Mapping my Drawers

April 24, 2013 1 Comment

That post title could go in a few different directions, but let’s head down the G-rated path, shall we?  Remember this from a few weeks ago:

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Well, what I didn’t tell you then was that not only did I refinish the outside of the desk, but I also added a little special touch to the inside . . .

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I added personalized drawer liners using some spray adhesive and Mod Podge.  Fun, eh?  It only took me maybe a couple hours of Mini B’s naptime, and it was nice to finally use the maps I had been hanging onto from our honeymoon in Spain.  How did I do it?  Easily.

I first made some templates with plain copy paper of the exact drawer dimensions.  Then I laid those out on the maps (which I lightly, and I do mean LIGHTLY, ironed to get out the wrinkles), and used a ruler and exacto knife to cut the maps down to size . . .

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I tried to make sure the maps were aligned so as to include areas Mr. Bunches and I visited in our travels.  Once they were all cut, I then just used some spray adhesive (sprayed onto the backs of the maps–NOT sprayed directly on the drawers) and smoothed the maps in place on the bottom of each drawer.  I used a bone folder to make sure there weren’t any wrinkles and that everything was all smoothness.

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Because the maps were made of such thin paper, there were spots, particularly in the water sections of the maps, where you could kind of see the glue.  But it was minimal.  I let the glue dry for a few hours (with heavy books laying on top) just to make sure it was all good and set.  Then I used a foam brush to apply a light coat of Matte Mod Podge on the tops of the maps (just so they would be extra durable).  As I had been warned by YHL commenters on this post, I was prepared for the inevitable bubbling that the Mod Podge would (and did) cause:

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What had been smooth was now a wrinkly mess.  But no fear, I knew that once the Mod Podge dried, all would be smooth in my drawers again (still keeping it G-rated folks) . . .

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And there you have it.  Just a few hours of drying time (overnight actually), and voila!

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And since it’s been almost a month since initiating our new entry way solution, I’m happy to report that it’s been a success!  We got our cart in, and it’s been working out great.

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Fingers crossed that it continues working out well and wrangling in our mess.  And just because, here’s a shot of Mini Bunches on her recent trip to the beach in Florida (more on that soon I hope) . . .

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Entryway Solution? Maybe

April 1, 2013 2 Comments

Our entryway has been a bit of a mess ever since we moved in (the one from the garage to the kitchen; the main entrance doesn’t really get used, but this one gets lots of traffic).  So much so that I don’t even have any decent pictures of it.  You can catch a glimpse of it here:

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And then here’s a phone shot from a few weeks ago when we finally hung a mirror.

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The problem is that the piece of furniture we had there (an old server) just did nothing for us storage-wise.  And it also wasn’t really my style.  So I had been on the hunt for a solution, but wasn’t exactly sure what would work.  And with a growing Mini Bunches, I’m also not positive that whatever solution we find now will be something lasting for the future.  Which brings me to my point: I didn’t want to spend a lot of money.  Or time.  Especially if it’s something we might outgrow in a few years.  Enter thrift stores–the cheap solution to almost everything.

And so two weekends ago, when Mr. B was away for his annual Idiot Nation trip to Vegas, I hit up my favorite thrift store.  You know, the one where I found this blue beauty (I’m still regretting not scooping her up when I had the chance, but I digress) . . .

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Unlike my last visit to this particular Salvation Army, this time around it was slim pickings.  But just when I was about to leave, I spotted this:

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Admittedly, not much to look at, but I liked the mid-century lines, the size was right, and it was solidly built of wood (except for the yucky laminate top, but I dealt with that during my last furniture refinishing adventure, so no big deal there).  And the price?  Just right.  Actually, better than just right–just $15 kind of right.  SOLD.

Once I got it home and wrangled it in the house (it’s super heavy so some wrangling it did take), I got to work.  Since I only had nights and nap times to work my magic, I wasn’t planning an extensive refinishing; rather, I was just going to follow the steps John and Sherry took on their TV stand overhaul and hope for the best.  So here’s what it looked like once I got it home and completed the first step: CLEANING.

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I scrubbed the piece down with a Magic Eraser just like YHL did.  And I also wiped down the drawers with a vinegar-soaked rag.  My results?  Well, as you can see above and below, the Magic Eraser removed the finish in quite a few places.

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Again, since I only paid $15, I wasn’t too upset about that, but if you’re trying to fix a piece that you really care about, then maybe test out the Magic Eraser in an inconspicuous spot first to be safe.  But it did remove a lot of grime, so it wasn’t all bad.  As for the vinegar wipe-down of the drawers, that totally worked–it completely removed all the musty old smell.  So we were 1 for 2 at this point.

Up next?  A little conditioning treatment.  Using these (again, just like YHL):

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I first used the Howard Restor-A-Finish to wipe down everything.  It definitely brought some shine back and made the dried-out wood come back to life a bit.

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Much better, right?  It didn’t completely fix all the spots where the Magic Eraser had, er, erased, but it helped a lot.  I then used some leftover Minwax wood stain in walnut to rub in the really light spots, and when even that didn’t fix things, I used a Mr. Sketch Scented Marker in Brown.  That, my friends, worked WONDERS.  I just scribbled it on, and then wiped it away.  It was just about perfect at evening out any light patches.  So once all of that was done it wasn’t looking so bad . . .

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My last step was to give it a good ol’ rub down with some wax–the Howard Feed-n-Wax.  And just like Mr. Miyagi says: wax on, wax off.  That step took less than 30 minutes, and this thrift store find was complete!

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In addition to the desk, we also added a coat rack (from Crate & Barrel here) and a basket for shoes.

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I’ve also ordered a steel truck from Steele Canvas to put on the left-hand side of the desk.  That way we can just drop our bags into it and hopefully keep the area looking reasonably pulled together.

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So there you have it.  Our second attempt at wrangling some type of order in our entry way.  Here’s hoping it works!

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And a little bonus Mini Bunches just for making it all the way through this post . . .

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Luck of the Irish

March 20, 2013 Leave a comment

Her first St. Patrick’s Day? Done. Celebrated in true girly style . . .

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Not only did she make sure that she was well-dressed, but she also helped her dad out.

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She did fine tying the knot, but then had a little trouble actually getting it off.

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Aahhhh.  Finally.

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Then of course she had to make sure it was on right for Dad.

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Once Dad was approved, it was time for her fifty laps around the bed.

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Which ended in getting mad because her attempts at launching herself off the bed were continually thwarted by Mom.  Damn Mom.

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But no problem–as always, the iPhone solves everything.

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No toy is nearly as entertaining, or even drool-inducing, as the iPhone.  Go figure.

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Of course, Mom isn’t such a huge fan of the whole chewing-on-the-phone thing, so a quick switcheroo was finagled.

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Do you think she noticed?

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So there it is–Mini B’s Irish parade on Mom & Dad’s bed.  Oh, and just for kicks, here’s an almost-decent shot of Mini B’s current mouth full of chompers . . .

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Oh, and I have to conclude with a little shout-out to Auntie E for keeping Mini Bunches always attired in the most up-to-date tutus.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you! :)

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Mini Bunches: 8 Months

March 8, 2013 1 Comment

This month finds me exactly one month behind.  Oops.  But let’s look at some pictures of Mini B on her eight-month birthday while celebrating her nine-month, shall we?  Why yes, we shall.

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Now that she’s a crawling fool, it has gotten that much harder to get pictures of her sitting still.  So I’ve had to get creative in order to solicit her attention.

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With her propensity to roll every which way, I also had to make our canvas a bit larger.  No longer was she safe on just one chaise.

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And she was also way too interested in everything else happening and not her mom making crazy noises while holding the big black camera.

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In addition to all the crawling, rolling, and general non-stop moving, Mini B also sprouted another tooth last month.  Of course, you’d think it would be one of her two front teeth, but it wasn’t.  She got one of her lateral incisors first.  Nice, eh?

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And in a slight departure from the past monthly updates, I thought I’d go ahead and give a little rundown of what Mini B was up to during her eighth month of life.  She started the month by giving a tour of Niagara Falls to some fantastic visitors . . .

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Despite what it looks like in the pictures, it was actually an unseasonably warm day.  It just also happened to be super windy.

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Niagara Falls is a perfect place to contemplate life.  Just take it from my cousin . . .

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Of course, Mini B just wanted to snuggle in to her dad.

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After our super fun visitors, Mini B and I headed to Texas (as you may recall from here).  Mini B spent a lot of time sitting since she still hadn’t mastered crawling (although her army crawl was pretty down pat).

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She also spent a lot of time pondering.

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But didn’t take herself too seriously.

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And of course she hung out with her cousin a lot.

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And even played a little game of footsy with Mr. Squishy.

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Besides eventually learning to crawl in month 8, Mini B also made some strides in eating.  Lots of yummies.  Lots of mess.

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She went through a bit of a phase where she only wanted to eat Cheerios, but the positive of that was she really honed her pincer grasp.

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I was actually worried for a little while that she might turn into a Cheerio.

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There you have it–Mini B’s eighth month.  Or, in other words, the Month of the Cheerio.

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Mini B is Famous!

February 23, 2013 Leave a comment

That’s right–she’s a star!  Er, well, if you define fame as being featured on a pretty popular blog.  What–did you think I was going to say she was in a movie or something?  Puh-leeze.  That’s for next year ;) .

Mini B’s nursery was featured in the Before & After section on Apartment Therapy Friday!  Check it out here.  I was so excited that I actually took a picture of the site on my phone (I know–I’m a full on geek) . . .

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I have no idea how it happened–I didn’t submit it or anything.  Total happy surprise to me.  :)  So thank you Apartment Therapy for stumbling across Mini B’s humble little nursery–she is really quite touched by the praise.

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Oh, and if you want to see the actual post about Mini B’s nursery, just click here.  If you want to see an even amazinger nursery (yep, just making words up today), check out her cousin’s digs here.

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Leather or Glass?

February 20, 2013 Leave a comment

Guess what today is? You don’t know? C’mon–I thought you knew us well enough by now. I’m disappointed in you. Seriously, I am. So disappointed that I might not even tell you what today is. How do you like that? Doesn’t feel good, does it? Well, now I guess we’re all disappointed.

Okay, okay, I’ll tell you–but just for Mr. Bunches’ sake, not yours–it’s our anniversary!!! That’s right, the big 0-3 (check out the big 0-2 here). Which, if you’re up on your wedding anniversary gifts, then you probably already knew that from the post title (traditional gift = leather, modern gift = glass). So which will Mr. B get? Who knows . . . but I’m guessing that since I’m swamped with work and Mini B, probably neither? Oops. How about a smile instead?

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Still not enough?  Okay, then how about a kiss?

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Happy Anniversary Mr. Bunches!!!!  I love you.

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Love is in the Air

February 14, 2013 1 Comment

Happy Valentine’s Day!  May you especially appreciate all your loved ones today . . . for my part, I am sure this will be the best Valentine’s Day yet.  So thank you Mr. Bunches and Mini Bunches for being my sweetest Valentines.

Oh, and this Hallmark Holiday was just the right excuse to change out the chalkboard pantry.  So we are no longer Cherishing the Season . . .

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And instead appreciating all the love surrounding us . . .

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Of course, that didn’t seem quite good enough.  It needed something more personal . . . PICTURES!!

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Aaahhh, much better.  Now, Love is in the Air!

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