Decorating with Mac and Cheese....

Yes, I did decorate with Mac and Cheese! How you ask. First, I boiled the Mac... Just kidding!  It's a great paint color from Lowe's!

I have this horrid and I mean horrid TV console... see photo below

When I bought the "TV console" aka bookshelf its purpose was not for the TV...  Side note, I have an obsession with furniture. It's terrible, and my husband cringes every time I roll up to the house with another piece...

I found this piece (a freebie!)

I figure 1940's-50's era. Solid wood

It sat in my craft room for 2 weeks before I decided what to do with it. And other 2 weeks before I settled on a color... enter Mac and Cheese!

It's the perfect width for the TV upstairs, and has drawers do I don't have to see the video games and controllers.

I'm missing photos... I worked on this project for about 2 months, not because it was difficult, work has kept me very busy, and baseball season started for my boy. Less crafting/creating for me...

After searching online thru Pinterest about painted furniture I went to Lowes and bought the supplies.

 A MUST HAVE FOR PAINTING FURNITURE PROJECTS! 

·         FOAM ROLLERS

·         FOAM BRUSHES FOR THE HARD TO REACH AREAS

·         PRIMER: ZINSSER STAIN BLOCKER AND SEALER (HAD GREAT REVIEWS VIA PINTEREST)

·         PAINT: NOW THIS IS WHERE I DIFFER WITH WHAT I FOUND ONLINE...

·         WOOD FOR SHELVING

·         DECORATIVE MOLDING

·         LEVEL

·         HANDY DANDY ELECTIC DRILL

·         CLAMPS

·         PENCIL

·         TAPE MEASURE

·         SAW

·         CAULK

Everyone said use a low gloss or flat paint to get the Pottery Barn look. I tried that and it didn't hold up on another project. So, I went to Lowe's and asked the paint lady (I should know her name by now.) Although the piece isn't going to be used like a table with lots of wear I do have a 7 year old who can look at something and it breaks... (It's a little freaky! LOL)

Her advice, semi-gloss exterior enamel, and so I followed her advice. With paint and supplies in hand I got started.

First, I took out the drawers and washed the desk with a degreaser.  Lots of nasty spider webs {YIKES}

 Then I primed x 3. It didn't need to be primed 3 times I just tend to over kill!

  



With the handy dandy smooth foam roller I pulled out the paint, Mac and Cheese and began painting.

 

Ok, so this looks sunshine yellow… the camera couldn’t pick up the Mac and Cheese orangie/yellow in the craft room.

I added a couple of shelves to the middle section to hold the cable receiver and the game console. Here’s a great shot of the color!

(Make sure you measure the front and the back of the deck for the shelves, I didn’t and the back was a little smaller than the front)

 

Caulk the seams

Added the decorative trim

The finished product!!!! So, much better J

                          

There are a couple of things I would change… a backing I don’t like seeing the wires and paint the interior of the drawers… I will do this after my mother in law goes back to Kansas, no time right now.

Have a terrific Memorial Day!  Would love to know what you think!

Painted Table for the Craft Room

I've slowing been working on my craft room... Very Slowly (see previous post here) I've had this dark espresso table for about 10  years. Side note: I am soooooooooo very tired of brown and black! Anyhoo, this table has been in our basement since we moved here almost 3 years ago. Another side note: we use our basement as much as we use the upstairs, lots and lots of natural light!

Moving right along the table, see photo below, I can't stand the color. I've wanted to paint if for years, but scared to do it. 

I pulled up my big girl panties and while the hubby was out of town I got out the paint. I had paint on hand and didn't buy anything, but clear polyurethane.

Supply list: FOAM ROLLER IS A MUST MAKES FOR A NICE SMOOTH SURFACE.

FOAM BRUSH

PRIMER

PAINT

CLEAR COAT POLYURETHANE

220 GRIT SAND PAPER

First I washed the table down with STP. It's this great product you can get at Lowe's or Home Depot. It kept me from having to sand the table :) An absolute MUST HAVE!

I'm a little OCD so I primed the table 3 times with and enamel based primer.

I let the primer dry according to the directions on the can. The second day I got out a can of paint I bought 3 years ago (I had never used) a foam roller and painted the legs. Its a pretty light green/blue color.

(TAKE YOUR TIME DON'T HURRY THE PROCESS! YOU'LL GET THE BEST RESULTS)

For the table top I used a color called Steamed Vanilla from Lowe's. This particular paint was left over from a different project and has a satin finish. I painted 3 coats, (this is going to be my crafting table and knew it would be abused!) I let it set for another day and then did the first coat of polyurethane. I let that set for a day, sanded with 220 grit sandpaper and then added another coat of polyurethane. 

Now,  isn't that better!

 I wish you could see the colors better, it's so light and airy :)  And can I just say GOOD BY BROWN!!!!