Random & Unfinished

So the title of this post describes my projects right now, and a bit of my life. But that's another story. On to the projects!

My sister so delicately reminded me that I haven't posted in a while. I was waiting until I had something to show for all the time I've gone between posts. But, alas, (Vino makes fun of me when I say "alas") nothing is finished. Here's what we've been working on lately:

1. Installing the bathroom sink.
We are SO close! We would have had it done a couple of days ago except that we got the wrong water line hoses. Hopefully we'll get the right ones today so we can brush our teeth in the bathroom for the first time tomorrow!

The bathroom as it looked when we first bought the house

mid-way to completion

My inspiration photo (Cottage Living)

2. Finishing the enclosed front porch.
Here's what it used to look like.

 I have since painted the walls the same gray as the living & dining room, the floors white (same as before but cleaner!) and the ceiling Tiffany blue. I LOVE the look of a light blue bead board ceiling on a porch. It's tradition! The porch will eventually be a great introduction to our home, but for now it's a storage place for stuff I'm trying to sell on craigslist and the place where I'm working on my next project...

3. Painting the buffet.

 Sorry for the bad photo of the buffet - this is in our old house. I painted the buffet & mirror above black.

My cherished buffet has been in storage for about 3 years and we finally brought it home a couple of weeks ago. It was painted all black, but I decided that for this house I want light colored furniture so I'm painting it white. Except for the top. I peeled off the black paint, sanded off the old stain & did my very first stain job. It was really easy! I'll post about that process when it's all done.

 Inspiration photo (Miss Mustard Seed blog)

One thing I have learned about myself: I am not good at painting furniture. Even when I prep like I'm supposed to (light sanding, priming & then paint) the final paint almost always peels in some spots. And doors don't always close. My solution? Distress. Take a sanding block or a palm sander to the corners, edges & raised parts & take off a bit of paint. It looks intentional & naturally worn & takes care of any painting gone wrong. :)

4. Painting the "new" hutch to go on top of the buffet.
As you probably know about me now, I have issues with buying new stuff for my house. I can't do it (unless it's on major clearance).

 I forgot to take a photo before I prepped it for painting. But it wasn't much better.

This hutch and the accompanying tiny tiny little buffet were free. Someone else didn't want them, and I did! I'll post on the little bottom piece later, but just know that the whole thing was fairly top-heavy.

 You can see here the porch mid-paint. The walls are primed.

 Notice where the original finish just peeled off. Instead of doing the right thing & peeling it ALL off on that one surface, I peeled off what came easily & then sanded down the edges.

 So I'm painting the hutch to match my buffet. It's not the best quality piece - the decorative details are plastic (shhhh!) but no one will know after it's painted. Except me. And you now.

 What?!? Is that a hollow plastic crown moulding? Yes, yes it is. And those are Vino's "Hulk Hands" in the background.

I really hope this thing looks good on top of my buffet. I've only seen it in my mind, not in real life.

6. Rescuing a desk.
We don't have a desk. A few weeks ago I noticed that our neighbors a couple of houses down had put some furniture out by their trash can in the alley. Every time I drove by I thought about how sad it was to throw away wood furniture. If only we had a use for it. Then one day I walked down there (when they weren't home) to take a closer look. Some pieces had been destroyed, probably when they had been thrown out back. But this desk & the hutch that goes on top were in really good shape. They are real wood. The drawers are dove-tailed. I carried each piece down the alley myself. Shameless. I was REALLY hoping no one saw me.

Not sure what will happen to the hutch. I'll use it for something! I think with a coat of creamy white paint & some new drawer pulls this desk will be perfect on our front porch. I need somewhere to sew and this will be perfect. But for now, it sits in our garage.
5. More projects that are finished IN MY MIND ONLY.
I have made an upholstered headboard. It looks exactly like this:

Pottery Barn

IN MY MIND. And it won't cost me $500 +$75 shipping. There is a room divider at a local junk second hand store for only $15. I've measured it. It's perfect for a queen sized bed. And when it is painted & upholstered with something linen-ish & nailhead trim, it will be perfect. I really need to go buy it but it will just go in the basement or garage with all my other unfinished stuff.

6. Last but definitely not least, I've started running.
I have never liked running & I don't like it yet, but I need to get in shape. Vino is a good running coach. He has taught me the correct way to hold my hands, roll my feet heel-toe, pace myself, etc. Last night we ran 2 miles. A month ago I couldn't run 1/4 of a mile. What I'm most proud of was running a 5k only 2 weeks after I started running.

I ran VERY slowly, but I didn't stop or walk the whole run. I will not quit running now that I have started. I am getting in shape, which I like, but what's more, I bought running shoes. Since I'm so cheap, there's no way I'm going to stop running & waste the money we spent on the shoes. :) Sneaky!

So that's it. My dining room has a mattress & boxspring leaning against the wall, my front porch entry is full of stuff piled on stuff and one corner of the living room, which will someday have a piano, is stacked with frames & artwork to hang on the wall after everything else is in place. Random & unfinished. What projects are you working on that seem like they will never be complete? Do share!