I Hate my Tupperware!

Ok I said, I hate my Tupperware.  You see, we have a huge collection of miss-matched Tupperware.  Nothing fits together, there is a lot of Chinese take-out food.  In the end it is very difficult to fit them all in my cabinet.

My cabinet is like that commercial where the Tupperware falls out of the cabinet all over the woman (I tried to find it but couldn't).  You all know exactly which commercial I mean right? (Just play along, lol).  See how it is so messy, I literally just throw the plastic stuff in there and shut the door.

I took everything out and organized it.

I used a tip someone gave me and put all the tops in one big holder.  Then put everything back.

The best part?  Everything fits!

How do you organize your Tupperware?

Formal Tablescape

On my recent trip my host had the most beautiful formal dining room.  She had it all set up for dinner.  In fact she had two different tablescapes, one for the holidays and then this one.  Because this was the tablescape displayed I thought I would show it off.

The combination of red, gold and a tiny bit of green is quite nice.  I love the gold plates, and do you see those chargers?  I love chargers.  Maybe when I host thanksgiving this winter I will get some for my own table.

All the pieces are good, there are very nice glasses, silver and napkins too. 

This is quite a nice place setting to look down upon for a fancy dinner.  I could have many fun dinner parties here.

These touches are so nice.  I just love how every element to this table is formal.

The other touches in the dining room were nice as well. 

This chandelier is simple but elegant.

This piece was on the wall.  I love how the light plays on the crystals.  Again it is elegant and simple. 

There are so many creative women out there that are never recognized in any formal way.  I feel very lucky to show off this private little table. 

Blue Dresser Extraordinaire

I have been teasing you guys for ages. So instead of going to bed early I am staying up just long enough to show you my amazing transformation.  To me it really is a transformation.

I have had this dresser for years.  It went with me on every move, and lived in my house during construction. Many times people have tried to get me to give it up, but I have held on to it.  Now everyone can see what I have always seen with this dresser.  That is: just how beautiful it really is.  To jog your memory on this baby go here, but for the rest of you below is the before.

Before

After

Many people gave me their suggestions on what color to paint it, or to paint it at all.  It was funny because all my Facebook friends said not to paint it, but my blog friends said to paint it.  I listened to you guys and went ahead and painted it.  The color was an "oops" paint that I lightened.  I really like how it turned out.  

Jeff helped me not go overboard on the gold accents.  I used "Rub-n-Buff" in yellow gold (I think it is called that anyway).  It is very cool stuff.  I highly recommend it.  

I also patched up and filled in a bunch of the veneer that was flaking.  All in all this was a true labor of love, but boy was it worth it.  

I love this dresser beside the bright yellow walls.  I also like how it looks against the wood and other accents in the room.  When I have more time I will do some shots of the whole dining room so you can see how it all goes together.  Overall the room is really getting nice.

To keep it real here is a shot with the cat fountain we got for our lovely kitty.  Not quite as special (my eye keeps going back to the fountain) but still very nice.  

Do any of you have pieces of furniture that you just hang onto in thick and thin?  I would love to know about it.  

Where I Party: 

Thesis is IN!

The bound copies of my thesis are in.  Two years of hard work and it looks like a book.  I gues it is a book, and it's published.

I got five copies, and they were not cheap to print.

I splurged and got color prints of the photo pages. 

I love them all so much I don't want to send any copies overseas.  Oh no, my people are going to be mad.  I guess I will just have to hold on to them for a little while then send them off (I might not want to put these babies in the mail, they may have to wait until I can find someone to carry them over for me).

There you go.  My hard work in print!

P.S.  All those dry thoughts worked!  My dresser is now all put together, tomorrow you will get a whole post about it, just as soon as I get some shots in the "good light."  

Waiting ... waiting ... waiting...

I know I have been a little slow on the blog posts last week.  The reason is that I have been waiting to show you my BIG PROJECT of the month.

I used wood putty, I sanded, I primed, and I painted, and painted, and painted.  Then it all had to dry.

Now my big project is dry but I have ONE BIG PROBLEM:  The drawers won't fit back in the dresser I made.  You see, I painted the drawers in the basement.  The basement that is damp, dark, and musty smelling (but it is getting better now that we have the dehumidifier working).  Nonetheless, the drawers expanded in the wet basement.  The body of the dresser did not.  It was up in the dining room.  It was too heavy and bulky to take all the way to the basement.  Ah the trials and tribulations of wood furniture.

So although it is done (and looks amazing) I can't actually get all the drawers back into the dresser.  I will just have to wait a bit longer to show it off.

Instead I will leave you with a little hint of what is to come.

Notice the hardware I polished here?

My friend who came over thought it was a brand new piece of furniture!!!  If that is not a compliment I don't know what is.

Please think dry thoughts in my house, and maybe I can get this piece back together before the end of the week.

"Brass" New Hardware

Ok it's not new at all, but it looks new. I'm so excited about how the hardware looks after I polished it up.

This is what I started out with:

The hardware looked almost black it was so dark. 

At first I tried a technique I found online and hoped would work....
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I bolied it in ketchup.

It got some of the gook off, but they were not "shining" as the website said.

So I turned to good old Brasso. Geez, did it stink.  I rubbed, and I scrubbed and I got sick from the smell, but in the end it was worth it.  

 The hardware looks really amazing.

Just so you can really appreciate the transformation here is the before and after. 

Before

After

I realized I like to keep the original hardware, especially when it is so beautiful and ornate.  I just love it.  I'm so glad this worked and I can use it now. 

I love the Brasso so much that I'm thinking of polishing up my other metals...the bathtub faucet, the door handles, and any other metal I can find.  I just love the stuff (even if it is stinky).

Come back next week for the dresser (which we debated the color to paint here) all finished.  I'm so excited to show you all!

Where I party:

A Walk Through Saratoga

I had the opportunity to visit a friend in Saratoga last weekend.  Not only did I get to spend time with a good friend, but I got to see a very nice city.

I have lived south of Saratoga for most of my life, but have never gotten up there.  The city is known for the race tracks, but there were not open (and I'm not really a gambler).  Instead I got to walk around the city, see the sights and shops, and best of all, the beautiful park. 

 

We walked through the park.

I like ducks.  I love the way their heads shine.

I also like roses.

We saw a couple of nice fountains.

These two guys are called the "Spit and Spat" statues.

They are spitting on each other...how silly.

I also love the old regal buildings.  

I was a bit shy about taking pictures of other people's houses, but snuck some in. 

I also love this trolly.  The driver waved too. :)

I also discovered Cold Stone.  I know this is not special to Saratoga, but I never knew quite how it worked, what a brilliant ice cream shop.  Yum.  I enjoyed my "kid scoop."

We went to the state park and sampled some of the springs.

I made the mistake of trying the mineral springs, yuck, OMG that is some nasty water (but I hear it is really good for you).  My friend spent a good five minutes laughing at the face I made when I tasted it.

I can't leave you without a little peek at the two of us on these adventures. 

I have been to Saratoga for the concerts, but I have never discovered what a nice little city it really was.  The night life was fun, the shops were great, the food was very good.  I will defiantly be back. 

You know, I often think I have to travel to another country or even another state to see something new.  This trip has taught me that I can travel just a couple of hours away, in my own state, and still have a great time, see new things and, best of all, see freinds too.