Simple Stained Stripes

I'm such a fan of stripes. Have you seen my house? Both my guest room and my daughter's nursery are striped. Sometimes I go a little too crazy, but not when it comes to staining stripes on wood- you really can't go wrong. It's such an awesome look, and somehow it's both subtle and dramatic. Go figure.
So here's how to do it. First, take a sanding block to your surface and sand. My table was already fairly bare of previous stain so it didn't take long to get to the point of being ready to stain. Next step, wipe off all the dust. I used a damp paper towel in this case. Sometimes I use tac cloth when it's a really dusty job.
Once I got all the sanding dust off, I started taping off my stripes. I got lucky with this table, and didn't have to do any measuring. I just laid the first piece of tape down length-wise following the edge of the table as a guide. Then I placed a few pieces of tape down next to it to give me the perfect width to space my next stripe. No measuring. Simple.

Next, place your second stripe down making sure you're exactly on the edge of the template tape. Make sure you press down the edge of the tape really well to prevent the stain from leaking under. Remove the little guideline tape and your ready to stain.

I used an old rag, dipped it in ever-so-slightly, and rubbed with the grain. You don't want too much stain too fast or else it might seep under the tape lines. Go light, and then layer. Afterwards you can buff off excess with a clean side of the rag. I only work in small sections so I can pull up the tape and fix the lines with my finger if some stain happens to run under the tape. If you catch it quick enough before it dries, it's a much easier problem to fix.

Repeat till you're finish and voila, stained stripes. You can oil the whole thing with some furniture oil, and that'll make the natural stripes that you didn't stain really pop! Next, step back and enjoy your beautiful stained/striped table, or dresser, or floor...the possibilities are endless!

Real Estate Monday: Churchill Again

I know I said I was going to take a break on the Real Estate Monday series, but I just had to throw one more in there before I went on vacation. This house could be terrible in person. You never know. But I spotted three things in this house that makes me want to see more.
1. An adobe style fireplace- so neat. Plus, the gorgeous credenza and painting next to it!

2. A Danish modern dining table, awesome chairs, and a gorgeous built-in sideboard to match. Mid century modern in its truest form and I love it.

I'd definitely be negotiating some of the furniture into the sale. 

3. A chesterfield sofa. You can never go wrong with a leather-tufted chesterfield. Period.

Call me crazy, but if this owner has taste in these things, I'm betting the rest of the house is pretty cool, even if it is dated. Nothing a little paint can't fix if the bones are there, right?
Click here if you'd like to see more of this home. It's located at 2420 Marbury Rd. in Churchill, Pa 15221.


p.s. don't forget to stop by my tent at the Waterfront Fall Festival this Saturday. I think I'll be the only one with furniture. We shall see. 

21 Days Hath September: I made it market event!

IMPORTANT UPDATE!!! I hope you realized today's event got canceled due to rain. BOO!!! But, it will be rescheduled, and I will let you know when as soon as I do. So stay tuned.


Of course it really goes, "Thirty days hath September..." BUT I was trying to be catchy and grab your attention. I hereby announce my first outdoor market event at the Waterfront's Fall Festival on Saturday, September 21st from 1-5pm. I made it! Market is hosting the event near the fountain at Starbucks and you can click here for a list of all the artists attending. I'll be bringing with me some one-of-a-kind pieces that I'm sure you'll love. Here's a couple things I've been working on below:

Remember this post about these chairs? Well, here's the end result. I have the perfect table to pair them with and I think it'll make an adorable breakfast nook. You'll just have to wait and see. 

This book caddy was so drab before, I couldn't even bear to take a picture, lest I break the camera. Now any child (or adult) would be proud to display their favorite books and magazines.  

This was a fun find. It was made in the former USSR circa 1960's. I'm not going to do much to it... I want to keep it fairly true to its original design- a simple, mid century modern child's rocker. But, I might stain the seat slightly darker to pop a bit. We'll see. 

p.s.  I'm going to be taking a break for the rest of this month on the Real Estate Monday's Series to allow the market to replenish a bit (that and we're going out of town for a late summer vacation).
p.p.s. There's still one day left of the auction... still lots of steals!!! Click on this link (ayptoday) and register to bid. It's so much fun!

This little girl says, "See you at the Waterfront!" 

Real Estate Monday: Stanton Heights

Well since I gave you a real fixer-up from the South Side last week, I decided to go for a completely staged and move-in ready home for practically the same price. It's amazing what location can do. Stanton Heights is a "newer" neighborhood by Pittsburgh terms. Surrounded by neighborhoods like Lawrenceville, Morningside, East Liberty and Garfield, you have to admit it has a pretty central location. Before the 50's, most of this area was part of the Stanton Heights Golf Course. Now it's a quiet, suburb-like neighborhood with little traffic, yet super close to the city and all the action. Side note: did you see the clip on the Today show this morning about "Little Upgrades Big Results"? They showed you inexpensive things you can to do to get a huge return on your dollar. This house is a good example of that. My only wish is for pictures with a little better clarity because I want to see all the cuteness in more detail! 
Here's 1332 Hawthorne St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201

It's listed for $183,900.
One of the higher prices in the neighborhood, but also one of the most well-done and updated.
Doesn't it have nice curb-appeal? 

Can we talk about this room for a second? I'm obsessed with the look they have going. From the display of milk glass type pottery on top of a beautiful, understated built-in, to the mid century modern hair pin leg table, to the modern/classic white drum shade pendant. I just love it all, and I think they did an excellent job of mixing styles here. 

Again, very nice decor and good use of the space. 

There are 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms in this house. Sounds good to me. I'll take this one. 

And an adorable, little yard with just the right amount of grass. Plus a double car garage= huge bonus. 

What do you think? Any Stanton Heights people want to weigh in on the neighborhood? Until next week, happy Real Estate Monday.