Just takes awhile

This morning I went out to the garage to work on the nightstands. The challenges for me have been 1. The weather and 2. My patience. My patience should probably actually be number one. I love projects, I really do. It's just that I have this picture in my mind when I buy a piece, and I wish it could instantly become that imagined image. The work usually only becomes gratifying for me when it is all finished up and I can begin using the furniture. So, I guess I write this to encourage and not discourage. Just wanted people to know that even those who love projects grow impatient with them at times. And also, anyone can do this. I would not call myself John handy man or anything extreme like that.

Working on them this morning probably only took about 40 minutes. God bless the spray cans of primer. I find them to be so much less hassle than a brush and a can. The only thing I can't decide is if they prime the piece as well. After it dried, I had to go back over the wood with a sanding block a little bit because it appeared that there was still some peeling. Primer is always an exciting part, I think, because it's the first time the object looks fresh, clean and ready for a new start. The shape, which is the reason I usually choose a piece, becomes pronounced because you are no longer distracted by the ugly color, the old peeling finish, or the damaged areas. You can just have a glance at the potential and really see it taking on a new life. It is a fresh breath of air every time.

Reusing feels good to me. It feels economical, it feels creative, it makes me feel connected. I like using something that someone else had. One of my favorite things is guessing where it came from and what it was used for. I especially love very old things, things from family members, and stuff that smells just a little bit like grandma's house. Looking for this stuff is like a continual treasure hunt. What I find in thrift stores has a 100 times more character than what I can pick off the shelf at a superstore. Not to totally discount superstores, because a lot can be found there as well. I just have a passion for reinventing and recycling. I love taking the bare bones of a project and creating it into something that merges the old look with my own style.

Things with a distressed finish are also very military friendly. We could move a million times, most of our furniture could be dropped or bumped each time, and it would only come out looking better and more authentic.