Antique White 9-Drawer Dresser

This dresser was found on craigslist a few weeks back. It was really beat up, but still solid and functional. I got the vibe that the owners were a little embarrassed of it's condition. They seemed somewhat surprised when I said, "OK, let's load it up."

I keep forgetting that most of the population just want to get rid of their junk. It amazes me that they can't see what their junk could be. BUT -- better for me, right? lol. 

I posted about finding this dresser here.
Her before...well.... I guess it's not that bad. Surely not something I would buy to use "as-is".

But....she's pretty now....

Everything was hand crafted on this piece. I used homemade chalk paint and also made the color by mixing some that I already had.

I started by sanding the top down to get all the bubbling imperfections smooth. I didn't bother sanding anything else. That isn't needed when using chalk paint.

I proceeded to apply three coats of my homemade chalk paint concoction....

Once the paint dried, I got out the sand paper and sanded by hand (no palm sander, no electric sander...just me and the sandpaper).  This process gave me blisters on both of my thumbs. I may decide to go with a palm sander next time...

After sanding I applied Minwax Clear Gloss Laquer to give it a heavy duty protective coat. I've found this to be the one protective coating that really does hold up.

The knobs were given new life with a rubbed bronze spray paint.

If the old owners could only see her now. I bet they would be a little embarrassed.


Linking to:
Elizabeth & Co
Savvy Southern
Domestically Speaking
A Stroll Thru Life
The Vintage Farmhouse
The Crafty Blog Stalker
Live Laugh Rowe
Finding Fabulous

The Painted Wooden Tool Caddy

Hello to all my blog friends! What a great day here in the Midwest! Thanks to some sunshine and an extra hour of light after work…I can feel spring coming on! Bring it!!!

It must’ve been the extra hour of light, because I was all about getting this little caddy ready for use. Isn’t it adorable?

This little guy can be used for sooo many different things!

Plain….oorrr…

A cute little caddy for perfumes. I especially like how this looks.

Annddd….

A cute little caddy for craft supplies/tools. I used ASCP, so of course I was able to use chalk to write all over it If you like this paint color, I also used it on and end table you can read about here.

This tool caddy also poses as a cute little decorative piece…for wherever in the home.

And the best part? I purchased this wooden tool caddy at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store, for a whopping $.79.  SEVENTY-NINE CENTS PEOPLE!!!

In case you are curious, as always, here is a before….

Not too bad….but waaaay better now.

I love cheap DIY projects that spruce up the home. Once we get moved into our house, this is going in my craft room. YES…I am getting an entire room to devote to my craftiness. I can’t wait to get to organizing it!

Anndddd….In case you are wondering, we close on our house next Friday! I can’t wait!!

Linking to these parties….

The Shabby Creek Cottage - The Crafty Blog Stalker - The Vintage Farmhouse
Simple Home Life - Someday Crafts

1930’s Chair Redo {In ASCP} – Before & After

In my opinion, older furniture is by far the best – ever. Take this 30’s style chair that I redid in Anne Sloan Chalk Paint last weekend.  Isn’t it the coolest thing since sliced bread???  I think so! 

But here’s my issue -- once I put the ASCP and coffee bean sack on it – I fell in love. The kind of love that will always get in the way of selling any of the furniture I redo. This could be a problem….

.

Yes…that’s part of a coffee bean sack right there on that seat!  It looks like it was meant to be there.  Wouldn’t you agree?

 

I’m sure this little chair will make someone else very happy. So I shouldn’t be selfish :) Right?

Oh…and in case you were wondering, here are the before pictures.

You can tell this thing was pretty well used over the years. And over the past year has been a catchall for my fiancés socks. lol.

 

Aww….all better! And no more socks!

And I’m glad I finally got to use some of the gazillion coffee sacks I bought awhile back. lol.

Cheers!!!

oh and psst…I’m linking to these parties :)
Funky Junk Interiors - I Heart Nap Time - Coastal Charm
C.R.A.F.T. - Liz Marie Blog - French Country Cottage
Finding Fabulous - Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

End Table -- Dressed In Grey Chalk Paint

 

Today I’m sharing an end table paint redo -- using the infamous Anne Sloan Chalk Paint. Just a little FYI: If you are in the market to refinish a piece of furniture for your home, definitely spend the extra on this paint. It’s fab.

 

Fortunately, I took some before photos. This little end table is solid wood, but had some issues with water damage.

 

 

But I saw potential in this little guy and thought he’d be the perfect addition to my living room. So off to painting I went…

 

 

No sanding is required. Just paint over the nasty. I’m loving the soft color. And I love it even more that there are no more water stains! 

 

Here’s an before & after up-close….

 

 

What do you think?

 

WHAT I USED

 

3/4 Anne Sloan French Linen

1/4 Anne Sloan Pure White

Anne Sloan Clear Soft Wax

 

Have a great day!

 

Linking to these fab parties.
Funky Junk Interiors - SNS 174 - I Heart Nap Time - Sunday Scoop - DIY Showoff
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday - It's So Very Cheri - Elizabeth & Co - Domestically Speaking
Primp - Southern Savy Style - Someday Crafts - Seven Thirty Three
The Shabby Creek Cottage - Miss Mustard Seed - Chick On A Shoestring Decorating
My Romantic Home - The Shabby Nest
 

Little Step Ladder

When I found this little ladder at a local thrift store…I could barely contain myself. It was dirty and gross {sorry I forgot the before picture!} but that didn’t stop me.

And what’s even better is that it got a facelift while I was doing my retro dresser. It took about 10 minutes total to glam her up.

The initial thought was to put her on a wall for shelving. But instead she sits on the floor as shelving.

And you know what? I will be so happy when the day comes we don’t have cords laying all over the place. I swear!!!

If anyone has a tip on how to hide cords when there is no place to hide them…please contact me!

Linking to these fabulous parties :)

Retro Dresser Turned Mint Green

Last week was spent working on a dresser for my mom {read about that here}. During the week I had fun painting anything that got in the way. The dresser, my entry stand, a little step ladder, a wooden serving tray, and my jewelry box are now mint green :)

This one was what I like to call a retro number.

It had chunks of wood missing form the drawers but otherwise was in good condition.  A couple of wood filler applications fixed that problem.

I used my electric sander to lightly sand the entire dresser and then I applied two coats of my homemade chalk paint.

The color is something I came up with mixing my teal and white paints I had laying around. I just love chalk paint! I make mine pretty thick.

I used my sander to distress the edges and am happy with how it turned out.

So far I’ve only used Minwax Poly on my projects. I was looking into using a wax on this but read that it wouldn’t apply very well to a flat paint. Makes sense.

Oh and I also learned a dollar saving lesson while working on this dresser. When applying a sealant, it’s cheaper to buy the $.69 sponge brushes and discard them after each use then it is to buy a $12 paintbrush and $8 paint thinner :)

I really started to become attached to this dresser. It was hard giving it back!!

You can find this project at these link parties.

Retro Dresser Redo {a sneak peek}

This week I’ve been working on my first client project. I’m really excited! The client is my mother and the piece is an old dresser she’s had for longer then me :)

She wanted it Mint Green and antiqued.

I made the paint color myself. Turns out I had some teal left over from my TV Stand project and I just bought a gallon of mistinted Vintage White paint at Wal-Mart for $3.88. I love how my homemade chalk paint worked on my dresser redo so I decided to use my Plaster of Paris in the mix too.

I don’t think the Mint Green could’ve gotten much better. It’s perfect :)

I almost didn’t want to distress it for fear I would ruin the perfect color. lol. I spent awhile deciding if I was going to use a sander, my wood stain, or both for the distressing. I opted for sanding.

Then came the decision regarding the knobs. I got the impression that my mom wanted to stay with the original knobs. I personally would’ve went with something white or clear. This is what I came up with…

Distressed to match the rest of the dresser.

You’ll have to wait until this weekend to get the full scope…

Oh…and another one of my victims of the mint green…

I’ve been wanting to paint this ladder and it was sitting right there…it’s really cute now and will be a plant stand soon enough :)

Happy Thursday!

Entry Stand Gets Makeover

Last night I swear I got super busy with the paint! Anything in the way got a coat of it. Ever have one of those days? My opinion is that when I take the time to get my paint and supplies out…I might as well go all out :) Here’s just one of my victims…

The before picture is not the greatest – sorry! At least I have one…I should be proud of that…

I just splashed paint all over {pretty randomly} and called it a day :) It took me all of 5 minutes I think. I’m still deciding if I like it. Maybe not…but the little stand didn’t cost me anything so not a biggy.

The paint color is what I am using on another (large furniture) project I will be revealing soon. It’s my own take on mint green chalk paint. Love the way it applies. If you want to know how I make my chalk paint, you can read about that here.

Linking to these parties.

DIY Chalk Painted Dresser

Last weekend I refinished a dresser in chalk paint -- DIY Chalk Paint. The entire experience was actually pretty laid back….and I am excited to do my next dresser using this same DIY Chalk Paint!

I had never actually used real chalk paint but I heard it’s amazing. Only problem is that you can’t buy it just any old place and there isn’t a dealer close to me. Not to mention the stuff doesn’t exactly fit into my thrifty budget. So I sought out the next best thing.

Making my own.

I used the recipe Sharon used over at Elizabeth and Co. 

What you’ll need is:

- Plaster of Paris (found at Home Depot: $7 for 3lb).

- Paint of your choice (I used Martha Stewart: $10).

- A bucket of some sort to mix them (I used an old gallon ice cream bucket: $0).

- A paint stick for mixing (get at Home Depot while you are getting the plaster and paint: $0).

 The recipe calls for one part Plaster of Paris to two parts paint. I actually just eyeballed the measurements…like I do when I make pancakes :)  The paint becomes thicker and gritty. Perfecto!

Then we have the dresser…I picked it up over the summer and paid a whopping $15.

No kidding.

I love dressers like these. They look really nice painted.

It’s actually in pretty good condition other then the dust graffiti all over the top.

I simply took the drawers out, took the hardware off, wiped all the surfaces down with a damp cloth and then got to painting. There was no sanding or priming involved.

That’s the beauty of chalk paint. Love it.

I applied two coats of paint. It went on really smooth. The drying time is considerably less then with regular paint so I was able to do the second coat right after I finished the first coat. Then I let it sit overnight.

The next morning I got my sandpaper out and started in on distressing. If you don’t want to ruin your hands or if you don't have an electric sander, you could use a damp cloth and wipe your way to a distressed look.

Once the distressing was finished I applied a coat of poly. I just did one coat and let that dry the rest of the day.

Doesn't the hardware look great? It's just two coats of brushed bronze spray paint. And it looks amazing.

I’m really liking in love with the finished product! It doesn’t even look like the same dresser.

What a huge difference some paint and a weekend can make….

What do you think? I have to say that I will be using more homemade chalk paint in some upcoming projects. I absolutely love this stuff!

Linking to these parties...
I Heart Nap Time 
CRAFT