50 Projects 2012--Join here and post your lists !

[lozzieozzie]

Hi guys,

I just wanted to post and say hi - life threw me a belter last year, and as such, all crafting went completely out of the window, meaning I catastrophically failed on my 50 for last year.

I'm still quite poorly, so I don't think I'm up to joining in the CAL this year - this is the first time I've even logged in for a couple of months I think, but I just wanted to post to say hello, congrats to all of those that hit last year's targets (OMG Always - 150?!?!), and that there are some lovely things on here already.

I'm not back into crafting yet - have lost all my oomph, but am taking at a day at a time, and will probably be lurking on here to try and get some of my inspiration back.

Lozzie

[Sera unravled]

I love that dresser. I think it's too pretty to paint.
Good job on those slippers, cursive queen. They look nice and comfy.

I got the top for my lap quilt done.

[sheepBlue]

Here's an altered tin I made up for the Dec Birthday swap - inspired by a painting done by Tim Burton seen here
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/tim-burton/images/9175076/title/blue-girl-with-wine-photo

Of course I ran out of any sort of blue paint so I went with purple instead. Seemed like the next best thing.

[SilverMoon]

Ok, I'm going against the grain here but cinnamon, I recommend refinishing and leaving the natural wood.  That's a very nice piece of furniture!

I'd have to agree with dreadlock! I love the dark wood look

Yup, me too. And it does look more piratey dark too.

That's a very cool tin sheepBlue. I wish I had a December birthday. Being birthday partners with you would be awesome

[mama24boyz]

I also think you should leave the wood.  I love dark wood furniture. 

[Pixiefirefly]

And I LOVE IT!!!!!!

I just got my package today! You are AWESOME!!!

[LimeRiot]

Her boobies look like they are going to come through my computer screen and poke me in the eye!! Another wonderful project, sheepBlue .

[yofi]

So many great projects!

I just wanted to jump in re: your dresser, cinnamon teal.  You might be able to refinish it, but chances are it's veneer over less expensive wood.  (Looks like there are a couple of big chips in the veneer on the left side of one of the drawers?)

I'd be tempted to paint it something bright and funky (I love the lines of that mirror!) along these lines:
http://boundarybay.wordpress.com/alain-nowak/
http://cherishedpossessions.com/2011/07/very-tasteful-hand-decorating-79836-hand-painted-dresser-w-mirror/

But if you want something "piratey" maybe you could do a faux aged finish in a dark color, maybe with some gilt or silver leaf around some of the details?  Or maybe a dark cinnabar kind of red, with dark dark brown in the corners?

It's a great piece to work with!

[KLKing]

The vodka gummies sound amazing! I'd love to hear how they taste and if they're as awesome in real life as they look.
The pumpkin roll looks delicious, too! Do you have to do anything special with the walnuts before you can eat them?

And... I need some advice. Here's the dresser I picked up yesterday. I love her! She reminds me of something you would find in a pirate captain's cabin. But she's in desperate need of some refinishing. And, well, she's way more traditional than the rest of my furniture. So I'm thinking about painting part of it white and leaving the rest with natural wood showing, like this one. Do you think that sort of look would work on this style? Or would you do something totally different?

 I did a  lot of furniture refinishing in my past. It looks like the entire surface needs a good sanding, especially the top.  You Could strip it down to the bare wood, and rub in an Oil Varnish, in a lighter tone. I'm not fond of the idea of a stark contrast.
 One suggestion is to do a Layered Distressed finish.
Sand down some of the sharp edges to the bare wood. rub wax on those areas. Then, paint the entire dresser. Let dry thoroughly, one to two days. Don't paint the hardware. You should tape it off, or take them off completely and clean them with a scrub brush and soap. After the paint is dry, gently sand off the areas where there is wax under the paint. It will reveal the bare wood. Go a little more, and try to get the third color to show... the dark tone you have now.  You will be removing the wax too.
  Finally, go over the entire thing with a clear or tinted sealer finish, either varnish or laquer. For best results, Purchase OIL BASED ENAMEL paint. Do Not use any Wall paint.
They will try to sell you wall paint, but DON'T!!!
If I can find a chair I did like this, I'll post it.

It may be hard to see, but these were black enamel. I sanded down the edges, applied wax where I wanted color to show thru, rubbed off paint later, then sealed it with a light stain.
You can do something similar with your own colors, or even white and light/dark brown.
I DID use Oil based enamel. It was richer, and last longer.  The oil painting in the background was mine from art class at age 12. The other oil paint mess ON TOP of the table is my daughter's!

[DawnsTrees]

Way back, many pages ago...

2. Sky scarf. Knitting the color of the sky each day for a year. link WIP

What a fun scarf! I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Her boobies look like they are going to come through my computer screen and poke me in the eye!! Another wonderful project, sheepBlue .

Absolutely made me laugh out loud! (and agreed, great project sheepBlue!)

lozzieozzie - sorry you had a rough year. Hope you feel better!

KLKing - great advice! (now if I can only remember it when I need it!)