the project-per-month PROJECT month 5

Another month has come and gone and here we are with the Project-Per-Month Project, take five. I remain a huge fan of this method of home improvement. Small little projects, dealt with one at a time. Since we started, my house is just feeling nicer and tidier and I feel more in control of this space where I live.

Project-Per-Month Project HOW IT WORKS... If you want to join in the project project, and you totally should, here are the rules...
- Pick a single, manageable project off your to-do list, just one.
- Determine that you WILL do it, come hell or high water, even if you have to stay up late one night
- Give yourself specific goals.
- Give yourself a deadline: the end of the month.
- Give yourself a budget.
- Do it. Do it.

I can't wait to see what everyone accomplished in July. Actually because I'm a few days behind posting this I've already seen a couple of you guys' end results and it's AWESOME. You guys rock! For July I refinished my kitchen table in Annie Sloane chalk paint in primer red. I was going to do the whole table but the minute I got started I realized I liked having the top red and the base and legs black because this way it still looks like my chairs belong with the table.

I chose Annie Sloane chalk paint which has a great reputation for being easy to work with and doesn't require any priming. The whole project took about 24 hours, but really just four time windows of one hour each with breaks for things to dry in between, and I just love how it turned out. The paint is thick and goes on so cleanly that I started out with a drop cloth that I had intended to move around the table as I worked, but realized it was unneccessary so I painted this bad boy without a drop cloth! Danger Mom! I live life on the edge.

I used 2 coats of paint which equaled about 2/3 of the can and then I used 2 coats of Annie Sloane sealing wax which you smear on and then buff once it's dry. The end result is matte but with a nice sheen. I wasn't sure how comfortable I'd be actually using the table but we had guests in town the day after I finished this project so it was trial by fire.

And the table did great! Even with four little kids using it which meant hot food spills, sticky food smashed on, water and milk puddles, etc. this poor table has been through the shit already. So far it's done great. I wouldn't put a hot pan or anything on this, because I just feel like it's good but not titanium-level of heat-stain proof  and would end up with a ring (is titanium heat-stain proof? I don't know I just have that song in my head). Bullets would not ricochet off this table. It would fall down. Don't fire away at my table.

Anyways, I'm so happy to have my beat looking table looking swank again!

July was a success, and just under budget. For August I am considering turning the catch-all closet in the kids' toy room into a dressup station. I'm giving myself a couple days to commit to this project because it will require imagination, organization, and probably a handful of thrift store trips for dress up supplies and honestly I don't know if I have it in me. But I want to! But I'm tired. But I'm excited! But also tired. If I decide to put this project off for a month then my backup project is finding a tall/narrow dresser at the thrift store for the corner next to the kitchen table. Right now we have one of those square Ikea tables tucked into the corner and it's covered with my "desk" stuff including a mad pile of papers/bills, my laptop when I'm not using it, camera, stationery, etc. It just looks really cluttered and Loretta is always threatening to pilfer through it. So a dresser would hide the mess nicely. Either way my August budget is going to be $40.

What projects have you been up to or are thinking about taking on for August? Let me know if you have any questions about using the chalk paint. I had a bunch, but ended up just kind of reading a handful of online tutorials and then going for it and it worked out. Really easy, versatile paint. I have a feeling it will be my go-to for any future paint projects, even though it is a pain to hunt down and I had to order mine long-distance. If you do that, it's worth comparing not just the cost but the shipping cost at a few places to find the best deal. It was cheaper for me to order from New England than from a shop in Portland - crazy! And word on the street is that you don't have to use Annie Sloane sealing wax (which is pricey) so next time I'll just use Annie Sloane paint and non-fancy wax. I think the packaging is fancy but the wax itself is standard. All in all two big thumbs up on this one though.