The Workbench Transformation

I was just so excited to get started on the workbench transformation as soon as I got the Martha Stewart paint home from Home Depot.  I had an image starting in my head how I wanted it to look, and just how I was going to do it. 
So, I made a drop cloth out of the extra moving blankets we had after the big move to California, and got to work. 

It took alot of sanding.  Hunnie originally made this bench to fit inside a closet at a Doctor's office to hold heavy equipment.  It would be hidden, so it wasn't exactly "finished".  There were lots of places that would have been impossible to paint properly without lots of sanding.  I wasn't thrilled with the amount of time it took, but I was determined......so I used sanding sponges first, sanding paper second, and then I was ready to go!

This took awhile.  Quite awhile, actually.  But I've been known to be a little stubborn, (really?) and I wasn't going to let this project get the best of me.....

When I was done painting, I sanded again.  I sanded the corners and edges down to the wood with a purpose in mind.

I love the distressed look on most things wood.  It just pleases me.  So, I mixed a little of Plaid's Glazing Medium into some Asphaltum Folk Art Artists' Pigment color, worked with small areas of the bench, and worked quickly, to give it a nice distressed look. 

I used a clean rag to wipe the color away and left it only where I wanted it to be.  When it was dry, I rubbed the entire surface with a piece of brown paper bag I ripped into workable-sized pieces and wrinkled up.  This left a nice, smooth surface for the painting I wanted to decorate the table with.

Then I gathered supplies of some of my favorite Folk Art paints and brushes and got to work again! 

This is what I came up with to decorate the left corner of the table.  I also painted a swag of the same design in the center, along the top edge of the table. 
Hunnie has ordered a piece of glass to fit the top of the table, so I can keep the painting "fresh as a daisy", and craft away to my heart's content on it every day!  One last pic......

Here it is!  In front of the big, beautiful windows in the craft room.  I'm so happy with the way it turned out! Those windows let in so much natural light all day long, I love it.  But I've been wondering how they would look with a little Gallery Glass design added to them....hmmm.....

The Craft Room - Episode Two

The Hunnie and I went on a little trip to the Home Depot recently, in search of the "perfect" storage solution for the craft room.  There were other things on the list, too, of course, but it was our goal to find something functional and nice to look at to store all that crafty-goodness that awaited me inside all those boxes!

The first thing we saw, as we rounded the "storage" corner was the wonderfully beautiful  Martha Stewart Storage Cubbies!  There were fabric drawers in eye catching colors that fit perfectly inside the cabinet.  Impulse Buyers that we are, Hunnie and I started loading the cart!

This is the finished cabinet with all it's clever fabric drawers.  It's empty now but not for long.  Back to Home Depot....



Then I had an inspiration....since we were going to look for paint to cover the work bench that would soon be my work table, I thought it would be a good idea to see if Home Depot carried the Martha Stewart paint line.  They did. This made me very happy.  I picked the Bay Leaf color in the Matte Finish, gave Hunnie the paint chip and asked him to get me a quart.  He did question the amount of the paint, thinking it wasn't enough, but I told him to trust me, I knew what I was doing. 

There was this great idea forming inside my head.  I just needed a few sanding sponges, a Glazing Medium, and room to work!  I want a work table that will inspire me, make me smile, and look great alongside my Martha Stewart Storage Cubbies! 

The Craft Room - Episode One

A craft room of my own has always been a dream of mine. I've been a professional crafter for over 20 years for Plaid Enterprises and have had the good fortune to work in their Design Studio for 10 years now, where everything is possible, and anything you might need to create a project is at your fingertips. I guess I've been a bit spoiled. Ahhh, yeah, I've been spoiled.But now that I've left Plaid, and followed my heart, and Hunnie, to California, I have the opportunity to create my own craft room! And I am excited!


This is the second bedroom in our new place. Eventually, it will be my craft room. A little bit of hard work, a lot of organization, a few Monster energy drinks, and I will be the happiest girl in the world. All the crafty-goodness is in those boxes there.



And I have an idea for that wooden bench that Hunnie built a couple of years ago and has been hauling around because he can't part with it. It's there, in the corner with more boxes stacked on top. The crafty-goodness is taking over. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, now, is it?



Oh, and the Craftsman Toolbox....with all it's wonderful drawers and storage space? Um, Hunnie doesn't know it yet, but he's lost that, too.

So, for now, I clean. And stay on the lookout for the "perfect" storage solution for all my paint, brushes, glues, finishes, paper, scissors.....you get the picture. I'm on a mission, and it's pretty exciting.