What I’ve Been Up to Lately and a Side Table Makeover

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It’s official–I have writer’s block.

All of my creativity has totally leaked out of my brain over the past month.  I think it is some combination of the heat, humidity, and 3 little people running around my house.

I have been trying and trying to come up with some tip to teach or great idea to share for a post . . . but my head is like cobwebs!

So rather than wait any longer until the perfect thing to write about shows up, I’ve decided to just share a random assortment of things I’ve been working on.

 

After all, we’re friends right? I don’t want to go too long without saying hi 🙂

 

I’ve been doing some painting here and there, and a week or so ago I worked on this cute little side table.  I’ve been working on a lot of smaller pieces lately because they fit well into my space at Lyla’s.

 

 

This was one of those makeovers though that didn’t quite go as planned  . . .

The table was stained very dark and the finish on the top was badly cracked.  I wanted to sand smooth the cracks in the finish so they wouldn’t show up underneath the new paint, but my little piece of sandpaper wasn’t getting the job done.

So I grabbed my trusty orbital sander and a fine grit sanding pad, and started sanding away on the top.  Almost instantly though the top was down to bare wood! My attempt to smooth out the finish turned into a stripping job quicker than you can say “raw wood.”

The problem was I forgot to actually put on the fine grit sanding pad I picked up.  So I ended up sanding the top with an 80 grit pad that my husband had been using to smooth out cedar fence pickets.  Oops.

Once that dark stain and chipping finish was all gone on the table top though, this beautifully patterned wood showed up.

 

 

I decided to showcase the now very pretty wood top by keeping the stain light–that way all the grain patterns could be seen more easily.  So I mixed some Fusion All-in-one Stain and Finishing Oil in Golden Pine with just a dab of the Cappucino stain and wiped it on (did you know you can mix these amazing stains? Read more about them here).

The base then got 2 coats of Champlain (or was it 3? I can’t remember . . . ) and some light distressing to show off all the detail.

 

 

I guess my gut instinct of leaving the top light colored was the right way to go because this little table sold in 2 days 🙂

 

 

Besides painting furniture, I’ve been working on some website and brand marketing for Lost & Found.  That’s the less creative side of my business that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves!

One night, just for fun, my husband and I decided to tally up what U.S. states my online customers come from–whether buying my e-book, t-shirt, or Fusion. After going through almost 300 customers, we were shocked to see that I’ve actually been able to serve customers in 45 of the 50 states, and Washington D.C.!

My husband made up this map for me to share on my Facebook page, with the white states being the only ones left–Alaska, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia, and Rhode Island.

 

Since he made this though, I actually received an order from Vermont so now it’s not correct!

It made both of us laugh though because neither of us ever could have imagined that I would be able to interact with this many people all over the U.S.! I am truly humbled as well to think of all of the customers throughout the country who have chosen to trust me with their paint needs or who have been interested to read my e-book.

And so if you know anyone in my now 4 states left . . . Let them know my online shop is open for business! It would be super fun to have Lost & Found present in all 50 states 🙂

And speaking of my online shop and stuff I’ve been selling, have you seen my t-shirts?

 

 

My husband has a secret obsession with designing t-shirts, so he has been begging me to let him make up a few for Lost & Found.  This is the the first shirt of a few limited editions we have planned, and I think it’s so cute!

I was trying to model it so we could replace the stock photo of a beefy dude wearing it that the shirt company provides–let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t choose modeling as my career!

I’ve sold out of just about all of my larger size shirts–so if you want anything bigger than a medium I would suggest grabbing one soon! You can see the ordering page here.

Lastly, I’ve been playing around with my kitchen decor and added in a new fun find:

 

 

Do you recongize that wall hanging?  It’s an old-fashioned church attendance calendar, and since my husband is a pastor I thought it would be a hoot to have one in our home. Now I’m hunting for some old slide-in number cards so I can tally up our home’s regular attendance.  Let me know if you spot some anywhere!

So that’s about it!

 

We’re in the last few weeks of summer break and most of my plans really kick into gear once my kiddos are back in school (which by the way, they will ALL three be in school this year for the first time!).

What about you? What sort of things have you been up to lately?

I would love to hear!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christina Comer

Wednesday 9th of August 2017

I loved the table you sanded! Thanks for the tips! I live in Indiana, my daughter Heather Machen, lives in McKinney and sent me your email! Would love hearing from you! I like to do a little painted and staining myself and I have had a booth in an Antique store since May 2017. We have a lot in common, except that I am retired! Love hearing from you!

Melanie

Thursday 10th of August 2017

Hi Christina! Thanks so much for stopping by :) If you want to sign up to receive my post updates via email you can do that at https://www.lostandfounddecor.com/connect/ in case you haven't already!

Christina Comer

Wednesday 9th of August 2017

I loved the table you sanded! Thanks for the tips! I live in Indiana, my daughter Heather Machen, lives in McKinney and sent me your email! Would love hearing from you! I like to do a little painted and staining myself and I have had a booth in an Antique store since May 2017. We have a lot in common, except that I am retired! Love hearing from you!

Melanie

Thursday 10th of August 2017

Hi Christina! Thanks so much for stopping by :) If you want to sign up to receive my post updates via email you can do that at https://www.lostandfounddecor.com/connect/ in case you haven't already!

Kelly Wingard

Monday 7th of August 2017

I love your shirt! I own a coffee shop/bakery that also sells chalk paint and Fusion mineral paint through a companion business. Can I use your T-shirt for a Facebook ad? LOL?!

Melanie

Monday 7th of August 2017

Thanks! That sounds like such a fun business! I wouldn't mind you using the image of the shirt for an ad if you could include a link back to my shop page, is that possible?

Kelly Wingard

Monday 7th of August 2017

I love your shirt! I own a coffee shop/bakery that also sells chalk paint and Fusion mineral paint through a companion business. Can I use your T-shirt for a Facebook ad? LOL?!

Melanie

Monday 7th of August 2017

Thanks! That sounds like such a fun business! I wouldn't mind you using the image of the shirt for an ad if you could include a link back to my shop page, is that possible?

Lee

Monday 7th of August 2017

I can see why that table sold so quickly-- you really nailed it~!

Melanie

Monday 7th of August 2017

Thanks Lee!