Before and After: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Armoire

I've been curious about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for a while now. People talked about this magical paint that sticks to everything without primer, and looks buttery smooth after a good waxing. I'd never seen it in person though, and the idea of ordering something that costs around 35.00 a quart sight unseen from an online vendor was not appealing.

If you're wondering, "What is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?" Click here to go to the website for all the deets.

Anyway, my friend Sara bought some chalk paint in Tampa! She showed me her Annie Sloan Chalk Painted furniture, and it was so pretty, and smooth, and she loved it. It almost convinced me to order it online!  And then,  she told me I didn't have to order it online! There's a little shop half an hour away that sells it.

I finally went over there the other weekend to check it out. The shop is delightful!  It's the Sweet South Cottage, and they sell custom painted furniture, and cute shabby chic decor in addition to the ASCP. Everyone was so nice, and I even got to chat with the shop owner and catch a glimpse of some of her recent projects. 

They have a studio out back where they work on projects, offer painting workshops for groups, and they even rent it out for parties. It's basically the cutest thing I've ever seen.

It's a place of old ladders, old windows, exposed beams, and pretty stenciled floors. And through the windows you can see the shop owner's house that has turrets and gables and is painted in all the colors of soft delicious cotton candy. I want to go to there.

Side note: The drive out to the store was so pretty. This was early February, and these little white flowers were blooming all along the side of the highway. I was thinking about how glorious the weather is, and how people in other places are actually building snowmen right now, while I cruise down the road in 75 degree weather, looking at the closest to snowbanks Florida has to offer.  (So, of course, I stopped to take a picture like a crazy person. Thats normal...)

 Anyway, I finally got the chance to try out the fabled Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! I bought a quart of "Coco" and got to work painting the dresser we had stripped and sanded the weekend before.

Without further ado, I bring the very poorly lit before and almost after of the little dresser that fell into our laps at the most opportune moment:

Tiny dresses!! They make me talk in a high pitched voice and I can't help but throw the door open and show Cory itsy bitsy clothes every chance I get. He loves it.

Anyway, back to the paint.  I know you don't have to strip and sand before you use the paint. Thats kind of the whole point. But, the dresser was in bad, bad shape. The polyurethane had bubbled up over the years leaving a thick, scaly texture all over wood. So, we had to sand for a while to prep it. (Strike 1, not the paint's fault)

The sample color of "Coco" lead me to believe that the color has more of a chocolatey tone, but it really reads as more of a beigey gray on my dresser.  I swear, even the sample in the store looked a little darker. I don't know if I just got a fluke quart of paint, or maybe I didn't stir the paint well enough? I may try the dark wax on it later, to see if that deepens the color to more what I was expecting. (Strike 2)

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Coco, sample via

Overall, I like the finish a lot. Once I went over everything with steel wool it became super smooth and will only get better once I finish applying the wax (I said it was an almost after). The paint went on really well with 2 coats, and the coverage was good. For a piece that didn't need the sanding to fix the surface problems, it would definitely be a time saver.

I'm glad I tried it. I would  use it again for big pieces like dressers and tables that I really like, and plan to keep for a long, long time (at 35.00 per quart, momma's gotta love it to spend the dough). Next time, before I leave the store I'll ask to see a sample of the quart I'm actually buying to ensure I get the color I expect. Luckily I still like this color! So it all worked out.

And, of course, I need some advice. Perhaps you noticed that I have three different knobs on the drawers currently. I was playing around with a few different types from my knob stash (I don't know why I have a knob stash, I just do...), and now I don't know which one I like best! For me, its a tie between option #1 and #3. What's your vote?

Love Story: Boyd and Juanita Bobo

 In honor of the day of love, I'm posting our parent's and grandparent's love stories (a project I've been meaning to do for the past 2.5 years...)

This is the story of how my Mom's parents met. It's devastatingly romantic. Wartime romance always is. Prepare yourself.

The Love Story of Boyd and Juanita Bobo

One night Boyd's brother invited him to attend a Mormon dance. Boyd wasn't a Mormon, and he wasn't much for dancing, but he decided to come along anyway.

When they arrived, Boyd saw the most beautiful girl. Her name was Juanita. They really hit it off,  and they began to exchange letters while Boyd was gone for Navy training.

After several months, Boyd came home on leave. He met up with Juanita as soon as he could. They borrowed $7.00 from his brother Dewey to pay for the license, and were married on essentially their second date!

He always said, "Juanita sure could write a letter."

Shortly after their wedding, Boyd was deployed. While at sea, his ship was hit, and one half was completely obliterated. Boyd was on the lucky half, and made it home to Juanita safely.When he arrived home, he was greeted by his lovely wife, and he met his son, Boyd Jr., for the first time.

Love Story: Ralph and Nancy Clark

 For our wedding in 2010, I asked for our parent's and grandparent's love stories. I wouldn't really say that they loved writing out all of these details, but apparently I was demanding enough that they complied. I don't regret it one bit. These are priceless!

I can't think of anything I'd rather do on Valentine's day than publish these sweet stories, so here we go :)

Cory's Grandpa Ralph wrote down what he remembers from his earliest days with his wife Nancy. Ralph passed away in 2010, which makes his account that much more precious.

The Love Story of Ralph and Nancy Clark
As told by Ralph Clark

"The first time I saw Nancy, she was around nine years old. I had left my bike out in the yard while I went in to make a sandwich  When I cam back outside, lo and behold! I caught Nancy and my sister Omega stealing my bike! That was a very big deal to me in those days. I chased them down, and gave them both a piece of my mind.

Time went on and when I was about 19 years old, Omega thought I needed to have a girlfriend. She asked if I'd like to have a date with a girl named Nancy. Well, I considered the offer, and decided, why no go out with Nancy for the heck of it?"

"I waited in the car for Omega and Nancy to come out. to this day I'll never forget how beautiful Nancy was when she walked around the car to get in the front seat next to me.

Well, we've been married over 60 years, she's still beautiful and I've never regretted one moment of our life together."

If that wasn't sweet enough, get a load of this wedding story! Nancy and Ralph had been dating for a few months. One night as they drove around together, they decided they would get married. So, that's what they did! Nancy was just 16 years old! Ralph dropped her back of at her house in the morning, and then went home and confessed what they had done. They looked at him in shock, and then said, "Well, go get your wife!"  And they spent the next 60 years raising their family together.

In her own little corner, with her own little chair.

Let's talk baby rooms. Due to space limitations, I'm not decorating a nursery. Little baby Allen will get a corner of our room for the first little while, and if she's lucky we might upgrade her to the second bedroom in our apartment once Cory graduates and doesn't practically live sitting at his desk in our second bedroom hunched over his textbooks. We'll see. 

While she won't have a room of her own, I do have lots of ideas to squeeze into her little nursery corner. When people ask me what the theme is, I can't really say...and when I try it comes out to "loosely vintage and peachy/minty colors with random stuff I like and a 1950's-1970's toys vibe." Then they nod their head and say, "Oh that sounds very...nice. I'm sure it'll look so cute..." And  then we talk about something else.

 Its hard to put it into words. I'll let this not at all to scale hod podge of pictures do the splainin'.

Crib fabric: Riley Blake, Fly a Kite Ice Cream Pink
Crib: Davinci Jenny Lind in Cherry
Rocker: Ikea Poang
Rug: Urban Outfitters, Scalloped Eyelet 

So, that's the idea. What would you call it?

 My friend Joanna very generously offered to make the crib skirt and bumpers (!! I know!) so I began the hunt for the perfect fabric. Fabric shopping is probably one of the things I'm the worst at. After about an hour in Joann's one Saturday, strolling through every aisle about 10 times and not finding ANYthing I could commit to, I called my sister Jackie, the fabric guru. She spent a few days working on it, and then found the most beautiful and perfect one in the whole world. She's pretty good.

As for the armoire, I was keeping my eyes, and found a gorgeous antique one for about $250.00. I tried to justify the purchase but..it just wasn't happening. But its a good thing, because my mom's neighbor had an old wardrobe he wasn't using and she got it for a steal! Like, $25.00. North Carolina is seriously the land of sweet deals on old crap.  Apparently the dresser needs a lot of work, but that's not exactly something new for my furniture. We're sanding and fixing it up this weekend. I'll let you know how that goes.

And there you have it--a little vintagey nursery nook for Baby Allen. What do you think?

Also, we're in the last 100 days till this baby arrives! Just about 3 months to go!

Coming to terms with the fact that I live in Florida and Spring starts in January, apparently.

Living in the Florida Panhandle means I don't have to know how to drive in snow, and the entire difference between my winter wardrobe and summer wardrobe is that in the "winter" I don't push the sleeves of my cardigans up to my elbows.

There were a few pretty nippy days back in December, and I realized I didn't own a decent coat. I was cold and I thought for sure we'd have until the end of January to have use for a nice warm coat, so I purchased a lovely gray pea coat. I was really looking forward to using it.

But then, it stopped being cold.For the past few weeks we've been crusin' at around 75 degrees, and its truly lovely. But I was sad. Because I wanted to use that new coat that ate up all my free Kohl's cash. But then. Then something magical happened that chased all the sad feelings away.

An early sighting of the elusive Cadbury egg!! And I wasn't even looking for them! Have you ever found a box out this early?? I exhibited remarkable self restraint and only bought four eggs. And I even shared one of those four with Cory.

Back in the days when I roomed with my BFF Lara, we would go Cadbury egg hunting every January. We scoured every grocery store hoping to find the very first shipment. Then, once spotted, we would stockpile the glorious creme filled delights for the long Cadbury-less summer and winter months ahead. Although, no matter how many we put in the freezer, they never seemed to last past May. 

I think this might have contributed to all that weight I put on during those years, but...I suppose we'll never know for sure. 

And so, strengthened by the magic of the Cadbury Egg I was ready for a balmy and prosperous Florida Spring. Which means, I had to finally take down the last and most favorite of my Christmas decorations. 

Yep. I did that mason jar/epsom salt/christmas tree thing you saw all over pinterest. And it was magical. I looked everywhere for some little woodland creatures to add to my jars, but alas, they were no where to be found. I almost ordered some on Etsy, but then realized they were expensive and unnecessary and we're having a baby and I shouldn't spend money on fake deer because soon my whole income will be consumed with diapers and baby food and whatever else tiny humans need to survive. Sometimes I make hard choices. 

Then my mom came to visit. She loved the little jars! Validation! I confessed my fruitless tiny woodland creature hunt to her, and she says, "Oh, I have some little deer. You can have them."

 Apparently people used to buy her tiny little cute things all the time in the 70's. It was kind of her thing. And I'm starting to suspect a slightly ridiculous affinity for nick nacky paraphernalia is genetic.

Blurry pictures... but you get the idea. Tiny ceramic adorableness abounds.

 I took down the "Merry Christmas" banner the first week of January but I held on to the jars. I reasoned, there is nothing inherently Christmas about the snow and the deer and the trees, right? Even if its warm enough to wear shorts outside, I can still have a few more weeks of winter on my window sill, right?

Nothing about Christmas to see here folks.

It wasn't meant to be. The Cadbury egg has spoken. I've gotten all of winter I'm going to get. The window sill got some fresh flowers and a Valentine banner. So fresh and so clean.

The flowers make me so happy, but I really couldn't pack those deer away. So, we improvised!

Take a few river rocks leftover from last years failed gardening attempt, some weird moss from outside and...we have a springy little mountainous home for our deer! Everybody wins! Unless that moss becomes some kind of creature. Then we might have a problem.

Why I think we should name our baby Clementine, and other pregnancy updates.

Citrus. It's basically the most delicious thing I've ever tasted in my entire life. Last Friday I bought a crate of clementines at the store. I was feeling a little sick when I was walking the groceries out to the car, and a clementine sounded so good. So I peeled one, and it was so. good.

I ended up finishing three on the drive home.  And I only live a mile away from the grocery store. Here's the crate after I'd had it for 2 days.

 It was empty three days later. I miss them.

 I'm 24 weeks along with little baby girl Allen this week. I haven't posted much about the actual pregnancy so far because I was taught that if you don't have anything nice to say....don't say anything at all. And most people don't count hearing stories about projectile vomiting, or peeing your own pants in public places as nice--no matter how hilariously awkward the story may be. So I don't say anything. And here we are, 24 weeks later, with nary a record kept.

So, I'll list a few questions that are pretty frequently asked, and I'll spare you the pee pants stories. Although, now that you know they're out there, am I really sparing you anything at all?

Do you have a name picked out?

Nope. Naming someone is hard. We'd like to use Kathleen as her middle name, after Cory's great grandma who passed away last year.  There are a few first names we've talked about and both seem to like. Eleanor, Emmeline, Amelia, and Clara are on the list right now, but nothing has been decided yet. We're not keeping it a secret, we just really don't know what it's going to be. I told Cory that we should name her Clementine after I pounded that crate late week, but he wasn't going for it. (But really, we could name her Clementine and still call her Emmie, my favorite of the nick name options so far. Just saying. It's on the table.) 

Feeling any movement?

 I started feeling a little nudge or swipe here and there starting at 17 weeks, but in the past week I've been able to feel little movements pretty regularly, which is totally surreal/amazing. She's not quite strong enough for Cory to feel her little kicks, so it's just a little treat for me right now. I can't help but smile when I feel her, and send "Hi little baby" messages from me to her. 

How much weight have you gained?

I lost about 15 pounds in the first few months, and I've gained about 3-5 of that back so far, depending on the day. 

Any symptoms?

I get sick about once or twice a day, but the constant nausea started to fade around 16 weeks (which has been amazing!). My legs get super restless and sometimes even wake me up at night, but Cory and I started going for walks to help with that. I typically fall asleep around 8:30 PM these days, but I've always been an early to bed, early to rise kind of girl so that's nothing new. 

Any aversions?

The smell of our laundry detergent and dryer sheets made me so sick that I now keep that junk on the porch. And the blue original Dawn dish soap scent is pretty bad too. Dairy products are also pretty gross.

Any cravings?

Aside from treating any type of citrus as my own personal brand of black tar heroin, I can't think of anything really. I like salad with Italian dressing a lot. Every now and then I can really go for some lasagna (meatless, please). 

My belly has finally gotten to the stage where it looks a little bit like there might be a baby in there, and less like I've just been hitting the snack cakes harder than usual, so I finally took a belly shot. Cory didn't tell me he was actually taking the picture when he snapped this one, so I'm not sucking it in or pushing it out at all, btw. I'm thinking stripes might have been a bad choice but, oh well.

Things really do seem like they're flying by, so I'm sure before I know whats going on she'll be here! I'm ready to start getting her nursery nook set up (she'll be in our room for the first little while) and get some basic clothes and diapers stocked up. And hair bows. She needs lots of hair bows.

So, that's where we're at now a days. Even with all the bodily function surprises, I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world. We're so glad you're one your way, Little Baby Girl.

Christmas '12 & New Years '13

Finally getting back on this blogging train. New Years resolution: Weekly posts. The great 4 months of morning sickness 2012 really zapped all blogging motivation--I've got some catching up to do! Here's a recap of Christmas and New Years with WAYY too many pictures. You've been warned.

 Cory and I opened our gifts and stockings for each other on Christmas Eve. We filled the Santa Mugs with piping hot chocolate (my contribution to our holiday tradition making) and ate Zebra cakes (Cory's contribution to our traditions in the making. We'll see if that one sticks).

Cory gave me some fancy cardigans (my favorite gift to receive EVER. I've never met a cardigan I didn't like) AND the 1.8 aperture camera lens I've been ever so subtlety hinting that I had to have. I gave Cory grill accessories and a fancy MAX access Craftsman ratchet/wrench set that he showed me a youtube video about, so I thought he might want it.

 Cory really raked in on the ratchets/wrenches this year. He got like, 200 different kinds. Now we just need a project for him to wrench open or something.

Kourtney made this nativity on jars for me--She sells the vinyl cuts on Etsy, so you can make one too :) Click here.

We spent Christmas day with Cory's family, which I sadly didn't get any pictures of. We opened presents in the morning and I got a Dyson vacuum!!! I cried when I opened it. Does that mean I'm officially grown up? I am seriously in love with it.

Then Cory's dad made a giant breakfast of Belgian waffles, spicy eggs, and sausage. We hung out watching family videos the rest of the day and we got to skype with Cory's brother who is serving a mission in Arizona. He comes home in June and we are so excited!

After Christmas we headed over to Marianna to spend a few days with my family while they were in town. We took turns snuggling grand baby Nathaniel, and feeding grandpuppy Daisy people food that she is not supposed to have. Aren't they precious?

We spent the nights playing Mexican train, Cranium and Settlers of Cataan. We'll some people played Settlers. I never really developed a taste for games of strategy, so I declined. But Jesse, Tanya and Cory really seemed to enjoy it.

Grandpa and Grandma couldn't get enough of sweet baby Nate. And Sam couldn't get enough of lighting fires. He kept that thing going for days. And Cory sat in front of it for days. What can I say? The boy doesn't have a lot of insulation on those bones.

We felt adventurous one day, so we took a trip to Alabama. We hit up the flea market where you can buy pretty much anything. Boiled peanuts, fancy pearls, old books, south American specialty spices....seriously, you could buy anything. We found a guy selling fruits and veggies in the back, and they were so fresh! And cheap! We got a ton of grape fruit, sweet red peppers, strawberries, 2 little pineapples,and I forget what else for 13.00 dollars.

Things that made me laugh in Alabama.  Now I'm really jonesin' for a Strawberry-Quiwi sno cone.

Kourtney brought her crafting supplies, and we camped out in the dining room making fancy cards off and on throughout the week. I got some adorable cards for baby showers and weddings out of it. Cory even made a few cards. He was a stamping mad man.

The boys had fun doing boy things. They used saws, and automatic nail guns, and mitered things, and eventually got beadboard and thick baseboards up all over the attic. We had a box of two thousand expired paintballs that they had fun shooting off for about 10 minutes. Seriously. It took them 10 minutes to get through that box.

After that they started our annual new years bonfire (gotta start it early so it has time to burn down). And then they went and bought a few boxes of fireworks from Alabama, the land of legit fireworks. Jesse was really chatting it up with the fireworks dealer, and when they were checking out, the dealer gave them a free box of fireworks ($60.00 retail value!). So yea. He's still got it.

We spent New Years Eve roasting hotdogs and marshmallows, and lighting fireworks that may or may not be illegal in the state of Florida. It was nice. Also, Nathaniel looooved the fireworks. That is one 2 month old who knows whats up. Hansen boy, through and through.

A little bit of Roman Candle magic. It felt like we were in Harry Potter for reals. Expelliarmus!

We ended the night having waaaay too much fun with sparklers. Things got wild.

The break was so wonderful, I want a million more weeks of it. Alas, that's never going to happen. Back to work for me, and back to school for Cory. Today is the first day of his last semester!! We been waitin' for you, 2013.

Hope you had a great holiday break filled with family, and Christmas, and just maybe a little bit of relaxation. Any new years resolutions out there? I think mine is "Get it together" and we'll leave it at that.