Another problem, solved.

Here was the problem.  Children eating at wicker dining table with a glass inset = crumbs in the crack, constantly.  Placemats just weren't cutting it.  Tablecloths were constantly needing to be washed.  And vinyl tablecloths just looked lame.  Not to mention the kids kept pulling the tablecloths so that they were catawampus.

So I ordered a pretty vinyl tablecloth online (oblong).  One I genuinely liked.  Then I found this tutorial on how to make a fitted tablecloth.  Shifting problem, solved.

I sewed the corners straight so that it fitted snugly over the top.  Then I measured carefully and trimmed the excess fabric drop to a nice length and finished it off by sewing some double-wide white bias tape around the cut edge to create a nice, finished look.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  I hope that it performs up to my expectations!

Baby Room Makeover

The almost finished product (lacking baby)

Here's one of the only "before" shots that I have

And this is an "after".  I painted the walls soft yellow.  The furniture was all repainted white and the handles spray-painted black.  The curtains are probably temporary.  They seem a little busy to me.  Eventually the window trim and doors will be painted white, but that's for some other time.

Cate's dresser and mirror refurbished.

 Baby's dresser refurbished.

Overheard at the Gaetano House

I think I'll start a new series of posts "Overheard at the Gaetano's".  I'll tag them all with that label so they're easy to find (mostly for me).

Here is today's gem, compliments of Cate at 3 yrs, 4 months.

"Oh No, Dominic!  A hippo ate our baby Jesus."  

Do you feel like you missed the context on that one?  I was listening and still have no idea where that one came from.

Piano Purchase

Phew!  What an exhausting purchase to make.  Well, not really to make, to get.  I saw it on Craigslist.  The price and location were right.  Even the picture looked right!  I called and drove out that day to look at it.  Bang.  Deposit.  Bang.  Then the hard part of figuring out how to get it.  Part of putting a deposit on it was so that there was no backing out--we had to figure out how to move it the 5 miles to our house.


First we were going to use 4 men and a pick-up, relying mainly on brute strength and then some ratcheting rope things that I picked up for the job.  On further thought and after several people expressed hesitation about this idea (not that the men aren't strong...just well, they're professors not engineers), the morning of the move I called both a moving company and Uhaul to see what options they had for us.  The moving company charged $300 and required 48 hours notice.  That was definitely out.  Uhaul had a truck available with a ramp and we could rent a dolly.  I pondered for a couple of hours and then decided that it was worth $60 to not be the cause of a professor or two putting his back out or my piano sliding out of the truck or fingers being sheared off (no joke, this happened to one of my grandpa's friends).  In the end, it was worth all the hassle.  I share with you the result.

Desk Remake

Here are some before and after pics of my latest projects.  This is the first of 4 pieces that make up Cate and the new baby's furniture.  This desk has definitely seen better days.  It's a French provincial style with a dirty cream paint and "gold" edging.  (It does have all the drawers...I just forgot to take one before this point).

After:

After removing all the hardware, sanding and washing it down, I did two layers of Kilz latez primer (no oil-based for preggie me!) and then two layers of Frozen Vanilla Glidden semi-gloss.  I spray-painted the handles oil-rubbed bronze (they were gold and white).

More projects to come!