Painting a Piano!

I painted this piano a while ago, but am just getting around to writing (typing?) about it.  The piano was one of the first projects I used Annie Sloan chalk paint on.  I started with an end table first (forgot to take pictures of that project).  The top to the end table had come off, there were nicks and scratches on it, and I had accidentally spilled a bottle of pink nail polish on it.  Needless to say, it needed a new coat of paint.  So, for my birthday I asked for a quart of Annie Sloan paint in Provincial Blue.  I started with the end table first: glued the top back on, made sure to wipe and clean all surfaces and started painting!  It went really well and I was itching to paint something else, so the piano became my next project.

Picture #1:  We got this piano free from friends of a friend.  They were moving, and didn't want to move it.  So we got it, free of charge!  The kids like to play on it,  I got a few beginner books and it has been fun to play around on.  But it was a drab brown that blended in with the floor too much. Why not paint it blue?

 Picture #2:  This was after two coats of the Provincial Blue.  I kept it like this for a few weeks, but still felt that something was missing.  It was better than it was, but not its best.
 

Picture #3:  I decided to cover the bench with this fun arrow print.  I put some batting down as well to make it a little more comfortable.  I remember covering this in my closet during nap time.  I didn't want to wake up the smallest with all my nailing, so I hid in the closet covering a piano bench.

 Picture #4:  I decided to add some white accents!  Definitely gave the piano a little more oomph and pizzazz.  I really did want to paint behind the keys, but couldn't figure out how to get the keys to stay down, so that area stayed brown.

I think the only area that was a big oops was the varnish.  I did a light coat of Annie Sloan varnish on all the whole piano except the top.  I wanted to do something a little more water proof in case a drink was left there.  I had previously purchased some boat varnish (for a wooden sign for a garden that needed to withstand the weather) and decided if it was good enough to keep water off of a boat, it was good enough for the top of my piano.  Well, this varnish has a yellow tint to it and it left my white paint looking a little yellowish and discolored.  No one notices unless I point it out, and the top is covered with nick knacks anyways.

I enjoy this piece so much.  It ties my living room together because it shares its color with the end table.  Seems like it will be sticking around for quite a few years!

Tube TV turned bookshelves

This year will be the year of finishing projects.  I have so many half-projects or even ideas floating through my head, and it's time to complete them.  Of course, this will be the perfect place to record these projects.  

My project that has probably lasted the longest (almost 8 months) is the tube TV turned bookshelves.  Ever since I was a tween (forever ago) I would watch Caroline in the City.  Anyone else remember that show??  Anyways, she had an old TV turned fish tank and from that moment on I knew that I would do some kind of project involving some of those components.  

In June 2015 (remember, I started 8 months ago), our church has a huge garage sale.  I saw this beauty for sale.  I totally took a gamble and DIDN'T buy it.  First, because I was cheap, second, because I was cheap.  Well lucky me, a few days later the garage sale was done and it was sadly sitting by the garbage bin waiting to be thrown away.  I got some tools and another handy person, and removed the gut of the TV.  Let me tell you, the project almost came to a halt when I found a live cockroach crawling on the inside.  I was about to scrap the whole idea, that's how much I hate those bugs.   

Picture #1:  June 2015.  TV is tubeless and ready to be carted home. 

 Picture #2:  Phase 2: The Shelves.  I have a handy friend who helped me out with the shelf building, probably on the promise of chocolate chip cookies that I never made.  This phase was completed in August of 2015...and then a lot of time passed.

Phase 3: The paint!  After a few weeks I finally got around to painting the shelves.  I painted the outside with white chalk paint generously given to me no charge by my sister who had some left over from a previous project.  I painted the inside shelves "Pure Silver".  It is actually our bathroom color, left over from that project.  Remember, I am cheap :).

Finished the paint in October 2015

 Original knobs glued and screwed in.

 Phase 4:  Finally convincing Greg to let me put it in the house!  After much discussion and garage cleaning, I finally brought it in to the house in January 2016

I ended up putting my mixer on top and stacking all my cookbooks underneath.  I thought it fit perfect under a little gallery of pictures we've collected over the years.  

Shortly after placing it in the kitchen, we ended up getting a new kitchen table that was MUCH larger than the old one.  The TV shelves no longer fit. :(  It is shortly going to a new home, a friend who will be using it as a night stand/bookshelves.  Nice to know that it will be going to a good home where it will be well taken care of .