With a Little Help From Martha Stewart

According to Martha Stewart--business magnate, author, editor and homemaking advocate--when artfully applied, paint adds more than color; it alters the very nature of a piece, often evoking another time and place. Martha says that with a spare weekend and the right supplies you can give a piece of furniture a whole new look. With Ms. Stewart as our guide, Lily and I embarked on our oft-delayed table and chair makeover.

First step, grab some tools and take apart the chairs.



Before heading off to the store we rummaged around the garage for on-hand supplies. Hey look, primer.



Alright, back from the store and time to get started. Martha says that we will need nothing more than basic skills and a handful of materials. I think we are set there. Of course, she forgot to mention kickin’ lids. Being a big Thomas Voeckler fan, Lily went for the Brioches La Boulangère cap.



We know from Martha that a contemporary chair or table that has been refinished can acquire the look of an antique in hours, not years. With that in mind, we moved out to the driveway and finished disassembling.



Furniture painting can be serious work, so we kept it light with a couple jokes.

Bill: knock knock.
Lily: who’s there?
Bill: Kenya.
Lily: Kenya who?
Bill: Kenya think of a better joke? This one is kind of lame.

Lily: I don’t get it.
Bill: I don’t blame you.

We then pointed at each other and said “nose! … ear!” That was much funnier.



Martha explains that when incorporating painted furniture into a home, not too many rules apply; it could work in any room in the house. And you will want to consider the overall color scheme of the space and choose paints that harmonize. Taking this sage advice into consideration we painted until we got this:



We were so busy with the actual painting; there was no time to take any pictures of the process. But we used our imaginations and made a bold statement. That’s how Martha likes things done.

Race Day

Get on to the Bus ...

Lily did her first bike race today, the CSC Invitational in Clarendon, Virginia. After taking the Metro to the venue and doing a quick warm-up, it was time for some publicity shots in front of the Rock Racing bus.



Roger & Me ...

While waiting for her heat to be called up, Lily received some last minute race tips from former British national champ and 2004 Paris-Roubaix runner-up, Roger Hammond. Lily enjoyed talking to Roger, her Dad was over the moon.


Race Face

After receiving her last minute instructions it was time to roll up to the start. Helmet ... check. Bike number ... check. Race Face ... oh yeah ... check.


Blow by Blow ...

The field was huge, and fighting through the domestiques (read: parents) was tricky business, but Lily made the selection and started putting some distance between herself and the main field. Although, bridging to the leaders was a tall order.


Photo Finish ...

In a close fought battle for top ten in the four-years-old and under category, Lily just missed out to a girl on a trike. After originally huddling with the team organization to determine if they would appeal to the race referee (trike girl received way too much assistance from her domestique (parent) without any sign of a mechanical), the team decided 'that's racing' and dropped the matter. "I'm happy with the result," Lily may or may not have said. "The team turned themselves inside out to get me to the line and I did the best I could to finish strong," she might have added.


That Other Race ...

Lily's new friend Roger did pretty good, also. Here he is driving the break. Lily may or may not have told him that she thought the break might succeed today and he should get in an early one. Hard to say, it was a long day.