Sconces

Okay so even though the slipcover rated #1 as the project you'd most like to see me complete, I finished the sconces first! Why you say?

Well, I was in the room when my husband cast his vote in my poll. As he selected the 'paint sconces and a tray' option, he said "I'm picking this one because I want those things out of our dining room." Yes, due to my extreme procrastination skills, the unfinished project had been sitting in our dining room for two months! So, for the sake of our marriage, and as a surprise to my hubby who was out of town, I finally completed the sconces last week.

Here's how they looked before I started. We bought these sconces shortly after we were married at a cool antique shop in Roanoke, VA. Although the shabby chic style worked with our 'look' for awhile, I felt it was time to update them! To give you a feel for the procrastination time frame, this picture was taken on 7/8/2008.
The first step I took was to sand down the edges of the tray.
Then they sat on the dining room table until I decided to do the first coat of primer on 7/28/2008. That's 23 days later. When the picture above was taken.
Then, on 8/5/2008, I did the last coat of primer.
Also, on 8/5/2008, I did the first of three coats of paint. I needed to do three coats because I used the same dark, dark, dark, dark green ('Nocturnal Green' if you will) that's on the wall in our bedroom and it took that many to make it look 'even' without all the white peeking through. Finally, on Labor Day weekend, while my husband was out of town, I did the last two coats of paint. I finished them off with two coats of semi-gloss Polyurethane and...

VOILA! My beautiful sconces are no longer shabby chic. I love how they tie in the Nocturnal Green wall in our bedroom, my husband is pleased that they are no longer in our dining room, and we both love the romantic element they add to our room.

See how there is only one curtain? That's a hint at one of my next design projects! And to those of you who are curious about the tray... Well, that sucker is still waiting for it's final coats of paint and Polyurethane. But it's not waiting on the dining room table. Sigh. You can't change a true procrastinator overnight!