How to GLAZE painted furniture

After being trapped inside from the snow/ice storm in Georgia for the last 3 days (Yeah, Georgia is not prepared for winter weather, embarrassing), I decided to show you how to glaze a table. I previously painted this side table with Benjamin Moore #1564 Beach Glass in a flat finish.   

I used a can of glaze from a cabinetry shop .... but you can buy glaze at any home improvement store. 

Dip your brush, pull the brush up the side of the can to minimize amount of glaze on your brush, and paint the entire piece of furniture.

Wipe off the glaze with a cloth or paper towel.  Leave extra glaze in the cracks and corners for an antiqued look. I like to wipe the glaze in one direction then I wipe it in the opposite direction for more texture.   If it is not dark enough for you, let it dry a bit (10 min) and go back over using the same process.

As you can see below, the brown glaze gives a small hint of color in several directions.

Let the glaze dry overnight.  Next step is laquer or poly.  I used a laquer I had from the cabinetry shop ... once I started it became too sticky.  I suggest using a clear poly instead of laquer.  You can get poly at any home improvement store. Paint it on in a thin layer and let it dry overnight.  The poly will protect your piece from drink circles and scratches and will give it a slight sheen. 

Easy to do ... go paint and get crafty.

Amy

Den converted to Toddler Room

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I figured it only appropriate for this year's first post to be something that is so near and dear to my heart. I LOVE before and afters... like mildly obsessed. My husband knows this and would agree 5 million percent. It's a little ridiculous but I ADORE seeing something come to life or get reinvented! So with that said, here is one of our own before and afters and although the new room isn't finished it's fun to see the progress in just 6 months.

Here's the story...

We live in a small bungalow and it really only has two bedrooms (not counting a loft upstairs that is unfinished). When baby #2 arrived in April of 2010, we had to come up with something, and something quick. Sure I could have my 2 year old share a room with the new baby but their schedules were so different. Couldn't imagine the baby waking up all night and our 2 year old as well. So we turned our den into our bugaboo's big boy room/ playroom. Yes, we still have a place to sit and watch Greys Anatomy, football and DIY shows and that room is off our kitchen. We call it our little nook. It's so comfy and cozy so we haven't missed our den too much. 

Here's before. The walls were painted by previous owner and this room needed a makeover either way.

And here's the room today

(Excuse the mess as I didn't clean up before taking this picture. Also my husband was reading to bugaboo and had no idea I was taking pictures)

The paint color is one of my tried and trues. And if you're in the Atlanta/N GA area and you need a good painter, email me... we've got the best ones and we love Mrs. PaintRight!

The carpet was a splurge along with the plantation shutters. But most everything else in his big boy room was done in a very bargain shoppingness way! I'll post that in a different blog so you can get some ideas on how to get great stuff at a price that you can tell someone about.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy New Year!

Katie

Best Curtains EVER!

Earlier this summer, I decided that I couldn’t walk through our dining room again and see the scuffs on the walls, paint chipped off the trim and the chocolate paint drops all over the ceiling. It had to go!  5 or 6 years ago, my husband and I (...then boyfriend living it up in the frat pad, a.k.a our house) painted our dining room. It went from a lovely peach color (nag) to a Ralph Lauren suede tan. The ceiling was done in chocolate suede and at the time it looked pretty good! P.S. We will never. ever. ever. paint a ceiling again.   We did an awful job!  Our poor room screamed for a professional to come in and take over!

6 years later… We finally had our dining room repainted and the new curtains I used in there are fab-u-lo-so! My decorator friend, Emy, recommended these curtains from IKEA. I’ve got to give her all the glory! LOVE THEM! They are $19 for a pair and they are glorious. I doubled it for extra fullness using 4 panels per window. What a mean bargain for such great looking curtains! They’ve got a yummy texture and they just soften up the space so well. They come with a hemming strip you can iron on (easy as pie) but I just wanted them to be casual and didn't touch them.    IKEA RITVA CURTAINS

I didn’t use the tiebacks. Also, I already had the drapery rods from Home Depot from the last curtains so I don't count that in pricing (good justification, eh?). I bought some of the rings from Home Depot and think a pack of 12 is about $14. You can go Pottery Barn for rings if your budget allows as well. 

If you’re looking for great curtains at a much affordable price, IKEA's got your back!

Have you tried these curtains? You likey? What’s your favorite curtain steal/deal?

Katie

I'd Cook in This Kitchen!

Today's post is a before and after of the most hideous kitchen in America... mine. Seriously, it was a shame.

The previous owners thought black linoleum would be FAN-tas-tic in the kitchen and they paired it up with two small sections of cheap cabinets. There was only one TINY area we could use to chop or prep food... I'm talking a foot by a foot area, people. It was a true balancing act to cut something and have a plate on the counter simultaneously. A closet backed into the kitchen from an adjacent bedroom so that took up a huge chunk of space. The list goes on and on. Let's just settle it with this: It was a disgrace to kitchens nationwide.

After years of this frowned upon kitchen, my hubby and I decided OUT WITH THE OLD! A few things we knew we wanted: a pantry that was actually IN the kitchen (previous one was in the hall), a big yummy kitchen island, a gas cook top, a kitchen sink with a window above it, double ovens and finally we really wanted an area that our friends, family and children could hang out in while we cooked. Let's face it, the kitchen as we ALL know is the heart of the home and everyone gathers and hangs out there.This was problematic considering that outside our small kitchen space was a deck. Humm.... bye bye deck! Smell ya later!

After hiring an architect drawing my new kitchen on a napkin, we presented it to our very talented builder (Jason Peck - little plug for him)  to revamp the space.

Here are some pictures of the progress:



This is what you saw when you walked down the hall and entered the kitchen. Don't you want to go there and immediately
whip up a gourmet meal? The exposed wood was the closet we ripped out from an adjoining bedroom.

What a mess! Our dog is staring at the ugly black linoleum floor. That's a sign. She can't believe it either!



A view from butlers pantry of our small kitchen. The open door leads to our deck. Well, the old deck.





The drywall you see is a small room we added on to the end of the kitchen. That used to be a porch and now it's our little cozy nook and our favorite place to be.



HELLO BIG BEAUTIFUL ISLAND AND HARDWOOD FLOORS! I HEART YOU!



This is the wall that had a big fat closet hogging the space.



New window and beginnings of the sink/fridge/dishwasher area




Look! Wash dishes AND look outside at the same time! Delish!





Our new nook! my hubby has no idea he's in this pic.



(View from the hall)
 Wait, no huge fridge and a closet? No linoleum?

Chalkboard paint made this little spot my son's favorite place in the kitchen

We've loveddddd our new kitchen! Thanks for taking a look and hope you enjoyed!