Follow me into the backyard to see what is Blooming and sprouting.
This itty bitty Manzanita bush/tree is about a foot tall.
Their bark has a reddish almost mahogany color.
It will be fun to watch it grow big.
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This wild California Fuchsia is blooming now that it has been cooler.
Here is one that is growing on the hill beside our stream.
Mexican sunflowers have started blooming - the plant is a bit leggy since I planted it a month too late.
It is a beautiful addition to my yard.
Painting is done for now...
My husband finished painting our small entryway yesterday - today we'll move the cabinet back in, do the light covers, and attach the baseboard. The hallway is a new year project.
I am looking forward to getting it all put back together and out of my dining area.
😲and yes that is a roll of toilet paper on the radio. I honestly don't know why it is there - no Kleenex my husband just said. 🤣
Not mine but I like it.
Okay now update on my end tables.
I have decided that while I have stained smaller projects in the past, with success, this is quite a chore for me and maybe I just "don't have it" anymore. I started Staining the day it rained. I used a gel stain (coffee) because it is easier however, it dries really fast and you have to wipe it almost immediately after the first swipe.
I only did the top - I figured if I made a mistake it would be easier to resolve. The legs and all, have all the curves and intricate areas that would be more difficult and time-consuming to repair.
I didn't like being able to see the sanded bubbles" in the veneer and that is when I started getting overwhelmed. I slapped on some more gel stain.
Yesterday, when I looked at it all dry, I hated it. It was too dark. So today I need to sand the top only once again. Now I wish I had left well enough alone.
As for cutting out the wood veneer - I did read up on that and I think that is way above my capabilities. These tables belonged to my mom and I really don't want to ruin them. I'm too sentimental and just need to find that happy "medium".
I am fighting the urge to paint the top black like the table in the photo above. I think I will wait. It's best I don't. I do think after the new year I am going to find a thrift store end table to practice on, that has a veneer. That way, I can learn and possibly go from there. Plus I can stare at them and get divine inspiration...on which way to go. 😉
I'm a little disappointed in myself but also know that failure teaches. I have learned the hard way, what to do and what not to do. I tend to learn best from my failures. That is the way I have always been and I'm not just talking about staining furniture. I just have this thing in me that likes to just go at something, full speed ahead, and wing it from there on.
I just want to move in the tables and be done with it. I have other things I need to get done. I did bake a pumpkin pie while the stain was drying,
and I'm so late putting up my Fall decor.
I hope you are enjoying your days of Autumn -
Thanks for checking in -
Debby
