Dresser Re-do

Life is kinda crazy these days and I seem to be good at blogging in spurts, but I really want to try and be more consistent. We'll see... 

I have been doing things though.  I've actually been checking off a few things on my to do list of home projects.  Here's one I am really proud of.  I painted my littlest one's dresser. 


Here's the before....

Ugly golden colored pine... in style and what we wanted 9 years ago when we bought it, but did not go with anything I wanted to do in Riley's room now.

So here's the after....

The color is Sherwin-Williams Light French Gray.  I'll post pictures of her finished room, because it also got a total re-do and I really love how it turned out.  But for this post I thought I'd explain my steps for painting furniture.  I've done it so much, I have almost perfected it and I get a lot of questions from people about how I do it.  So if you need these instructions here they are.  If not, just admire how great it turned out! :)

The first step is priming.  I use a product from Sherwin-Williams called Adhesion Primer.  Unfortunately, they don't sell that specific thing anymore, but I have been told they do have something similar.  And any primer that is meant to adhere paint to normally unpaintable surfaces will work.  It's just such a huge time and effort saver because the primer coat goes on right over any previous paint and/or top coats.  I don't sand AT ALL. It sounds like it wouldn't work, but with the right primer it really does and the paint sticks like glue!

The primer goes on completely uneven so don't worry about how it looks at this point and it takes about two coats to really get the coverage you need before applying the paint. 

Now, to get the smooth "sprayed on" look I am able to get on my projects use my two hand/two brush technique.  It's not complicated.  I use 2 brushes: a 2-inch angled paint brush in one hand and a
4-inch foam roller in the other hand, alternating between the two the whole time. 

These two brushes used together leave NO roller or brush marks on your project.  The trick is to use the brush only in places the roller absolutely can't reach and then immediately smooth out everything possible with the roller.  Until the foam roller is completely saturated with paint (the same with primer) it will leave small bubbles, but I just keep rolling over them and they will go away quickly.    Once the entire piece has been primed, let it dry a couple of hours.  I think I let this dresser dry overnight. 
When the primer coat is dry, it's time to paint.  I always use Sherwin-Williams Pro-Classic paint.  It's made for trim and cabinetry and makes a big difference in the final appearance.  The technique is the same as with the primer though.  Just roll on the paint with the foam roller. Brush only the tiniest places, like corners and other places where the roller can't completely touch.  Then immediately roll out any brush marks, even squishing the foam roller into the corners as much as possible. 

The last step is to top coat it with a varnish.  I used a water-based high gloss varnish.  I put one coat on and it really seals the paint. 

That's it.  I use the two hand/two brush technique with all the layers and it creates a really smooth finish with no brush strokes.  Go ahead...see if you can find one!

I'm really happy with the finished product. It took about 4 hours of actual work, but I saved a ton of money being able to use a dresser that is a super sturdy piece of furniture with many years of life left in it.  It still makes me happy every time I see it!

How Did This Happen?

I turned 41!!!  I suppose it's better than the alternative, but it sure feels like it snuck up on me!

I'm usually a huge celebrator of my birthday, but this year it was a little more low key.  My parents came out to watch my kids so my husband and I could do Tough Mudder (please see previous post) and stayed through my birthday and Easter.  That was fun having them here.  We spent a lot of the week just going to the girls' swim, tennis and karate lessons, sampling all the good food we have in the area, and watching movies. 

On my actual birthday, I woke up to a house decorated with streamers and Minnie Mouse birthday decorations.  Lance and the girls had made me homemade chocolate waffles for breakfast. The rest of the day we spent in San Fransisco. I love being 25 minutes from downtown!  I wanted to go to the wharf to visit the Boudin Factory and have lunch there.  That was fantastic!  Even my dad who usually hates San Francisco enjoyed it! 

Then we went to the amazing Westfield Mall on Market Street to pass the time until our dinner reservation time at Roy's (what has now become my birthday dinner tradition seeing as it is the 4th year in a row I've eaten at a Roy's somewhere in the world on my birthday). 

Dinner was fabulous as usual.  Dessert was even more amazing and the company was unbeatable!  So happy to have the parents I do, a husband who treats me like a queen and three wonderfully sweet daughters who make my life so happy!  Here's to another amazing 41 (plus) years...and lots more birthday celebrations!

A Member Of Mudder Nation!

What is Mudder Nation you ask?  It's only referred to as one of the toughest events on the planet! It makes 5k and 10k mud runs seem like a waste of a clean sports bra!  Here's some course facts for Norcal Mudder.  It's 2170 feet of vertical gain over 10.3 miles up and down the craziest mountains you will ever see including a 40 degree slope on the almost 1 mile climb known as the "Cliffhanger".  Then as if that wasn't enough, there were 25 killer obstacles along the way including things like "Arctic Enema", a 34 degree tank of water you had to jump into, then swim underneath a board in order to get out of.  And of course there was "Electroshock Therapy", a mud bog with electrified wires hanging down that you had to run through.  Oh and mud...so much mud! 

Nice and clean before we started!

We did this with 8 other couples on a team called, "Couples Therapy: Mud.Pain.Love".  It might not sound like it, but really it was a blast!

A selfie with Liz (you know you loved it!) :)

(Most of) The Couples Therapy gals ready to rock the course!

 I had so many cuts and bruises and even a real finger injury which has yet to fully heal!  But hey... that's what you do for that awesome orange headband!

So...do you bleed orange? You know you want to!

If you think hair salons great....

You should try a chocolate salon!  This one was in San Francisco at beautiful Fort Mason right on the wharf.  Lance had given me tickets for Valentine's day this year.  

What is a chocolate salon you ask?  Well..... let me tell you.....

It is like a chocolate trade show.  Artisan chocolatiers from all over the country come and set up booths and sample their goods (and when I say goods, I mean goods).  This picture is about half way and we had early entry tickets so it wasn't crowded yet.


 There are works of chocolate "art" on display

and prizes to be won.  Avery won a box of recipes. 

If you know me, you know I like my chocolate (dark please) and I can eat more than the average gal.  Well, making my way up and down the booths and trying sample after sample I finally did it....I found my chocolate limit!  But man was it a fun thing to find.  I tried milk, dark, fruit, mint, tons of salted caramels (yum), cookies, and olive oils.....so much good stuff.  I bought take homes of my favorites and enjoyed those the days following (I recovered from my overdose fairly quickly).  They were Chatelaine Chocolate, Charles Chocolates, and Claires Squares.

Downtown SF is now a 25 minute drive from my house so that was excellent.  The weather was perfect and I enjoyed the entire experience with my husband and kids, who by the way impressed many a vendor with their refined pallets at such young ages.  We start training them early I told them. 

It was such a great experience for a chocolate lover like myself.  I'm definitely including this on my list of to-do's for next year!  Come join me! 

Superman turns 46!!!

I can't believe it myself!  My superman, Lance, had his 46th birthday this month.  He is on the downhill side of middle aged now.  Good thing he just keeps getting better with age!

He wanted a simple celebration.  A pizza for dinner and a night spent with his girls.  Oh and peanut butter-chocolate fondue with all the dippins!

That weekend, joined by his sister Amy, we took a trip to one of Lance's favorite "Diners, Drive inns and Dives" locations (this one.....definitely a dive) in Pescadero called Duarte's Tavern.  They are known for their asparagus creme soup and pies!  Yum! Afterwards we hit the beach, thankful we brought our jackets and enjoyed some seashell hunting and watching a family of seals play in the waves.  

Words can't express how grateful I am for Lance.  He really is a super man, super husband, and super father!

New Indulgence

If you know me, you know I am somewhat of a foodie!  I love checking out great restaurants, fun little bakeries and delicious artisan chocolate shops!  Really... I just like finding good food.  Well I found some! 

It's a place in Berkeley called Cinnaholic!  If you are in the area you MUST try!  It's a cinnamon roll store, but none like you've ever seen before.  You can choose from over 25 different frosting flavors and mix match with the same amount of toppings!  It's an amazing concept! 

Now...as excited as I am about this concept I have to confess... I went went the one called "Old Skool Vanilla".  It was a deliciously, plain cinnamon roll with vanilla frosting, but it did not disappoint!  It was super YUM!  But here's the combos everyone else ordered... Peanut butter frosting topped with almonds, vanilla frosting topped with cookie dough, and lime frosting topped with strawberries! No one left disappointed by their selection.


Go to their website and see what combo you would create!  You know you want one!

My Little Rembrandt

 Last Saturday we visited the Haggin Museum in Stockton because Sophie's art work is on display there right now.  Her art teacher liked her chalk piece so much, he entered it in a the 83rd Annual Robert T. McKee Student Art exhibit currently at the museum.
 It was pretty exciting to see!
The museum is really nice, so go check it out if you're in the area.  The student art exhibit is there until April 6th.