3-for-1

I've already mentioned that this year I get to host Thanksgiving dinner at my house.

As with ANY social gathering, it's an excuse to find/buy/make something (or several somethings!) for the house.
This is a 3-for-1 post - three projects, all done in time for one event - Thanksgiving Dinner :)
It's long, but worth it (I think!)

Project #1

For a long time I've been lusting after all the gorgeous buffets/hutches I've seen being refinished all over blog land.
I have actually whined to my husband "I wish that window wasn't in our dining area! Then I could have a buffet!"
What a silly thing to wish for...fewer windows!
So I came to terms with my big beautiful dining area window, and set out find a buffet without the top hutch piece.  Last week I found this beauty.

She was marked $75!  Puh-lease.  I walked away, but kept an eye on her.
Several people stopped to look at her, but seeing the price tag, quickly walked away.
Then one man stopped.  Opened her drawers, rocked her back and forth to see how sturdy she was, looked inside her cabinets.
I felt assaulted.
So I waited for him to walk away and then rushed back to my baby.
Then I flagged down an employee, casually leaned against the piece (placing my hand over the price tag) and offered $20 for it.  The employee said okay, wrote up a "hold" tag and gave me my copy to take the the register.  As soon as she'd taped the hold to the top, I ran off to pay, laughing maniacally all the way,
Is that cheating? Do you think it's wrong that I sort of cheated the thrift store?  Because I'll be honest...I don't really feel bad about it.  Maybe a tiny bit.  I don't know - I figure she didn't HAVE to take my $20 offer...

Anyway, once I got her home I was pleasantly surprised to find her made of solid wood.  I considered stripping and staining, her, but she had a seriously glossy finish, and I had visions of myself working on this buffet until Valentines Day.  So I sanded, primed and painted her Parchment, by Behr.
Parchment is an identical match, by the way, to our beloved Heirloom White.  I purchased a quart of it in Behr's paint plus primer premium paint (wow, that's a lot of P's) back in June and still have about 1/4 of it left.  LOVE it, use it on everything!
The great thing about brush painting vs spray painting, is that it can be done indoors.
I sanded and primed this piece (spray primer, btw) in the garage, then moved it inside for the painting.  Two HUGE benefits to that - the temperature and the fact that my 3 year old is inside and I can supervise his destruction activity better if I am inside, too.

 

I loved the hardware on the piece - bonus! The handles on the door, especially.  I removed everything - even the hinges - and painted it all black.  So gorgeous.

Once it was dry, I selectively distressed it.
I LOVE how it turned out.  On Thanksgiving I'm going to cover it in desserts - I have 3 stands I plan to fill with yummies :)

Project #2

Months ago I found this strange tray...trough...wooden thing at the thrift store.
It had been craft painted.  My worst nightmare.
It was burgundy with a cream border. Inside the border were some abstract leaf-looking things.  It was a dollar, I think.

I bought it and left it in the garage pile for a while - to marinate (in my mind, not in a flavorful solution.)

Last week I decided it would become the base for a candle display/centerpiece.
I love candles this time of year.  I'll go all Summer without even thinking about fire, but October hits and all the candles come out. I'd love to have a fireplace, but we don't. For now, we have candles, instead.

I sanded and then spray painted the wooden thing with flat black - the wood grain really stands out on this and you can see it through the paint - I love that.

I already had a bag of polished river rocks, but I did buy 3 more from the dollar store.
I also bought three candles, 1.50 at Wal Mart.
That makes $8.50 for my candle display/centerpiece.
Beautiful and cheap! Like me! Haha! (totally kidding, btw)

Project #3

I've had some trouble with window treatments in our house.  It's taking me AGES to decide on what looks best.  I have most of the house settled now, but the great room area (kitchen, dining, family rooms) has still been posing problems for me.
Months ago I read on the Nesting Place that having a luxurious fabric someplace unexpected was cool and brought...something. I don't remember, to be honest. All I know is that I purchased some chocolate colored dupioni silk on clearance and put it in my dining area.  (there's some in my kitchen, too, but that's another story.)

(blech!)

Now, the Nesters advice is sound. She's a decorating genius. The fact that I recently decided I hated my window treatment/mistreatment has nothing to do with her - only with me.
This time around I decided to follow Traci at Beneath my Heart and her example.
Traci is a drop cloth connoisseur, and reading her post was extremely helpful.
This Pottery Barn image is what I was going for.

I love my drop cloth curtains SO much.
The texture, the color - everything!

 

Thank you, Traci, for the inspiration!

Whew! That's everything!

I'll be linking up to...
Kim's Dare to DIY party,
Cheri's It's so Very Creative,
Made it Monday at the Persimmon Perch,
Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Make it for Monday at Cottage Instincts
and to DIY Day at ASPTL.

Thanks for stopping by!