All Things Cedar Review & Giveaway (US) 3/27

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easter

 

chair

 

We spend a lot of time in our backyard.  The boys love running, swinging, and jumping on their trampoline.  My husband and I love being out there with them as well.  We had some older plastic chairs out there but they have definitely seen better days.  So, we started looking for a nice wood chair.  All Things Cedar had just what we were looking for!  They carry all kinds of quality patio and outdoor garden furniture.  They use the finest Western Red Cedar available to hand produce great furniture that will last for years.  They also carry a line of Teak furniture as well.  I was able to review an Adirondack Chair.

The chair came in pieces and required assembly.

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The instructions clearly showed and labeled all the pieces.

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The first few steps of the directions were easy to follow.  I had the back and seat put together (with the help of a few strong little boys!) in only 10 minutes.  It took me a total of about 30-40 minutes to get it completely together.  It would have gone faster but the last step of the directions wasn’t quite as clear as the first part and I ended up having to take a couple of pieces off and reattach them.  Even with that little mishap, the chair was easy to put together.  I also loved the smell of the cedar.  It made me think of being outdoors.

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I love the finished product (and so does my 5 year old)!  The chair is sturdy and comfortable.  It will be perfect for sitting out in the yard, watching the kids play.  I love the fact that since the chair is made of cedar, it is naturally resistant to insects and rot so there’s no need to stain or finish it.  Over time, the chair will weather and the color will change to a silvery gray.  If that’s not for you, you have the option of  painting or staining it as well.

All Things Cedar has a variety of great outdoor items!  Here are a couple of my favorites:

This would be perfect for our front porch!

This bench is a fun way to add some extra seating in your back yard!

Make sure to to check out All Things Cedar for all your patio and garden furniture needs!  You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter!  One very lucky reader will win an Adirondack Chair like the one I reviewed!  That’s a value of $129!

 

Disclosure: I received the above product to facilitate the review. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. Any opinions expressed are my own honest opinions and are not influenced by any form of compensation. This giveaway is not in any way endorsed by or affiliated with Facebook.

DIY Rustic Farmhouse Table Tutorial

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We haven’t had a dining table big enough for all of us to sit at in quite a while.  Four of the boys usually sit at the counter while hubby, boy#5 and I sit at the table.  Family dinners are important so I started looking for an 8 seater table.  I loved the look of rustic farmhouse style tables but about every table I found was $700 or more.  That’s just not in our budget.  So, I started looking online to see if I could find plans to make our own.  I stumbled on this post from Ana-White.com.  It looked fairly simple and it was exactly the style I was going for.  I loved how she even gave you the cut dimensions to take to Lowes!  My hubby loves building things and when I explained how much money we’d save, my hubby agreed to help me out.  I modified the original plans a little to make it a little smaller (the original made a 10 seater and we don’t have room for that).  We also planned on using the legs from our old table so I didn’t need the wood for those.  We loaded up the kids and went to Lowes.  They were great about cutting all the pieces into the right lengths for us.  I also picked up some stain and some paint.  I didn’t need much paint so I ended up getting 2 8oz testers of Valspar 8 oz Mystique Interior Satin Paint.  They were only $2.94 a piece so it was cheaper than getting a small can.  Our total for all the wood, screws, sandpaper, stain and paint was $128.

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Since the pieces were already cut, it was just a matter of screwing them together.

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I used wood filler to fill in the screw holes.

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Hubby screwed the 1×10′s to the frame from underneath and then added a few screws on the top at each end for added security.

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Next came the fun part :)  We used a chain, flathead screwdriver, and file to distress the table top.  The boys loved helping me!

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I used Minwax PolyShades stain in satin Mission Oak.  I wanted it fairly dark so I applied 3 coats.  It really brough out all the distressing we did.  I then painted the skirt of the table the off white color I bought.

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We let it dry overnight and then picked back up the next morning.  We took the legs off our old table and screwed them onto the new top.  We also screwed a brace onto each corner as the original plans called for.  I painted the legs the same off white color and once they were dry, I used sand paper to distress the table top skirt and the legs.  I then went over it with a very light coat of stain to antique it.  I just wiped the stain on and then immediately wiped it off.  This way, the stain stayed mainly on the raw spots where I sanded.

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The most time consuming part was re-doing the chairs from our old set.  The boys helped me sand them a little and then I re-stained the seats the darker color to match the table top.  I used one light coat of paint on each chair back and base so that the original grain showed through.  I then sanded and used stain to antique them the same way I did the table legs.  I finished by applying 3 coats of varnish to the table top and chair seats.

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Voila!  The finished project!  I LOVE our new table!  It fits the look of our home and since it has a rustic finish I don’t have to worry about it getting damaged.  Any scratches or dings just make it look better!  The bench seats 3 so we still need to get one more chair but Little Miss isn’t eating with us yet so we have a few months.  All together it took us about 7 hours to make the table and do the painting/staining.  It was actually easier to make than I though it would be and I think anyone could do it!

 

 

KidKraft Review

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KidKraft has been in the business of making quality toys and furniture for children for over 40 years.  Their goal is to inspire children to use their imaginations unique and creative wooden toys and room furnishings.  I was excited to review their Pink Chenille Chair with Personalization for Miss A.  We just painted her room and I knew the chair would look perfect in it.

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This chair is so cute!  The embroidery is done on a slipcover that goes over the back of the chair (her name is partially blurred for privacy).  I was worried that it may be too big or too snug but it fits really well.  The chair itself is sturdy.  My 9-year-old proved it when he decided to try it out before I could stop him!  It’s classified as a rocking chair and while it does rock a little, it’s not as much as traditional rocking chairs.  The fabric on the chair  is super soft and it’s nicely padded.  I can just see little miss sitting in it to read books :)

I also have to take this opportunity to praise the customer service at KidKraft.  While I had no issues with the chair, we have purchased other KidKraft items in the past.  One of those was an outdoor wood playhouse.  We bought it from a third party and when we got it home and out of the box, we found that several pieces of the wood were damaged and a few of the nuts and bolts were missing.  We had bought it out of town so we called KidKraft directly to see how much replacement parts would be.  The very friendly woman we spoke to asked our address and said she’d ship them out ASAP.  We asked how much they were and she said there was no charge!  We had the parts 3 days later.  Now that’s customer service!  This is the kind of thing that makes me continue to buy from KidKraft.

KidKraft has so many fun, unique things!  From play kitchens to racecar beds, they have a great selection.  Check out all they have to offer HERE.  You can connect with KidKraft on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure:  I received the above product to facilitate the review. Any opinions expressed are my own honest opinions and are not influenced by any form of compensation.