Happy Heart Day! Doug and I now have plans that just came up. They came as a surprise to us and we're still laughing! I called to chat with Wendy yesterday. We talked about our Valentine plans. I told her that we'd probably get to-go food and keep painting. She said she'd decided to do something special for Stott. She bought him tickets for them to go and see Jane Eyre, the musical...something they've never done before. I was happy for her!
Later in the evening, Stott called to tell me a story. He told me that he'd decided to do something special for Wendy. He had bought tickets to see Jany Eyre, the musical. I'm giggling as he's telling me. He went on... He had come home and told their daughter, who, he said, got "a look" that he didn't get. To surprise Wendy, he put the tickets in the stack of mail that he brought in. She was going through the mail, saw the tickets and said, "What's this?" He finally explained that they were tickets for the show. She asked, "How'd they end up here?" He thought she wasn't getting that they were his gift. She then explained why she was wondering because it was her gift too. She couldn't figure out how he found her tickets! TOO FUNNY! Stott told me later that it was extra funny because that's the first time either of them have ever given a gift like that in their 18 years of marriage. As a result, they have four tickets, not two. Doug and I will be joining them for a fun evening! Cool beans!
Project Progress: Yesterday, I spent six hours cleaning the cabinet doors and hardware. Literally. I soaked, scrubbed, scrapped and dried them all before starting to stain. The staining took less than two hours. I consider myself a pretty clean person. I wipe those cabinets down regularly. I clean the drawer pulls often. Holy cowpoli! This was a nasty project! EWWWWW! I could not believe the specks of food and "stuff" in the most random places. I think that removing cabinet doors may be the best way to clean them...maybe this should be added to the Spring/Fall cleaning. After the cabinet doors were stained and dried a bit, Doug was able to rehang them before bedtime. We love those snazzy hinges that just clip back onto the cupboards. Happiness!
I was quite surprised at the email questions and even a phone call asking about the process of staining these cabinets. Here's the scoop... I bought this stain and the thinner for less than $21.
It's a simple process. You do not have to sand the cabinets first. You do have to clean them! You brush the stain onto the clean surface. Wait a minute, then, wipe it off with an old piece of T-shirt. I cut the T-shirt into 1-foot squares and tossed them as they got "gunky". It dries enough to manage the doors within two hours. The next morning, I'm still able to wipe it off where I felt it was too thick. It was easier to see where it's too think when they were rehung, so I did more wiping then. Martha, the paint guru at the store, said that I could add a glaze to the cabinets with a finish if I want to, but that I don't have to because there's already a finish under the stain. We'll see how that goes. For now, I'm leaving them in the "primitive" state. The doors that I did two days ago are completely dry. I'm ordering the new hardware, so it won't be here until midweek. I'll post a photo of the finished cabinets when they are finished! I'm loving them except, the stain will show any defects or worn spots on the cupboards... where the handles belong, the cabinet doors are definitely more worn. Fifteen years of wear and tear...it's a good thing I like the distressed look.
Oh! Martha said that it's been popular to just spray paint old hardware with the Rustoleum brand paint for metal. Mine have porcelain beads on them, so we just decided to get new ones. I now have 39 brass drawer pulls, with white porcelain beads on them, to donate. And they are even clean!
I just got home from helping Natalie with a few last minute details for her niece's wedding. We grabbed a quick bite at Chili's and now I'm home deciding what to do with the rest of my afternoon...it's 1:08. Doug will be home in two hours and we have our Valentine's date. Do I want to put on the paint clothes and start the drawers or not? I could take a nap, read, plan some more... hmmm.... what to do, what to do. We'll see! The book and the nap are sounding pretty good right now. Not having to shower in paint thinner in a few hours sounds good. I only have nine drawers to clean and stain. If I wait a day, we could sleep in a fumeless house tonight. Decisions, decisions... life is good!
What I love most about my life is who I share it with!
Can't wait to see your new cabinets, but I'm wondering what you used the paint thinner for?
Posted by: Benita | Friday, February 15, 2013 at 06:26 AM
new cabinets are fun! i got mine glazed in November. But i still havn't replaced the hardware. But i have to paint them. if it would ever get warm enough. I can't wait to see the new cabinets.
Posted by: Audra Jones | Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 06:22 PM
The story of Stott & Wendy's theater ticket is too cute!! Enjoy the show and happy Valentine's Day!
Posted by: Nicole | Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 02:45 PM