The Beginnings of a Big Girl Room & DIY Toy Storage

I don't talk about my family too much on my blog but the time has finally come. This weekend was spent prepping our third bedroom/playroom into a big girl room for our daughter Elise. She is almost four and is currently in a toddler bed. I hate to admit that she is growing up but it's time to face the truth.

What the playroom looked like before....YIKES!

This gives you a 360 view of the room and what I am working with.

Look past the mess. I was actually in the process of getting rid of baby toys and keeping the stuff she likes to play with now. 

When I was a teenager my mom refinished a cast iron bed for my birthday. The bed has stayed with me over the years and I am beyond happy that I kept it. It was painted white, then black and then white again. Elise said she wanted it to be pink so the bed got another coat of paint.

Since the wall is a light blue, I wanted to use soft pink's, green's and yellow's. 

The bedding is picked but there is still more to do. 

I do not sew (as in, I'm not sure I could turn on a sewing machine) but I am planning on making some no-sew curtains with hem tape, adding a rug, some prints on the walls, and painting a dresser nightstand and mirror. 

So where did all of those toys go, you ask? Everything is now in the basement and I have to advert my eyes every time I go down there. 

I need cabinet storage ASAP! 

After searching blog land I came across a lot of DIY storage cabinets for playrooms. Ana White is an amazing site for FREE building plans, cut list's, and overall DIY ideas. She basically does everything for you except built it.
I can use power tools but I purposely limit my skill level because I am horrible with math (instant headache thinking about numbers) and I refuse to follow the "measure twice, cut once" rule. I'm more of a, let's just wing-it and hope it works, kind of gal. Plus, that's what my husband is for : )

We are working on building a storage cabinet like this for all of the toys that have taken over the basement.

 source
Ours will look like this but without the middle section.

Stay tuned for updates on the room and storage cabinet progress.

Hepplewhite Dressers in Swiss Coffee

You know those really cool dressers you see with the oval pulls? Apparently they have an actual name besides old dressers with pretty oval pulls. My newest client Lauren contacted me requesting a set of Hepplewhite style dressers which is the actual name from this style of furniture. Ya' learn something new everyday!

Lucky for Lauren my neighbor was wanting to get rid of some furniture in her garage and she had two dressers identical to what my client was wanting.

BEFORE

AFTER

My client wanted a clean classic look so we decided to use Swiss Coffee by Behr. I used my homemade chalk paint recipe (1c. paint to 1/4 -1/2 c. baking soda) because chalk paint is so durable and has a great finish. Plus it drys super fast!

 

I lightly distressed the edges using a razor, sealed with Johnson's Paste Wax, and used Oil Rubbed Bronze to touch up the hardware. I primed these two pieces before I painted because I knew the original stain would bleed through. I primed, painted two coats of chalk paint and still had bleed through in certain spots. NOOO!!! I painted another coat of primer over the chalk paint and painted one more coat of Swiss Coffee. Thankfully, that did the trick.

Yes, professional furniture painters have paint issues/potential disasters too! My tip for the day for you ladies painting something for the first time: Don't be afraid and just go for it!!

linking up:

too much time on my hands

be different, act normal

tater tots and and jello

classy clutter

stylish once again

make the scene monday

craft-o-maniac

under the table and dreaming

tip junkie

savvy southern style

mms
the 36th ave 

Before & After: Custom Dresser Set in Real Red

My new client contacted me months ago about the coral dresser  I painted. Unfortunately, someone else bought the dresser so we didn't get to work together. Fast forward eight months later and she contacted me again to paint a dresser set she found on Craigslist.

BEFORE

AFTER

She really liked the color of the coral dresser but she wasn't 100% sure. I sent her few paint samples and she picked a color I had in my paint stash called Real Red and requested a black glaze.

I found the paint at ReStore and it is a Valspar color that someone had matched at Sherwin Williams. 

The picture on the left shows you the color without glaze and the one on the right is glazed.

The black glaze tones it down and adds a little depth. 

Did you notice the decorative pieces on the before pics? I took those off and keep the original hardware which was updated with oil rubbed bronze. 

If you love the color, I am sharing the color match info so you can take it your favorite paint store and have them match it. Even though the name is Real Red I think it is more coral than red. 

I get a lot of questions about glaze and what I use. In the past I used an oil based stain as a glaze but it involves way too much work and patience and it doesn't always go as planned. It's not something I would suggest to someone who hasn't used glaze before. 

I use a clear glaze and add a black paint which is easy to use. I don't have a how-to post yet but Sausha from Sweet Pickens has a great post on how she glazes furniture. It's pretty much the same way I do it. One tip is to keep a damp rag  handy and wash it a lot! It will help to move the glaze around if it isn't cooperating. 

What do you think of bold and bright colors?

linking up:

under the table and dreaming

craft-o-maniac

tip junkie

frugal crafty home hop

a to zebra celebrations

savvy southern style

mms

Life We Live 4 Guest Post

Laura from the blog Life We Live 4 contacted me and asked if I wanted to swap posts. Uhhhh, yeah I do!

She found this sofa table and vamped it up a little....okay, she vamped it up a lot.

I think this is such a cool little hip table.

I think her vision for this table is very unique and fresh.
The pop of blue and the wood go so great together.


Laura also did this dresser which she calls the Stately Dresser and this one is my favorite!
I love the curve and the natural wood and painted drawers. Two toned furniture is either hit or miss in my opinion and she rocked this one.

I had to try really hard to not put more pictures up of this dresser. Make sure to visit her blog, take a look around and say hi!