Dresser Gets a Face Lift

After spending my entire birthday on airplanes and in airports, I arrived home a week and a half ago with only ten minutes left before the clock would strike midnight and my special day would be over.

Needless to say, I was exhausted and a bit depressed.

However, walking in to see my dining room not only decorated with streamers, presents, flowers and a cake . . . but also completely transformed was a total surprise.  Imani and Jason made the last ten minutes of my day so special and I realized that the best gift was returning home to my family. 

I was completely overwhelmed  when Jason handed me eleven hand-written pages that would become his first blog post (He didn't know the ins and outs of how to actually go on and post it himself . . . but I will teach him so that he can post again).

And he got my birthday wish, so all of you Giants fans can thank me.

His post was an inspiration for me to set aside time this weekend to blog about a project we finished a while ago, but I just hadn't had the time to write about.

Sometime shortly after New Year's, Jason and I finally got around to giving our bedroom furniture a little face lift.

You might remember we've altered one piece before.  Remember last year when Jason cut up a dresser (literally) to make room for a bassinet in our bedroom?!  It's definitely one of the crazier projects we've attempted so if you haven't read it, be sure to check it out here.

I've been wanting to get rid of the dark brown furniture for a long time, but we've been on a mission to save money and attempt to be debt-free (remember last year's resolution?)  We've done an AMAZING job so far, especially given that Jason is now a stay-at-home dad.

I haven't been happy with the color of the dressers and I hate that it all looks so manufactured.  I wanted something that was lighter in color and  looked more antique, more worn . . . but purchasing new (or antique) dressers was out of the question.   By the way, if you like the look of dark furniture that looks new, you should stop reading NOW because I'm about to share how to make this baby look older and worn.

I've already had some people come over to our house and see our finished product and think we've lost our minds.

So

stop

reading

if

you

like

 the

new

"matchy, matchy"

 look.

Here is the original dresser, complete with antiqued brass handles.

Many of my followers of this blog suggested Annie Sloan Chalk paint to me and to be honest, I'd never heard of it before. 

Image: www.theshabbycreekcottage.com

After a little research, I discovered that Annie Sloan chalk paint is NOT chalkboard paint -- it's TOTALLY different.

Annie Sloan Chalk paint is like magic.

It requires NO primer.

And it can be used on just about any surface.

It's really magical.

So I found a dealer in Upstate New York -- the Purple Painted Lady, located in Palmyra, NY.  Tricia was super helpful in teaching me how to apply the paint and how to distress the furniture if that was the look we wanted.  If you need to get some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, check out the Purple Painted Lady online or if you live in Upstate New York, make the drive to the store - it's totally worth it!

I walked out spending roughly $62 with one jar of Paris Grey and one jar of wax.

At first, Jason was skeptical about using a can of paint on manufactured furniture without stripping it, priming it or prepping it in any other way.  He also didn't think the small can that Tricia sold to me would be enough to cover a large dresser and nightstand.

But he'd heard me talk about all I'd read about Annie Sloan Chalk paint online and he decided it was worth a try.

So Jason set off to work on the bedroom furniture (sorry for using the flash -- we were working at night and had a very hard time getting the photos right without the flash . . . a year later and I'm still figuring out my DSL camera)

He applied one coat directly to the nightstand.

It looked almost white when it was first applied, but it darkened up after it dried.  He didn't even need to add a second coat. 

We were amazed that this paint had virtually no smell either (and no, I'm not getting paid for this and I did not receive free paint.  We were just amazed by this paint).  Jason was painting it in our house at night and I was about to open every window in the house for fear of killing my kids from paint fumes, when I realized it didn't really smell (don't worry, Mom; I did open a window for ventilation so your grand kids were fine).

The Annie Sloan website says this paint gives off extremely low VOC's so it's good for the environment too. 

In fact, here are the reason's the paint is so special, according to the Annie Sloan website:

"1. It's the BEST paint for painting furniture by a long way

2. No need to prime or prepare

3.Extremely low VOCs so it is good for the environment

4. You can use it on any surface, indoors and out ( the outside of our shop was painted in it- perfect!)

5. You can use the paint by diluting it with water to make a wash to show the wood grain

6. The colours are mixed intelligently and the web site shows how you can adapt your colours for your use

7. It's a girls' paint, but boys can use it too.

8. It's flexible so you can be creative and change your mind

9. It allows your walls to breathe so it is perfect for cottage walls

10. You can use it as an impasto ( thickly) - leave the lid off to thicken

11. We've been making it since 1990 so it's tried and tested"

After waiting for 24 hours, Jason distressed the dresser using 100 grit sandpaper and then applied a coat of Annie Sloan wax.

After applying the wax, he let it dry for 48 hours and buffed it using an old white t-shirt.

Then, he applied the new hardware I'd purchased at Hobby Lobby (on sale for 50% off).

I'm totally in love with the new look.  

And Jason is now obsessed with Annie Sloan Chalk paint.   He'll never use primer for furniture again.

Maybe I'll buy him a can for Valentine's Day.

:-)

Weighing in on White

In my absence from consistently blogging in my first and part of my second trimesters, I was also very sporadic in reading many of my favorite blogs.  My apologies to all of you talented ladies . . . but it is I who lost out because I missed so much of your beautiful homes.

There's something magical about reading everyone's blogs and writing my own. 

It inspires me to create -- not just in the form of writing, but also around my home.

There's nothing like a little blog deadline to get a project finished or a room painted.

But while I was absent, projects were fewer and inspiration was down.

Now that I've had a few weeks to catch up . . . I've caught the bug again.  Call it envy, call it nesting, call it whatever you will but I want to re-do so much of my house again.

To pinpoint exactly what I'm talking about, I want to go get gallons and gallons of white paint and take a paint brush to every room and every piece of furniture in my house.

I'm not talking about stock white.
 I want to scour through dozens of those paint swatches at Home Depot until my brain hurts to find the perfect, creamy, warm white that I'm seeing all over everyone's homes and on everyone's furniture.

And then I tell myself, "Stephenie . . . be happy with your home. It's lovely."

And I remember my

 New Year's Resolution.

But then, this arrived in the mail and it was like a bad dream right up in my face.

 

I flipped through the pages in envy.

Lust.

I keep playing this game in my head, trying to tell myself that all this white is
just a decorating phase and it'll pass. 

I look through Pottery Barn catalogues for validation.

But instead, I find this.

Sure, there are some brown woods and some beige textured rugs, but the walls are white, the table is white, the sofa is white.

White

White

White

Despite my denial, it's everywhere I look for inspiration.

And I recall This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff.  Have you read it?   I guess it's a movie too, but I've never seen it. I've only read the book.

The crazy step-father, Dwight,  spray paints the entire house and all of the furniture white.  He even paints the tree outside white. It's categorical OCD . . . and Tobias Wolff's description does not make it sound like what I'm seeing around blog land.

But in the end, I still love the coziness of warm white and I've decided that rather than painting everything in my house white, like Dwight from This Boy's Life, I'll start with our bedroom. 
We will be lightening things up in there first.

The wall behind our bed will likely be white.

And the dressers will either be another shade of white or a very light gray but the
dark cherry will be no more.  I hope we can do this.  This is NOT quality furniture.  This is furniture we bought cheaply when we first bought our house. 

We bought a matching bedroom set because we didn't know any better at the time.

We've since gotten rid of the king size bed (our bedroom was far too small)
and we eliminated the headboard and foot board.  I'll post pictures before we begin the re-design.

We've never tried to refinish or paint lacquered furniture so we'll see.  Got any tips?

Jason has agreed to take on the challenge so I'm off to torture myself
with paint swatch decisions at Home Depot.

Electronic Hide & Seek

Anyone who knows me knows I am not the most technologically advanced girl on the block.  To be honest, my Mom and Dad both got Facebook pages before I did.  I only recently started using Facebook and, I confess, it was entirely so that I could publicize my blog (although I have to admit that I have re-connected with some old friends).

In fact, my blog has prompted me to fast forward in the world of technology.  I learned (kind of) how to use Twitter and I even stepped up and bought a "smart phone" so I could be more efficient in responding to comments on my blog.

My nine year old daughter Imani finds it hilarious when I try to use the remote to find a channel on TV.   Whatever happened to three standard, local channels?  I have more channels than I know what to do with.   Forget using the DVR.  It is completely foreign to me.

Basically, I'm a ninety year old woman trapped in a 30 something's body.  It's true; I much prefer to knit, read, or make something than watch TV or chat on Facebook.

When Jason first met me, I didn't have cable for TV.  Basically, I had a television so that I could watch movies.  Now, we have three TVs in our house, including one in Imani's room which I swore I would never allow.

I will add as a side note that I am a bit of a nerd with Imani's TV though.  I have turned on subtitles so that she can at least read while she watches.  I am happy to report that Imani rarely watches TV.  Like her mother, she prefers to read or do something besides watching TV. 

Given all of this, it probably doesn't surpise you that I have a hard time incorporating any sort of electronics into decorating.  I am not one to get the largest TV available and mount it on my wall as the focal point of my family room.  We have a large flat screen TV, but if I had my way, it'd be hidden somewhere. 

Instead, here it sits on a stand in our living room.

What's more difficult about making electronics look nicely is that they always have a million wires running all over the place.  Furthermore, there are always two tons of components that go along with them.

I am forever trying to think of ways to hide all of it.  Perhaps you remember one of my earlier posts where I was thrilled to have found this old chest but I didn't know what I was going to put inside it.

We thought about blankets and throw pillows but then it dawned on me:  this was the perfect place to hide all of the Wii accessories!  In went the Wii guitar, the Tony Hawk Wii skateboard, and the Wii drum set.  Perfectly hidden, yet easy to access.

(You can see that we lined the inside of the trunk with burlap.)

Another eyesore in my book is DVDs and CDs piled up all over the place.  A long time ago, I decided that jewel cases for CDs were a waste of plastic and I hated the way they looked.  I threw out every single one and put them in binders instead, like this.

As for DVDs, I was thrilled to find this card catalogue at Target long before my antique treasure searching days.  It fits DVDs perfectly and keeps them out of sight.

My distaste for electronics is what has my husband busily working every night to convert a closet in our house into an office -- so we can hide the computer, printer and all of the components out of our guest room.

Is it just me, or do you hide your electronics too?  What have you found works to keep it all under control so you can stay current with technology, yet continue to decorate with style?

Shabby Chic Nightstand

One of the projects we have going on is to re-design our guest bedroom, so this weekend, Imani and I took a little trip to our local Sally Ann's (Salvation Army) to see if we could find anything to go with the new look.

We found a couple of great Easter-related items that will (hopefully) fit into our Easter Tablescape.  Here are a few of the things we found:

A couple of wooden candlesticks for $1:

This grubby duck who is in dire need of a fresh coat of paint (99 cents).

A grubby little bunny who also is in desperate need of a coat of paint (99 cents).

A lamp shade for a lamp I got a few weeks ago from Hub's place.  I was really excited to find this little shade for only 50 cents becaues that means, the total cost of my lamp for the guest room redesign was $1.50.

Just when I was thinking we were done I came across this lovely gem of a nightstand.  I was psyched because Jason and I had been searching for a night stand for the guest room re-design for a few weeks now.  I was beginning to lose hope, until I scored this for $25.

I fell in love with the size and shape of this nightstand and I liked the handles.  All it needed was a fresh coat of paint (doesn't that usually solve everything?!) 

I was hoping Jason would like it as much as I did.  I stopped at Home Depot to pick up a can of white paint.  This is where the stress set in.  There are soooooo many shades of white to choose from!  I settled on Valspar's Honeymilk because it was a creamy white, which I think will look nice with the new look we're going for.

By now, Jason is used to me bringing new projects home for him every weekend.  And everyone wonders why our upstairs bathroom isn't complete yet . . .

Jason liked the night stand as much as I did, so he primed it, painted it and then brought it to me with some decisions to make. 

Did I like the inside where the handle is blue or white?

Can you guess my answer?

Did you guess blue?

Or did you guess white?

Or did you guess another color?

I chose blue BUT . . . not that shade of blue.  Although I really think that shade is lovely, unfortunately, it clashed with the bedding I've selected for the re-design so it had to go. 

So we selected a shade of blue that is darker and here is the finished product.  Notice that $1.50 lamp sitting on top!  We're still not sure how we feel about the lamp shade, but it was only 50 cents so it won't be a big deal if we change it.  I just liked that it added an element of texture to the room.  Thoughts???? 

So the guest room is coming along nicely!   We have to figure out what to do with the computer area (it also serves as an office).  I think electronics are not aesthetically pleasing.  I prefer to hide them in cabinets or closets, so we'll see what we come up with.  

What do all of you do to incorporate computers, televisions and other electronics into your decor?

Linking up with Faded Charm's White Wednesday's Party.

Don't Doubt Me!

When we go to Hub's Place, we inevitably split up at some point because there are three floors in the barn and we are both drawn to so many different junky treasures.   When we meet back up, we usually have a few selected items that we share with each other that we're interested in buying.  Last weekend,  I spotted an old chair and I had a vision of it painted white with blue material on it for the spare room re-design.  I was so excited I could hardly stand it.

When I met back up with Jason and Imani with my chair in hand, they both looked at it in disgust.  "Ew Mom, you are NOT getting that, are you?"  Imani asked.

I explained my vision but they apparently didn't see what I saw.  They saw the chair that sat before them.  I saw a beautiful white chair with a soft blue seat.

Jason tried to talk me out of it.  "It looks kind of rickety," he suggested. It was clear he thought $5 was too much for this piece of junk.

"I'm getting it.  Trust me," I said without question.

Unfortunately you can't see the chair in all of its former ugliness because my limited computer skills caused me to somehow inadvertently delete it.

I do however, have the picture of me unscrewing the seat to begin the refinishing.  You can see from the photo that the chair was pretty ugly. 

After I removed the seat, I primed the chair with spray paint primer.  Then, I put on two coats of white spray paint.  I gently sanded the outer edges of the chair to give it a softly worn look.

Finally, I reupholstered the seat, stapled the fabric to the back and screwed the seat back on the chair.  This was the first chair I have ever refinished and, although it's not perfect, I am very happy with the results.

It even folds up!

I was at the hair salon tonight when I received this text message from Jason:

"i am really proud of your chair.  you made it look beautiful.  sorry i doubted it at hub's."

I LOVE when I'm right.


I'm linking up with A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day., The Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Party, Domestically Speaking's Power of Paint Party, Faded Charm's White Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design's Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Frugalicious Friday, Furniture Feature Friday, I'm a Creative Cat