Black & Gold Table

Last July I found this little shiny black sewing table at a yard sale. I think all I heard about it at the time was "$5.00," and I said, "I'll take it!"

In my rush to get a great deal, I didn't look too closely. The first clue I had as to why it was only $5.00, was how heavy it was. I couldn't lift it by myself! That's when I saw that the table opened down the middle on hinges and was actually a sewing machine cabinet.

A long time ago!

After my husband lugged it to the car and inside our house, I did the investigating I should have done at the yard sale. (I now call this table my learning table, as in a what to pass by at a yard sale-table.)

I set the table aside for a while, and when I had some spare time (some what?) I went at it with a screw driver, and just look at what came out of that innocent looking table. No wonder it was so heavy!

I couldn't see any way to make the inside usable or fix the broken hinged faux drawer front, so I glued and screwed them down tight and filled in the crack on top with wood putty. I had planned on painting the table white, but the white primer changed my mind. My $5.00 table that I'd already wasted too much time on seemed to be getting uglier and uglier the more I did to it!  

At this point, I thought maybe I should just junk it (or as they do in Maryland, leave it out at the curb.)

Instead, I mixed up some black chalk paint and repainted it black.

And gold!

I think it was the gold that did me in.

 And turned this sad little sewing cabinet into one of my favorites!

 

The black chalk paint gave it a soft vintage look, and the Martha Stewart gold metallic paint from Home Depot gave it some pizazz.

This little pain in the neck $5.00 yard sale table has turned out to be one of my favorites and now resides in a place of honor in my craft room. 

Ironically, it has made the perfect little sewing table for me!

 I'm sharing my black and gold table at these fun parties! C'mon along!

Elizabeth & Co.
From My Front Porch To Yours
Stone Gable
Rooted In Thyme  
Common Ground 
The Charm of Home
French Country Cottage 
Miss Mustard Seed  
Funky Junk Interiors 
Coastal Charm 
 

Kitchen Remodel Update #5

The past week saw a lot of work done on the bones of our new kitchen and dining room. 

 All those holes in the plaster that traumatized me last week are nice and smooth again. The bar was built and the new sheet rock was installed. We decided to leave that bit of wall on the right side to save having to move a vent stack located there. We're so glad because we really like the more finished look it maintains in the dining room. 

Another decision we're happy about was wrapping the bar around the dining room wall because it makes room for three people to sit there. These decisions seem like no-brainers after they're made, but each one takes a lot of consideration and discussion with our contractor. He's been a huge help in the decision-making process as we go along and is very patient.

 

Layer after layer of old linoleum had to be removed from the floor to prepare for the new cement board subfloor. It took three days to remove one hundred years worth of accumulated flooring materials.

 

 All the cabinets were built-up higher to get the proper overhang on the counter tops, and new counters were installed. The old counter on this side of my kitchen was only 21 inches deep, so we rarely used it for food prep work. With the wall gone the new one is 25 inches, and the extra 4 inches makes a big difference. The new 18 inch-deep bar top was also installed, and the electrical outlets and switches were roughed-in. 

 

 This new custom 24 inch-wide base cabinet was installed. We actually ordered a three drawer unit to match our others, not this door unit. The supplier has said it will be re-fitted onsite today when the other two cabinets are delivered, so luckily their mistake didn't delay the other work. 

 The cabinet over the stove was raised for more clearance of our new microwave oven. Although it will make this cabinet harder to reach, we like the way it looks a lot. 

We can't say enough good things about our contractor and carpenter at this point. Other than our cramped living arrangements without a kitchen, our remodel has been a good experience so far. After a lifetime of doing it ourselves, we feel so pampered and lucky to have a wonderful professional contractor.

 

 My contributions to the remodel are done for now. I put the last coats of oil based paint on our treasured hutch cabinet doors that I previously stripped. The old wavy glass is still intact after all of my scraping, sanding, and hauling them around the house, shed, and yard. They'll be stored safely in my craft room now until installation at the very end. 

I also soaked the butterfly hinges and latches in boiling water, painstakingly scraped off the old paint, and then oiled them.

I spray painted all our Home Depot satin nickle hardware oil rubbed bronze because it was just too new to replace. If the painted finish doesn't hold up well, then we will replace it.

We also agonized over picked out and purchased a new sink, faucet, and light fixture for above the sink, all ready and waiting to be installed. 

This week the finish work starts with the new counter tops, 2 more cabinets, back splash, trim and painting, and finally, the floor is scheduled to go in early next week. I won't be updating anymore until the whole kitchen is finished because I think it's more fun to see everything all at once, don't you?

Thanks for stopping by today for my last kitchen remodel update! I hope you come back to see my new kitchen all finished soon. 

    

Friday Finds

There's one week left before Halloween, and I'm hoping my Friday Finds today will inspire you to do some spooky decorating at your home. 

 Tracy at Crow's Feet Chic put together this fabulous Halloween Apothecary.

This batty tree in a pumpkin is by Good Housekeeping.

Inspired By Charm's Michael drew his Hocus Pocus Broom Co. chalkboard.

Nita at Mod Vintage Life made Halloween bats and sweater-covered pumpkins.

Mr. Printables shared some downloads for spooky Halloween candle holders.

Sherry at The Charm of Home shared a Witch's Hat on her Magic Mantle.

 At Home Stories A to Z Beth made Pumpkin Rice Krispies Treats.

I'm off to carve my Halloween pumpkin now! 

HAPPY FRIDAY! 

 

Halloween Decorations

 TRICK OR TREAT!

(Oct. 2017 Note - I apologize for any broken links in this post. Bloggers come and go over the years, and, sadly, sometimes so do their links!)
 

  

 Because most of our home is off-limits during our remodel, my craft room has become Halloween Central at our house this fall. 

  Last year I had a blast making Halloween decorations inspired by my blog buddies and Pinterest. My Boo blocks were inspired by The Crafting Chicks tutorial.

 The framed Trick or Treat artwork is from a free download created by Karen at The Graphics Fairy.

 This cute witch's broom parking sign is a free download from Kristy at The Diary of Dave's Wife, and my black witch's hat (my favorite Halloween decoration) was inspired by Sherry's gorgeous witch's hat at The Charm of Home.

.

 I added some creepy bottles to my decorations this year. These Halloween labels can be found on Pinterest here,

here, and  here.

 My Halloween banner is from Jenny's free download at Allsorts. 

  

The adorable vintage art for my Halloween Tag Collection comes from my old Broderbund Holidays and Celebrations CD.

  

 I'm so excited about decorating my little craft room for Halloween that I wanted to share something with you, too. 

 Just click on each photo below and when it opens in a new window, right click and save it to your computer. Each vintage tag measures 2.5" x 4".

 

I love creating holiday tags using vintage art. 

I just print the pictures out on cardstock and glue them onto stiff mat-board. Next, I add some chunky glitter here and there and tie it with a ribbon. I store my tags in ziplock bags with our other holiday decorations. They're fun and easy to make, and they make me smile every year when I unpack them!

The North End Loft Halloween Pinterest Board

For tons more fun Halloween ideas visit my Halloween Pinterest Board.

 Thanks so much for coming by to see my Halloween decorations today. Have a wonderful day!

 

Please join me at these fun parties!

Craftberry Bush

Our Home Away From Home 

Savvy Southern Style 

Elizabeth & Co. 

From My Front Porch To Yours 

 Stone Gable  
The Vintage Farmhouse
Common Ground 
Rooted In Thyme 
French Country Cottage 
Jennifer Rizzo 
Shabby Art Boutique  
The Charm of Home
Designing, Dining, and Diapers 
The Shabby Nest  
My Romantic Home
The Cottage Market 
Funky Junk Interiors 
DIY Showoff 
The Graphics Fairy  
Mod Vintage Life
Coastal Charm
Cozy Little House 
Hauntingly Beautiful Decor Halloween Link Party

Kitchen Remodel Update #4

It's time for another kitchen remodel update! 

The first day of demolition I stayed behind the plastic barrier on our side of the house and didn't go to look at the kitchen and dining room again until the carpenters were gone for the evening. 

 before

 after

 before

 after

 I thought I was prepared for the demolition stage but, honestly, I almost started crying when I saw my house looking like this. I started questioning whether my vision for our remodel had been a huge mistake!

 before

 after

After looking into the holes in the walls where the stubborn back splash tile had torn off the plaster clear down to the lathe, I just took a very deep breath, reminded myself that the darkest hour is always just before the dawn, and closed the door behind me.

 before

 after

  And sure enough, the following evening when I entered the construction zone after another day of demolition, I was greeted with the open airy light-filled spaces I'd been seeing in my imagination.

 after

after

And I love it!

 

I'm sharing these gorgeous photos at 

The Shabby Nest