Painting the Sewing Machine Table

Anne, the previous home owner, left us a side table in the dining room which is actually an old sewing machine. It has an actual Singer sewing machine inside.

The finish was pretty rough, stained, and just not a nice color so I decided to paint it. It took a long time to pick out a color (Down Pour) and it turned out to be much lighter than I had imagined. I like it, but if I could do it all over again, I would choose a different color.

I sanded the table and cleaned it. It took about 20 coats and never did cover stains on the top. Not sure why that is, but clearly I should have prepped it better maybe with primer?

After looking at the pictures, I realize I need to do something about the wires. Another perspective is always good.

Kitchen Updates

I finally took down the rest of the wallpaper in the kitchen and painted the backsplash. Another change that I made a few months ago was the hardware on the cabinets- from brass to stainless steel. This made a big difference that isn't so noticeable in the pictures. The wallpaper was relatively easy to strip because it was newer than the wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom. There also wasn't a lot of damage; however, there was nothing on the walls behind the oven and fridge. I sanded, spackled, cleaned, and primed the walls before painting.

The color took some thought (Quench Blue), because I wanted it to look okay with the green on the opposite wall and the blue marbled countertop. The paint took 2 coats.

Here is the original kitchen as it was for the open house.

Here is our kitchen before taking down the wallpaper.

Stripping wallpaper:

Here are the after pictures. I still have to get rid of the wavy trim over the sink.

Garden Progress

I thought I would post two areas of the garden just to note the progress. One in the back has a collection of shade perennials. There are a couple of newly planted perennials that might not make it, but overall, I am happy with the garden.

The garden in the front has some evergreen, annuals, and perennials. I really like the Mexican Heather in and around the lavender. The petunias and verbena have already spread out quite a bit. I am enjoying the arrangement this year.