The Garage of Happiness

Well, today we averted a kitchen fire.  My almost 17 year old son, photobombing "theatre boy" for those of you that read my last post, thought it would be a brilliant idea to make a grilled cheese sandwich in the toaster.  He even thought to lay the toaster on it's side while it was toasting and everything.  This is the truth because it would be way to difficult to make stuff like this up.  Yes, I swear he's taking all AP classes in high school.  Really.

Anyway, I recently had a long catch up phone call with a friend that has moved away.  She'd read my blog, and knowing that I was in a small apartment with all these kids, she asked me where on earth was I painting and keeping all this furniture?  So that's what this blog post is all about.  You get to peek into what my husband has dubbed The Garage of Happiness...

Our specific apartment complex offers one car garages for a small additional fee.  However we didn't just get a garage for me and my projects, we got a garage because we needed it for all the kids extra stuff and it was less expensive than a storage unit.  But, having all my up and coming projects in the garage is a definite plus!

So here's the pic of our one car garage:

Now let's go on a tour, shall we?

First we have this lovely Hepplewhite highboy dresser.  It's drawers are on the other side of the garage and they have all their original hardware!  When this dresser grows up it has told me that it wants to be an ombre delight, complete with pewter rub'n'buff on it's hardware and lovely paint and wallpaper inside it's drawers.  It will definitely get its wish once I figure out what ombre color scheme I'm going with!

Next up is this delightful vintage highboy dresser that my friend Erin gave to me. Once again, the drawers live in the 'draweryard' on the other side of the garage.  Her sweet daughters dressed it up with peace and love stickers.  When it gets redone it wants to hang on to its hippy roots with some awesome 60's colors and swirly psychedelic stenciling.

The draweryard.  Need I say more?

And what about this chandelier?  It's been a bad faux brass boy so I'm gonna get a rope and hang it up by it's neck from a tree - then shoot it with a can of Krylon.  Bright Pink.  Then Girlfriend and I will take a trip to Michael's and pick some crystals to hang between it's boughs.  Oh what an afterlife it will have.  But don't worry, it will get baptized washed first!

Then we have these sweet parlor chairs in a hideous dark wood and deep red vinyl.  Ewww.  These babies are going to be used for the desks I have and each one will get treated like the individual it deserves to be.  With every thrift store and yard sale I attend I seek out new life and new civilizations pure wool items to felt and dye and make into proper cushion covers.  There is guaranteed to be a dipped piece in here and I'll even take one step further and tell ya' that one of those red seats is going to get a coat of chalk paint and I will boldly paint where no one has painted before!

And check out this mirror!  This was definitely the yard sale find of the century.  I have no clue what's going to come of this one.  Your input is appreciated!

I do some of my painting in the garage.  If something needs to be sanded though, it goes to a friends house and we bust out the sanding together.  I typically take the drawers to my apartment and do them there.  And my husband and I have negotiated that I get to keep one active project in the apartment.  Right now there's an awesome almost orange mirror in my hallway that you'll see soon!

Now I've got to tell you that there are plenty more secrets in this little garage.  But a true lady never gives away all her secrets.  You'll just have to follow my blog to see what else pops up.  I can guarantee there's some chevrons, neons, unique glazes and stencils coming up because there are over 10 pieces and decorative items that I didn't even show you!  No hoarding here.  Really.

Until next time.  And don't use your toaster as a grilled cheese maker.