Sohrab and I spotted this little side table in a pile of things marked 'free' and thought it worth carting home.   Someone had painted it with a thick coat of very dark brownish red, and it was quite unpleasant to look at.   So last night, while the mister dove deep into the world of Diablo III, I resigned myself to a few hours of video game widowhood and set about giving this table a facelift.

Tools:
Screwdriver
Coarse sandpaper
Soft clean cloth
Paint
Paintbrush

 Steps:

1. Prepare a work area by taping garbage bags (cut open) to the floor,   I layered some newspaper over the bags in case of serious paint spillage.
2. Use the screwdriver to remove any hardware, in this case it was the drawer pull, a cheap plastic thing.
3. Using a coarse sandpaper (we had some stripping grade sandpaper left from our balcony makeover), go over the whole surface to give the paint something to adhere to.  You're not removing the paint, just roughing up the surface a bit.
4. Use a soft clean damp cloth to wipe off the dust from sanding.  Wait for it to dry, or give it a wipe with a dry clean cloth.
5. If you have primer, apply a coat and wait for it to dry according to instructions.  I didn't have any, but  didn''t mind an uneven painted finish in this case.
6. Apply first coat of paint.  I like to start in the middle of the surface and work outwards, to prevent paint from dripping off the sides.   Paint in the same direction as the grain of the wood if possible.
7. Wait as long as you can - ideally over night.  I only waited an hour.  Patience is not one of my virtues when it comes to projects that turn the Trove into a mess!
8. Apply second coat of paint.  Wait til dry.
9. Put in hardware - in this case, a simple but very heavy solid brass pull we'd scored the same morning.
10. Find the perfect space for it!

We're both very happy with our little table - it replaces the larger bar cart we had there before, and doesn't compete with the low profile of our couch.   I'm thinking I might pick up some dark gold metallic paint to give it some accents on the legs, but am willing to live with it a while longer before changing it.

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The balcony makeover is almost complete!  The photo above shows the sad state of affairs out there just a couple of weeks ago, and then the improvement after a single coat of paint.   We put another coat of paint up yesterday, and then this morning (before dim sum - yeah!), Sohrab decided to tackle this monster:  our giant BBQ!  We never use the side burner, and we decided to cut the arms off the sides.   We stopped at Canadian Tire to get a new single tube for the propane tank (the old one was split between the main BBQ and the side burner - didn't need that!), and then borrowed a metal grinder from our friend Eddy.  This is how the beastie looked at 9:30am:

Then Sohrab did his thing.  See below for triumphant posing with the first section to be cut off.

And this was the BBQ at 9:45am!  It takes up ONE THIRD of the space, which makes for a much more efficient working area, as the BBQer no longer needs to angle in sideways to stand in front of the grill.  You can also see the PVC lattice we scored for $4 on Craiglist - tie-wrapped to the railing...by the light of last night's Super Moon!  We sat out there this morning and enjoyed the additional shade and privacy it offers.

Here's the other side of the balcony!  The bench Sohrab made fits perfectly in the small space, and leaves ample room for our garage sale find of the weekend:  a foldable white shelf!  The large green framed poster provides some inspiration for plant life, at least until we can pick up some plants of our own.  The balcony certainly has the cats' stamp of approval - they love their new bench!

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Step 1:  Go for brunch.  Decide to spend the rest of the day cleaning the apartment and cooking meals for the week.   Drive through Montreal-West on the way home.  Spot these two sturdy oak chairs at a garage sale.  $10 for both?  Done and DONE.   Remember this project on Kindall's Creations, show it to Sohrab, and BOOM.  We've got Project Fever and are off to the races!   So much for the earlier plans :)

Step 2:  Race to Reno, pick up a $10 pine piece that happens to be almost exactly the right size.  Head to Fabricville, and raid the Bargain section for foam (two rectangular foam cushions, $10 each) and outdoor fabric ($14 for some stunning turquoise paisley).

Step 3:  Show up at Sohrab's mom's house, take over the basement workshop.  Cut the excess off the pine board.  Place the board on the worktable, arrange the chairs over it, ensuring the the front of the chairs line up, mark four spots in a square shape approx. 5" apart on each seat where the drilling will take place.  Drill through the chair seats and into the plank - but not all the way through it.  Place chairs on the floor.

Step 4:  Place fabric on the worktable, foam on the fabric, and plank on the foam.   Wrap tightly and go wonkers with three different staple guns (stupid staples kept jamming), making sure that the foam edges out over the plank a bit fore & aft.

Step 5:  Place the chairs on top of the newly constructed bench seat,  feeling carefully through the fabric for the holes in the bench to line 'em up, and screw the bench to the chairs.

Step 6:  Bring the new bench home and place in entry way.

Its new home will be our balcony!  We have a small space out there, and all the benches we've seen were too large, too expensive, or plain old charmless.  Ditto for most of the bistro sets.   This way, we have sturdy seating for two that doesn't take up too much real estate.  If I could do it again, I'd pick thinner foam padding, but then again, maybe not.   So far, everyone who has sat on it has grinned as they sunk down in the cushy seat!

We're also snazzing up the balcony - which was pretty unusable last year due to the fact that everytime we closed the door or brushed against a wall it RAINED NASTY GIANT FLAKES OF PEELING PAINT.  Also, our table and chair set was too big, and since our balcony faces Sherbrooke street, I always felt so exposed whenever I went out to read or loll in the summer sun.   We decided to re-paint, sell the too-large furniture, and put in lattice or fabric for privacy.

Last weekend we rolled up our sleeves and proceeded to remove all the layers of old paint, scraping away like mad things, then we wacked on a coat of cheery seafoam blue and antique white.  Here's what one corner looks like right now - more painting is supposed to happen next weekend.

I'd also like to grow a few things on the balcony this summer, and since we get tons of sun and wind, I'm thinking of growing hardy sun-loving things like basil, rosemary, mint, tomatoes, and maybe eggplant.   We scored some PVC lattice on Craigslist for $4 (retail $40!) and will be using that as both a privacy screen and a wind break for our plants.  Next on my list of balcony wants:  a sturdy shelf for potted flowers and edibles!

More on the balcony makeover in weeks to come...

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I swear I'm cursed when it comes to brooches.  The first one S. purchased for me fell off my coat while I was running for a bus, and then I watched in dismay as the bus RAN IT OVER.  The second one I broke, I don't remember how.  The third one was...a necklace.  He learned that necklaces were a safer jewelry option for me.

I'm a sentimental gal, so I kept the pieces of the mashed and broken jewelry.   Yesterday morning I was feeling a little crafty, and a little rummaging in my "future projects box" revealed a small garage-saled frame, a zippy bag with some craft jewelry, and super glue.  I positioned the pieces until they seemed right to me, and then flattened some of the curved jewelry bits to maximize the amount of surface area that would adhere to the picture frame.   A little super glue, and 10 mins later, I had the perfect tiny frame for one of the photos from our wedding:  S., at the head table, giving a toast to the happy brunch horde :)

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S. and I wandered around the 7th floor of the Bay downtown earlier this week - perusing the holiday decorations (70% off the last marked price!) when this little felt wreath caught my eye.   It measures 8" in diameter and is a nice eggshell colour.   At 70% off of $6.99, it was worth bringing home for potential craftiness.   Now, this line of thought has led to my accumulating rather a lot of stuff that sits in a closet filled with what I call "craft supplies" but what I know to be "the physical result of pretty ideas I saw on blogs that led me to buy things impulsively."

Happily, this wreath was saved from the shadowy interior of the Craft Closet!   I eyed the basket weave and thought, that would be a perfect place to place a lot of mismatched & broken, but still lovely costume jewelry bits that I've been hoarding.  No glue gun, no stapling, no sewing, just clipping and pinning about 70 clip-on earrings & brooches into the accommodating weave. It took no more than half an hour and VOILA!  A whole lot of sparkle, on a small wreath, that can stay up year round!

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Inspiration:  Tea towels as curtains!

Saw this post over at The Kitchn & had to share the idea.  I've snapped up a number of fine Irish linen tea towels, with vague plans to frame them, but this is easier, prettier, and will let the light shine through all the lovely colours.

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Are you a fan of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters that have snuck their way onto design blogs repeatedly for the last few years? I know I am. There's something about the simplicity and cleanliness of the design that makes me smile, and now you can generate your own! They make fun pops of colour in any room in the house, and, if you pop one into a nice frame, they make a thoughtful (& potentially hilarious) gift.

(This second one is for Lorri :)

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Our new kitchen is blindingly white. It's like an interior designer's blank page, or in my case, writer's block. Then S. suggested that we add some warmth and colour by putting up a mosaic backsplash. It took two days of gluing and grouting (on his part - not mine!), plus a couple of visits to Reno Depot, but the final result is quite pleasing! Now, to create a warm accent wall across from it...

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