Night Ryder

We spent a long and convivial evening with our supper club last night.  Hosts L&D served up a scrumptious fall inspired meal – think caramel apple martinis, roasted veggies, a hearty pasta and toasted gingerbread with ice cream and caramel.  *what I wouldn’t do for another piece of that dessert*  After dinner the gals curled up fireside on the porch while the boys headed out with glow in the dark golf balls for Ryder Cup inspired Night Ryder tourney.  And while I can’t give a first hand account of that outing, I can tell you that the captain of the winning team came home drinking scotch out of his trophy.  I’m guessing they had a pretty fab time out there :-)




I couldn’t be more thankful to have such fun friends.  And I can hardly believe that three years ago I’d yet to meet a single one of them!
xoxo

Predicting Future Disney Animation Blu-ray Releases (UPDATE)

Revised Predictions

In mere months, these predictions will probably be irrelevant, since Disney is announcing things left and right and surprising us with what they are putting on Blu-ray. I figured I'd do this for fun, since only two animated titles are slated for release on the format. I decided to go by their recent release schedule, announcements and release patterns of the past. So, here we go...

Only two releases have been confirmed for the January-March period: Peter Pan (coming February 5th) and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (this title currently does have a date, but March seems likely). What’s to come? Going by Disney’s actions as of late (dropping two titles from the Diamond Edition collection), here are my predictions. Also, the recent animated films won’t be mentioned. It’s obvious that Wreck-It Ralph is going to be a March-April release and so on.

Disney dropped One Hundred and One Dalmatians from the Diamond Edition collection, so I have a feeling that a special edition of sorts will show up sometime next year since it’s already been released in Europe. Perhaps it’ll be a late spring/early summer release, it’s just strange to see Disney dropping the title from the line. Who would’ve thought?

Earlier this year, Disney announced that Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Brother Bear would hit Blu-ray around this time. For a while, we heard nothing and no artwork was revealed. I was excited to own a nice Blu-ray edition of Atlantis: The Lost Empire (as long as it wasn’t like the Treasure Planet Blu-ray, which leaves the visual commentary off, just the commentary track), but it didn’t happen. I’d pick Brother Bear up for the great animation and the bonus features, if they were to keep them all.

Two other possible candidates are The Black Cauldron and Oliver & Company. Disney released a few of their animated classics on DVD only when fully jumping into Blu-ray. The Great Mouse Detective was also released during this time in April 2010 (the “Mystery in the Mist” edition), and that’s getting a Blu-ray release in a couple of weeks. Cauldron’s DVD came in September, and Oliver’s DVD arrived in February 2009. (Erroneously called the 20th Anniversary Edition) Another great example is the non-canon Pete's Dragon, the "High Flying Edition" came out in 2009 and the Blu-ray is right around the corner. The same may happen for Bedknobs and Broomsticks as well. It’s possible that Disney will give them a quick release next year. The Black Cauldron is a bit of a stretch, since Disney still acts as if the film is an absolute embarrassment (sorry Disney, save that attitude for a lot of the Disney Channel shows), but it could show up. If not, then expect it in 2015 for the film’s 25th Anniversary Edition.

What else? If Atlantis and Brother Bear aren't summer releases, they can come out in November. August 2013 may just be another big day, Disney releasing tons of titles the same day like they did this year. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan and The Emperor's New Groove are very strong possibilities since Disney gave us a lot of post-Lion King/pre-computer animation titles this year. Two other possibilities are The Sword in the Stone and Robin Hood, being general release titles. Their previous DVDs came out in 2008 and 2006 respectively, so maybe Disney will release them on Blu-ray next year since it's high time they are released on the format.

The Little Mermaid is obviously going to be the October 2013 release, so we’ll leave that one out as well as it will follow the 3D theatrical re-release (which opens September 13th), so expect a very nice 3D combo pack and a sweet lenticular slipcover.

Those aforementioned August titles could very well show up in 2014. Then you may ask, what about Lilo & Stitch? Lilo & Stitch's latest DVD release was in 2009, the "Big Wave Edition", which was essentially Region 1's long-awaited 2-disc set that was already out around the world years beforehand. Like the other late DVD titles, this could very well show up next year or in 2014. There's no anniversary, so Disney can't wait much longer. A 15th Anniversary release in 2017 would be far away, and Blu-ray may not even be the dominant format by that time. As said before, Disney is probably churning out these titles in order to get them on the format before it possibly gets surpassed.

Only two Diamond Edition titles are left: The Jungle Book and Aladdin, since Pinocchio was dropped and Sleeping Beauty was already released on Blu-ray. I have a feeling they'll drop it because of that, which could've been why they dropped Pinocchio. We have no idea what will happen with Aladdin, since it was abruptly delayed, as it was originally planned to be the Q1 2013 Diamond Edition. Following the pattern won't work here, but I do think The Jungle Book will be the Q1 2014 Diamond Edition.

Why? I'm well aware that The Jungle Book and Aladdin were mostly fall releases whenever they would come out, but The Jungle Book debuted on home video in May 1991. All future re-releases were in October, to coincide with an anniversary date since the film first opened in October 1967. They won't be able to do it here, so it will most likely hit Blu-ray as a Diamond Edition in early 2014. Aladdin should make for a nice autumn 2014 release, if it's still in the Diamond line by that time.

Last but not least, the package features. Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros will probably be a two-movie pack, given Disney's recent fetish for this kind of thing, plus it was that way for the 2008 DVD releases. The uncut version of Saludos Amigos is available on the DVD of Walt & El Grupo, so hopefully Disney releases the original version on Blu-ray. Make Mine Music and Melody Time are connected, though they could possibly do a 3-pack with Fun & Fancy Free. Make Mine Music and Melody Time should be released uncut, since Disney tampered with both films for the previous releases, leaving animation fans (rightfully) upset. No more of this censorship, Make Mine Music and Melody Time must be released on home media uncensored. I think with better people on board, they know that censoring them was a terrible mistake. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad could be released on its own, but since that film and Fun & Fancy Free are essentially two stories in one, they may be released on the same set. These could come out next year, though Disney may sit on them and sort of release them in a scrapping the bottom of the barrel manner.

With that, they can have all their animated classics out on Blu-ray before 2015. Can it happen? Or do you have different predictions?

Update (10/4/12): Lnds500 (Blu-ray.com profile), who is keeping track of Disney's release schedule both domestically and internationally, confirmed to me that when Disney drops a title from another country, it has nothing to do with the line in the United States. That being said, One Hundred and Dalmatians may be released as a Diamond Edition sometime in 2014 or 2015.

Update (2/10/13): As I said at the start, a lot of these predictions are now moot: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan and Brother Bear are coming to Blu-ray next month (the 12th to be exact), Atlantis: The Lost Empire is being released this year along with The Many Adventure of the Winnie the Pooh, which is still on track for a spring release. The Jungle Book is going to be the Q1 2014 Diamond Edition.

Game Ball

The PCP was just thrilled to leave yesterday’s game with the game ball. 

 

And while I’d never tell him this, (I mean, what good is a mother if she’s not the kid’s biggest fan?!?)  I knew it wasn’t the best game he’d played all season.  So later that afternoon when he said “Coach S didn’t give me the game ball because I played the best.  He gave it to me because my attitude was the best” I couldn’t have been more proud.  It was a tough game and a hard loss but he’s right…he DID have a great attitude through and through.  It’s moments like that when I think maybe, just maybe, we’re doing something right :-)

xoxo

Autodesk Maya 2013 Extension and SP2.

Formerly labeled the Subscription Advantage pack (SAP) Autodesk has released extra tools and features for their latest version of Maya this week, now known as 'Maya Extension'. As usual, it's for Maya customers and Autodesk subscribers only. The extension introduces the new Maya DX11 shader, which uses Microsoft's Direct X 11 to give you real time control over shader effects within the viewport using a new API (only if you have Maya x64 installed). The extension also introduces new scene assembly tools, to more easily create and manage large scenes.

Maya's Service Pack 2, also released this week, fixes various bugs and critters. For a complete list get the PDF here. The SP2 has been included in the extension, but is also available for download seperately at the Autodesk support center. There have been a lot of complaints about the Service Packs for Maya this time around, as unlike previous years, and unlike the upgrades for 3ds Max 2013, it requires you to do a complete uninstall / reinstall procedure.

Maya 2013 and 3ds Max 2013 are part of the Autodesk Entertainment creation suites. To learn more about them, Autodesk has launched a new magazine! The first issue (see cover image at the top of this post) is available for download for free here.

The released extension for 3ds Max 2013 features a new particle system, known as the mParticles module. It also has an advanced data manipulation toolset, combining up to 27 different suboperations and two new cache operators allowing you to store particle flow simulations data seperately for your 3ds Max scene file for more efficiency. Check here for more on the extension for 3ds Max.

I've created a playlist containing the various clips (5) Autodesk recently released on their extentions for both Maya and Max 2013, so for more information take your pick below:

Star Wars Clone Wars season 5 premieres tomorrow.

While George Lucas claims he's retired and wants to spend his days shooting experimental films nobody will ever want to see, we get to see what happens next with our favorite science fiction characters, as 'The Clone Wars' returns to the small screen for another season of action packed fun.

After Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Lab, Samurai Jack) came up with his 2D animated series of Star Wars in 2003, following the exploits of Lucas' main characters from the prequel trilogy, 'The Clone Wars' was greenlighted for further endeavorment. Showing us more of what really took place between SW II 'Attack of the Clones' (Anakin-good-guy fights for the Republic) and SW III 'Revenge of the Sith' (Bad Anakin suits up to become Darth Vader), a CG animated feature of 'The Clone Wars' was released in 2008, followed by the first 22 episodes of season one, that aired on Cartoon Network.

Below: character designs for Padmé Amidala by Kilian Plunkett and final 3D model in Maya.

Tomorrow, the first episode of season 5 will premiere on the CN. Beside the CG animated series, other plans are still in the making. So far, 50 scripts have been written for an expensive all out live action TV series of Star Wars, as proposed by Lucas a few years ago. Latest reports say the production of this continuing saga have been put on hold for at least several years as of now, giving room for 'an increase of technical developments' according to Lucas, meaning that CG and VFX production costs may have dropped drastically by then. (Production of the series would cost at least 50 Million per episode, according to Lucas, if it would be made today).

Rick McCallum, producer of the upcoming series (which supposedly has been given the working title 'Star Wars: Underworld') says it will be about the republic's growing corruption and downfall, taking place between episode III and IV ('A New Hope') In a recent interview he said the main story showed quite some similarities with current economic events and joked that it centers on keyfigures not unlike 'the people on Wallstreet, who are basically running the United States now.' McCallum is positive the new series will actually happen, although it may take some more years, adding jokingly 'If we're all still alive by then'. In the meantime, let's enjoy the action packed new episodes the CN has in store for us this season and see what plots will unfold this time around.

Above:'The Clone Wars' is Computer animated using Autodesk Maya software. Character designs for 'Yoda' by Dave Filoni, and the 3D CG model in T-pose. Directed by Dave Filoni and produced by Katherine Winder, the pre-production, scripts and models are created by ILM, but all animation production is done by the talented people at CGCG in Taiwan, known for the popular 'Lego Bionicle' animated features.

Check out the great trailer for the upcoming season below, showing you just how good 3D animation for TV has become. It looks pretty amazing! Toggle 1080p for a higher resolution.

First Grade Science Fair

Yesterday wrapped up the science fair at the PCP’s school and it feels just super to have that big thing off my dining room table and this to-do scratched off the list for another year.  Participation is optional and parental involvement is encouraged so, being the math and science kind of dorks that we are, we were giddy to give it a go! 


When we were hanging on the porch one afternoon, John observed a whole crowd of ants gobbling up a popsicle drip and asked me what kind of food ants like.  Well, that question became the impetus for the entire project...What sugar do ants prefer? 



Research
We started by researching some basic facts about both ants and different types of sugar on the internet.  The key things we learned were:

• Ants like sweets and can smell sugar from far away. Sugar gives them energy.
• Ants need water to survive. They get some water from the food they eat.
• Brown sugar has more molasses syrup in it than the other sugars.

Hypothesis
After talking through these facts (and a few others) with John, we coached him into making a hypothesis - Ants will prefer brown sugar.  Our assumptions:

• Ants can smell really well and brown sugar smells stronger than the other sugars.
• Ants need water and brown sugar has more syrup in it than other sugars.
• Brown sugar is small enough for ants to easily carry.

Procedure
After school one day we set to work on the project.  We looked through the pantry and came up with six different sugars to test: white sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, stevia, splenda and sprinkles. 

1. Write sugar names on the plates.
2. Put 2 teaspoons of each sugar out on the plates.
3. Leave plates outside where you have seen ants.
4.Count the number of ants on each plate at 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and 1 day.

  

Results
With 132 ants on the plate after one day of measuring, as expected, brown sugar was most preferred by our ants!  Powdered sugar was a close second.

 

The PCP was thrilled to show off his work to the school and told me on the way out that we need to start deciding what to study next year.  I’m thinking we should at least take the weekend off :-)
xoxo

see his kindergarten project here: What color food do birds prefer?

Missing In Action

Those who have gotten their hands on the Cinderella Diamond Edition Blu-ray have confirmed that Aladdin is in fact, not being released as a Diamond Edition Blu-ray in the first quarter of next year.

Whether it's been delayed or removed from the line is up in the air at the moment, but if it's still in the line, it's possible that it will show up sometime in 2014, since that film and The Jungle Book are the remaining titles after The Little Mermaid's Diamond Edition comes out in the autumn of 2013. Also remember that One Hundred and One Dalmatians, along with Pinocchio, are no longer Diamond Edition titles.

Aladdin has always been the subject of some debate amongst Disney fans when it comes to home media. Rumors flew around, catching on like wildfire when some misinformation about the 2004 Platinum Edition DVD's sales showed up. It was also missing from the original Diamond Edition press release, whereas the Fantasia 2-film collection was on there and that ended up being a stand-alone release. Oddly enough, the Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition Blu-ray abruptly confirmed that it was going to be the early 2013 Diamond Edition. After months of no announcements or any cover artwork reveal, it disappeared with Peter Pan taking its place.

What do you think will happen? Will Aladdin show up as a Diamond Edition release in 2014? Or will it be released as a stand-alone special edition sometime this year? If so, when?

Big Boy Bedding

Slowly but surely the baby’s big boy room is coming together!!  Burlap and checks and velvet and monograms abound…

While Mother was here she was a doll to help me out making burlap euro shams and buffalo check standard shams.  When I had the chair reupholstered I also had this heinous denim bolster covered in the velvet.  With free shipping it was much cheaper than any of the other bolster pillow form of this size that I found.

• I always order my burlap from Online Fabric Store.  I generally get enough to qualify for free shipping.
• The velvet fabric is Como Gris from Calico Corners.
• The buffalo check is Berta Ruta from Ikea (ringing up at under $9 a yard!)
• The sheet set is from Pottery Barn in Sandalwood.

Just a few more to-dos and the room will be ready for little one!
xoxo

More big boy room projects:

Big Boy Room Kick-Off

A New Old Chair

Catherine Lovett's Crab
Crown Molding
Chalk Paint Dresser

Must See TV

I mentioned it the other day and just have to know…are y’all watching Revolution?  I mean, it is SO fantastic. 

The show is already so chocked full of twists and turns that all I can really tell you is that in the pilot, the all technology – think computers, cars, plains, phones, electricity, everything – is suddenly and permanently blacked out.  The story then jumps forward to 15 years after the blackout.  Cities fall, government crumbles, and people struggle to survive.  It’s intriguing, it’s suspenseful, and it’s a total nail biter.  And all the while I just can’t stop thinking what if this really did happen???

So that’s my plug for the day.  I am really trying to drum up some interest because I swear that every show I get into seems doomed for failure.  Reunion, American Dreams, Sunset Beach, Gilmore Girls, Guiding Light – I could go on for days – all no more.  I mean, even Gossip Girl is nearing its end.

There’s plenty of time to catch up online before the third episode airs on Monday night!  (The added bonus is that this saves me from the football that Honey is inevitably tuned in to each and every Monday night.)

xoxo

DC releases 'The Dark Knight Returns' Part 1.

As the police radio announces that a robbery is in progress at the Gotham City trust, the arriving officers are met with a hail of bullets while the robbers make for a getaway in their cars. Tires screeching. Crime has never been so high. A high speed chase follows. 'You see that other car? It just went the other way' The younger officer says to his much older partner, who's driving like crazy.  'Forget it,' he replies, 'We're gonna lose this one as it is...'  'What the hell is that?' the younger officer sees a shadow moving across the building top. 'Up there...freakin' weird!' When the masked figure jumps through the air, lightning strikes. 'Holy...!'

The older police officer now sees it too. He hits the breaks and the robbers go for it. It's been ten years since Bruce Wayne retired and Batman has become not much more than a legend since. But the older cop still recognizes the dark figure coming to their rescue. It's Batman...the Dark Knight has returned! 'You're slowing down?' the younger officers asks. 'Yeah,' his partner replies laughing...'we're in for a show kid!' And that's exactly what we get. The Bruce Timm produced animated feature of Frank Miller's epic graphic novel was released on Blu-ray yesterday.

The image of Batman jumping through the storm with the lightning striking behind him, revealing him as he returns to Gotham City to bring justice to a corrupted city, is almost Iconic. It was the cover image for Frank Miller's graphic novel that I got such a long time ago. It gives me the chills when I think about it again.  The Dark Knight returns isn't your average Batman good-guy-catches-bad-guy fairy tale. Miller introduced a completely different Batman than we ever saw before. With one story, Miller single-handedly changed the DC Universe for ever. It's gritty, it's brutal and yes, it's terrifying. With his graphic novel, Miller brought Batman closer to reality than ever. It took DC 25 years before they dared to bring it to the screen (Miller's novel dates back from 1986) and the release couldn't have been timed better, with the TV screaming stories of corruption, fueled by an end-of-the-world-type of economic disaster, night after night.

Above and below: great artwork for the exterior scenes showing Gotham City, darker than ever. A city turned into a cesspool of corruption during Batman's ten year absence, until his sign is seen once again over the night sky, notifying that justice is coming once again.

Plugging comics: While an army of mutants are waging a personal war against him, Commissioner James Gordon enters a grocery store and gets into a gunfight. All the while he might as well have picked up some comics, as the backdrop clearly shows some of DC's finest.

Below (click to enlarge): the four issue story DC published in 1986 that went all the way to the top of the chart. 'The Dark Knight Returns' was created by Miller with inks by Klaus Janson, coloring by Lynn Varley and lettering from John Costanza. The second issue was titled 'Dark Knight Triumphant'. Part three, 'Hunt the Dark Knight' and four, titled 'Batman, the Dark Knight falls' will serve as the follow-up of this animated feature, to be released by Warner near the end of 2013.

What's Batman without Robin? Just like in the comic, A young girl named Carrie Kelley buys a cheap lookalike costume, puts on the outfit and saves Batman's life when he fights the Mutant's leader. She is then accepted by Bruce Wayne and becomes his sidekick.

Above: Caroline Keene aka Carrie Kelley as Robin in the animated feature. Below: Frank Miller's introduction of Carrie as Batman's aid.

Below: Introducing the Mutant leader, a scene from 'The Dark Knight Returns', and the equivalent scene from Miller's graphic novel.

One of the things I loved greatly about this animated feature was the score, which was one of the best I've heard this year so far. Composed by Christopher Drake, the soundtrack compliments all the action and flying bullets perfectly with some nice dramatic touches. The voice cast includes talents like Peter Weller as Bruce Wayne, known for his leading role in Paul verhoeven's 'Robocop' and currently often taking on the role of director on 'Sons of Anarchy'. If you pay attention you'll also be able to catch producer Bruce Timm himself as Thomas Wayne.

And please let's not forget the extremely talented group of artists working at Moi Animation Studios in South Korea, providing all the animation artwork for this feature (they also work on animated shows 'Young Justice' and 'Ultimate Spiderman'). Check out Lesean Thomas' 'Seoul Sessions' videos. He's an American animator living in Seoul and working with Moi Animation on all the shows we love to watch.

Best Animated Short - 1974

Well, I've had quite an adventure since finishing my last review back on Thursday, August 30. The day after that, I finished my Infectious Disease rotation in Akron, OH and went on a detour to Atlanta, GA to watch a Braves game. You see, I had seen eight games at eight stadiums so far this year, and hadn't even seen a Rangers game yet, even though they are the closest team to me. I figure I'll probably watch a Rangers game by the end of the year. If I can just see another game on my way back from Ohio I'd have seen games at 1/3 of the Major League stadiums, which would be a mini ballpark tour. When I found out I get a Labor Day weekend, I immediately set off to look for home games that wouldn't deviate too much from the 18-hour drive.

In the end I found that the Cubs and Braves had home games on Saturday, September 1, and attending those games only adds 4 hours to my drive. Chicago is six hours away from Akron while Atlanta is 12 hours away. The Cubs game is at 1:05 while the Braves game is at 4:05. In the end I opted to visit Atlanta.

Read more »

One Smart Cookie Reprise {Free Printable}

It just so happens that the PCP came home from school last week begging to make cookies.  And it just so happens that I had everything on hand for our favorite Chocolate Cherry Heart Smart Cookies. Aaaaaaaand it further just so happens that I realized were were about a month into the school year before every last one was gobbled up.  So, I bagged up a few in a brown waxed bag (Whole Foods), tied them up with Divine Twine, printed out an already made tag from last year’s Smart Cookie teacher gift, and had the PCP carry the treat in to Mrs. B the next day!
 

I’m trying out three ways for you to get the tags this time…
1. Click on the picture below, save it and then print it like you’d print any picture.
2. Download from Scribd.
3.  Order a personalized version from my etsy store!  You can put a different to: and from: on each of the six tags for $3!

Easy peasy!  And I know it sounds trite, but where does the time go?  Seems like yesterday were were celebrating the first day of first grade!
xoxo

See more teacher gifts here and school related posts here!

Two Diamonds?

This should be the cover
artwork for the Blu-ray release.

Last month, I discussed the future of Disney's home media output, and how they have dropped two titles (Pinocchio and One Hundred and One Dalmatians) from the Platinum/Diamond line. Not too long ago, Blu-ray.com and an insert that's probably going to be with the Cinderella Blu-ray confirms that Peter Pan will be the next Diamond Edition. It'll be released on February 5, 2013, just in time for the film's 60th anniversary, which the insert oddly doesn't even mention.

Now, what about Aladdin? That was originally scheduled for a February/March 2013 release. Perhaps Disney will release both Diamond Editions the same day. It makes sense, since Disney is phasing out the Diamond line. Perhaps they will release two titles the same day in order to get them out quicker? Many people complain about the vault and having to wait, but perhaps Disney releasing two in one day will somewhat make up for this.

Maybe not, apparently there's no insert mentioning Aladdin. Aladdin wasn't on the original press release announcing the Diamond line, but it was announced as the early 2013 Diamond title on the Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition Blu-ray. What is going on, Disney?

If Disney ends up releasing Peter Pan and Aladdin at the same time (that is, if Aladdin remains a Diamond title), then what will accompany the October 2013 Blu-ray release of The Little Mermaid? The Jungle Book, since that's still a Diamond Edition. Sleeping Beauty and Pinocchio are already on Blu-ray, so no fuss there.

With Dalmatians out in Europe, it'll hit Blu-ray stateside sooner, most likely sometime next spring or summer. The Peter Pan Blu-ray is coming out in Europe in November. (For example, the UK gets it on November 5th) This is probably why we are getting it, but the announcement seems rather abrupt. Disney certainly is making some different decisions here, but with the advent of their All Access plans (didn't they change the name of that?), the vault strategy may be revised or left unchanged.

What do you think they'll end up doing with the Diamond line?

At Long Last

At long last, I have finally completed the project for which I originally purchased my Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue Chalk paint…nearly a year ago!

I piddled around with a mirror, a frame, a monogram, a chair and odds and ends and finally bit the bullet and painted the dresser for the baby’s big boy room.  I’ve never re-done a piece of furniture like this and was terrified!  But boy am I glad I finally did it because 1) it was incredibly easy and pretty much fool proof and 2) I ADORE the new look.

I started with Honey’s childhood dresser.  It’s a solid, well made piece but the wood color didn’t go with the rest of my stuff.
 
Here’s how it all went down…
1. I stripped the finish off the top by following the directions on the bottle of Stripper.  It took two rounds of it and was incredibly fast and easy.
 
2. I sanded it down to a smooth finish using Honey’s handy dandy sander.

3.  I applied two coats of Minwax stain in Jacobean, by following the directions on the can.  I love love love how this stain let all the character in the wood show through.  You really didn’t see it before and it’s just gorgeous!
 
4. I applied two coats of  Minwax clear varnish in satin finish by following the package directions.  I did sand between them, as directed, using a block sander rather than Honey’s power tool.

5. Mother and I painted on two coats of Duck Egg Blue chalk paint to the body of the dresser and drawer fronts.

6. I waxed the dresser in Annie Sloan’s clear wax.  I did one good coat and buffed it to a nice sheen. 

7. After it sat in my garage for a week to dry and harden up, we moved it to the baby’s room and I put on the gorgeous mercury glass knobs from Anthropologie.  I purchased them at the Howell Mill store in March with my birthday coupon.
  
I could not be happier with the piece and, from start to finish, it took about a day and a half!

Oh oh oh... any of y'all tuning in to NBC's new show Revolution??  The series premier was a nail biter and I cannot wait for the next episode to air tonight!!

xoxo

see more chalk paint projects here

More big boy room projects:

Big Boy Room Kick-Off

A New Old Chair

Catherine Lovett's Crab

Crown Molding