Saturday, February 23, 2013

Let The Insanity Begin...

Recently I acquired a new set of spectacles and I had no idea how truly blind I really was.  Colors are brighter, textures are deeper, and the dust bunnies are waaaay more prevalent than I thought. Also, my craft nook was too, too dark! Even with the glasses on, I couldn't see very well so I decided I needed to revamp my crafty space.  Thought I would share with you all the adventures I've had over the past few days. The fun part about this project was that I made my own chalk paint! 
Here's the recipe.
1/4 cup Plaster of Paris 
A dribble of water until the P of P mixes smooth
1 cup of Krylon Satin paint (I've used White and Khaki) 
Apply a light first coat and let dry
Apply a second coat to complete the painting and  let dry
I opted not to use a thick wax and went with Mini Wax Polyurethane Fast Drying Satin and let mostly dry
Using a piece of 180 fine sandpaper, I distressed the edges to the furniture while the wax was still damp
With a rubber glove and white rag, I wiped the wax down in a circular motion to work it in and wipe down the remnants of where I'd used the sandpaper.
All in all, I did 8 pieces of furniture
Oh and guess what...I can see at my worktable now!!

A cute little drawer from my mother-in-law
Here I've used Khaki mixed with white paint
An old dresser that was given to me by some friends that were moving
Again I've used the White and Khaki paint combo
Third drawer down is not done with sandpaper....that's the artistic endeavor of my shoulder....ugh.

Thrift Store find little green and wood shelf, paid $1.50
Went nuts here and combo painted full on Khaki and solid white.  
Sorry about the fuzzy pictures, the snow was impeding any good shots.

Top shelf was built for me by my father-in-law...LOVE this! The bottom shelf was on the side of the road waiting for the trash man.  It's good to have friends with trucks. 

 I forgot to take pictures of my desk, but if you look at the brown desk below, next to my little 3 drawer cabinet, that's the color my desk was.
Painted it all in Chalk White and distressed it

And here's my refinished little crafty nook where I sit and take in ALL of your wonderful projects I see in bloggy land.  Only now I can REALLY see. Huge difference what a dark and white desk make.   At least for me anyway.
There's only been one set back from doing this. I can't move a muscle in my body and I'm BFF's with Bayer Back and Body Ache now. Ah well, a couple more days of relaxing and I'll be able to enjoy this new little area.  
Thanks for letting me share this with you..
Hugs n' Happy Refurbishing,
Lisa xx


23 comments:

Jenny Marples said...

Glad to hear you can see again Lisa! LOVE TO BITS your makeover - it now looks like one of the sets from CHA! Now you can use these wonderful pieces of furniture as backdrops to display/photograph your work (when the weather allows). Thanks for sharing, hugs Jenny x

Karon said...

This is fabulous Lisa - love your new look space!! Now go run a hot bath - lots of bubbles and breath and reelaaaxxxxxxxxxxx zzzzzzzz! zzzzzzzz! Have a great rest of the weekend.

Chrissy said...

Whoo hoo...extreme makeover..what a cosy craft space...it is great when you can see, helps so much.Love your distressed painting, so chic..I noticed a huge difference when my daughter gave me the huge grey desk I now have..

Luv CHRISSYxx

Mary J said...

Oh but it was so worth it Lisa! How fab, so impressed that you did that!

Scrumplescrunch said...

Hello Q
This space is most archetypal of your personality, I am not surprised on how it looks. No luxurious top end extravagance for you, on the contrary this space has painted furniture to show the patina of age, it has a comfortable friendly feel and I for one would enjoy working within this space. You have given me an idea to paint my big brown wooden shelf chalk White!
I can relate also with the effect of new glasses, I had new ones last month and the effect was just the same as you.....amazing.
Smiles:)
Onion

Sandy said...

Good Fathers Child - you have been a busy young lady and you have done one wonderful job!! My son and daughter-in-law have a lot in common with you!!!! Great project Lisa!
Sandy

Kelly said...

Aaahh, so you are entering into a new age group? Teasing, I needed glasses in my late 30's and I cannot create without them. Sometimes they are a excuse for my photos not turning out, my glasses didn't work! lol Very nice room and refreshing too. I have no desire to chalk paint though, but thank you for the recipe.
Have a soothing weekend. You should go to my blog and hunt down my candy and enter a comment so you may have a chance to win!
Kelly

jasann said...

Whar a lovely craft spot!!! thanks for sharing!!!

Words and Pictures said...

What a completely fantastic makeover of your crafty space (very cool to see where all the magic happens!)... So glad to hear you're now in the land of the all-seeing, and never mind the dust bunnies, they add character.
Hope the back pain eases soon - at least it was all in an excellent, excellent cause!
Alison xx

Sandy said...

It looks fantastic how you pulled it all together with all the odd pieces.. You have put as much love into your space as you do your cards. You so deserve this pretty space to play in. Look forward to seeing all your beautiful new artistic creations, created in your light and airy beautiful space.
Sandy :)

Annie said...

This is amazing Lisa........what a fab job....you can certainly be proud of yourself. I love the way a lick of paint can change things. A brilliant area to create in.

Take Care

Annie x

Tammy said...

Wow, wow, wow! Love your new home! Glasses really make a difference!

Shanna Shands said...

great organization! You can do mine this summer lol!

Billie A said...

Looks awesome. Thanks for sharing your photos. It's hard work and well worth it. Funny how new glasses can make for a brighter world.

Mitralee said...

Oh goodness! I really love the cream! What a great space! I had no idea we were both working on furniture at the same time. My newest is set up in the garage and I was washing it down today. I am NOT looking forward to feeling sore, but I am sure my turn is coming. I will probably post the pre photos early next week...I am so proud of you for taking this on! I know how much work it is!

Sandy said...

Yeah!!! for new glasses, it's always nice to be able to see what you're doing, LOL. Fab job on the paint job, you are so clever to make the paint yourself and you really put your shoulder into it too, LOL. Everything is so neat. I am a messy crafter!!! No hope for me.
Hugs,
Sandy

Tracy said...

I'm so glad you posted these pics. I was wondering what the transformation looked like. That's a lot of painting but boy does it look sharp Twang. Looks like a happy crafty spot to me. Hugs!

Lori said...

Wow! You've been busy and it all looks great! Enjoy the relaxing!

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

You go girl!!! Come to my house!!! Lol! Awesome refurbishing!

Anonymous said...

brilliant transformation! love it xx
and make sure you have a good relax too! BUY a SNOW blower! thehehehe :) wink! xx

Unknown said...

I love your new crafty space L2. :) Your handiwork looks amazing and love the chalk paint recipe! Hugs

Margaret said...

You are my hero! When I get my studio, I'm hiring you to come help me renovate my furniture!

Your new space looks amazing! Now we just need a picture of your new specs!!

Paula-Scrap Addict said...

I love how you stacked the shelves... if you could see my tiny craft room, you'd see a very similar situation going on in here... everything is just about to the ceiling at this point!