Library Card Catalog Part 3 of 4

Now we are ready for paint. I painted it an Heirloom White color by Rustoleum.

I am super picky about my technique with spray paint. I like the convenience of it in a can but, I want it SUPER perfect and I was SUPER(could I use another word???) excited that it came out great.

I painted the front inside edge but, not the entire inside. It's MDF and would have soaked up the paint.

The last bit of hardware was the rods that went down the center of each drawer to hold the metal sliding thing (real technical right?) that held the catalog cards. They are tension fit in the front of the drawer and I was happy about that but, I didn't need the rest of the rod down the middle of each drawer. So, I got my husband to cut them off for me.

He used his handle Dremel tool.....if you don't have one of these....you should....they are handy for tons of projects.

He had to rig it so he could use both hands to cut the metal rod. Yes, he was nice enough to scoot his car fixing tools to the side so he could help me with my project for a few minutes. (I think he has the intake manifold off....don't really know what that means but, I guess it means progress on his project?) 

He used a bungy cord around his workshops drawer, hooking it from one side of the drawer, underneath and then back to the other side to hold the cutter end of the Dremel. Pretty ingenious!!

Clever huh? Yep, that's why I married him!! LOL Okay, there were other reasons too!!

Here is the drawer rods ready to be cut off.

I am glad he was the one to do this because the metal cutting made some noise and sparks were flying. I might have been a little nervous to do this myself. Happy to be behind the camera taking pictures while he helped me out with my project.

Here's them all cut off....and yes, that is me covered in paint....typical!!! Ha Ha

This is the finish I decided to use but, it was so warm that it dried quickly. I had to put three coats on the top of the card catalog(with sandings between) before I was happy with the finished product. It just dried so fast that there wasn't a whole lot of time to fix imperfections and since I can be a perfectionist sometimes...it got done not once, twice but, three times. I guess that makes for an extra protected top....which is good since I am building a cupboard for my printer's drawers to go on top of this.

This is the drawer fronts with their poly.....ready to dry and have their hardware put back on.

This is the cupboard with it's polycrylic sealer on it.

The knobs all cut off and ready to be tension fitted back in the drawer fronts.

Each of the drawers and wood fronts I numbered. I knew with old cupboards that some drawers might have gotten used more than others and I wanted it to all fit together after all the hard work I'd done so, I numbered everything. I painted the top of the inside of each drawer but, left the bottom (where it connected with the drawer) un-painted so I could see what number I labeled it. So...I could put it all back together again!!

This is the first drawer front with it's hardware. It looks SO PRETTY...like icing on a beautiful cake!! Ha

Anyways, I can't wait to do the next post because it's the reveal!! Yeah....it turned out so pretty!!

Library Card Catalog Part 2 of ???

Remember my library card catalog. It was in need of a little TLC. It needed a new front face and top...plus sanding, priming and painting. So, let's get started.

It needed a front face but, I had to scrape the wonderful yucky glue off of the front before I could attatch a new face front.

My wonderful neighbor has a wood shop and he let me use his shop to build the front face for my library card catalog and a whole new top from scratch. This is the catalog unit on it's side with it's new face frame.

The front face was glued and nail gunned onto the front of the catalog unit. I got the wood peices by planing down a peice of wood to the right width (about and inch thick) and then using a table saw to cut thin strips(about 3/8 inch) and cut for the right length for each of the front peices needed to make the front face.

Some of the inside parts of the library card catalog is MDF. I made the front out of a hard wood. You can see the original hardware in the background (gold) ready to be painted.

I sanded the sides and the front facing to get ready to be primed.

The legs had small fissure cracks and I filled those with wood filler then sanded and got the base ready to be primed and painted.

I used my sander to sand most of the table but, had to hand sand some of it.

This is my cute finger-eating helper. She sat and talked(I love the cooing stage) to me as I filled the catalogs legs with wood filler.  Then I got it painted when she took her afternoon nap.

I even routered the new top. This is the bottom side view of the top so I could show the routered job on the new top. It will be turned over and attatched to the top of the library card catalog.

Priming

The original hardware. Ready for metal paint. 

I painted the hardware black oil rubbed bronze with Rustoleum metal spray paint. I love the original hardware, it is really cool but, I just didn't like the gold color. So, it got a fresh coat of paint.

Each of the drawers were sanded and ready for primer.

I primed the bottom legs of the cabinet first then turned it over to prime and paint the rest.

Now ready for Paint....Yeah, my favorite part!!

Featured at Baby Lifestyles Magazine

I just went on babylifestyles.com to see if the e-glossy magazine was out and it was!!! If you click on the magazine cover(right-hand side of the main page with a picture of a party dinner-scape on the front) I am on page 35 and 36.
I've never been in any kind of magazine and it's kinda exciting!!






http://www.babylifestyles.com/magazine/

This link will take you directly to the magazine. There is one error...she called the memorabilia shelf Brooklyn's when it is actually Abbie's because the doll on it is has jewelry from her (Abbie's) namesake but, such a minor detail. I am still excited!!!

Lemonade & Fruit Mix Your Own

This is what I was using the chalkboard frame for....a lemonade & fruit, mix your own drink bar. My husband has cousins that come from England every few years and we all got together to spend some time together while they were in the USA. We planned a dutch oven, back-yard picnic. I was put in charge of dutch oven potatoes(got the secret recipe from my dad), peach cobbler and the drink. SO......I got this idea to make a fun drink. 

This is the chalkboard made from the clock. I used my kids chalk to write the sign....explaining how to make your own lemonade with mix-ins. 

You start with a canning jar. I used small pint size jars. You can see the extra tags that I sprayed with the chalkboard paint...I used these to label the other ingredients for the lemonade....strawberries, peaches, raspberries, ice, glasses and lemon-lime soda. 

I put the glasses in the old bottle holder wood box. 

The other boxes are all finger jointed boxes that I am collecting for a future project. I used simple string to attatch the other chalk board labels. 

The straws came in a multi pack so I picked out the yellow and pink ones to use...going with the pink lemonade theme. 

I had lemon lime soda (in a cute pitcher) available if they wanted their lemonade carbonated. 

This is what it looked like all set up in the back yard. Festive and Fun!! 

The fruit was chopped into small bits and peices. 

I used my old scale to set the raspberries on...to give some heigth to the table scape and to add some more old time charm. 

This is dinner!!! Yummy chicken, potatoes and peach cobbler!! 

Everyone loved that the lemonade was in jars because you put the lid back on and could shake the fruit into the lemonade to flavor it. Plus it was super yummy to eat little chunks of fruit after you were done with your lemonade. 

Here's my son's lemonade....peach and strawberry!! YUM!! 

Everyone brought a dish....it was all SO tasty!! 

So, here's a fun tasty drink for your next picnic, barbeque or family get together. It was a hit!! I just repeated it at my own family reunion this weekend. It was fun and super yummy!! 

Something yummy, sweet and fun to try at your next event!!!

I loved the frame just not....

the inside... This was one of those projects where you had to look past the ugliness and see it's inner beauty. I found this clock and loved the frame on it. I didn't like the emeral green but, the shape and design on the frame was nice. 

Yes, you are seeing right, it is a clock of the last supper on hologram. You look at it from one direction and the men are doing one thing and you look at it from the opposite angle and they are doing something else. The clock was completed with fake flowers hot glued and silver roses etched into the glass. (I want to say TACKY right here but, I don't want to offend you if this used to be hanging on your wall...although if they did have this hanging on their wall, you probably aren't reading this blog  LOL) Definetely not my taste!!

I took the frame off and kept the screws that attatched the clock to the frame. The width of the plastic part was the same width as this sheet of foam board I got at the dollar store. After my frame was painted heirloom white, I used it to trace with a pencil the oval shape on my foam board. 

I used my kitchen sheer scissors to cut out the design. I thought I would have to use an exacto knife so it would damage the board but the kitchen scissors worked great! 

I then sprayed the foam board with chalk board paint I had lying around. I also sprayed some scrapbook chipboard tags for another project while I had the paint out. 

It covered quite nicely. I went a little too heavy in a small area and that little area didn't stay perfecty smooth. I wish I would have painted with lighter coats so it wouldn't have done that but, I was being impatient and it was dark outside. Oh well, you can hardly tell. Probably I would only notice anyways!

I used the existing screws from the clock to mark the spots on the chalkboard then used an ice pick to punch my holes through the foam board so I could screw it all together. 

This is it all finished and ready to be used. I have already used it and it was awesome!! I can't wait to show you what I used it for!!

The clock cost me three dollars and the foam board another dollar(obviously.....everything at the dollar store is a dollar! Ha Ha). I think it's turned out fabulous for a few dollars!