Dream Beach Bag

As summer approaches, I would love to have these things in my beach bag.  First and foremost..sunscreen.  At the request of the man of the house we currently use Ocean Potion....apparently it is less greasy.  I like the fresh orange scent.  Can't head to the beach with out some magazines, Coastal Living of course.  Love the colorful cabana towels, Costa sunglasses, shoes are from Banana Republic (I am waiting for them to go on sale), sarongs/scarfs from PBTeen and Lacoste Beach Bag.

Weekend Project - Before & After

This weekends Before and After, while the other half was at work.  I know he half expects something to change while he is at work.  You just never know what it is.  Anyway - this old dresser in my son's room needed a face-lift.  And I was finished by lunchtime!

The Inspiration - 

The dresser is from Pottery Barn Kids at a cost of $699.  http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/speedboat-2-drawerchest/?pkey=cdressers-nightstands&
In a few years, after this dresser is completely kaput, I would definitely invest my dollars in something like this, because it is quality made.  In the meantime, I have to use what I have.  I chose to do a Navy Blue top instead of the brown because it fits better with my sons room.  I think a dark gray or even black would be nice as well.   

The Process - 

I would never paint an old piece of furniture that is made of real solid wood.  This is just veneer and it was starting to peel.  To fix the veneer, glue them back down with some wood glue, then I fixed the missing pieces with some filler and sand it smooth.  Always do the job right for the best results.  I lightly sand to give the paint something to stick to.  Remove the drawers & hardware before painting.  I used silver spray paint to update the hardware.  Use tape if needed for clean lines.  

Other Helpful Tips - 

Like I said before - I would never paint a quality solid wood piece of furniture and be careful - some veneers are made from quality pieces of wood like redwoods, etc.  You don't want to cover up the beautiful grain of something like that.  A refinish/stain job will do just fine. 

Ask if the paint store has some paint that have been mis-mixed or left behind.  The cream paint for the dresser was $3 because it was mis-tinted.  It was an outdoor paint but that is perfectly fine for a piece of furniture, maybe even better.  

I have found that using a semi-gloss with a primer requires less coats, lasts a little longer, sticks better and cleans up nicely.  The outdoor paint worked well, but requires more coats and was harder to clean of my hands.  

Always do a light sanding to give the paint something to stick to.  Nothing major, just dust of the top layer.  

Change up the hardware for fun, I wanted to use small cleats for the drawer pulls to give it an even more nautical look, but needed my other half's help.  Waiting for him to help me with a project is like waiting for it to snow in Key West...it's just not gonna happen! 

Don't go crazy - Although I love to change my look and paint furniture, not all your furniture in the house should be painted.  Having a few solid wood and quality pieces really makes colors pop.  

S is for Sea

A Coastal Stay at Home Mom's Summer Schedule

As much as I would love to pack up my two small children every day and bring them to the beach, then return home covered in sand, then clean-up said sand…umm wait…yeah right! And just because I am a stay at home mom doesn't mean I want to clean the entire house every day. Instead I have come up with a summer schedule to keep us busy and happy. And when Dad is home, he can join in the fun too! There is a little time every day for cleaning and time for play. Feel free to use for yourself, I can send you the template directly in a Word format, because of course every house is different.  My schedule is also a rough estimate, my goal is to be starting by the next activity by the hour indicated on the sheet.  And because I will be doing some business work from home, this schedule allows me time to fit that in.   

I have two new ideas I plan on using this summer that you will see on the schedule...an Activity Jar and a Field Trip Jar.  In our Field Trip Jar I plan on putting in trips like the library, beach, park, the Garden's, downtown, etc. - all are little to not cost.  We will also choose a few field trips that have a cost as well.  This way we get to experience something different every week.  For our Activity Jar - I plan on using both education and fun activities, this is also where my little guy may end up with a little extra TV or game time.  Some of our activities will include 1 hour TV, 1 hour video games, board games, crafts, drawing, painting, baking, reading or workbooks...etc.  For those of you with more than one older child, there is no bias here, just the luck of the draw.  You won't have to hear complaining because Mom picked so and so's activity over mine.