"White" Washed Shabby Chic End Table

Okay, so I just "white" washed my first piece of furniture! I have been looking for one of these electrical spools for awhile and then it dawned on me, my DMIL works for an electrical company! SO, they have oodles of them and I was lucky enough to get an old one from their mountain. I am trying to create a beachy/country style in my home so I wanted something a little rustic. Well, here's my attempt at white washing...Enjoy!

Here's the original product. I had to wipe it down and get some paper out, which was stuck in the center.

The bolts were pretty rusty, so I saw a trick online to use the shiny side of aluminum foil dipped in water to scrub off the rust. It worked pretty well. Got the crusty stuff off. Then I used the electric sander to get the rest. It worked great!

Next, I used my new electric sander which is perfect for my small hands and is great for furniture because it has a point for hard to reach areas. It's called The Mouse and was recommended by an interior designer friend. :) It also came with a few attachments. Can't beat that for thirty bucks! There was some red spray paint on the top of the wheel so I sanded it off as best I could. Then I sanded down the entire piece. Used coarse grit sand paper.  I didn't make it perfect because I was going for the rustic-ness. I just made sure to sand the edges because I don't want my princesses to get splinters when I'm finished.

Next I wiped down the entire spool with a damp rag to removed the sawdust and debris. I had to let it dry before I painted.

So I say that I "white" washed the table because actually I found this super light green paint (not white) in the clearance section at the Home Depot. It was $7 for the can so now I have a whole gallon. I am sure I will find another use for it some day. It was actually cheaper than buying a quart of white. This particular paint is a semi-gloss although in the directions I found for white washing on some sites they recommended using flat paint. But a couple sites said it didn't matter since it is going to be mixed with water. So what I did was mix 1 part water in an old coffee can and two parts paint and stirred it up.

Next I painted the entire thing and wiped off the paint with an old towel as I went along. The recommended directions I found was to paint the entire piece and THEN wipe it off before it was dry but...NOTE TO SELF...do NOT paint things in direct sunlight if you don't want it to dry fast! What's good about white washing, though, is that it doesn't have to be perfect. When it's dry you can sand it down if you didn't get enough paint off with the towel until you get your desired look.

The sun was awfully bright that day so I don't know if you can tell but the wood at the center of the spool was in pretty good shape unlike the ends. It was fairly yellow (looked like newer wood) and I didn't like how much it showed through the paint so I went over the center a second time wiping with an old towel as I went to have better coverage.

Finally, I applied 2 coats of semi-gloss polyurethane to the entire piece sanding with ultra fine grit paper and wiping down in between coats. I applied a third coat to the top only because it's the place that will get the most use. You can use a satin polyurethane if you prefer it to be less shiny. The semi-gloss, for me, turned out very nice. 

So here's the final piece in my living room. I am in need of finding some better accessories but in the meantime these'll do. Hope you like it!

My love: My record player...oh, and Frank too!

Okay, okay so I know...I'm a big dork. BUT I don't care! "Why?" you say?... well, let me explain. I am now a thirty something female who after I first got married discovered the amazing voice of Frank Sinatra. (It's a shame because he died the month before I graduated high school and I didn't even know who he was other than he was Harry's favorite singer from the sitcom Night Court.) Anyway...I became, for awhile, obsessed with Frank's music and movies, and yes...his blue eyes. Isn't he gorgeous!? (Sometimes he and DH remind me of each other...but DH has softer features than Frank... ) LOL....SEE...Dork! C'mon! How could you not just love his music? It's so romantic and his voice just makes everything seem better.

Me and Frank! Move over Debbie Reynolds! ha ha! I love Faceinhole.com

My DH tells me that I was born in the wrong era. I love to watch TCM and love vintage things. Well, years ago when I discovered ebay I won a lot of 13 Sinatra records which I then had to find a record player to play them on. [When I was a kid, I used to have a Winnie the Pooh one that had Read-A-Long books. Well, of course, I had that no longer] So somehow I came across an old record player like the ones we used in schools. No, I'm not that old, but I was an eighties kids so it was right on the cusp of cassette tapes and CDs. But to me there is just something about the nostalgia of old school type items. So anyway,  I enjoyed these records on my small record player for years until, God bless Craigslist, someone gave this beauty away...for FREE! What were they thinking? I just had to convince DH to pick it up for me which, mind you, was not an easy task...it's still a thorn in his side whenever we move because he hates to lift it, but that's another story.

I however, LOVE this thing!

When the record player is closed up it looks just like a plain piece of furniture. Then, the doors open up to ugly orange speakers and the greatest sound protrudes from it with all it's crackles and pops (no, I'm not eating Rice Krispies). If you've ever listened to a record player, you know what I mean. Now, it could use some work, the radio needle is no longer connected, so to change the tuner I have to go in behind it and manually move it from underneath. Oh, and it came with an 8 track player and a couple 8 track tapes (which doesn't work). But the best thing is, the record player is great! One of the speakers goes in and out occasionally yet, I just don't care. I have collected quite a few records over the years from my multitude of Frank to Dean, Aretha, Alvin and the Chipmunk, Stevie Wonder, Grease...etc. Ever since Princess8 was a little thing, I'd put on some Frank and we'd just jam...well, as much as you can to a crooner..ha! But we do get down to some Aretha. My Princesses just love it! We dance and sing and twirl and they have a blast making memories with Mommy (and Daddy sometimes). Here's a pic of them a couple weeks ago using the coffee table as a stage. We have so much fun and they get a piece of history at the same time! Win win! So, I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into my dorkiness. I am just glad the my girls are gonna grow up appreciating when music was good before there was bumping and grinding..LOL...I crack myself up! Anyway...if you have never listened to Frank, I encourage you to go ahead and try something new. You'll then realize how much you really have heard him, because he is in everything, from movies to tv to commercials...his songs are everywhere! Add a little cultrue to your life and Enjoy!

Do you love Frank as much as I do??

Hamburger Steak

    
Okay, so this recipe is surprisingly delicious. I mean, who'd have ever thought that making a hamburger like a steak would be good? Well, it is and my kids even love it. The meal takes probably about 30-45 minutes with prep and everything. It's a fairly common southern dish and is another one that just spells comfort. You can find this on the menu at Cracker Barrel, actually you can find a lot of my dishes on their menu. I make a lot of down home comfort food. BUT let me just say...Cracker Barrel's hamburger steak doesn't hold a candle to this recipe! Not to brag or anything, but it's absolutely delicious! I wish I could take all the credit but I can't since I found the recipe years ago on Allrecipes. Sometimes, it's one of my go to meals when I don't have anything to cook. I usually have all the ingredients on hand with some ground beef in the freezer. Hope you enjoy it!

Hamburger Steak

a.k.a. Poor Man's Steak

from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

salt and pepper to taste

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon cooking sherry

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.                

 Form into 8 balls, and flatten into patties.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties and onion in the oil until patties are nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side.  

 Remove the beef patties to a plate, and keep warm. I then like to keep the onions in a little bit longer so they can caramelize a little more. (I love the onions but DH and my Princesses don't so when they are done, I remove most of them to the plate with the meat and just hoard them all to myself when it's dinner time.)

  

 Sprinkle flour over the onions and drippings in the skillet. Stir in flour with a fork, scraping bits of beef off of the bottom as you stir.              

 Gradually mix in the beef broth and sherry. (Make sure to measure the sherry with a measuring spoon. I don't always measure things exactly unless I am baking. The last time I made this I didn't measure it and the sherry was a bit too strong. The tablespoon called for is just the right amount.) Season with seasoned salt. Simmer and stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the gravy thickens.

Turn heat to low, return patties to the gravy, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes. 

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