DIY-Disasters

So Im sitting here today typing to you with frozen veggies on my neck & shoulder and frozen fruit on my back.  Why, you ask?  
Well it all started with this great idea my sister & I had.  She had asked me to help her redecorate her master bedroom.  She liked the stripes that I had done in my dining room and wanted them on the focal wall of her bedroom. 

So as I was taping my little heart out from the top of the ladder (and I will admit here that I was NOT standing on it properly) I went to move and the ladder went one way and I went the other.  1st banging my head against the wall, the crumpling up and slowly sliding down the wall as the ladder pulled my feet out from under me.  I ended up on my side landing on top of the ladder.  I broke the pencil I was holding and bent the ladder.  

And of course as soon as it was over and my sister made sure I was alive- we both "tweeted" about the incident.  We are dorks!


So after my visit to my chiropractor today- I have a rib out of place and lots & lots of bruising.  BUT the good news is- her walls look awesome!! and I cant wait to show you the after shots!

Chalk Paint Dresser for Mom

My Mother has had this little baby chest since she was a little girl.  When I was little it was used as my clothing storage.  It has been painted many colors-the last one being yellow.  For a gift for my Mom I decided to take some Annie Sloans chalk paint to it.  I used the Old White for the top and Louis Blue mixed with a little Paris Gray for the bottom.


BEFORE

AFTER:

Linking to:

Miss Mustard Seed

Decor Chick

Another Restoration Hardware DIY

Well another piece of furniture has succumbed to my sander.  My dining room table has bothered me since the day I got a wild hair to spray paint it brown.  (note to self: NEVER spray paint a piece of furniture in 100 degree weather) So for over a year I have lived with this painted, splotchy table.  After my success at Restoration-Hardware-ifying my dresser , I decided to tackle my table.


BEFORE:

 Notice the glossy splotch?




AFTER:

And now to decide what to do with the chairs.  Part of me doesn't want to stain them because it will be too matchey-matchey.  What I reeeeally want are these chairs from Restoration Hardware.

BUT thats over $1,200 in chairs!!  So for now Im on the hunt for something similar that I can reupholster myself.


Linking to:

Decor Chic

Miss Mustard Seed

Restoration Hardware inspired dresser

Remember my GoodWill find I scored a few weeks ago?

My inspiration:

Via: Restoration Hardware

Well here she is all "Restoration-Hardware-ified" (thats a word right?)

Let me 1st just say WOW-this was for sure a labor of love.  I used two different strippers.  

Then sanded, then sanded again, oh wait-then sanded again.  All those curve & grooves were painful.  And Im sure there is some cool state of the art tool out there to help but I resorted to q-tips and one of my kids sand box toys!

After all the sanding-I applied a wash of Annie Sloans chalk paint in Old White.  I mixed one part paint and 1 part water.  
After the wash dried I applied a gray stain & wiped it down.  
Here is one of the drawers with just the wash (on theleft) and here it is with the stain applied on top (right).

Here it is in her new spot in the dining room (I have no clue why I refer to my furniture in the female-tense).

Linking to:       Thrifty Decor Chic
                          Miss Mustard Seed

Southern Hospitality 
Decor Chick 

My Goodwill score

Now I have to admit I almost NEVER find anything in our local Goodwill store that makes me swoon. EXCEPT today.  I was with my 2 youngest at the Dollar Store (cuz thats how we roll) and decided to pop in the Goodwill store next door.  When I walked up to this baby I knew it had to be mine! and the $50 price tag didn't hurt either!  (Thats a good garage sale price!) Here she is:  *sigh*

Its made by Bassett furniture- dovetail drawers-georgous pulls! Yum!


I cant wait to get to sanding on this one!  I am loving the Restoration Hardware washed wood look lately.  Its got that great rustic-chic look with a Swedish influence .  Here are some of my inspiration photos:

 Via: Restoration Hardware

Via: Restoration Hardware Baby

Via: Wisteria

Via: Wisteria

Then I stumbled upon this website when I googled Swedish Furniture.  http://theswedishfurniture.com/archives/swedish-paint-finishes-how-to-wash-raw-wood

I may just have to try this out!  

Have a great day!!

Chalk Paint.....oh how I love thee

Wow! is all I can say.  I first heard about it here from Miss Mustard Seed.  Then I went here & placed my order and had a wonderful chat on the phone with the owner.  So today when the UPS man rang my doorbell-I about tackled him to get that box outta his hands.  Unfortunately I dont have an amazing piece of furniture to paint (yet) so I grabbed the next best thing- a mirror.

Now with this paint there is no sanding & no priming - should I repeat that? NO SANDING NO PRIMING!  and its water-based.


For this project here's what I used:

Chalk paint in Paris Grey & Old White.  Minwax clear wax paste & Fiddes & Sons antique paste which I heard about again from Miss Mustard Seed here.  Now for technique- people I am NO teacher and honestly I have no clue what Im doing- so for tutorials please, please visit Miss Mustard Seed.  But honestly all I did was slap it on with an old paint brush- wait for it to dry-applied the wax paste-applied the antique paste-wiped off the excess and I was done! D-O-N-E.


Here's the frame after the paint had dried and before the waxes  were applied (and to be honest I liked it enough to leave it at that) but if you are wanting the worn, antique look and want to seal your piece-apply the wax.

And here's the after (yes shot with my camera phone-*sigh* one day I'll have a big girl camera!)

LOVE!!


I am planning on using these paints on my mothers old baby chest.  She has moved into a new home recently and wants me to update it for her.  I'll keep you posted on the progress of that.


Linking up to:

Miss Mustard Seed

Dresser Makeover

So that little dresser that I scored at Round Top got a little makeover.  My inspiration piece was this chest from Wisteria

Here's the before:

I 1st applied a chemical stripper, then sanded it with my orbital sander, then applied two coats of deck stain in Driftwood Gray.

I loving the rustic quality the stain gives it.  I soaked the hardware in some ammonia for several hours to clean it up.  I didnt want to completely clean the hardware up because I felt the slightly tarnished looked added to the age of the piece.  Now I really feel this piece tells a story.

Im linking to:

Miss Mustard Seed

The Shabby Nest

Centsational Girl