Keeping it in the Family....Dresser Makeover

Hi everyone....hope you are enjoying your weekend!

I have been finishing up all of my custom orders so I can relax for about 3 weeks before baby comes. 

This dresser is a custom piece I did for Beth. Actually, it is for her little girl who is getting a big girl room. This dresser has been in her family for decades and she wanted to update it for her little girl. 

source 

If you are interested in these prints you can find them on Etsy.

 The flowers in our flower bed's are starting to bloom.

If you follow me on facebook, you saw the original pulls Beth chose. 

I found them at World Market and they were super cute. Cute doesn't always equal good quality or functional. For one, they sat way to close to the drawer to pull open. Second, I put all the blue bubble pulls on to make sure the drawers worked properly and when I went to open a drawer the whole glass ball broke off the stem. 

They went back the next day!

 I stuck to what I know and went to Hobby Lobby. I took a poll on the Picked & Painted Facebook page to get input from followers. (you should follow along on Facebook)!

It was a close tie between #2 and #4. In the end, Beth had the last say and she picked the blue and white resin knob. 

Here are all the details:

I had to remove the veneer on the bottom two drawers and the top. We were hoping to stain the top but there was wood damage under the veneer so it had to be painted. 

I used Swiss Coffee by Behr and sealed with wax. 

The pulls are from Hobby Lobby

You can find the art here.

linking up to:
blissful and domestic 

suburbs mama

one more time
too much time
be different act normal
tator tots and jello
old red barn 

A Taste of Americana

Our life is a series of projects right now. Money is limited so things are going slowly but we are getting them done. Since our extra closet (aka: my husband's closet) is in the nursery my hubby and I get to share a closet again. YAY.....not really. Our closet space isn't big so we needed to add a dresser to our bedroom to store most of my husband's clothes. 

BEFORE

AFTER

 I love this picture. Our Granddad took it in Spain and it screams Mafia to me. I love that Granddad took the picture but it also looks like a surveillance picture taken by the FBI.  So eerie but so cool.

This dresser was in rough shape when we bought it but I was okay with it because we only paid $25!! 

It was missing the trim around some of the drawers so I took it all off, sanded and filled any missing veneer and my husband sanded the top so we could stain it. 

I tried to polish the original hardware with Brasso but it was taking too long and it was hard to get in the small areas. Instead I used aged copper spray by Rustoleum. The top was stained with a walnut stain. 

I haven't put a protective coat on yet (but I will) and I also didn't distress or use chalk paint. 

The paint color I used was Americana by Behr and it took about 3-4 coats.

Now on to finishing the nursery!!

linking up to:
domestically speaking
savvy southern style
diy by design
the 36th ave
tator tots and jello 

Marble Dresser in Babbling Brook

What do you do when you have a piece of furniture that belonged to your grandma but it's just a little too out dated for your style? You paint it of course! Not everyone is a fan of painted furniture, especially antiques, but that's what this blog is all about. 

Genevieve contacted me about painting a few pieces that have been in her family for decades. She and her husband bought a new house and with a new house comes a new look. 

The dresser was her grandmother's and it had a beautiful marble top and some very interesting pulls. 

 I had to share my succulents. I don't have a green thumb but these are very hard to kill and the best kind of plant for me. 

Not only does Genevieve's dresser look a little more modern but she gets to keep something that is special to her and not spend a fortune on a new piece of furniture. 

The paint color is Babbling Brook by Olympic and the iron pulls are from Hobby Lobby. I very lightly distressed the edges and sealed with wax. 

What are  your thoughts on painting old family furniture?

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Barn Wood Coffee Table & Living Room Makeover: Part 1

I live in a world of brown.
My couch is brown, my floor & walls are brown, the chair & ottoman are brown, my TV stand is brown....you get the idea. I need white with pops of color in my life and I have decided it should start in my living room.

The first thing we decided to work on was the coffee table. Yes, the top is brown but I made up for it with other things in the room.


 I saw a coffee table makeover from City Farmhouse and knew that was the look I wanted. She used an Ikea coffee table and stained and aged wooded boards to give it a worn farmhouse look. 

source

I loved the look but I didn't want to spend $40 on lumber and I didn't want to take the time to age wood.

My husband and I were in the city one day and saw a pile of old barn wood. We fit as much as we could in our van and started brainstorming what we would do with it. 

We talked about building a patio table.

We talked about making a bench for our entry way. 

It was such a great find that I didn't want to use it until we knew for sure what we wanted to do with it.

A light bulb came on and the old barn wood is now the top of our coffee table.

I bought this coffee table at Goodwill for $7. Over a two year period I painted it a pretty greenish blue, then a light gray and then turquoise. I hated the turquoise!
I painted the table white and had my hubby add the barn wood to the top.

The boards are tongue and groove boards so they fit like a puzzle.
My husband cut the boards so they over-lapped the edge of the table, fit the pieces together and screwed them in place.

As I mentioned brown has taken over my house. I've said it before.....it looks like Mr. Potato Head threw-up all over my living room (and probably other areas too).
Yes, there is still brown in this space but this is only part 1 of this living room transformation.

this table was also a light gray and I put a quick coat of yellow to brighten it up.

I really wanted a custom slipcover for my brown couch but I can't sew and I didn't want to pay $400 plus to have someone make one.

Overall, I like the slipcover. It takes looking at pictures to see how you didn't tuck all of the fabric. Oh well!
I have been sleeping on the couch lately (all pregnancy related) and there is hardly a wrinkle when I get up. That fact alone makes me love this slipcover.

Want to know where everything came from?
I found the yellow pillows at World Market for $12.99 each
The woven tray is from World Market $19.99
Slipcover from Target $99
Rug is from Target  (bought 2 years ago)
The black and white photos were taken by Dan's grandfather so they are very special to us.
The other pieces on the gallery wall are pieces I collected and stored for doing this project and the 4 small colored prints are from a trip we took to D.C.


We have started looking at wall colors so that will be included in part 2.
We have a one-sided vaulted ceiling and a large open room so I'm a little worried about how to blend the rooms together without it all being one color. Suggestions?

What projects are you working on?
Has brown taken over your house....or are you a fan of brown?
I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment here or on my facebook page (click here).





linking up to:
alderberry hill
the scoop
elizabeth & co
a bowl full of lemons
finding home
one more time 
my girlish whims
savvy southern style
diy by design
primp
southern lovely
someday crafts
the 36th ave
mms
frugalicius friday
5 days...5 ways