A few of my favorite things.....

Good Evening Roadsters......

I promise you will be "homies" very soon.....so do not be surprised when YBR is back in Kansas and "Restored~Home" takes center stage.

I am ready for the change!

Someone once told me that any job is easier if you have the right tools.

I never really put much thought into it until today.

Today I stripped a dresser, stained a dresser top, and painted like a MAD woman!

And that is when it occurred to me.....I enjoy my "j.o.b" because I have the right tools.

It took me awhile to find what I like and I am always up to try new products but right now I am in my groove......things run smoothly (for the most part!) and so I thought I would share a few of my favorite "tools" that help me do what I do.

First up: Purdy brushes....

It's been told before.  I LURVE them!  I have a paint brush obsession......it's okay most everyone knows by now.....no shame here. 

I used to have a thang for Coach bags....needless to say Mr. YBR is a happy man now!

I've tried every other brand of paint brush.....no, I am not kidding.

Purdy is the best, hands down.  Yes, they are alittle pricier than some but in this instance you definitely get what you pay for.

LURVE.....that's all I'm gonna say.

I actually did an entire post about my next favorite "tool." 

If you want more info you can get it here.

If you spend some buckage on brushes you want to take care of them.

Simple Green ROCKS the house for cleaning brushes!

Seriously, I rinse my brushes under running water, then fill a cup half way and shoot a couple of squirts of my miracle green little friend in there.....swoosh and sit for about an hour and VOILA.....rinses clean....even the paint line with NO scrubbing...no WIRE brush and no tantrum....from me!

Great stuff....run out and get some.

This one goes without even saying so I won't get all wordy......yeah right!

Okay....I will TRY to keep it short and sweet....

ASCP....surprise! (wink)

I am a mini-stockist but they do not pay me to love this paint.

I was buying it for months before I became a stockist and would still be buying it if I hadn't.

It.is.AH.MAZING.....'nuff said....

Well except, I have no idea why anyone would even use latex anymore.....atleast not on furniture....you couldn't get me to put a layer of latex paint on a piece of furniture to save my life...

(that sounds extreme even to me)....ok, maybe to save my life but other than that, NO WAY.

Sheesh.....sometimes I crack myself up.

Now here comes the serious stuff.....and I am very serious about stripping.

(stop.......)

It is a yucky job...no doubt about it.....a rewarding, yucky job....but yucky with a capital "Y."

I have tried several water-based strippers.  If you want to know which ones NOT to use please email me although no need to try them when you can probably just get some of this fantastic product in your hands and IT WILL WORK.

This is Franmar Soy Gel Stripper.  FANTASTIC stuff.

I tried another soy product today for a friend and it was awful....so all soy products are not created equally.  I ended up applying this product today over the "test" product in order to get the job done.

No kidding.....no more than an hour and I was done.

It has a mild "fishy" odor but it is a million times more tolerable than any other product I have used.

I also like Citristrip and used it exclusively until I found this product.  Citristrip works but has a very strong "orangey" odor and does give me a headache if I am not careful.

Soy Gel can be found at Woodcraft and I looooooove me some Woodcraft!

Shout out to Lance and the guys at my local store....they are all awesome and a wealth of friendly, knowledgeable help. 

Woodcraft puts the other home improvement stores to shame when it comes to "know how" so be sure and check out your local store.

I could go on and on and on and on about products and tools and resources but I fear that I am boring you to death.  I do realize that not every girl has a love affair with such things.  LOL  

Heck, I didn't either for most of my adult life but I doooooo now.

And baby, do I have it bad!

ARGH!

I'll be back with more spine tingling information so don't forget to check back.

I'll have a beautiful china cabinet makeover for ya before the week is out.

Oh and we could be on the cusp of more exciting "Restored~Home" news....

but I can't share just yet! (Yes, I hate it when people do that to me too!)

Eeeeecccccck.....I am horrible with secrets.....I promise I will squeal just as soon as I can!

Blessings Abundant....