Lots going on in these first days of fall. Watching Hurricane Ian destroy Florida has been gut-wrenching, but it does make one thankful for shelter from the storm. A friend of mine spent the night in her attic with her life vest on. I can't even imagine. She was with her husband, dogs, and a neighbor for whom she gave shelter. Her good deed was rewarded by making it through 155 mph winds and an 18-foot surge. She has to redo her yard and fencing, but it looks like everything else is intact, including her life! Thank God🙏
That brings me to my latest endeavors.
First project: Rooster Table! Yes, I love to create a rooster table in the early fall. This year I wanted coffee/tea mugs to match the theme, so I found a set of four on Etsy: Ordered them; two of them were broken in the shipment; reordered 2 more, and am waiting for them to arrive. I haven't had a broken shipment in several years. I hope to get a refund from the shipper. Here is the table setting:
I made coasters to use on the bare table:
The other project I've been working on is refinishing two fronts in my kitchen. I use these two the most, as the small drawer has silverware for cooking and various prep items, like peeler, bottle opener, can opener, scissors, etc. The pull-out below is for the trash and recycling bins. On both, the finish around the knobs had become soft and pulled away from the wood. I didn't take a before picture, but this is the project so far. I'm almost done with the utensil drawer and need to apply several more coats to the bin front. Thank goodness they look nice and you can't tell I have refinished them.
I learned something important from this project. NEVER SHAKE A CAN OF POLYURETHANE!
Shaking will cause bubbles that will look bad when you apply the finish. I also had to be very gentle and careful when applying with a brush. Well, yes, I learned this because I shook the can, but luckily I found out about the bubbles before I applied the product, so I let the can sit for 24 hours, and the bubbles did dissipate. However, you should gently stir...but don't shake!! Lesson learned. Also, I learned about the grit of sandpaper. The higher the grit number, the finer the sandpaper. I used 320 between coats and 400 after the final coat.
