Painting and updating a cute entry table {Ivysaur colour palette} WIP

This week I finally started a project that I had known that I wanted to do for some time.. only I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do (colour/ style etc wise).  Last week, I got a great idea that is inspired by my favorite Pokemon: Ivysaur!  (not that I don’t love Bulbasaur, and technically the table will still fit in as a Bulbasaur table any ways)

The table sits against a wall by our front entry way (between our entry way, and the doors to the kitchen actually).  We found the table outside, at some point (a few years ago already).  It is solid wood and generally made well so I’m excited to make it beautiful!  Now, this is the table in question:

Before!!

The paint job was pretty rough, a lot of paint had chipped off.  Plus the colour seemed to be this dirty yellow-ish colour that always looked dirty.

Pre-sanding, showing the inside of the drawer.

The first thing I did was clean it, then I used a sanding block to rough up the entire thing.  I took off the knob, only to have it rip off a bunch of paint from the front (since the knob was painted onto the drawer, le sigh). This actually made the table look cleaner and nicer already, as I had sanded off the dirty old gloss.

Post-sanding, removed the knob.

After I had a rough idea/ plan in my head about how I was painting it, I decided to start on the drawer.  Originally I wanted to paint the front of the drawer, but the damage caused by removing the knob, plus the already damaged top right corner means that I need to be a little more crafty. But, I have painted the inside of the drawer and am pretty happy with how it is turning out.

New plan for the front, first two layers on inside of drawer.

I plan on having the table entirely painted by the end of next week.  I think I will want some type of varnish or gloss for it (at least for the top, possible the bottom shelf and the drawer though).  But I need to learn a bit more about finishes for furniture first.  I also need to purchase a new knob, but I plan on shopping around a bit for it first.

Thanks for checking out my newest project!

xoxo

We are Geeks

So, I should be working on  my new Boot Camp week post, but I already had this post ready to go.. so you will have to wait until later today for my second week Etsy report.  In the mean time, you can enjoy these two fine examples of how geeky my partner and I are:

The World Ends With You

(That screen shot is actually pretty old.. I admit I haven’t played The World Ends With You in more than a year… but this does remind me that I should start that back up.)

Pokemon: White

(This was my partner’s game of Pokemon: White, look at how dirty and scratched up their screen is.)

 

Wild Pokemon Live in My Hall {small home style}

In my blog preview post a few weeks ago (has it already been a few weeks?  I am so behind!), I posted a very small thumbnail for this next small home project I recently did.  It was a very quick, easy project, and over all not very difficult, but they makes me smile every time I have to run upstairs and see them blowing around.

So, we have this fan in our upstairs, cathedral ceiling hallway.  The main problem was (besides the fact that the fan is incredibly ugly and there is no way we can possibly reach it to clean it or even change the light bulbs..) we never knew which pull was for which operation.  One of them changes the direction of the fan, another the speed of the fan, and the last was for the light.  (Don’t believe me how ugly and inaccessible this fan is?)

That line on the roof? Thats the top pitch.. no attic.

So, since there isn’t all that much I can do about the fan itself, I thought at least I could make something for the extremely long pulls so that we don’t end up pulling at them randomly hoping that they do what we want.  I decided to make Pokemon charms out of shrink plastic and came up with these designs one afternoon while watching my afternoon stories (if you’re interested, Hell Girl season1).

(pre-shrunk designs)

Once they were shrunk down, I attached them to a slightly thicker cotton woven thread and added colourful beads just for interest sake.  Attaching them to the pulls was incredibly easy, since the old wooden pulls have holes on the bottom and top (so I just slid the wooden piece up, and looped my new fancy pulls around the same knot).  The wooden pulls cover the knots, and allows me to simply take down the pokemon charms at any time.  We still use the wooden pull to actually change any of the fan settings, but that is mostly out of my personal fear that they will break and beads will spill down my stairs.  They are probably strong enough to pull on, but I’d rather be safe.  I think I might paint the wooden pieces sometime, but for now this will do.

(clockwise from top left) charms after being shrunk, charms hanging up (with flash), charms hanging up with no flash

Thank you for looking!  If you have any comments or questions, feel free to ask.

xoxo

{shopping}

Went thrifting today, and man did Jerry and I ever find some awesome shit.

Cool Asian bead craft and knot books, Totoro puzzle, mandatory Hello Kitty

We got a somewhat “surprise bag” of stuff, all we could really see was the Totoro puzzle, and another weird teddy bear puzzle.  But those craft books were in there, one even has a tutorial for making what is obviously a Pikachu.  There was also an Asian craft kit, but it was sadly incomplete, but at least I got some poly-fill out of it.

Got this for only $1.50.

But…. of course I saved the best for last::

Sailor Moon lunch bag!

It’s in amazing condition, it looks brand new (maybe it is.. haha).  But I was so freaking happy when I found this, I don’t find Sailor Moon stuff very often (if ever really).  ^_^

 

 

 

Bulbasaur

I found this drawing I did of Bulbasaur when I first found him, the other day and he is just too cute to keep to myself.

Networking.

sweatereyes photography

Sleepover with Sunflower Skins.