Seeing Red

 
I knew it had been a long time since I had posted anything, but my goodness!  12 days?!  I think that's a record...and not one I'm happy about.  I'm amazed that I have any blog traffic at all with a gap like that.  Sorry about the lack of posting - I'm still alive, I really am!

  

This basement mess has really thrown me for a loop.  Not that I've been working on it non-stop, because I haven't...Steve's been dealing with various issues about the wiring and other work in the walls for weeks now.  I just can't work on anything with the entire contents of my studio packed up and scattered throughout the house.  I wasn't careful about keeping track of where things were because I thought I'd have the studio put back together in 2 weeks, max.  Hahahahahaha!

 

I didn't even make anything new for Valentine's Day because I can't find my craft and sewing things, and here it is a week after Heart Day and I still haven't photographed the decorations that I did manage to put up!  So here are a few shots of the decor, to prove that Valentine's Day did indeed happen at my house.  I didn't shoot anything else, I ran out of time between all the busy activities that a Saturday brings.  Hopefully this week I can at least make one project I was planning on (better late than never, right?) and finish the pictures of everything.  We'll see...

 
....but look what I was finally able to paint this week!

 
This is a beefy old dresser that I found for $70 a couple of years ago on Craigslist, and the original 70's plastic-wood-look finish was begging for a facelift.  It's real wood, it just had a severe case of laminate-look finish so typical of that decade.  Sorry, I forgot a "before" photo.  The weather was finally warm enough to spray paint (I'm so excited for gloriously warm spring weather!!!) so that became my priority this week.  Several trips to the store, 5 cans and 2 brands of spray paint later (long story short:  Do NOT use Painter's Touch from Home Depot on anything without testing it first!  The paint blistered and freaked out on the parts that I hadn't sanded down to bare wood), here it is!

 
I distressed the edges of everything because, well, I wanted to.  I don't like furniture to be so perfect that I then get upset when it gets dinged up or scratched.  So I just take care of it at the beginning and then I'm okay!  I'm really looking forward to being able to put this big red beauty in my studio.  Here's hoping that it will be on the soon-ish side.

ps Anybody feel like testing a quilt pattern?  I have 4 ready to go!

Comments

[Jennifer]

I would love to test a pattern for you! I LOVE the red dresser too. It's beautiful. It matches the red I have painted in my kitchen.

[Katera]

I also love the red - and I'm glad to see you posting again! I would be tempted to try a quilt. I've never done one before but I am always up for a challenge

[Deanna]

I could test a pattern, depending on how soon you need it. But I would like to try.

[Katie]

I too would test a pattern depending on how soon you would need it.

[Whitney W]

I could also pattern test if needed. Love the red dresser, red is my favorite to decorate with.

[NICCI]

I love the red! What brand did you end up using?
I am hoping when our weather hits spring temp. to paint a table and buffet that has seen better days.

[Emilie]

I LOVE red furniture!!!!

I'd love to test out a pattern for you! So fun!

I think about May all the time and how awesome you are going to do. It's almost here!

[Amanda Bennett]

Shelley - I'd love to test a quilt pattern for you! What's the time frame? You have 7 ready? Can I choose or do you assign the? I'm good with anything patchwork beginner to advanced. Nothing applique, though. Let me know. I'm seriously interested! ~Amanda

[Shelley]

Thanks, everyone, for your support! I'll be emailing you about the patterns. Nicci, I ended up using Rustoleum brand, Heritage Red color in a satin finish. I bought it at Lowe’s. Krylon and Valspar would have also worked, but they didn’t have the color in a satin finish at the stores I went to. Plus I really don’t like Krylon’s spray nozzle – it comes out in a line rather than a circle shape so you have to turn the can all different directions to get it to spray where you want it to.
A tip about spraying furniture: you need to at least scuff-sand the finish so the paint sticks better. It also helps even out a compromised old finish that may be peeling or chipping. You don’t have to get it down to bare wood, just scuff it. Also, the part in the instructions about re-coating within an hour or after 2 days really does matter! Otherwise the finish will get totally ruined because the new coat will cause the old coats that aren’t perfectly dry to blister. It happened to my sister a long time ago and ruined her project.
Good luck with your furniture!

[Anja]

I have never sewn a quilt, so if you needed a complete quilt beginner to try one out, I would love to give it a shot.

Love the red dresser. What does it say on the drawer pulls?

[Jessica]

I would love to test a quilt pattern I am new to quilting and am dying to make my daughter a quilt for her brand new big girl bed.I have fabric even already just no pattern. I have several different prints and solids in a soft flannel that is easy to work with...HELP! I need somewhere to start!

[Shelley]

Anja,
The drawer pulls say "discover". I thought it would be very appropo because my drawers are always crammed full and it truly is a discovery to find something in them! :-)

Thanks so much for the offer to test a quilt pattern. I've already farmed them out, and they're geared toward advanced beginner to intermediate quilters anyway. I should have described them better in the post. Thanks though!

[John Lair]

$70 for that good old dresser?! That's amazing! And you did a magical touch on it! It looks Stunning in that bloody red color. Anyway, with perfect feeling, how did you spend your Valentine's Day? Did you dine in a restaurant or cook and arranged a great dining table for two?