The Make-Over That Didn't Go As Planned

You may remember seeing a small shelf in my kitchen or you may not have noticed it as it looks so innocent...

Vous vous souvenez peut-être avoir aperçu un petit bibus dans ma cuisine ou peut-être pas, car il a l'air si discret et innocent...

 

I don't actually have a kitchen, so I use furniture my parents gave me to store a few  many things.

Je n'ai pas réellement de cuisine, mais mes parents m'ont prêté plein de petits meubles dans lesquels je range quelques beaucoup de choses.

The way I'm wired makes it easy for me to live with a few things I don't love because I know it's only temporary during the renovation phase and in my head I can already see the wonderful "after". Until one day, I have the urge to prettify something.

On an impulse, I called my mom (yes, again): "Can I paint that shelf with the shell you're lending me?"

Et puis, un jour, j'ai saisi le téléphone pour demander à ma mère si elle m'autorisait à peindre le petit bibus.

She said OK if it was white.

Now, I haven't painted a lot of things, but I have painted a few. Never was it the mess it was with this tiny shelf.

Ayant déjà peint quelques petits meubles, j'y suis allée de toute ma confiance et patatras! A l'intérieur du meuble, le contreplaqué avait toutes ses veines qui ressortaient ORANGE. Même après trois couches!

For some reason, the inside, which was made of cheap mdf with a wood tint, came out with orange veins. My mother said it looked very "Provence"... Perfect... except when it's not the look you're looking for.

After three coats, it was still awful and I didn't want to add an other coat for fear my shelf would look like an old woman with too much make up.

Du coup, je suis allée chercher un rouleau de papier peint pour cacher le désastre... J'aurai peut-être dû vous faire croire que c'était mon idée depuis le début, cela aurait fait plus sérieux!

Sorry about the cat's litter showing - but it has to be somewhere...

I bought some pretty wall paper and wall-papered the inside... which was very difficult, but I think it was worth it.

Now, that I think about it, forget everything you read. It was my idea from the beginning to have that stunning toile inside!

Some baskets hide a few of the stuff that were making such a mess before.

Des paniers cachent un peu le bazar d'avant et les bocaux Le Parfait sont un peu mieux que les sacs papiers pour stocker le sucre et les farines.

And the "Le Parfait" jars are so much better than my brown paper bags!

Bon, ai-je bien fait de m'accrocher ou aurais-je dû laisser tomber et ne pas y sacrifier deux week-ends? Et vous, des histoires de peinture qui tournent mal, vous en avez? Me dites pas que je suis toute seule!

So, was I right to spend two weekends on the project rather than the afternoon that was planned? Do you have painting project that went wrong? Please don't tell me I'm alone...

News from the cottage's renovation. I can't feel my legs, arms or neck anymore as I did the part that was left to me this weekend (it's a surprise for later), but the electricians put all the electricity back...

 

Côté rénovation du cottage, le tableau électrique a été déposé et reposé (gros ouf de soulagement) et moi, je ne sens plus mes mollets, mes bras ni mon cou à cause d'une petite partie du projet qui m'incombait et dont je me suis occupée ce week-end.

A bientôt,

See you soon,

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