Tool Tip #1: PAINTBRUSH PRESERVATION

I have a secret.  My last paintbrush was 9 years old!  The only reason I had to replace it was because I loaned it to my parents when they were painting my brothers house, and it was not cleaned properly.  I figure a tutorial on my technique is pretty important because good brushes can be expensive.  First, the secret to successful restoring, are good paint brushes.  Inexpensive brushes tend to leave those nasty bristles behind in the fresh paint...ugh...I hate those.  So get good brushes, and make them last.  It is an investment.
Step #1:
Rinse the paintbrush with water until the water runs relativley clear, and most of the pigment is rinsed off of the brush.  Be gentle on the bristles throughout this whole process.  I drag the brush back & forth on the bottom of the sink very gently.

Step #2: 
Put a couple of drops of soap - I use Murphys oil soap, or in a pinch I use a good dish soap - on the brush, and lather on your hand gently. 

Drag the brush back & forth on your hand gently.  You will notice the lather will have some color to it from the paint left in the brush.  Keep lathering up on your hand.  Rinse thoroughly, and repeat the lather up step until the lather seems clean.

Step #3:  Rinse the brush thoroughly, until there is no more soap in the brush. 

Step #4:  Gently dry your brush on a clean, lint free cloth.

It will still be damp, and that is OK

Step#5:  If you are not going to be using your brush for several days or more, this step is for you only.  Just take a bit of the soap, pure, put it on the brush, and shape it so the bristles are perfectly in place.  Leave the soap in the bristles until your next use.  Keep your brushes wrapped in a clean cloth, or in the original package so it will not get full of sawdust.  Just remember to rinse the soap out of your brush before you use it the next time.

If you follow these steps, your brushes will last a really long time.

Slow start

Sorry about the slow start here folks...I have come down with the flu and couldn't even lift my arms to the keyboard for a couple of days...I will get to it this week!

Pantry re-do

Here is an old melamine pantry unit I made a little prettier.

BEFORE

We use it for clothes

DURING - but I must take it 1 step over the top!

And the after!  I am not sure if Black Glazing was the perfect choice, but it is growing on me.  (And it is still much better than the before pictures!

80's Dresser Re-Do

I picked this up for $20, and gave it a decent paint job.  Ta-Daa!

Before

After

No Fireplace?

To hang your stockings this Christmas?  Me neither!  I may have a solution for you.  I made a screen from louvered closet doors which I picked up at the Habitat Restore..(supporting a GREAT cause "to boot")  I just hung some "s" hooks on the louvers, and it also doubles for a Christmas Card holder!

This is so handy to have around.  I use it in the summer on my patio when there is too much sun coming from the South East, I use it for displaying birthday cards, I use it in any room I choose because it is completely portable!

Antique dresser

Well, I am doing it! My husband will not be impressed, but I am painting our antique dresser.  What is it about Men?  They hate to paint wood.  Anyways, here is a sneak peek of the dresser....the "before".

I know it does not look like there is anything wrong with it the way it is, but the finish is coming off on the top, and also I am just tired of brown.  I just need a change.  Cross your fingers, I am nervous about this one.  NO REGRETS!

Steamer Trunk

Believe it or not, we found this trunk in our attic after we moved in.  It was in pretty good condition, but was BUTT ugly!

There he is, so cute  :)......but the steamer trunk in front of him....not so much.





before



after

Vintage house = Vintage wood floors!

We started a huge renovation, and were beginning to go a little over budget.  (Doesn't everyone??)  We were trying to figure out how to save a few bucks.  We had to remove the existing subfloor in the kitchen to "beef it up" for the tile.  Under the floor we found a raw, untouched wood floor!  BONUS!  It was the same as the diningroom floor, but in the dining room they had stained it about 40 years ago.  Lets see what we can do with this.
 

BEFORE



DURING

AFTER SANDING:  It already looks 1000% better!



AFTER 5 COATS OF VARNISH



We had removed the wall between the dining room and the kitchen, so this made the floor flow so nice!  Had we tiled we would have had the "step".  I think it was meant to be  :)







Old wooden kitchen chair makeover

Before:



After:

I am a horrible Mom!

Guess what I did tonight....I left my tiny 2 year old weiner (dog) outside in below freezing temps, for over 1 hour!!  We got a dump of snow last night too.  At least 1.5 feet.  I feel so bad.  She is not a winter outdoor dog.  I came upstairs to use the computer, and I heard a familliar bark outside.  I thought nothing about it, because, why would i?  Our dog is never outside in the winter for more than 5 minutes to do her business.  15 minutes after that I realized she was not following me around like she usually does.  Duuuhhhh.... Poor Sophie  :(

Sophie is the brown dapple one.
This reminds me of when we were kids.  We were at my Grandparents farm in Dunn's Valley, about 1 hour from the city where we lived.  It was Sunday night, a school night, and we had just had supper at my Grandparents.  It was time to go home, and we drove at least 15 minutes down the road, when my Mother discovered we had left my brother behind.  She was devistated, thinking that my younger brother must be in tears by now.  When we got back to get him, he didn't even know we had gone, and my Grandparents didn't know he was still upstairs playing. 
~Vintage memory ~