This has been such a strange time, filled with high highs (laughing until we cry at our kids’ antics) and low lows (holding back tears at their frustration, sadness, and confusion).
I can’t overlook our enormous privilege right now. Mike and I are both gainfully employed. I’m able to work and have the kids at home at the same time–though the balance is tricky!–and we are able to practice social distancing fairly easily. But this time hasn’t been without its challenges.
I often feel pulled between work brain and mom brain. Keeping the kids entertained, educated, and safe while feeling like I’m contributing enough at work has been difficult emotionally. But we’ve soldiered on, taking one day at a time, and counting our daily blessings.
One major perk of social distancing, though, is more time to paint. Despite the busyness of juggling it all, being at home has allowed me to paint a quick coat on a piece of furniture between answering emails and supplying kids with their 1,000,000th snack of the day.
When I last wrote, I’d just begun working on this vintage buffet:
A friend spotted this beauty on the curb and instantly texted me. Despite working a 12-hour day, Mike drove across town to help me pick it up. True love.
And now here she is!
I sanded down the top using my orbital sander, rubbed on bleach, and let it sit a bit before wiping it off. I repeated this process a few times, slowly lightening the wood.
The sides of the buffet were splintered, so I patched them and sanded them down for a smooth finish.
Once the top was sanded and bleached, and the sides patched, I decided the top wasn’t quite neutral enough. So I painted on a thin mix of water and white paint until I reached the desired color. For the rest of the piece, I washed it inside and out to remove some mold (likely the reason it was put in the trash) and primed it with a mold-blocking primer. Then I mixed together some old paints until I ended up with a creamy gray / taupe color. I love how it echoes the cool toned top and makes the entire piece feel less vintage and more now.
I love the flower detail on the door fronts!
Every time I take pictures of my furniture projects, the kids beg to be included. They never miss an opportunity to cheese for the camera.
Around the same time, I also received this dresser from a friend.
I wasn’t sure quite what to do with it until in a moment of boredom one day, the kids and I decided to pick up some free paint listed on Facebook marketplace. The person who listed it had left more than a dozen half or 3/4ths full gallons of paint on her driveway for anyone to take. I selected a few blue and green tones, plus Sherwin Williams Useful Gray. It ended up being the perfect color for the dresser.
The drawer fronts came with the dresser (they were just tucked inside the drawers), and I knew I wanted to give them a special treatment instead of simply reattaching them. Later that week I saw another listing on Facebook for some free floral wallpaper remnants. It’s a pattern I’ve always loved and coincidentally the inspiration for this mural I once painted in a client’s nursery.
It was the perfect solution to the drawer front challenge. Here’s the finished product. I love it, and it didn’t cost a dime!
I have many more projects to write about, but am off to read and savor the quiet kid-free time that is after 8pm in our house. Thinking of you all and hoping for the best, whatever you’re facing these days. xo