Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Keeping busy.....

 A few weeks back I agreed to have a boarder stay with us over the summer months which has meant a lot of re-arranging of furniture, tidying, and getting rid of a lot of  "stuff " that we have collected over the years that is now no longer needed. Having a good clean out really does feel good plus it motivated me into giving a couple of pieces of furniture a much needed makeover. The above 'hall table' has been in my possession since my flatting days. Not sure who's it actually was originally but I happily ended up with it because I could see its potential :-) I don't have any before photos of it but lets just say it was looking a little neglected in its raw state. I had sanded it down last year so it was all ready and waiting for a new coat of paint.

For the top I decoupaged squares of Amy Butler acid free paper. It reminds me of Moroccan or Portuguese tiles and I'm really pleased with how it has turned out.

I acquired these two old wooden rulers and the school atlas from my father a couple of weeks ago. My Dad has been sick with cancer for some time now and passed away on Saturday. He had asked me to go into his office and choose anything I might want. It didn't feel right taking his stuff but these items caught my eye and he seemed happy with what I had chosen. 


This desk has been also patiently waiting for a makeover and I have been waiting for inspiration to strike as to what to do with it. It was always going to be Caitlin's, so with her slight obsession with the boy band "One Direction", inspiration came last week to paint a Union Jack design on the top. The aqua/turquoise paint I had already purchased for another project and I love the colour combo of red/aqua/white. It already had the red plastic 'feet' on it's legs so that was a nice happy coincidence. 

The Union Jack design was easy but time consuming to do but totally worth it for the end result. To get the nice clean, straight lines I used masking tape over the already white background but it bled under the tape so our new house guest Siobhan suggested using painters tape which does not bleed like masking tape. I love how this piece has turned out exactly how I had envisioned. Needless to say Caitlin is also pleased with her new desk. All this painting has inspired me to makeover more furniture so expect more :-)

9 comments:

Julie said...

Wow you have been busy - both tables have come up really well - I especially like your Amy Butler table top. I did think it was tiled at first.
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your father -my thoughts are with you and your family.

XUE said...

Always good to hear that you have been keeping busy & then to see what you have been up too. I have not been churning out as many creative things the way you do ! I am sad for you as well & I am thinking of you & your girls too.

Marina said...

So sorry to hear about your Dad, Catherine.

Sue SA said...

Sorry about your father, but nice that you got such lovely reminders of him - I am sure that it made him happy that you would treasure some of his treasures. Your tables are gorgeous, I think you have found a new calling!

A Time for Stitching said...

So sorry to hear about your father.
I love the blue table top and will look forward to seeing more of your transformations if they are like this!
Teresa x

Deb said...

Such sad news to hear about your dad. Big hugs from me.

And what young teenage girl is not obsessed with 1D! Did she go to their concert?

Some great finishes too...you are so creative.

Bec I am said...

Great tables, sorry to hear about your Dad. Its always fantastic to have a tidy up.

Karen said...

So very sorry to hear about your Dad. Hugs are flying over the net to you.
I just love what you did with the tables. Those Amy Butler prints look fab with the white. I am thinking that those colours will not show a lot of dust. I loathe dusting. And how cool is your union jack table. Your daughters are so very lucky to have such a talented Mumma.

Unknown said...

Hi there! I know this is kinda off topic however Id figured Id ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog post or vice-versa? My site addresses a lot of the same subjects as yours and I think we could greatly benefit from each other. If you are interested feel free to send me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Wonderful blog by the way!

Best Cccam Server

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...