The Unfolding of a Project and a Day

The thing I brought home the other day is proving to have been a great find, but I'm not proving to do it justice. 


I loved the hutch in its natural state, but in my small bungalow, in my tiny living room, with my tan wall and a few other brown wood pieces (which were already beginning to get on my nerves), it was too big to stay brown. So, just like that, I decided to paint it. No hesitation. This is so out of character for me, I should have second guessed myself. I suppose I was just weary of my languishing ways that allow projects to live in-process forever, and wanted to get going and get this one done, especially since it will be such a noticeable addition to the family. 


Besides if I hadn't painted it, I would have wanted to paint it. So I guess it was inevitable. I sanded for quite a long time...like hours. It was cleaned and lugged inside and around the corner near the end of the day Thursday.

So 60's!

A natural beauty

Meow!

The plan was to paint it aqua or white. I wanted to go bold and try aqua to bring some of that color to this side of the room. I needed to prime it first and figured that would give me an idea of whether I'd like it white or not. I need choices. The first can of primer I found in my storage area (without hurting myself to climb over any more junk) was exterior primer. Hmmm, I thought, well, that just means it's extra durable, etc. "It'll be fine," I told my lazy side. This statement was to be a lesson in what happens when you let the slacker in you take over, you cause yourself more work than you were trying to dodge in the first place.


Turns out, exterior primer is not only extra durable, but also extra stinky because of the extra chemicals in it for the outdoors, and now my house smells like cat pee! Like the house of a cat lady. Think of opening the door and having an assailant pounce on you before you can even get all the way through the door. Then you escape only to have it follow, taunt, hover and insist on violating every breath you take. What a headache, literally.  

I know, it's hideous, but don't laugh, it's in progress and I was testing a distressed look on the primer to see if I wanted to bother.

I was going to try and be brave and paint the hutch aqua, but let's not kid... I'm not brave; I'm a wimp, and now I think the hutch is gonna end up distressed white, which in my heart I admit is a cop out, even if it does work out best with the other colors in the room. 

So I'm in a quandry, because for the simple mid-century persona of this piece, white isn't that great a look for it. It just doesn't do it justice. It really needs to be it's natural rich wood finish. Of course it does, because it's now covered in bright white paint! I couldn't make a right choice to save my life.

Taking in Strays

So you see, the lesson for me in regard to my latest curbside grab has been that bringing home strays has its downside. Of course, however, small items are still a good bet...large hutches...hmmm... as of now I'm doubtful, but we'll see. 

However, I will think an extra moment or two next time before snatching something large, cleaning, sanding, dragging it into the house with much ado, priming, distressing and reconfiguring my world and my weekend all for a homeless hutch which I would still like to paint a color. I'm hoping it eventually finds purpose and style in my cozy midcentury bungalow. I wouldn't be surprised if the first owners of this home had a similar piece back in the day. Its look does fit in nicely with this 1956 abode, but I am not sure I'm up to the task to dress it for proper presentation. 

Oh, and on to new finds... here's what I managed to come up with yesterday while I was out searching yard sales and flea markets: 

The day's measly haul - A metal pitcher, a wine box and stamps

Gazillions of stamps

The streets were not terribly kind to me this morning. The timing of the sales was all wrong, and I drove back and forth and out of my acceptable "driving square" more times than I can count, unable to find a few of them. After 45 minutes on the road for nothing, I finally came to an actual little flea market, the delay making it all the more exciting to search for treasure. They didn't have much I wanted but I scored this aqua metal pitcher for $1.00. I also got a wood box and 3 bags of stamps for  $1.50 at another sale.

A bad day on the road is a good day on the pocketbook. Yea, I still have a few bucks left!

Mourning again

What do I mourn not having purchased? That's right, you know there has to be something.

At the flea market, there was a set of dishes that were white with an antiqued finish. I wasn't in need of dishes, so I set them down and walked away despite their beauty. I patted myself on the back for my restraint, but I am, of course, wishing now that I had bought them. If I didn't find a use for them, someone else I know would have.

I also found another sale where a woman had a midcentury typewriter. Why didn't I buy it?!  She was asking $35 for it. When I looked deflated, she said, "how about $25?" Well, I have a self-imposed $5 limit, so what was I supposed to do?! After all even inexpensive Saturday purchases add up! But how would I have regretted that? It would take no sanding, scraping, priming or painting. No color decisions and it didn't smell like cat pee. 


Why didn't this sage wisdom come to me then?! When will I learn? An old typewriter of that era is even on my long term "look for it" list. [Insert sounds of me kicking myself here]. Can you imagine how cute it would look on my new hutch with a piece of paper in it that I could type notes on! I wonder if she sold it. How desperate is it to go back and knock on a door the day after or find the phone number online and call? I'm seriously considering it. Maybe I will be bold after all.

On a happy note, when I went to see my mom and take her shopping, Coldwater Creek still had these little metal birds. I had spotted them last time I took her there, and today they were on double sale! Score! The color was just too fun to pass up. The pitcher will serve nicely as a vase, and so the day was a success in the fabulous finds department and I didn't break the bank! Yea!


Happy mother's day. I think my baby and I are going to head to the water's edge and take a little walk in the sand and see what unfolds. I hope something beautiful unfolds for you!


I'll be sharing with 


Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special
Jennifer Rizzo's Show Us Friday