Hutch: Before and After

Over a year ago, Peter and I bought a hutch at Salvation Army and refinished it, but for some reason, we never blogged about it and it’s been floating around in my head ever since. This happened so long ago that I actually had to dig my old computer out of a closet to get the pictures to write this post, but we figured if we were going to write about it, then we ought to do it justice. Right? Right! Maybe this will refresh your memory.

Okay, so around the time that Peter and I found the hutch, our kitchen/dining area was looking a little pathetic. Since we’re taking a trip down memory lane, I’ll show you our bare and messy mess. (Yes, messy mess is a technical term–in case you were wondering.)

Pretty bleak, huh? If you’re too depressed to go, I understand, but for those of you who can muscle through, look at the huge blank wall and giant stack of stuff on the desk against it. Peter and I saw the hutch and decided that we needed to hide some of our clutter.

The best part about this project is that we were so ridiculously clueless about refinishing furniture. (Not that we’re oh-so-knowledgeable now, but I do feel like we have learned a thing or two.) The buffet had a really glossy coat over it so we knew that we needed to sand it down, but considering that we were just painting over it, we did get a little over zealous with the sanding.

We thought that in order to paint something properly, we would have to strip the old paint entirely. Please don’t laugh at us. We really were clueless. After sanding, we primed the hutch with Kilz and painted the whole thing brown. I tried to clean the hardware. I think this mixture was vinegar, salt, and flour, but even after soaking in this ick, the hardware still looked gross so we spray painted it silver.

The insides of the drawers were also gross.

So we lined them with a shelf liner that we found at Target.

Finally, we replaced some of the drawer tracks, so that the drawers would function.

Here’s the after.

Wedding Rings

I finally picked a wedding ring. I agonized over it here and I really thought that I would get this one, but in the end I chose something different.

That photo is a tad bit hard to analyze, so let’s zoom in on my hand today. You’ll notice that I’ve nixed the bridal pink polish and went for something a little more Halloween-y.

I picked an eternity band that accentuated the circular shape of each diamond. On my engagement ring, all of the diamonds line up in such a way that it looks like each side is flat. This ring forms a sort of wave. Together they compliment one another but they look different.

I liked the differentiation because it reminded me of the difference between each the engagement and the marriage. The two promises compliment each other, but still mean something different. Today I received the last of my rings.

Before we left for the honeymoon I wanted to get a travel ring. I picked the silver ring above, but unfortunately the first one I received didn’t fit. I needed something that was appropriate to wear for traveling, thrifting, volunteering, or jury duty. This plain tiny band is just a single silver stacking ring from the Etsy seller Proteales. I think it’s perfect.

And just for fun, here’s one more ring picture.

I’ll tell you all about Peter’s ring when he eventually gets it. The ring he wore in all of the photos was jus a stand in. The vendor apparently got really backed up with orders and two weeks after the fact we still haven’t received it. It’s a bit of a sore spot around here.

Bathroom Makeover: Fixture Update

All of the light fixtures in our house have a copper patina finish. It’s interesting, because they actually get uglier when you dust them. The finish is unpleasant in every room in the house, but paired with the silver faucets and accessories in the bathroom it was downright unsightly. I forgot to take a before photo until I was already removing the fixture from the wall, so please forgive the bad picture.

We spent a few days browsing light fixtures and realized that we would spend about $100 to get the same look in a different finish, so we did what any sensible person would do and spray painted it.

After shutting off the power and disconnecting the wires, we were left with this.

We carefully taped off the part of the fixture that house the light bulbs.

After just one coat of Kilz and a few light coats of  spray paint, the fixture was looking a hundred times better.

I have to be honest: I love it. It really goes with the light and airy vibe that we’re hoping to achieve in our new space. Plus, the picture shows what else we’ve been doing for the past two days. Things are starting to come together beautifully.

I think the best part of this project is that I was playing electrician/painter while Peter was cooking for a party. I guess we’re not the most traditional couple. He was excited because he got to try new things in the kitchen and I was excited because I got to learn how to connect all the wires. Win-Win.

So, what do you think? I was a little apprehensive about using something flammable to paint a light fixture, but after looking into it more and testing the temperature of the fixture when it’s warm, it should be fine.

Polishing Silver with Toothpaste

The majority of home improvement blogs tend to present the viewer with a very carefully constructed representation of continuity. In short, most blogs show a visitor something that the blogger has found which has been overwhelmingly positive; a force in their life has been discovered and utilized in way that makes not only home improvement, but life in general a more noble and harmonious pursuit.

We, however, prefer a more honest approach and are more than willing to familiarize you, dear reader, with our cock ups, as John Cleese might call them. We want to tell you when we screw up, because we think mistakes in homemaking are productive. Mistakes help us learn and by sharing our failures with you all, we can help you learn in a more honest fashion.

So here is an epic fail:

It began so innocently, with a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon of thrift store shopping. My betrothed and I found what might be the best antique store in Austin, a little place called Out of the Past, after the masterpiece of a film noir with your favorite bad boy and mine, Robert Mitchum. We paid this place a visit, met the store’s wonderful proprietress, and purchased two beautiful silver pieces for use in our upcoming wedding. As with most vintage silver one may find, these pieces were tarnished. As we were leaving the store the owner called after us, “Now don’t go buying any of that silver polish! It smells! Use toothpaste instead.”

Well, I attacked this project full bore, thinking it would give me an opportunity to share a thrifty tip with our readers. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Yes, a man was wrong. Somehow the planets aligned and the forces of nature turned against the human race: a man was wrong. The toothpaste did not yield any results. I then tried soaking the silver in warm water and baking soda. Again, nothing.

The picture above serves as both a before and an after. I did manage to remove one  microscopic spot, but I would assume that scrubbing furiously for an extended period of time using oatmeal could have produced the same result. (No, I haven’t read any evidence that oatmeal can polish silver.)

The moral of this story, unfortunately, is that some home remedies are sheer quackery, like the nineteenth century elixirs of life sold at medicine shows across the U.S. This did not work, so by all means, use your toothpaste and baking soda for, respectively, personal hygiene and troublesome stomach ailments, not for imperfections of silver.

Recent Thrift Store Finds

I’ve mentioned before that Peter and I are engaged. My sweet nerd asked me to marry him about eleven months ago. All this time we’ve been tossing around grand ideas and setting a few things in stone but now its really time to actually start putting together all the pieces. Recently we’ve spent a lot of time pouring over thrift stores to find some details that will seems a little more unique to us.

Isn’t the top of this vase amazing?

The thing that I love so much about this idea is that all of these items are out on display in the house. (Well, two of the swans are. We actually bought 16.) We’re happy that we’re not just wasting money on things that we’ll have no use for after the wedding and since our friends are so used to seeing these things in our home, it’ll make the wedding feel that much more like us.

For all you married folks out there: what were some of your favorite things from your wedding decor?