My most favorite re-do EVER...I lost my fear of color!

Hey everyone! I scored this dresser for free on craigslist the other day. The moment I saw it I knew it would be gorgeous once it was spruced up. I replied to the posting when it was only 7 mins old and told the lady I wanted the dresser and would come get it RIGHT NOW...I even told her that I'd pay her 10 bucks for the dresser if she'd pick me! Well when she didn't get back to me I assumed that someone else had spied it right after she posted it too! Turns out I was the first reply she got....out of 65 replies....in the first hour!!!!! WOW! She told me she had to leave the house but that she'd give me her address and let me have it if I wanted it. SCORE! So I drove over there...super stoked because it was only about 15 mins away from my house. I had to lug this solid wood extremely heavy dresser into my car BY MYSELF at 7 months preggo! It wasn't fun but after I took all the drawers out it wasn't super bad....and there was NO chance I was leaving this dresser to be snagged by one of the other 65 vultures that wanted it. No way!
 So after I got it I just knew that this dresser was destined for some color. I had something bright and cheery in mind as this was gonna be my baby girl's dresser.  After consulting my color expert (aka Karli from Rocky Bella) we determined that THIS was in fact the Turquoise dresser. 
So after going to Home Depot and pouring over paint color options I decided on Glidden's Peacock Blue for a dark wash all over and Deepest Aqua in a dry brush over the top. I was excited to get started!
So the next day I removed all the hardwear and started sanding like crazy. I started at an 80 grit with my hand sander and worked my way up to 240. It got the wood buttery smooth! I cleaned all the dust off the dresser with an old t-shirt and mixed up my paint. 
**For anyone that doesn't know this...Home Depot sells small paint samples (not the ones with the little brush in the bottle) that are only 2.99 and they will custom mix any swatch color that you pick up for that price. Its an awesome way to go if you only want a small amount of paint and don't want to pay for a huge gallon or quart of a color that you might not want to use again. ***
To do the paint wash of the darker color I poured about a half cup of the paint into a plastic container and diluted it by half with water and mixed it thoroughly. It kinda had the consistency of melted icecream...Yummy! I brushed on an even coat all over the dresser and drawers and let it dry fully. You'll be amazed how gorgeous hardwood pieces look with a paint wash...it adds just the right amount of color but still shows the different wood tones through. I did two full coats of the dark blue paint wash and then went back over it and touched up lighter areas. Once that was fully dry I mixed up my lighter color. I diluted that color by half with water as well and barely touched my "dry" paint brush into the paint. I quickly brushed it sparaticly over the top of the darker color making it purposely uneven. (when your doing a dry brush technique you want to make sure that you put the smallest amount of paint possible on the brush each time...you want to see the brush marks which will add a lot of texture and character to the piece)
After I applied a single coat to the dresser I let it dry fully and moved on to the hardwear. The hardwear was in amazing shape and just needed some Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint to freshen it up a little. I did a total of two light coats of ORB and then once they were dry I applied a light coat of polycrylic spray over the top to help protect the paint from rubbing off. While the hardwear was drying and the dresser was fully dry I distressed it pretty heavily with 240 grit sandpaper and my hand sander. I wanted to add a lot of wear marks as well as show off the beautiful wood color. After the distressing and a thorough rub down to get rid of dust I did a total of 3 coats of Minwax's Wipe on Poly in gloss...letting each coat dry and then lightly sanding with 240 grit sandpaper in between each coat. I waited a full 24 hours after doing the last poly coat before I put the hardwear back on. I wanted to make really sure that the finish had cured so I didn't scratch it. I can't tell you guys how much I love this dresser! Its seriously the most satisfying transformation that I think I've ever done. I definately know now that I need to use bright, uplifting colors more often!
Here she is....pardon all the pics...I was kinda excited......
I'm linking up with the following parties...
Transformation Thursday@ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Furniture Feature Friday@ Miss Mustard Seeds
Flaunt it Friday@Chic on a Shoestring
Saturday Night Special@Funky Junk Interiors
Paint Party@Domestically Speaking





Revamped breezy dining chairs

Hellooo again! What do you do when you find 3 yards of brand new blue ticking stripe fabric at the Salvation Army for 2 bucks??? You re-upholster your dining chairs with them OF COURSE! I have been wanting to reupholster my dining room chairs for a long time now. They were my grandfathers and are as retro as they get but have a lot of memories and are SUPER comfy so I'm keeping em! I painted them white and covered the burnt orange original upholstery a few years ago but was totally over the chocolate brown and wanted something lighter and more "me". This ticking fabric was Perrrfect! So during Liam's nap time today I wrapped and pulled and stapled away and I LOVE how they turned out. I also shamelessly copied the fabulous ideas of some other blogs that I adore and painted a french inspired number on the back of each one to give it a more cottage vibe. For the number I mixed black acrylic paint with a drop of bright blue to get a sorta blue gray color...it actually looks like a super dark storm cloud and I love the color! Here's the before.... It wasn't bad but I was ready for a change....

After....Fresh and fun and way more me....now for A LOT of distressing and some glaze...



I know I switched the numbers up on you...the second set of pics is from a different chair...I like to be sneaky! :)

Linking this post up to Trash to Treasure Tuesdays here
Linking up with DIY day at Kimba's here

Upholstered Fabric Headboard

So I have been wanting to make an upholstered headboard for my bed for a LONG time...I mean every time I see a tutorial (which is ALL the time) I cringe because I had still not done it. Well I decided that yesterday was THE DAY to stop procrastination! I went to Lowes and purchased a piece of cheap-o MDF and had them cut it for me in (what I thought) was the dimensions I needed for my headboard. Well when I pictured what I wanted my headboard to look like, I pictured a gorgeous one like Centsational Girl did for her daughter's room here. In fact Kate was the one that inspired me to take on this project...Thanks Kate! Well I've had a hankering for a more breezy grown up room for a while and this headboard was gonna be the first piece of that puzzle.
So picture this....gigantically preggo chick walks into Lowes...orders MDF...has them strap MDF to my car...drives home with MDF excited to begin headboard construction....measures bed....realizes that MDF is WAY too big for bed....Darn! So after a quick call to my neighbor who happens to own every saw known to man...I had the MDF cut to the correct size and even some cutey patootie half circles cut out of each corner! woo hooo! So after a quick trip to the fabric store for batting this morning I was excited and anxious to complete my project. I wrapped and stapled the batting around the MDF. I opted to buy extra thick batting and double wrap it instead of buying foam (batting is MUCH cheaper) and I was satisfied with the cushiness of it after it was wrapped. I then laid my wrapped headboard down onto my adorable Michael Miller fabric and started stapling. I get it stapled all the way around except the last side...I go to pull the fabric over to staple it and realize that my fabric is about 2 inches too short! Darn!!! I bought 2 yards and I needed about 2 and a half yards. So back to the fabric store I go after my toddlers nap to buy another whole piece of fabric (can't sew a seam in it because the pattern's wouldn't match up)...I take a small piece of the fabric...show that fabric to the fabric chick who goes over to the place where said fabric is supposed to reside except its missing...a thorough search in the stock room turns up NO adorable Michael Miller fabric!!! Ok breathe....i really wanted THAT fabric...now I will have to pick a totally different one unless I want to drive all over town with a grumpy toddler looking for it....well since that wasn't an option I perused the rest of the Michael Miller fabric in that specific series and found a chevron stripe that had the same color of turquoise in it. SOLD...I even had a 40% coupon which helped with the 11.00 a yard price tag. Yay! So I got 3 yards this time (just to be safe) and also scored 2 yards of cool burlap in the remnants section for 2 bucks!! Double Score!!!
So I drive home excited....I immediately start working on it without washing the fabric first (who has the time after the morning I've had??) and it turns out adorable! Not quite as adorable as it would've been with the first fabric...but still really cute! I used the first fabric that I purchased to cover the buttons for the tufting so there would be some contrast. So everyone mentions how easy this project is...and I'm here to tell ya they were right! If it hadn't been for the 2 steps forward 12 steps back (while also dodging a toddler) way that I went about this project I would've been done in about an hour! So here she is....whatdoya think??


Ok so I realize that yet again I have neglected to stage my picture...I'm the worst blogger EVER i know! Honestly the reason is because I'm not putting this headboard on my wall until after we move into our new house in 3 weeks and I start making our master bedroom a Retreat that I can be proud of. Please forgive me ladies...I will show you all a pic of my master bedroom complete with new headboard asap!

Inexpensive Rug Inspiration

Hey people! So as some of you know from previous posts, my hubby and son and I are moving in about 3 weeks. Most of you are probably thinking what a psycho I am that we'll be moving when I'm about 8 months pregnant and YOU are absolutely RIGHT. But we couldn't pass up the opportunity...its a great house for roughly the same price!

Ok well the real reason for this post is my rug search! Our current house has carpet pretty much everywhere so I haven't really invested in rugs because we didn't really need them. Well now we do because at our new place the WHOLE main floor is hardwood laminate and I love rugs for how well they define the different living areas. I just wish so much that cute rugs weren't SO EXPENSIVE!

Enter Ikea.....

Some of you have probably already seen this site Ikea Hacker but for some of you this is a new thing. They have some great ideas! While most of the site is pretty modern design and I know that most of you aren't into that...(neither am I)....they occasionally have some ideas that are adaptable into one of our homes! I saw this on my blog roll this morning and I am SO hooked on the idea.
Look at that cute rug!!! They stencilled it...a cheap-o flat woven Ikea rug! And it comes in like 4 different colors and for a HUGE one its only 40.00!!! Thats my kind of price tag! The cool thing about this idea is how many options there are for stencils. You could adapt this to a more cottage style...maybe do a chevron pattern for a more funky style...stripes....flowers....etc. The sky is the limit! I am totally gonna copy this idea with a couple of these rugs but use washable fabric paint so its more durable with kids and pets. You guys should check out Ikea hacker's site...some super cheap and great ideas!!

Update

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to let everyone know that I just found out the test results from the biopsy of that lesion on my arm. Its NEGATIVE!! I still might have to be cut on just to make sure that they remove a little more from around the perimeter so it doesn't come back, but at least its not dangerous and won't make me sick! I am so thankful! God is good and I really appreciate all your prayers! This blog has been seriously neglected lately with us getting ready to move in a few weeks and this medical scare...as well as the run of the mill toddler and pregnancy woes! I will be back to my crafty self soon and will hopefully dazzle everyone with some new projects! Once were in the new place I'm gonna be a painting and decorating mad woman so we can get fully settled before our baby girl arrives! Thanks again everyone!

Thankyou thankyou

Hey everyone! I just wanted to send out a HUGE thankyou to all of you for your support and prayers. I am overwhelmed by all the wonderful and encouraging woman that I have met on here and I am so thankful for the opportunity to get to know all of you! I just got back from church with my husband and son and have been contemplating my many blessings and I want to let all of you know that I count you among those blessings! This blog is such a wonderful outlet for not only my creativity but also my feelings and emotions (and being pregnant...I've got more than enough emotions to go around lol) and I thank you all for sharing both of those with me. I hope you all are having an amazing Sunday that is filled with the blessings that God is so anxious to pour out on us!! God bless all of you!

When it rains it pours...

Hey everyone! So this is a bit of a personal post...which I don't do very often but its been a bad morning so far and I needed to vent. Last friday I went into the Dermatologist to have a cyst removed from my upper left arm. It wasn't big or hideous but I have had it removed a couple of times before and it has always come back. Well he removed it, stitched me up and sent me on my way. I went back in today to have the stitches removed which I thought was going to be a 5 minute appt so I just brought my son with me. Well the tech came in and removed my stitches and then the doctor came in and told me to wait a few mins that he'd be right back. When he came back in he had a strange look on his face and he told me that there was a strong possibility that what we thought was a cyst is actually a Dermato Fibroma Sarcoma Tuberance. I asked him if it was cancer and he said "no not exactly"...hm....well thats not the answer I was looking for. He said that it is an extremely rare thing that is very often misdiagnosed because it looks exactly like a totally benign and harmless cyst. He said that in his 30 plus years in practice he's never seen one. He also said that if it ends up being the DFST that they will have to remove A LOT more of the skin around the perimeter so they can make sure they get it all. This is an extremely aggressive lesion that will keep coming back and can...if left too long....become a very disfuguring thing to remove. He told me that they see a case like this about once every 5 years in the whole city...and that he's going to a meeting this afternoon to discuss interesting cases with other Derms and he's going to be discussing my case. Lucky me! He won't know truly what this is until he gets the labs back around the middle of next week.
Although this isn't something that's gonna kill me, it still makes me very nervous and if it ends up being the DFST he'll be removing it again but taking A LOT more (the first time he removed it he took about a dime size...this time it'll be about a quarter size or bigger). I won't know anything for several days though so I'll just be praying until then and trying not to worry. If you guys think about it, would you include me in your prayers? I would really appreciate it!

Good luck today at the GW

Hey guys! Its been a while since I've posted because life has been BUSY and I'm preggo and chasing a toddler yada yada. I have several projects that I'll be posting in a couple days (including my new farm table revamp...I re-did my dining table and kept the legs white but stripped...sanded...and massively stained the top)...it didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted it to but it looks super cool and its funky and imperfect which is just fine with me...more on that later. I also made an adorable crib sheet for my soon to be released baby girl's crib out of some amazingly cute Amy Butler flannel fabric that I got on sale for 40% off...YAY! And I have a few more projects of the nursery variety that i'll be showing ya'll.

So the little man and I cruised through Goodwill today and found some awesome deals! I mean...AWESOME deals! Ok I seriously don't really shop at Goodwill because its so overpriced in my area. I hate it when Goodwills have good stuff and they KNOW that they have good stuff so they mark it up like crazy...hate that! Its like people knowing that they have VALUABLE antiques at garage sales and charging an arm and a leg for them...How dare they!
So today was not one of those days!
I spent a total of 23.00 and here's what I got....
Adorable vintage apothecary jar with teeny tiny lid (gorgeous...unique...LOVE)
Adorable small unique looking apothecary jar with semi tiny lid (kinda like a vintage juice glass but with a super cute delicate little glass lid...its seriously adorable
BRAND NEW Simply Shabby Chic (from Target) shower curtain in white with super light pink and light green stripes on it (the green happens to match the light green tub and toilet in my bathroom...yup...we live in a retro rental house that we unfortunatly can't change...grrr)
BRAND NEW Swaddle Me swaddle blanket from babies r us for .99!! These normally sell for about 15 bucks and are INVALUABLE when you have a brand new baby!
Vintage tin Flour canister for 1.25! This thing is adorable...its OLD...it has a very retro Flour sign on the outside and I'm LOVING it. I'm gonna put my spatulas and other utensils in it on my kitchen counter.
And two hardback books (Angela's Ashes...and The Long Road Home...memoirs of a boy soldier...its supposed to be really powerful...can't wait to read it)

All in all I think it was a super successful Goodwill run. I'm excited! I would've posted pictures of all my goodies but I'm too tired and lazy....just try to imagine their cuteness and I'll get around to posting pics one of these days!