FAQ's

Here are some of the questions that I get asked most commonly, and their answers.  If there is something you'd like to know, ask away!

1)  Where did you get your pillows?

*some affiliate links used

Green: Robert Allen Malachite with greek key trim from Hobby Lobby, similar pre-made here

Multi-floral:  Chiang Mai Dragon in Alabaster by Schumacher. pre-made here or here

Black Dot: Premier Prints Togo with DIY Pom Poms added (post here)

Black Multi-Toile:  Thrifted fabric panel- sorry, no known info. on it

Leopard:  Upholstery fabric from Hobby Lobby

2)  Where did you get your curtains?

I made them!   I bought the majority of the fabric at the Ballard Outlet, clearanced out for $5/yard.  

Not sure what they called it, but the maker is Waverly and you have two choices...  the indoor/outdoor fabric blend is called "Tucker Resist" and the cotton blend is called "Willamsburg."  They are both the same pattern, just different fabric content.  Mine is the Tucker Resist.  It's a bit stiffer than the other would be, but I like the body that adds, and it's also less expensive than the other.  I also have these hanging in our breakfast nook, so I don't worry if any food happens to get slung on it, I can scrub it off  :)  It comes in several different colors.  

Here is where I bought a bit extra that I needed, but if you just do a search with the pattern name it's pretty easy to find.  This site was the best deal I could find at the time, but that was over a year ago so I don't know if that's still the case. (notice that their prices are by the HALF yard, double it for a yard)  

My fabric is the Ebony colorway, and Miss Mustard Seed has the same pattern in the indigo color.  Beautiful!

3) What kind of glaze did you use on your kitchen cabinets and how did you apply it?

Unfortunately, that project was pre-blogging so I don't have photos of the process, but I can tell you a little bit about what I did.  

I purchased the glaze from a local paint store and the color was ?.  I just dug the can out of the garage and wouldn't you know it...I think the color name got cut off.  I really think it was "Deep Umber" though.  I don't know if that's a readily available glaze color or just available from the store where I bought it.  Van Dyke Brown is also a very popular and good glaze color.

Just a little background, the paint I used was Behr's Cottage White and I used the Paint+Primer, without any sanding, just a good wiping down of the wood before I painted.  Take into consideration that the finish on my stained wood was aging and wasn't super slick.  I would recommend painting several scraps of wood and then glazing your samples.   I didn't do this before hand and I was surprised at how much the glaze changed the paint color.  My paint color changed from white to a really warm creamy color (I hate to say almost hinting at a yellowish cream, but it really is).  

In hind-sight, I probably would have just used a tiny brush and applied some glaze to the nooks and crannies rather than glazing the entire piece, but it's up to you and the look you're going for.  The glaze also accented all of the grain of the oak, which wasn't as apparent with the paint only. I like that, but if that's not the look you want then you should probably skip the glaze.

For the glazing process, I used a foam brush to paint a coat of glaze over the entire piece, and then quickly wiped it down with a cloth.  That didn't remove as much of the glaze as I wanted to, so I also had a rag nearby soaked with mineral spirits that I used for a second wipe-down.  That really helped remove the majority of the glaze, just leaving a hint behind.  Even with all of the wiping, your paint color will still be different than what you started with.  I didn't wipe off as much in the crevices and around the trim where I wanted more detail to show.  There's not a right or wrong way to do it, but play around until you get the amount of glaze and look you want, and then do all of your other pieces exactly the same way.  If you're lucky enough to have a partner, it really works best if the same person does all of the wiping so the look will be uniform.

After glazing, I let it sit for a while (I can't remember if it was just a few hours or a day).  It takes days and days for a glaze to fully dry, but it can still be a little tacky when you put your poly top coat on.  The poly will help seal everything and help it to dry more quickly.

I used the polyurethane in a spray can as a top coat.  From what I've read it may have a tendency to yellow over time on light colors.  I haven't noticed it changing from the original warm creamy color yet, but don't have an original sample to compare it to.   "Polycrylic", which is water-based, is what you really should use for a top coat on light colors.  I took a short cut and used the polyurethane because it was in a spray can, but I knew I was taking a risk of the color changing over time.  

I'm very happy with how everything has held up.  The only spot I've had to touch up is the corner of the cabinet frame where we keep the trash can...with my finger and nails scaping that a hundred times a day, it gets a bit chipped.

4)  What is your paint color?

The reason I don't really have this readily posted is that I made it up!  I mixed colors until I got what I liked.  I've looked on some of my paint chips and Sherwin Williams #6107 Nomadic Desert and #6108 Latte are very close.  It's sort of right in between those two, so either one would probably be a pretty close match.

Or, here's a photo of the formula if you're interested. *Note*:  This formula is for a 5 GALLON bucket.  It will need to be adjusted if you want 1 gallon.

It can take on a dozen different looks depending on the lighting, but the sample in that photo is pretty spot-on.

** NEW PAINT COLOR (as of Fall '14)

Benjamin Moore- Manchester Tan mixed at 25%
(eggshell- had it matched and mixed at Sherwin Williams)