Before And After: Grey Cabinet

Well hello!! Happy Australia Day!

I am still alive ;-) I've been away on holidays, relaxing and also...I have been doing some work!

I seem to have a few projects on the go at the moment with not much actually finished - except for this!!

This was an op shop find, that looked like this in the beginning -

Lovely warm orangey pine...don't we love it?! This stuff was everywhere in the 90's and if you still have it at your place...please...it's time for an update!! It's not hard, I promise you! :-)

This piece is going to be a phone cupboard/storage at my in-laws place - so it's going to a very good home!!

You may be wondering about my styling...and really, I don't have an explanation for it.

I tend to purposefully not think about it too much and grab things that are nearby that I think might photograph ok. 

And I would not normally have Easter eggs at my house in January - that would be the girls Great-Nanna who always stops by with a treat for them and last week it was Easter eggs. :) I'm just thankful that it didn't start a discussion on how long until Easter bunny comes! Its definitely too early to start thinking about that!!

ANYWAY...

back to the cabinet and how I did it. (I may be getting a little predictable here)

My Fast Five Details:

1. I used DIY chalk paint - so no prep work :-)

2. I stripped and sanded the top, then stained it darker - a first for me!

3. I distressed then sealed the paint work with beeswax.

4. I sealed the top with satin polyurethane.

5. Changed out the knobs to these awesome ones!

If you have any questions just click on 'comment' below and I'll answer as best I can! Just choose 'anonymous' if you don't have a blog yourself.

FYI, Fast and Furious 6 is out in May!! Can't wait!! I'll have to change my 'fast five details' to 'fast six' :-)

Hope all is well with you,

Courts xx

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A Not So Merry Christmas

So Christmas and New Years is all over...and I for one am glad about that.

It was a tough one this year. I know it is for many people all over the world...kinda like how it is when you have your first baby - everyone so excited for you and how excited you must be and isn't it wonderful?

And for the most part, yes it is. But for some more than others - it's tough. Like Christmas. It is marketed as such a wonderful time of the year and it often is. Just not always and not for everyone.

Some families are broken, some are dysfunctional, some are dealing with loss and some have all three and more. I consider myself fairly lucky in those three departments, but now more than ever my thoughts have been with those families who find it tough at Christmas time.

Enough of that. I think I just needed to get that little bit off my chest. Thanks for listening!

So, we are about to head to the beach for a week and I thought I'd show you a few pics of what I've been up to...as well as get all of the above out ;-) Most of these are off instagram (@apprenticeextrovert)

These two above are taken in my hometown where we spent Christmas this year.

A gardenia in my garden at home...it had never really flowered before, but did just before Christmas. Almost all the flowers died over Christmas - This one is for Johnno...my uncle who passed away on Christmas day.

A during and after photo of our bedhead. It was one half of the old (old!) garage doors at our place (which we knocked down) that I'd painted glossy black a few years ago and has been our bedhead all that time.

I needed to do something so I stripped, sanded and sealed it over a few hours one evening and I am in love with it!! It's quite big so taking the black away makes the room feel so much bigger and lighter :)

My Aunty had been telling me she had some chairs in her shed that weren't getting used that I could have...um...yes please!!! There's four and they are teak. They need a lot of work - think they've got heat damage, not sure - but I'm definitely up for it!! LOVE!!!

Yes, I've already started on them. Enough said.

So I'll be back in a week or so...I'm kinda looking forward to hitting the beach, relaxing, catching up with a good friend of mine, bit of shopping and I'm getting my hair done too! A change of scenery and routine might be just what the doctor ordered :)

Take care!

Courts xx