Swapping Needle For Paintbrush!!

Here I am ... back again ... FINALLY!! I know I've been a bit of an unreliable blogger the last month or so, but there's been some really good reasons ... promise!! :0) As well as the ongoing dental visits that mess with my week (and my head!!!) my parents have been in Toowoomba for the last nine weeks house sitting for friends who've been caravanning. As a result, I've been taking as many opportunities as I could to spend time with Mum and Dad and have also played chauffeur quite a bit, cos Mum doesn't drive. I've really enjoyed having them close by (they live three hours away normally) and I'm going to miss them now they've headed home again.

So ... there hasn't been a lot of stitching going on here  ... though there has been SOME happening, just not finished! :0) I have, however, swapped my needle for a paintbrush a lot in the last few weeks. Now, not all of the painty projects are finished, but I thought I'd show you my starting point for a few.

The first project to be tackled was a kitchen dresser/hutch we bought at a garage sale a couple of years ago. When we first bought it, it looked like this ...

... the one at the back. (the dresser in the front received a red makeover that I've shown previously) We had tossed up whether we could afford to have the second stained glass panel restored to match the one on the left, but then ...

... it was damaged when gale-force winds whipped across the top of our 'hill' and it was knocked over while stored in the carport. Replacing both stained glass panels was just too much for our budget, so we decided to get a retired friend to replace the glass with clear on both sides, repair a few other minor damages sustained in the gale-force fall and it then looked like this ...

 ... Hmmm ... not the best photo and not really showing the clear glass doors I was telling you about ... oops! :0) However ... this is the step I was up to when I went looking for ...

... the blue paint left over from painting my sewing room. Are you now wondering what the heck I've been up to??? It's almost finished, so I'll share a photo next time ... just to keep you in suspenders a little longer! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Another start was a not-so-little something for our bedroom. For some time now, we've been searching for a new white free-standing wardrobe. Can I tell you ... it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to buy free-standing wardrobes and most that we managed to find were ultra-modern looking ... not what we were looking for to go in our Heritage style cottage that's decorated in an eclectic shabby/French/cottage/chic kind of style. I'd all but given up when my sort-of-sister Tiffy moved to Melbourne and said we were welcome to HER wardrobe that someone had given to her ... WOO! HOO! It was the right size, the right style ... it was just a bit ... well ... PINE!! :0)

Here it is sitting on a tarp, ready to be painted ... oops! Drawers have already been pulled out. We took advantage of the wonderful covered outdoor area at the house Mum and Dad were house-sitting cos we don't have a weather-proof outdoor area to work in ... our carport leaks like a sieve! :0) While this project is now finished, I haven't managed to take a good pic yet, so promise to show you that one next time too ... yet more suspenders for you to be kept in! :0)

The last painting project to be tackled was a bit smaller and quicker to complete. Some time ago, one of the residents at the retirement village where I work gave me an old hat suitcase (???) I think that's what it would have originally been used for, anyways. Here it is ...

Hmmm ... not the most attractive colour, I didn't think. So what's a gal to do, but reach for a paintbrush to shabby it up a bit. :0)

A new shabby/French coat of paint for the old girl. I promise to take some better photos this week once it's in it's final display spot.

this is what the inside looks like. It's in pretty good condition so I'm not going to mess with it.

So there you go ... I haven't been completely idle, just not stitching much. It's been nice to take a little break from stitching, actually, and get a few of the painty-type project finished that have been on "The List" for quite some time, but I think I'm about ready to hit the sewing room again, so I'm sure I'll have stitchy things to share soon. :0)

Hope you're all having a wonderful, relaxing and/or productive weekend and that it sets the tone for the coming week for you. I have another dentist appointment tomorrow ... EEK!!!! but after that, hopefully my sewing room will call me. Happy stitching to you all! Til next time ...

PAINTY BEAR HUGS!!

CHEERS!
KRIS