Natty by Design

Exciting News!!

nattycox@gmail.com — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:24:07 +0000

Hello friends! I know – I’ve been MIA. But for a good reason… the best reason…
Morning sickness!

We’re adding a baby to our family this fall!

Many of you know we lost a baby last April. The whole situation was quite the emotional roller coaster and even though we’d originally planned to have Eliza be our last, we knew we couldn’t end on such a sad note. So here I am, puking and pregnant again, but pretty excited about it.

I’m over the worst and crossing my fingers and toes that it doesn’t last too far into my second trimester. Bare with me as I get over the last of this!

before and after :: black antique dresser

nattycox@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:23:00 +0000

I tried out a new milk paint for this dresser. Have any of you tried the General Finishes milk paint?
It’s amazing, I tell you.
It comes premixed in a pint can, goes on smooth and distresses like a dream. The only drawback is the limited color selection.

The before…

This paint sands very easily, so I used a 400 grit sandpaper to distress and brushed on two coats of oil based poly, rubbing with a fine grit steel wool in between.

I underestimated how difficult it would be to find hardware for this thing. I was hoping to spruce it up with colorful knobs, but five (yes FIVE!) trips to get hardware later, I decided glass was the only thing that was going to work.

It’s up for grabs! Email for pricing – nattycox@gmail.com

Google Reader no more?!!

nattycox@gmail.com — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:44:00 +0000

I know I said I wouldn’t be back until next week, but…
Ahhh! Did you hear Google Reader is shutting down?! Terrible news right?
I did a little research on a good replacement reader and kept coming up with Feedly as a good alternative.
For anyone else panicking, it was an easy transition and they’ll directly import all your blogs from Google Reader. (You just have have to transition before July 1st). It only took five minutes for the entire process. They also have an app for mobile reading.
Phew.

The set up is definitely different and going to take some getting used to, but I guess it will do.
Grrr, google. Don’t you know we don’t like change?

I’m super curious – do any of you have a different reader that you use and love???
Please, please share!

The StriVectin $100 Visa gift card GIVEAWAY ends tomorrow – don’t forget to enter!

happy spring break!

nattycox@gmail.com — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:49:00 +0000

It’s spring break here this week and silly me, I thought I’d be up for spending a few hours getting some painting and blogging done.
No way.
We’re three days in and I’m exhausted already. In fact, I woke up exhausted just knowing what was on the docket for today. And maybe it was partly due to the “dad’s gone, kids get to sleep with mom” routine. Drawing an invisible line up the middle of the bed isn’t enough around here. Never fail, they end up suction cupped to my back.
The kids and I are on our own this week, so we’re headed to a hotel a stone’s throw away just to get away from the nitty gritty (cooking, cleaning, emails, etc…) and focus on fun.
See you next week!

instagram: nattybydesign_

Don’t forget to enter the StriVectin $100 Visa card GIVEAWAY!

removing stubborn smells from old furniture

nattycox@gmail.com — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:10:00 +0000

Two of the pieces I picked up last week smelled like cigarette smoke BAD. The two dressers were in the seller’s garage when I picked them up so I didn’t realize how intense the smell was until about ten minutes down the road. In my experience, cigarette smoke is by far the hardest odor to eliminate – but it’s totally doable.

I started small. I began by spraying down both dressers entirely with vinegar,

and left them outside overnight to air out. Usually this step is enough to get rid of most musty smells, but it did nothing for the cigarette smell.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that several coats of paint will cover the smell – very few paints are odor blockers.

The next step was to try wiping them down with a TSP substitute. Wipe it on, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe it off.
Again, nothing. Darn.

So I pulled out my trusty shellac. The zinnser shellac and (this primer) are widely used odor blockers. They are also very hazardous, so I use them as a last resort.
I was planning to distress these pieces after I painted them, so I didn’t want to use a pigmented odor blocker.
The clear shellac can be applied with a brush, roller or a rag (or sprayed). I opted for a lint free cloth. It dries very quickly so you have to work fast to avoid any drag.

The minimum recommendation to block odors is two coats. The smell was so strong for these pieces that I applied three to every inch (inside and out) before the smell was gone.

Lightly sand with a 220 grit sandpaper before applying paint and you’re good to go!

(Clear shellac is also a tannin bleed blocker. If you’re experiencing any bleed as you’re painting and don’t want to prime with a white primer that will show through when distressing – this shellac works great).