As you probably know, I’m never satisfied to have JUST ONE project going on at a time. I’m usually all over the map at my house, tackling 12 billion things at once. It seems things take forever to get done.
But the beauty of my “work on everything all at once” approach is that sometimes LOTS of projects get FINISHED all at once. That, I like.
BEFORE: WOOD TABLE
Just when I shocked a few of you by admitting that I painted my antique coffee table blue, this weekend I also finished painting my previously unpainted WOOD dining table WHITE. Yes, I painted another wood table.
{crickets}
DISCLAIMER: This table was just a simple not fancy pine Pottery Barn circa 1990 something, no antiques were maimed or devalued in this makeover. I do LOVE natural wood and have no intentions of painting ALL of my wood pieces. Just the less than lovely ones that need a little lift.
It is now white. I like it that way. It is not perfectly distressed. It is not perfectly painted. It is not perfectly anything. Just white. But I’m happy to have crossed another project off my list, it is good enough for now. My dining room still has a long ways to go (walls are still swine, ugh), but a little bit of progress is better than nothing. I simple used a coat of Zinsser primer and a coat of white trim paint. DONE.
The truth about completing these painting projects is that I had a deadline this past weekend. I had an amazing opportunity come my way. But they needed some photos of my house right away. WHA?? When I have a worthy deadline, I find the time to finish all sorts of things.
Especially if my house looks like THIS when I’m called for photos:
Yeah. WELCOME to my world. They caught me in the middle of living my real life.
I had to run around like a crazy woman and put my house back in order so I could take a photo. Gah.
But, the effort was worth it to see my dining room again. Deadlines are helpful like that.
And now that I finished up a few things, I’m on a roll….I’ve got several new projects in the works and a few more that I’ve completed! More on those later.
Do you work better under a DEADLINE?
Visit my post at (in)courage today to read the backstory on being a decor blogger / church planter’s wife.…
I definitely do better with deadlines. I don’t know why I put that kind of stress on myself (and my HH) but it does seem to help us get things done. We’ve painted rooms, complete with wall paper trim the night before a huge extended family event. Remodeled the basement before another family event. Not the night before, but definitely a challenging time frame. Anywho, it keeps life interesting and does help me not drag things on and on. Like my current project is doing now!
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Absolutely.
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You are speaking my language! LOL! I ALWAYS work better with a deadline, even though I don’t really like the stress of it and it’s not always the greatest for my family and I ALWAYS have a bunch of things going at once! I tell myself, this is crazy, but in some weird kinda way it works for me : ) I am noticing that ever since I started blogging and learning about all the other DIY/decor bloggers out there…that there are people like me…what a relief! Thought I was the only one : )
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There is no question that I am best with a deadline.
I like the table with its white paint.
It pops.
Becky K.
Becky K. recently posted..A Very Cool Home
You’d don’t like the wall color? I love it! Your house is lovely!
Boy do I evah! The Husband set a time 2 weeks out to refinish the hardwood floors. In that 2 weeks I repainted the entire downstairs…including all my wood moldings, wainscoting, doors, AND kitchen cabinets!
)
(Lost 5 lbs in the process!
You table looks wonderful. If you have anything else to paint drop in…today’s (Thursday) is the last day of my Behr Paint giveaway!
xo
Robin~All Things Heart and Home recently posted..Fun with Pantry Doors!
I am becoming more of a white furniture person each time I see wonderful makeovers like this. There’s just something about seeing the fresh white.
Puna recently posted..August 25- Consider The Lilies
Sometimes good enough is just that: good enough.
(that’s my favorite section of Good Housekeeping, too)
The table looks beautiful. Good luck with the photos!
Madigan at madiganmade recently posted..Work smarter
Always work with a deadline, hence the name!!lol I love to entertain and that’s secretly one of the reasons why! ( don’t tells hubs) I get so many “to-dos “done before the big event!! I could definitely see myself in your situation, you described above!!Come see me!
Carol in GA
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It’s funny…it seems some of my best projects are spur-of-the-moment…as in, one minute I’m drinking my coffee, the next minute I’m spray-painting a table. I think it’s a little neurotic, but what can you do?
LOVE the table & bureau behind it!!
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Twitter: forloveorfunny
says:
YES, deadlines are my friend! I need more deadlines (and friends!).
Lynn from For Love or Funny recently posted..Mason jars aren’t just for canning
Just found your blog – it’s so fun! and yes, I am a different person with a deadline!
love the table…and the chairs….
can’t wait to see more!
WHY IS THAT??? The deadline pressure brings on some of the most creative juices…is that a “good thing?!?!” I’m with you as it seems I’m doing a “gazillion” things at once. It is nice to know there are “many of us” out there………….
franki
I totally work better with a deadline!!!! Just ask my husband! LOL
I also happened to really love what you did with your dining room table. I (heart) white tables with chairs in pretty different colors!! That is what I am working toward doing with our dining room! Just waiting to find the right table so that I can paint it white and get the ball rolling! Thanks again for sharing it with us. And thank you so much for sharing your “real” life with us.
PS..thanks for stopping by my giveaway!
Mary Joy recently posted..REVIEW & GIVEAWAY!!!!- Operation Beautiful- Transforming the Way You See Yourself One Post-It Note at a Time- by Caitlin Boyle
Love that white table!! Not all wood is pretty wood. We recently received a table that was wood but veneer was peeling and gingerbread trim was broken on one side. I painted it Nantucket Gray , covered the top with family pictures and it looks fine! Saved me the cost of having it refinished and repaired.
I like deadlines as they keep me on target! I am LOVING your blog. Thanks for lots of inspiration!
Yes, I work better under a deadline. It usually means I’m a little more stressed than if I could work on an open, free schedule, but it also usually means I can crank out some of my best work. Odd? Yes, probably.
Imperfect recently posted..A New Year
Always! I remember when we lived in our first house and we were hosting a huge summer party ….. about a week before we decided to replace all our flat doors with 6-panel doors …. that we bought unpainted. Nothing like a party to get you in gear to paint 20 doors quickly!
Deadlines are a huge motivator for me!
I do love the white table…I’m not against painting all wood, I have done my fair share LOL!
Now if I could only bring myself to paint all the wood doors & trim in my house…
I truly do better with deadlines & projects to accomplish, no matter how small they may seem. Being busy/productive motivates me to push myself to work harder.
No deadlines or projects makes me lazy & feel like I’m wasting time, which is so precious to me.
Our 1960s built house is a never-ending project. Next is getting a metal roof, & new sliding door for basement. Can’t wait till we tackle the kitchen!
Twitter: TalysaM
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Love the table. And the chairs!
Talysa recently posted..This is how we know what love is 1 john 3-16
I always work better with a deadline! Procrastiation is my greatest strength! I have to say that honestly – now that I have the blog – I get a lot more of my “projects” done than I normally would!
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Hi,
What is the paint color on the walls-very relaxing..
Thank you.
jayme
Be sure to look at it in all lights at your home first….at my house it usually looks too pink to me. It is not my favorite color when it looks like a pink pig…SWINE is what I call it but it is really called Familiar Beige SW 6093 (sherwin williams)
I work better under a deadline because I have to get whatever it is done. I don’t necessarily like it, because I tend to be stressed and snappish. On the other hand, if I have too much time to do something I get lazy about it and will put it off until I can’t any longer.
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Love, Love, Love the table. Love your blog! I just snatched up a table (very similar to yours) at an antique shop on the east end of Long Island. Got myself a DIY project! I’m planning on paiting it an anitique white. So looking forward to it.
I love it, Melissa!
Do you have seagrass or another natural fiber rug, over your carpet? I have been wondering about doing something like this at the lake.
Yes indeed! Actually it is jute. Hate my carpet but not ready to pay for hardwoods yet, so this was a solution to make me not think about it so much!
Girl, we are two peas in a pod! lol I love your home…it is coming along beautifully! I haven’t been here in awhile…so glad I stopped in! With fall around the corner and the kids back in school…I have more time to visit my favorite blogs…Have you been working on any designs outside of your own? Hugs, Meme
It seems that I work best with a deadline. Though I try not to procrastinate, inevitably, it happens anyway because the ideas for what is due just don’t ‘flow’ until the adrenaline and fear of missing the deadline actually kick in. Normally, I have no problem getting inspiration for something ELSE that isn’t needed in a timely manner (read that anything other than what is due). So while I end up completing the one major project in a hassled and harried manner, I also get a few other things done along the way too.
It drives my husband semi-nuts but, after almost 16 years of marriage, he knows that pattern of my behavior and when to say, “Okay, enough procrastination projects for you. Get what NEEDS to be done finished.”
Gotta love it. Just like your newly painted table. It’s just lovely. One of your earlier blog posts actually inspired me to paint my kitchen table this summer (it was one of my procrastination projects when something else was due). It’s been black for a few months now and I just adore it. Unfortunately, now I’ve got to do the chairs. Wonder when my next big deadline will loom because that’s probably when they’ll get done. LOL.
Are you serious? . . . ummm YES, I definately to better with a deadline and I may be up half the night but it always gets done and looks great. The table looks wonderful! Can’t wait to see your pics!
Hi! I love your blog! I just realized that we are both NW (I’m in Salem)gals and it is so fun to meet someone else here in Blogland who lives in this part of the country! Your home is gorgeous and thank you for sharing all of your wonderful inspiration,
Vanessa
http://southerninmyheart.blogspot.com
Vanessa recently posted..Nifty Fifty and Thank You
Melissa,
Keep up the good work. I love how you post pretty much every day. I love your outlook on life and decorating. (I, too, sooooooooooooooo “heart” interior design!)
Just a quick encouragement from one church planter-preacher’s wife to another – I LOVE YOUR BLOG!
Thanks for being a part of my day…
Sheila recently posted..All Good Passions are Holy
THANK YOU! xoxo
What kind of paint did you use? I have a table painted with an eggshell finish, but it scratches and knicks very easily.
It is a semi gloss that was from my woodwork in the house! I think oil based might be stronger but mine is latex.
So, I’m not the only one who has a million unfinished projects going on, then starts a new one? WHEW, good to know! The table looks great! The whole room looks great! I love the numbers on the back of the chairs!
Hi
Thanks for visiting me! Nice to meet you…
Your home is gorgeous! I definately work better with a deadline…otherwise I procrastinate!
Cheers
Cindy
I actually like a deadline to keep me on track.
btw… I have that same vase, from TJMaxx I think, in my daughter’s room. When she moved out I needed a few more aqua pieces. I love the texture of it!
Sandy recently posted..Gal Pals know how to party!
Okay, this is a project that needs doing so much here. I am sick of the worn out top on my dining room table, which I am keeping covered with tablecloths, etc. It so needs to be painted and mine is circa 1995 and nothing special either. I’ve been thinking of it for over a year, but this may just give me the impetus to get going. Thanks! Do I work best under pressure? Not especially, but after confessing that this project has been in the planning stages for over a year…maybe. My other problem is that I loathe making messes. Off to read your article…
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I have been following you blog almost 2 years… I started in Oct – at the procrastination party. It’s just my kind of thing. I have recently started a blog – a project I really wanted to do. I have blogged about my coming projects for fall. Blog is crossed off the list… not for some wonderful projects. I love the white table, it gives me courage to paint mind!
Keep up the excellent posts!
Congrats on starting a blog!!
And thanks for following for almost 2 years! xoxo
I DON’T do better with deadlines. They stress me out, because it just seems like as soon as I set a deadline, anything and everything will come along and mess it up.
Although they are motivational, I try not to work that way. It can make Fiona cranky!
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Twitter: gardenhomeparty
says:
My husband thrives on deadlines…I on the other hand like things crossed off my list minutes after they are on there. I know the word that comes to mind when you think of people like me—well, I guess its true.
I love the table and the setting—what magazine is your lovely home appearing in?
Karen
Twitter: penningtonpoint
says:
I guess I’m different, because I don’t usually need a deadline to finish things. I am a finisher. I have this personal rule that I can’t start one project until I finish the last one, so I finish. I guess it’s like a deadline in that I want to move on, so I make myself get it done. But it’s nice because I don’t have a bunch of unfinished projects around. They are all just up in my head waiting to get stated. The table looks amazing, by the way! Lisa~
of course i love it! xoxo lylah
lylah ledner recently posted..Just Gotta Love Anthropology
Love the table and the rug it’s sitting on! I’m rather fond of deadlines myself, sometimes it’s the only way to get my procrastinating rear in gear. Looking around my home right now I think I better give myself a few deadlines too….
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Yes, deadlines can be helpful. Thought mine usually come in the form of company coming over and not people wanting to photograph my house! Can’t wait to hear more. Loving the rug underneath. Where did that come from?
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Rug is from Cost Plus World Market!!
Melissa…did you know deadline is my middle name? Well…so is wine..but when you mix the two together…then things get done.
really. promise.
Love the white…but you probably already knew that.
p.s. no more scary scary people knocking on my door in the middle of the night;-)
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Yay for no crazies at the door
I love this dining room redo. It is super fresh looking. Well done.
L.
I am with you on taking on {too} many projects at once!
I love the table in white:) I gotta admit, it is hard for me to think of :ruining” a wood table. However, if it isn’t going to be used by someone, it may as well be me, even if it has to be a different color, right? Love it!
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The table looks so good in white. And I definitely work better under deadlines. In fact, having a blog actually helps me complete projects at home that might be put off for weeks otherwise. Even though I have no real deadline, wanting to share with by blog friends prompts me into action.
I love, love, love the paint on the walls! What color is that???
I, too, get several projects going at once. They seem to progress slowly toward the finish, when all of a sudden, several of them are finished at once. I do the same thing with reading books. I love it when I finish three books in one day, because I only lacked reading twenty pages in all of them.
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I have a motto: there’s no minute like the last minute!