For Keeps

This little dresser was one that I had in my childhood bedroom- and before that came from a neighbor of my Nana's. So, it's pretty old. I was considering selling it at the shop, but after I finished it, I found a perfect spot for it in my home. Yay. (It seems I've been doing a lot of that lately).
Also, I swore I had a before picture of this, but apparently not. So, here is the before picture of the matching shorter dresser that goes along with it. As you can see, it was a lovely maroonish-red.

And the after- my favorite turquoise:


I LOVE these crystal knobs from Hobby Lobby

my "new" chair

I've had this hideous chair for quite a while and have always wanted to reupholster or cover it somehow, but have always been too scared to try something. Lucky for me, Miss Mustard Seed posted a video slipcover tutorial series that was pretty easy & I got myself a new chair that I LOVE! And, it only took me the first weekend of March Madness! (Bryan watched the madness & I sewed!)
I absolutely love the ruffled skirt! I can't wait to do this again! Oh & by the way, I am not an advanced seamstress. The only thing I have sewn is curtains, pillows & a baby bumper....so this was quite a project, but I think anyone with basic sewing skills can do it! You should try!
Before:

After:


Total cost: $20 for 2 drop cloths! Yay!

Green is good

Top of the morning to ya! In honor of St. Patty's day I thought I'd post my most recent project- a green desk. (what great timing, right?)
My mom & I found this desk at our favorite Thrift Store & it was in pretty great condition for a smoking hot price. I then painted it a mixture of greens and blues that I had in my paint collection. After painting, I glazed it & roughed it up a bit. I found the knobs at Hobby Lobby- which by the way, has the BEST selection of knobs ever for the BEST prices. I love how it turned out!

Before:
After:
Also, I have had a lot of questions about how I paint and what I do, so I thought I'd share my tips. When I get a piece, I first clean it off - usually just with a damp rag, but some people use soap and water in case of grease. I'm usually too lazy to get the soap.
After it is clean, I sand it all over- with just a sanding block & a piece of sand paper.
Then, I paint it. I paint with a small foam roller brush, a paintbrush, and a sponge brush. The paints I use are just normal indoor house-paint. I use anywhere from semi-gloss paint to eggshell. It just depends on the project or the paints I already have.
(After you paint & the paint is dry you can glaze it & distress it or just leave as is.)
After it is dry- usually 24 hours- I apply polycrylic (the protective coating) with a paintbrush.
I bought my polycrylic at Walmart, and i'm sure you can get it probably at any paint store. Some people use a wipe on poly, so I'm sure that would work too, I've just never tried it.

Well, I think that is it. Let me know if you have any other questions! =)

Hand-painted turquoise hutch

When I first saw this hutch, I thought...woof. I pretty much couldn't even see how paint could make this look cute, but thankfully, I was wrong. I know I say this about every piece- but seriously, I love this one. I want to do this stencil design tutorial from Jones Design on everything I do now. It was so easy & quick & it turned out great!

Before:
After:

New{er} Scrapbooking Pages

I finished these pages a couple of months ago- but never got around to posting them. These pictures are from last January through April, which means that I am VERY behind with scrapbooking! Yikes!

How great is this monster paper?!

Featured!

My little white hutch was featured on Better After blog! Yay!

Cream Bookcase & hutch

This might be one of my favorite pieces I have done! I LOVE how it turned out- especially the vintage brown bird wallpaper. The bookcase was just an average, but really nice cherry piece & with a little cream paint- it looks brand new. Sometimes I get a little excited about painting & I forget to take a before picture...oh well.


This is one I found online & it kind of looks like what the bookcase looked like before...


And here is the after:



As for the hutch- my mom & I found it last Monday at ARC thrift store for $20. It was sort of a white with gold accents on it and I was in love the moment I saw it. I really wanted to keep this piece- it is just so unique! (oh & there is no before with this guy either)

I love the detail!
Here it is all decked out with our fun stuff!