just place your glue bottle on top. :)

Thanks Gorilla glue!

Once I glued the top then i painted it the lovely haylcon Green color.

Why not one of the other blues I just got for free?

I don't know. I just felt like this piece needed to a little more punch of color to make a statement. 

So here it is with the Halycon Green color.

Eeek. Isn't it so cute?

Then I glazed it to show off the details.

And here is the finished product!

How cute is that?!!!!

I would love to use this to sit on this winter while I am putting on my winter boots and it can hold all the jackets, coats, gloves, and scarves in its chest.

A perfect cedar chest inside.

Then beautiful details on the outside.

So Chicagolanders, if you want this bench you better decide quick or I am going to find a place in my house.

I am posting to these parties.

Birthday Party

A week ago today, we had the boys birthday party.

Boy I have gotten a little behind on blogging...sorry guys.

If you are fairly new to reading my blog you should know that I do my boys birthday party together. It is just easier. Their birthdays are a month apart with Romeo's the day after Halloween and Wild Man's 3 days before Christmas.

So yes, I realize we are two months away for Wild Man's birthday, but with all the presents and Christmas parties going around that time of year it is hard to squeeze in a party to celebrate Wild Man in the middle of it.

Last year we had the boys party the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is a great last memory with dad.

Because the day that I posted about the boy's party last year was dad's last day here on earth.

But that isn't really what I wanted to talk about today.

I really wanted to talk about the party.

Wild Man asked for a party outside with his friends. Luckily Romeo doesn't care yet.

Due to Chicago's winter weather outside parties ruled out November and December.

So we decided on October.

And I think we had some of the best weather we could have asked for. It was a great fall afternoon.

We had the party at a farm where there was lots to entertain the kids. Wild Man wanted a super hero party. I didn't know how to plan that, so I just asked the kids to come in their Halloween costumes.

As much as I would love to have a party at home where I would have many activities for the kids....I am just too lazy to come up with all that. So I have a party at places where all I have to do is bring the cake, party favors, and the kids.

The boys were so excited about the party that when they first got up they wouldn't eat much breakfast.

Now for my boys that is VERY unusual. Romeo wakes up early every morning asking for cereal. Then he proceeds to eat 2 to 3 bowls of cereal.

On this morning he ate half a bowl of cereal.

Later on we got to see the effects off too much birthday happiness and not enough food in stomach.

We took a hay ride over to the pumpkin patch where we got the kids out to take a picture.

Look for Romeo...

He refused to turn around.

But I have to give the child credit for not throwing a fit or screaming. He just stood there with his back to us.

Even when he is being defiant...he makes me smile. :)


After all, that is the cutest little back of a head in the picture. :)

We got back on the hay ride and went back and had cake. Romeo ate 3 pieces of cake. Then all was right with the world and we were on a sugar high that lasted 2 days.

I also want to point out how good God has been to us.

Almost a year and a half ago we moved up here not knowing a single person here. Then at the party we had 33 people that I now consider pretty close friends. Thank you Lord!

We have fall decor!

My mom is here to visit because we had the boy's birthday party on Saturday. (I will tell you more about that tomorrow).

But I think a part of her reasoning to come up was because I was partaking in a family sin.

The you must always decorate for Fall or you will be struck by lightning sin.

The first free minute we have had, mom went down to my basement and pulled out my fall and halloween decorations.

Aren't mom's grand?


So here is my new mantel.

It is simple, but to the point.

I made the pumpkin topiaries about 2 years ago...pre blogging and when they were all over blog land.

They are really easy to make. Just 3 pumpkins. With the bottom two upside down and then tear apart a fall leaf garland and hot glue it any way your heart desires.

Got to use my chalkboard rocks.

And a haunted house that I got last year during an after Halloween sale.

Then mom just stuck fall leaves randomly through out the house.

Now I see I could have decorated for fall much earlier and it would have only taken 20 minutes.

Oh well I will need to remember that for next year.

Oops... I did it again

Apparently project "Clean out the garage so one can park away from the snow"....isn't going so well.

Guess what I picked up.

A antique china cabinet.

I know, I know. I have no self control. But I swear I have a very good excuse for getting it.

Well two good excuses.

It is gorgeous. And it was free!!!

I don't know what is going on around here. But people are giving away great stuff for free.

You know, now that I think about it. Maybe they are trying to clean out their garages so they can park in them.

Hum...sounds like a good idea.

Oh well.

But here is the cabinet.

I think my heart skipped a beat when I first saw it.

There isn't any glass, which is why they thought they needed to give it away for free.

What ever floats your boat man.

Well I am sure you can guess what I am going to do with the doors.

I figured I will also put beadboard wallpaper on the back of the inside of the cabinet too.

Since I have a sickness and think that all back of cabinets need beadboard on them.

But the color...I just can't make up my mind.

So I thought I would let you all decide.

After all I do have the best readers in blogland. :)

To get to the poll click here and it will take you right there.

My choices are a combination of white and the blue/grey that I just painted the dresser.

But please leave a comment if you have another color in mind!

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

A Blue/Grey Dresser

For those of you that love blue I will be having A LOT of blue projects coming up.

But I have to share with you why there will be some more blue projects.

Look at what I have...

To you, this may just seem like a lot of paint cans.

But to me it is my version of winning the lottery.

That is because I got all 7 of those cans of paint for.....FREE!!!!!!

Some couple that lives in my area couldn't make up their mind on paint colors and bought 3 gallons of two different colors of paint...and didn't like either one.

So they gave away all the cans and threw in a brand new gallon of white paint too!!!

There is a lesson here folks.

Never buy multiple gallons of paint until you are sure of the paint color.

But tell others to buy all the paint they want and then you may get some for free. ;)

The two colors I got are Misty Morn and Ozone from Behr.

Ozone is a blue color with a little grey and Misty Morn is a grey color with a little blue. Both are pretty colors.

So I am sure you can guess that I painted this dresser with one of those colors.

So now the dresser looks like this.

Since I am not a pro at editing photos to show off the great color. You can't really see the awesome color. I actually painted this one with the Ozone color.

Do you know how much more fun it is to paint something with free paint?

May you experience it too.

I am linking to these parties.