Some Progress and I’m Still Here!

Hello Friends!

Time is flying by, amiright?!  Strangely, it feels like we jumped from March right into August and I, for one, don’t have too much to show for it!

Can you believe I’m still working on these gosh darn doors?  Truth be told, I have taken several months long breaks… but still!!  It’s like enough already!  The funny thing is that I’ve messed up SO many times and I’m just really annoyed with myself.  I literally look at the doors and shake my head.  Now I truly understand why some people would rather NOT do-it-themselves.  Lol!

The last time we chatted, I had tested the technique on one door and couldn’t figure out if I liked the color or not.  Guys, I freaking stared at that door for so long!  Ultimately, I did what any normal person would do and I sanded it to start over.

The thing is, that I KNEW I wanted it darker.  I just didn’t want to have to go into a crazy Home Depot to get darker paint.  So I waited and waited and waited… until I had to go to a crazy Home Depot for something else and THEN I got the paint.  I’m a disturbed person.

I had them add even more black to the already Frankenstein paint I was using.  This would be easy, I told myself…. new paint, some sanding, no. big. deal.

I got to work.  I painted all the doors this time, cause this was it, I tell ya!  And then I noticed there were areas where the paint did not adhere properly.  Ok.  So my dumbass didn’t sand properly??  Alright, alright.  I sanded AGAIN, then repainted AGAIN and then (drum roll) the F%$! paint did not adhere.

Oh hell no.

This may seem so obvious to you right now.  Why it was not obvious to me can only be explained by delirium or lack of brain cells or plain stupidity.  I don’t know what was going on with me, seriously!! Why did I not prime this mutha?!?!  Whhhyyyyyy!!?!?!?!?

Ok. Breathe.  Life sucks right now.  Deal with it.

Prime that shit.

I did.  Then I repainted AGAIN.  For the 4th time, I might remind you.  You can all relax, because the first coat finally looks good!  Hooray!  Hallelujah!  I can be taught!!

I’m letting it cure and hopefully, next week I’ll start with the black treatment.  With any luck, I’ll be done by Christmas.  Ha!

In other news, I made myself a spray painting tent!!  I have been working on reupholstering a 50’s patio set and fixing up some rattan pieces, which requires some painting and I’m trying not to stink up the neighborhood.

This peacock chair is now for sale in my shop and needed a repair on the leg.  This is pre-painting, obvs.

I mean, guuurrrllll, look at that weaving!  Oh la la!  My husband said, “I didn’t know you could fix that stuff.”  I responded with, “I didn’t either.”  But now I do, y’all!!  It’s pretty relaxing actually.

Then…. there’s some stuff going on in the back, back part of our yard.

We have this long, thin area behind the tennis court with a hillside that doesn’t currently have a purpose.  I have been pondering a sculpture garden on the hill and finally, I found my first piece!!  Omg, I’m so excited!  I’ll tell you more about it and show you photos when it’s in, but you can see that we’ve already started planning for it.

It is a set of 3 tall pieces that I’m putting together to form one shape.  My father-in-law suggested we use buckets filled with cement to install them – So freaking genius!  You can see the buckets there and the purchase of cement is what led to me getting darker paint.

I can also tell you that bright 4×4 tile has been purchased, but I have no idea how I’m going to install it.  I want modern, artistic.  What that means and translates into is still marinating in my brain.  If you have any ideas, please shoot them my way!!

Well, that’s it for now!  Nothing finished, but progress is happening and I guess I should feel pretty proud of that.

Faux Bois Musings and Attempt Part One

Hi Everyone!

Remember when I was inspired to turn my master bedroom boring doors into this?

Well, the process has begun and you guys, I REALLY NEED YOUR ADVICE!

I started by sanding the doors and darkening up some paint I had in the garage that wasn’t working for anyone.  (I did the paint fixeroo before the whole lock-down thing.)  Here’s where I started…

I think you already saw this.  Anyway, about a fortnight ago, I started taking my sweet ol’ time painting the base and that’s when it happened.

Friends.  I got really scared.

I started thinking that I was going crazy and that this wasn’t going to look good at all.  So, I painted one door, figuring that one door wasn’t too bad to fix up if I hated it later.

Right?!?!?

Not that anyone wants to redo crap 1000x’s.  Sigh.

Finally (after much hemming and hawing) I mix-up the topping, Black Magic from Home Depot, in there premier satin with clear glaze, and then I DID IT.

Oh ya!  I did a few tests first, which turned out surprisingly cool, and propelled me to take on more.

I only did the back of the door, because again, I am a weak, little sissy.

I got SOOOOOOO SCARED!

But what do you think??

The men in my house think it’s awesome and that I should keep going.  But what say you, my decor friends??

I did some cut and paste for fun… here’s the motif on the main front doors…

Here is an option on the right if I darken it a tad…lower the contrast a bit?

GAH!  I’m so torn as to what to do.

I think I like it… though there are a few things I will do differently, (like pull the tool longer before making knots, since it looks a little too pine-y), but should I stay with the lighter gray that I have or risk it all to get a darker gray base paint??

I think you know where I’m leaning, and less contrast would be a bit more modern but (hahahaha delirious laughter) our friend Corona is standing in my way.

Then again… contrast is bold!  The indecision is real.  And I feel like after two months of quarantine, my will to paint is less each day.  (That’s only because most of my energy is going into strong arming my kids to do classwork each day!!)

What to do, what to do?

Help!

PS  Hang in there!!  And don’t lose that sense of humor =)

Tigers and Tigers and Tigers, Oh My!

Hello friends!

Or should I say, “Listen up you M*ther F*ckers!”

You’re not going to believe me when I tell you this, but I actually starting collecting photos for this post about 2 months ago!  That was well before the craziness of Joe Exotic and Carol Baskin took over our lives and HEARTS, and now we will forever equate quarantine with “F@CK CAROL BASKIN!”  But for me this love affair with tigers started long ago when I first started collecting Asian antiques.  I just LOVE me a tibetan tiger rug!  I would spot them here and there at antique markets, but never pulled the trigger because dang, they were pretty expensive.  Now it seems like the world is just as in love and there are sooooo many fun tiger cat options right now!

Li Apartment

Jonathan Adler Now House

Recently I had been buying tiger stuff… I started with this French needlepoint pillow, (which sold already) and then I went full on Tiger-rific with a large porcelain tiger sculpture, like the one below.  I just can’t seem to list it for sale.  The life of a collector/hoarder is hard, y’all.

Urban Outfitters Calhoun Leopard Throw

Let me just inundate you with pretty photos for a sec and things to spend your depleting bank account on…

Tiger Pillow

 

Tibetan Tiger Rug

Pinterest

Damn, I want a yard of this fabric SO badly.  Let’s play a game… it’s called guess how much this fabric costs…. Guess.  Higher.  Higher.  HIGHER.  Did you just say $490?!?  If that seems reasonable to you, then we need to be friends asap.

Schumacher

Pinterest

Here are some more affordable fabric options and I have to say that tiger and peacock is pretty friggin’ fantabulous!  That would be so great in a little girl’s room.  Someone out there please base a room design on that fabric!!

Fabric 1, 2, 3

Can we all just agree that tigers are freaking amazing, gorgeous creatures that deserve to be admired in their full wild glory?  And that anyone who has one as a pet is just outta their loco mind?  And yet, there is something in us that wants to hold and kiss and cuddle a baby tiger so deeply, that maybe it can make anyone of us a little insane?

Let’s agree on this at least, that we must fight those tiger loving urges, my friends.  Lest we risk being (willingly?) enslaved in a cultish harem….or perhaps the new owner of a yard of $500 fabric.