Have you heard of forest bathing? Even if you haven't, I'm guessing you've experienced it whether you know it or not.
Earlier this week I told you about our camping trip as short break from all my furniture painting. If missed it, you can read about it here.
Just two days of being out in nature among the trees, away from work, chores, computers, and cell phones, completely relaxed my body and refreshed my mind. Not the kind of relaxed feeling you might get at the end of ...
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Latest from the Blog
How to Fix a Broken Dining Chair Back
Making small repairs to furniture is a necessity in my business. Furniture gets warn and pieces break over time, but that doesn't mean they need to be sent to the trash pile. Often, they just a need a little repair work. Today, I'm going to show you how to fix a broken dining chair back. And, yes these chairs are now available for purchase in the Entri Ways' shop.
The neighbor of a close friend set this set of six chairs out on the sidewalk a few weeks ago. Knowing I'd want ...
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Camping Supplies Checklist
When you have kids, camping is much more than pitching a tent and unrolling a sleeping bag. You need to be prepared. We were lucky enough to go camping earlier this summer with seasoned campers. They knew exactly what to bring and were prepared for almost any situation. So while I may have been taking a break from refinishing furniture for two days, my mind was still at work making note of all the preparations and putting together this camping supplies checklist for you.
We stayed at ...
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How to Acheive the Perfect Driftwood Finish Coffee Table
How much has your style changed over the past 10 or 20 years? What were your favorite colors back then? How about your favorite color wood? Are there still a few medium-toned browns lingering around from the last part of the 20th century?
Rather than discard those solid wood furniture pieces with the outdated color, consider giving them a 21st century makeover just as was done with this driftwood coffee table.
This coffee table belonged to my parents. It sat for many ...
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Appreciating & Identifying Natural Wood Furniture
Refinishing furniture has given way to a greater appreciation for natural wood. Perhaps I inherited this appreciation from my grandfather who was a talented carpenter. He made furniture out of his garage workshop and I can still remember the piles of wood shavings and the woodsy smell of the sawdust that covered his workshop floor.
When I first started refinishing furniture, I primarily worked with paint. I now use a mix of paints and stains. While paint and ...
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Choosing a Finish & Color for a Long Dresser
In just three days, my workshop went from nearly-empty to so-stocked-I-can-barely-move-around. I was determined to work on just one or two projects at a time this year so I could have the space and the mindset to focus; but sometimes the best laid plans are wiped out when the furniture Gods rain down.
Some weeks it just pays to shop. In just one week, I found two solid wood dressers, an Ethan Allen sideboard and glass door hutch, a square coffee table, and a set of six chairs. And they all ...
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Thrift Store Shopping | A Tuscan Tray Table
When I was young, I never liked the idea of buying second-hand items from people I didn't know. That's not to say I didn't get hand-me-downs from family. When you come from a family of five kids, clothes were passed down every year. Boy have things changed! I'm now obsessed with saving old furniture and bringing it back to life.
Forty years ago, clothing donations were all I knew. People didn't donate furniture the way they do today; or, at least my family didn't. When something was ...
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White Washed Maple Table
Refinishing furniture for yourself is very different from refinishing furniture for clients; but even more rewarding when you can see someone else's vision come to life through your work. After years of refinishing furniture for my own home and to sell, I've decided to refinish furniture for others.
I absolutely love what I do. It's relaxing, rewarding, and I get a chance to meet so many amazing people. Suzanne was a new client of mine. She's from my town and knows alot of the people ...
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Editing Photos For Your Blog In Open Office
You're a MOM! You know... Master Of Many things. You're a homemaker, decorator, educator, and businesswoman. You do it all, including starting that side business that often includes editing photos for your blog. While there are some great photo editing sites available, did you know you can do some basic editing of photos with OpenOffice?
So you've taken this photo and uploaded it to your computer. It's pretty dark right? Easy fix.
From the Finder on your Mac (file ...
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Navy Blue Keegan Curtain Panel, Natural Wood Curtain Rods, and Less Chaos
Has your home ever felt chaotic? Not the people, but the furnishings? We've lived with pretty much the same furnishings and curtains since we moved into our home almost fifteen years ago. While I've added some pieces of furniture over the years, once something is set in place, it pretty much stays there. But lately I've been feeling like our home is a little chaotic.
It started this past winter when I decided to paint our kitchen walls in preparation for my daughter's high school ...
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Black Stained Antique Buffet
All of the stars seemed to align with this antique buffet. Solid wood. Dove-tailed drawers all in perfect condition and all that slide smoothly. All brass hardware present and accounted for. And the price was one I couldn't turn down. Aaaaah... yes, all of the stars aligned just perfectly.
Here's a peek at the buffet when I found it at the local thrift store.
You can see the top was really scratched.
You can also see that those scratches were no match for my DeWalt ...
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General Finishes Flat Out Flat Topcoat on Natural Wood
Not every piece of refinished furniture needs paint or stain. As a matter of fact, some pieces are better in their natural state. Restoration Hardware has even built a brand based on stained finishes that resemble naturally-aged wood. Let me tell you though, there's an easier way with General Finishes Flat Out Flat Topcoat.
My best friend from college actually found this brown-stained dresser on the curb. She had intended on bringing it home and painting it to place in her daughter's ...
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