Finally! I Can See the Light!

There are two large projects

(besides my regular small DIY and yard work)

that have been on my to-do list this  year.

 

One of these large projects is to have my trees trimmed.

 

This may not seem like a big deal to some,

but for me and my 75 year old Elm tree,

it is a VERY big deal!

 

This tree is GINORMOUS and had become so overgrown that it felt as if it was going to engulf my house!

 

The last time I had the trees trimmed was 2010, and at that time I had the trees reshaped and only lightly trimmed, and I quickly realized that it wasn't enough.

 

The trees, especially the Elm, needed a more aggressive trim so that they not only looked better,

but to help the light come into the back yard

and patio area which keeps air and light

coming thru and the moisture under control.

 

 

This is a picture from the back yard and not only was this Elm taking over the space and blocking out the sun, I also have three

Rose of Sharon bushes that are out of control!

 

They have grown up into the power lines to about 10 feet tall and beyond the point of what I can maintain myself.

This limb has driven me crazy for FOUR straight years

and now I can't wait to see it go!

 

Pretty soon you will be outta here!

So in come the big guns!  I have never had a tree company use one of these lifts until now and I was totally smitten with this thing!

It was awesome!

One of the crew members got into the lift and was able to get high up into the tree with his chain saw and start trimming away.

Amazing! 

There he is all up in the tree cutting branches left and right.

This tree is HUGE and severely needed to be thinned out.

Aaaah, I can start to see some light coming thru!

The tree was so large and overgrown that they needed a second guy to work on it so this guy, who I totally admire after watching him work, just climbed right up in to the tree with this chainsaw in hand and begin trimming.

Two guys and three house just for this tree alone!

He totally scared me and I kept circling around the yard watching him to make sure he was ok and not going to fall!!!

 

So you may wonder how they cut large branches without having them fall on your house.

Well, here is what they do.....they use a pulley system that allows them to pull the branch into the direction they want it to fall as it is being cut down.

It allows them to have control over the branches.

 

 

See how they pull the branch?

 

Then a guy below untangles the tree from the pulley and it is hauled out to the wood chipper where it will be chipped up.

There was a small crew of two or three guys constantly keeping the limbs chipped and the yard clean while the trimmers were actually cutting down the limbs.

They had a really nice system in place and were very organized in the way they worked.

Here's the climber guy cutting down that dang branch that I couldn't stand!

I wanted to clap and give him a standing ovation as I watched that thing fall to the ground!!!! LOL

 

Yes, he is standing on the very branch he is cutting. Scary. Weird. Yes, but it worked!

TIM-BER!!!!  Bye-bye ugly tree branch!!!

Now, as you look at this picture below you are probably wondering "What is that hot mess they are cutting?"

That hot mess is a set of three rose of Sharon bushes that are WAY over grown and out of control!

They grew up into the power lines and got so large that I could not maintenance them. My electric trimmers would not cut thru them and they needed a chain saw to cut them down to a manageable size.

Aaahhhh, So much better!

More light and less leaves this Fall!

 

I love this tree and the shade it provides, and the rose of Sharon for the privacy they provide to the patio and of course their flowers,

but they were SO badly overgrown

and needed to be trimmed!

 

It took about three hours for the crew to trim all the trees in my back yard, haul away a pile of limbs that I had previously cut down and had sitting in a pile, and to cut the Rose of Sharon down to about 5 feet.

 

I was the first appointment of the day so I could still make it to work after they were done, so they arrived around 8am and brought a crew of about six or seven guys.

 

They each had very specific roles and everyone worked together to get the job done.

 

They even raked up the small branches and leaves that fell so when they were done and gone you would never even know that they had been there!

 

I am super excited to have this project marked off my to-do list and because I had the trees trimmed an aggressive trim I will probably not need any more trimming for about three years.

 

The sun now shines thru the branches and comes into my back yard and patio area so the grass and flowers can grow!

 

It also helps keep the moisture under control too.

 

I am super happy to have this project marked off my list!

 

Woot! Woot!

 

 

 

 

 



Coastal Cottage Table Using Chalk Country Paint Chalk Paint

 

 

 

 

Recently I received some chalk paint and waxes from

Chalk Country Paint to try.

 

They are a chalk paint company based out of  Battle Creek, Michigan,

 

 and they offer a nice variety of colors, waxes, and finishes.

 

 

As I was picking out my paint colors I knew I wanted to use the paint on this table I got from the thrift store that has been sitting in my garage for a long time, and I wanted it to have a coastal cottage feel.

 

 

The table was very sturdy and made of solid oak but the Orangey stain and black smudge marks made this table hideous and in dire need of a makeover!

 

 

Since I did not know what that black stuff was on the top I decided to run my sanding block over it with just a few passes just to make sure there was not going to be a raised mark on the table.

 

Then I simply wiped it off with a shop rag and began to paint.

I used the Chalk Country Paint color called "It's Jade".

 

I was going for a coastal cottage look and quickly fell in LOVE with this color!

 

Here it is with one coat using a paint brush.

 

Here is the table with another coat and the table was already transformed from that ugly Orange stain!

 

The chalk paint does not necessarily cover fully with one single coat, BUT it did not require any primer OR full sanding

 

(I only lightly sanded that black stuff on the top since it was an unknown substance).

I only gave this piece two coats of paint and that was plenty to get full coverage.

 

I LOVE this color and how the paint adhered to my table!

Next, I wanted some dimension so I dry brushed some white chalk paint around the knobby pieces of the legs.

 

I used Chalk Country Paint color in

"Crisp Collar" white.

 

To do this, just dip the TIPS of your paint brush into the paint and dab it around the curves

 

 

and use a dry paper towel to blot and wipe most of it away so that only TRACES of the color show thru.

 

You are NOT painting the crevices to be fully covered...you are only simply trying to have a second color peep thru for a worn look so dry brush it on and wipe most of it off leaving just a trace of it to be seen.

You could use dark wax in the crevices BUT because I was going for a coastal look I decided to do the same technique but use white paint instead of the dark wax.

 

I felt the dark wax would have been a bit too heavy and antique-y for this piece.

 

 

Next I used a piece of fine grit sand paper and simply rubbed it across the places where I felt the table would normally wear to do some light distressing.

 

 

 

I went along the ridge around the top of the table and then distressed along the grooves of the sides.

Then I took my fine grit sand paper and distressed around the knobby part of the legs.

See the white paint I used for dimension?

 

Along with the light distressing?

By distressing lightly I was able to let the original wood show through but the bulk of the piece remains painted.

 

 

Next comes waxing.

 

You can chose to not wax but I wanted to "seal" my paint and protect it so I decided to use clear wax on my table.

 

Here is what the Chalk Country Paint Clear Wax looks like.

 

 

It is a soft wax meaning it has the consistency of butter or Crisco.

 

I have never used hard wax to be able to compare the two but I would imagine hard wax would feel like a votive candle.

 

Pliable but hard, and this wax was not like that. It was very soft and easy to work with.

 

 

Here is the table after being distressed and waxed.

 

 

I LOVE how my table turned out and decided to put it between my two Cain chairs that I made over a while back.

 

 

 

 

Here are more pictures of the final table after being waxed.

 

 

I really enjoyed working with the Chalk Country Paint line of paint and waxes and here are my overall thoughts about their products:

 

The paint goes on easily, does not require pre-sanding, and distresses beautifully.

 

The Chalk Country Paint colors are so pretty and provide a wide variety of colors that allow you to be as creative as you want!

 

There are colors for everyone and even subtle muted tones for those who like the soft grays and beige's.

 

The clear wax went on smooth and was easy to work with too, and this was an area I was worried about.

I have never used wax so I wasn't sure about it but it went on EASILY and was easy to buff off.  

 

 

All in all I am very happy with this paint line and highly recommend it!

 

In fact, I liked it so much that I decided to use it on another project that I have in the works and I will share  it with you soon!

 

You can see more examples on the Chalk Country Paint facebook page as well as on their website.

 

 

*I was provided products by Chalk Country Paint but all opinions are completely mine.

 

 

Have a wonderful week!

 

 

Jennifer

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