{monday's featured guest...the painted cupboard}

Good morning, everyone! I am delighted to introduce you to...
April, from The Painted Cupboard.

When I found her blog, I spent a good long time looking at all her fabulous projects. She is very talented at refinishing furniture, and as someone who shared this passion, I was excited to see the many skills and techniques she shares with her readers, and couldn't wait to have her here to share a couple of her favorite pieces, along with her "can't live without it" tools and techniques.

Make sure you go and check out her blog--it's a must see!
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YAY!!!

Kierste over at Brown Paper Packages was so very kind to ask if I would like to be featured on her blog!! Of course I said YES!! Who wouldn't want too...her blog is amazing :). Although, I'm a bit nervous because this is my first time EVER creating a post for someone else so here goes...

My name is April Francom and I live in the BEAUTIFUL state of Utah with my husband and 4 darling and active little boys. Not only am I so very lucky and blessed to be a stay at home mom to these great kiddos but, I also get to refinish furniture and be creative on a daily basis! I would say my husbands only compliant is that he would LOVE to get his garage back!! LOL!

I began this furniture refinishing adventure a little over 10 years ago when I became hooked on HGTV and I kept telling myself "I can do that"!

We were so very poor, as my husband was finishing school, so I scoured the local D.I. and yard sales looking for cute pieces to re-do for our cute home.

Little did I know how much I would actually love doing this sort of thing and that it would soon become a small business and hobby for me :).

Through much trial and error I have found many techniques, types of paint, tools, ect. that have helped me create some really beautiful pieces.

Sadly, I had no idea what a "BLOG" even was back then and of course it never occurred to me to take "before and after" pictures so, all I have to show you is what I have done since starting my blog The Painted Cupboard not quite a year ago.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces and techniques so far...

~Fireplace~

here and here

~Headboard and Nightstand~
here





Lastly, my favorite products and must haves for re-doing anything include...

1. An orbital sander.
2. Black sanding blocks (several different grits).
3. Vinyl gloves (so you don't stain your hands too !).
4. Scott brand towels for everything! -cleaning furniture, staining, polyurethaning, etc.
5. Minwax Walnut Gel Stain.
6. Minwax Wipe On Satin Polyurethane.
7. Foam brushes for painting if you are not spraying - it is so nice to just toss them!
8. I also use plain old latex house paint in a satin finish. Walmart's Antique White is a great color too.
9. I have found that a good sanding, cleaning and several light coats of paint, stain and a few coats of polyurethane can update just about anything!!

Finally, my advise to anyone who is thinking of refinishing a piece is to "JUST DO IT"!! It's only paint. Start with something you don't really care about so, if you do mess up then you can just haul it back to where you found it in the first place:) Trust me I have done that many times myself!!! LOL!

Thank you, Kierste for having me...

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