{Before and After} The Entry Table!

Remember this piece of furniture I bought on Craigslist [over a year ago]?  I found it on Craiglist in Ohio and begged my sister to pick it up for me.  Paul's Shuttle (ie: my dad) delivered it free of charge shortly thereafter.  I ended up buying it for $100.   In the ad, I was initially attracted to the design on the drawers, and that is still my favorite part, but it is also a quality piece.  Dovetail drawers and everything. 
Disclaimer: I never said I would be quick completing my projects, but I do get things done eventually.  
It was in pretty good shape, but I knew I wanted it to be painted...keeping the beautiful brass handles.  I waffled between a boring white or gray, but never pulled the trigger.  I kept feeling like it should be painted a color!  

(Part of the reason I take a while to finish a project is because I sometimes have a hard time deciding exactly what I want to do with a piece, so I wait.  And wait.  And wait.  Until, finally it hits me.  Or Pinterest hits me.  An idea sparks, and I can move forward.)

Well, I am happy to say, she is finally finished!

So without further ado.......

Please forgive the un-styled photo and rolled up-to be sold on Craiglist-rug under the dresser.  One thing at a time.
My mom and I painted this at the same time we did the mint ombré etageres/shelves that sit in the dining room.

I used the palest mint green called Window Pane by Behr and for the shelves went with the next 3 shades on the color chip.

Because the piece will be getting a lot of use, I wanted to make sure the finish is durable.   I used an oil-based paint and primer.  (Zinsser) Two coats of each and I waited 24 hours in between coats.

The hardware cleaned up beautifully with Bar Keepers Friend and looks brighter than this picture shows.

This dresser is 72" long and sits along my entry wall.  You can see a glimpse of the gold mirror above.

I am working on getting my art together to make a collage around the mirror.  I am so ready for this room to finally come together.  It has been 18 months since we moved in and I am just now starting to see some cohesion with the bottom floor decor (all open space). whew! 

I know, I know...pictures coming!

{Before & After} Mint Green Ombré Etageres

A couple weeks ago when my parents were here we finally tackled painting the etagere shelves that I picked up at at yard sale [back in August] for just $20!!

The shelves are from Bombay Company and are solid, well constructed pieces.  They were a dark wood (with a reddish tint-yuck!) with metal bars that had a shabby finish.

Here they are in their perfect spot in the dining room. (Sorry for the crappy dark photo)

Months ago, I used Rub n Buff Gold Leaf on the metal bars and love the finished look.  It was a huge improvement, but the shelves needed to be freshened up as well.  I had some inspiration for mint green, mainly this chest.  (Thanks Treff!)

{via Pinterest}

I love the bold color and of course the brass is icing on the cake. I could not trace this pin to find the actual color, so I started a search for just the right mint green.  I came up with these 2 color pallets from Behr paints.

I love both of these, however, the palette on the left is more turquoise, which I have done before.  I wanted to try something new! Something minty and fresh!  Plus this [more minty] palette really goes nicely with my living room inspiration piece! Remember my painting?

I bought small samples of each color.  Once I had them home, and did a little test on paper.  I knew they would work perfectly.....all of them!

{Behr colors- window pane, sea foam pearl, reef green, intense jade}

Nope, I couldn't pick just one.  Look how pretty they are together.  I had an idea.  Ombré!

Ombré, is a French word that literally means gradation.  We have been seeing this trend for a while now, and I have always been a fan.  Here was my chance to do it!

This wasn't a quick project.  I had twelve shelves that all needed sanded.  I broke out the electric hand sander and it sped up the process considerably.

Next step was to prime them.  I used oil-based Zinsser.  This stuff is great, albeight stinky!  Make sure you are painting outside.

To save on paint I actually ended up using the small samples.  I bought 2 of each ($6 each color, $18 total).  This was enough to give them three coats. They come in a flat paint, but with a glossy polyurethane topcoat (which I already had a can leftover from a previous project), it worked perfectly.  
I layed them on the deck and used a foam roller.  It was a very quick process.  Flat paint dries quickly.

Polyurethane on the other hand, is very slow to dry.  24 hours between coats (I put two) Plus, after it is dry to the touch, you still need to wait a few days before setting anything on the furniture.  This painting and waiting to cure took me about a week to complete.

So, so worth the wait!

I must say, they turned out so beautifully.  I am loving them against my light gray walls.  There are 6 shelves, so I used three colors. (two shelves each)  Starting with the lightest at the top, the mint gets even minty-eri at the floor!

I have yet to style them up, but that is on the agenda for next week!!

We are getting on a flight for Ohio this morning to spend Easter with my family.  I can't wait!
Hope you have a great weekend too.

The Fireplace Reveal {Before & After}

When we moved into our house in 2011, we were so happy that is was move in ready.  We literally walked through it once and decided that we would like to buy it. Done!  (Of course I was 37 weeks pregnant so we were not all that picky after house hunting for 9 months)  Luckily, we ended up in the best house for the money.

The whole house had 'builder-boring' written all over it.  We did a lot of cosmetic changes our own, but with the [just our luck!] water damage at the beginning of the year, we were able to change a lot most of the things we didn't like.

Tile was a major part of that! It did nothing for the house style wise.
It was in the bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room and right here on the fireplace, smack dab in the middle of the living room.  Ugh!

Notice the ichy paint color on the walls and the reddish wood floors too. Not a good combo.

Well......has all that has changed! Take a look at our new fireplace surround!

I know you can't see the rest of the room in this picture, but [trust me!] it changes the whole feel!  Yes I will be posting more pictures soon, I have a lot to share actually.   My parents just left this weekend after being here for a week and we got some serious painting done! 

Rubbing & Buffing!

Until a month or two ago,  I had never heard of Rub n Buff.  But after seeing so many great transformations from other bloggers, I ran over to Michael's [with my 40% off coupon, of course] and bought a tube of the Gold Leaf.  Then I waited.  What was I planning to use this on again?

Luckily, the perfect project fell into my lap a few weeks ago when I bought these etageres at a yard sale [for $20!]

The original antique finish of gold over brown was just not doing it for me.  I knew I wanted the metal to be gold.  Bight gold!  Gold Leaf even!  Could this be the Rub n Buff project I was waiting for?!  Yes!

This stuff could not be easier to apply.  Now I know there are some "techniques" to applying on larger surfaces, because it does tend to streak, but for the metal bars of my shelves, it was simply rubbing on the gold cream and then.....you guessed it...buffing it with a t-shirt.

{BEFORE & AFTER}

In this next shot, the top shelf was not rub n buffed yet, so you can really see how the new gold just makes the shelf.  I love it!

I say "it" because I have only finished one shelf so far.  I know.  Im so slow at finishing projects.  Maybe I need my mom to come down again.  (Just kidding mom!  I promise I'll finish it before your next visit!)

I love a good "before & after"  What a difference.

Now to style them.  Honestly Im not sure of what to put on these beauties.  I don't want them to look cluttered.  I will have to play around with it.   Of course there is plenty of inspiration on pinterest if you search "shelf styling".  What can't you find on Pinterest?

[Before & After} Furry Footstool

Last year I went "shopping" in my mom and dad's basement. Remember the vintage chairs I got reupholstered? Besides those, I found an old, outdated globe for Mateo's room and this hideous footstool.
It was my grandpa's, so that part is great!  The fabric? Not so great.  It really shows its age wouldn't you say? 

Anyhoo, my parents brought it to our house and it sat in the extra bedroom for ohhhh, about 6 months.  Until I saw a picture on pinterest where someone used a flokati rug to recover an ottoman.  And I thought- Wait!  I have one of those in the garage!  It is probably 13 years old.  In fact, I think I would have tossed it had I not found this redo-idea.   (Incidentally, I followed the picture back to a blog called The Brick House. It's hilarious, I love her sarcasm...plus she seems to be addicted to Craigslist...like someone else I know...hmmm. check out her finds-they are ridiculous!) 

It was quite dirty.  I tossed it in the washer and also dried it in the dryer.  I knew it would shrink, but I didn't care since I was about to cut it up.

Even after the washer I had to vacuum and brush it.  Evidence of a couple [black] dog-sitting weekends last year were still buried in this thing.  I don't want to mention any names.

 After I got it looking pretty good, I grabbed Ernesto's staple gun, some 14mm staples and got to it.

 This process took me all of 15 minutes.  Crazy fur is very forgiving.  Even the corners were easy.

 If only all upholstery projects were this easy.

 I think it is pretty great!  What do you think?

I don't know where this thing is going yet, but it sure looks cool and I love that it cost me $0 to make!!  That's what I'm talkin' about!  Nester-the tester liked it for it's functionality.  Practicality. Yes, there is a purpose to my madness. 

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The Kitchen Plan

When we moved into our house last September we made a long list of changes/updates that we wanted to complete to rid the house of the "builder basic" feel.  These will need to be done over time of course, so we had to prioritize.  Due to our love of cooking and entertaining, the kitchen is high on that list.  Here are a couple pictures before we moved in:

 

Things we would like to change/add include:

1.  Paint cabinets white (I know what some of you are thinking...but my mind is made up)

2.  Change out black stove and dishwasher to stainless (we already bought stainless fridge)

3.  Add white subway tile back splash

4.  Take out the tile flooring and extend the hardwoods from the dining room into the kitchen (we would also like to refinish wood with a less red stain)

5.  Lower bar to counter height and add bar stools

{looking into kitchen from living room}

Notice how the bar counter really blocks off the kitchen;  it didn't flow.  The height was off too.  It was several inches higher than normal "bar height" so we would've had trouble finding stools that fit.
Here is another view:

{looking into dining/living area from kitchen}

We still wanted a bar for people to hang out while we are cooking, but didn't want anything that obstructs the view.  One day last week, when my parents were here, Ernesto and my dad whipped out a saw and got started on lowering the counter.   A chalk line was snapped for the first cut.

Luckily, it was just made of drywall and some 2x4's and they were able to cut into it easily and re-position the two outlets.
This heavy piece of granite was attached using some type of glue, which could account for it not being completely level, but that 2x4 was not going anywhere, so we kept it and used screws for extra stability and added a couple wood corbels.

Ideally we wanted the counter to be the same height as the island, but to avoid having a huge line in the granite, we opted to set the bar piece just on the edge of the island. Now there is a 1 inch lip separating the island and bar granite pieces and I really like the separation.

Im so glad I have handy men in my life.  What a huge difference it made!

We painted the kitchen walls with Martha Stewart's Morning Fog (#MSL115) and I love it.  It's a very light color and very crisp next to the white wood work.  It will look even brighter once we have the cabinets painted and the subway tile up.  (we did not paint where the tile is going under the cabinets)

The ceiling will be painted River Mist (a darker shade of the walls #MSL119)

You can see above that the back door is painted Magnetite (#MSL278), a rich charcoal gray.  I will paint the inside of the front door this color too.  We have have four interior white doors as well on the first level, and I plan to paint them like the picture below.  (white with dark gray highlights)  I think it's going to look fabulous!

{via Pinterest}

I will show you the view from other direction (into living room) just as soon as we are back from San Diego....and I have it cleaned up:)  I picked up my orange rug from the cleaners last week and it really makes the room.  Even with the $95 cost of dry cleaning, it was a steal!

[Before and After} CAMPAIGN DRESSER REVEALED!

Remember this POS campaign dresser that I found on Craigslist back in October?  Here is the original CL picture.

 

I was so excited when I found it as I had been stalking one for a while.  It was listed for just $15. (though I paid and extra $25 for delivery) 

Let me just say that the picture, although ugly, made this thing look like a gem compared to what it looked like in person.  It was in horrible shape!  Scratches/gauges everywhere but I saw the potential. I was chided by both my husband and my dad for buying it.

They now eat their words.

 

 It is GORGEOUS right? I am so happy with it!

After much debate, I decided on a Martha Stewart paint called palmetto. 

I was inspired by this picture I found on Pinterest. 

First of all a special thanks goes out to my friend Amanda for getting me started on this project! She started me off by removing all of the hardware.  We then filled in all the gashes and nicks with Elmers Wood Filler.  We gave it a quick sanding and slapped on a couple coats of Zinsser oil-based primer. 

Because I didn't want to mess with cleaning brushes with mineral spirits, I used a foam roller and it was covered in a jiffy. 

Already it was starting to look better.  Then I opened the paint can....ahhhhhh

Again, using a foam roller, I applied 3 thin coats of paint.

I was very happy with the color, but it just wasn't shiny enough.  I though a protective topcoat would be a good idea anyway, so when my mom suggested I use a glossy polyurethane I ran out to Lowes to pick some up.

 This stuff is awesome!  It goes on like glass and for $10 a quart was well worth the cost.  (I have plenty left over for other projects.)

The only thing left was the finishing jewelry.  The hardware!
Unfortunately after scrubbing it with Bar Keepers Friend, I discovered that the handles were not brass, but stainless steel.  The corners were brass but were very scratched up.  Spray paint to the rescue!  I ended up returning 2 cans [with the same exact cap color] before finding the right color.  Rustoleum's Metallic Gold was the closest to brass, but it wasn't until I added a coat of polyurethane that they really looked authentic.

 And there you have it!! What do you think?? One more time, here is the before:

Here is the after:

I'll have to show you some pics after I style it up.  It is in my bedroom and I am still working on my inspiration board.  Im so glad I have this to work in the design.  Not bad for less than $50 right?

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