IKEA Crib in Pink

Last week I mentioned that I painted two cribs but I was waiting on after photos. Amanda sent me a few photos of the crib in her nursery. Thank you Amanda and congrats on sweet baby Felicity!

Just a plain, boring, white IKEA crib 

 I threw my daughter's mattress in there to see if it would fit. Apparently you have to buy an IKEA mattress to fit and IKEA crib (we wanted to see how true that was).

I used a green paint (safe paint) from Sherwin Williams called Dragon Fruit. This color is a little more true to the shade of the pink.

Amanda was sweet enough to send me a few photos she took. Most of you will probably wonder why someone would want to paint a crib pink? Why not?! 

I like things that are different and you won't see in every house you visit.

When Felicity gets older, her friends will come over to play; they'll all go home and tell their mommy's they want a pink bed too! She will be a little trendsetter. 

The walls in her room are pink so it's a little hard to get the true color of the crib. The two pictures on the left give you a better idea. 

Congratulations to Amanda and her family!

Dresser turned Media Stand

Last year I re-purposed an old cheap dresser into a functional TV stand....(click here for a refresher). 

My newest client wanted to find an old dresser to use as a media stand for her newly renovated basement.
She also had this desk customized to put in her basement.

I found a dresser on Craigslist, the price was right, and it was in great working condition. It lacked in the pretty department, but that's where I come in, and it had tons of storage. There's a total of 8 drawers and a cabinet with 2 shelves. I'm a little jealous myself.....I have a love of drawers (it's where I hide all of my junk.....I could hide a lot in this piece). 

BEFORE

AFTER

There were two big drawers inside the doors but that space needs to be used to house electronics so we added two shelves. My husband gutted the inside, took out the drawer tracks and cut 2 pieces of 3/4 inch  MDF to fit. I do the painting and my hubby does all the hard stuff.  

These three photos give you a visual of what the process of gutting and adding a shelf look like. 

Since electronics are going inside the doors I also made sure to add ventilation holes to prevent any overheating. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the holes.

Here is one more after photo

For those who are interested in the small details:

The paint is Thermal Spring by Valspar (I think it has more green undertones in person)

I used homemade chalk paint (1 c. paint to 1/4 c. to 1/2 c. baking soda) 

**start with 1/4 c. and add more if needed**

The pulls are from Hobby Lobby

I lightly distressed and sealed with Johnson's Paste Wax

Let's talk about the gallery wall! In our living room we have a huge wall, and it's vaulted too, which means a lot of empty space. We decided to turn it into a gallery wall using pictures taken by my husband's granddad, pictures we found on a trip to D.C., a few pieces I found on Etsy, and some plates I found at Goodwill years ago. We have lived in our house for over 2 years and we just started putting stuff on the walls.

 I wanted to make sure it was something I would love. We still haven't painted any room since we moved in either (except the playroom and guest bathroom). I feel like those are big long term decisions and I am not ready to make them......but the time has come. Baby steps. 

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liz marie blog
the shabby nest 

the 36th ave
southern lovely
blue egg brown nest
savvy southern style
house of hempworths
too much time
5 days...5 ways
classy clutter
show and tell 

the cottage market
tater tots and jello
nifty thrifty
the dedicated house
mms

at the picket fence
domestically speaking
from my front porch to yours 

Desk Makeover

I seem to be working in pairs lately. I did two desks this past week and two cribs in the last month. I'm still waiting on after pictures for the cribs but I am hoping to share them soon. Both cribs have been delivered and one of the babies has been delivered (congrats Amanda). The only thing we are waiting on now is bedding so we can stage the cribs and take cute pictures.


The nice lady who bought the Soldier Blue Buffet was also looking for a desk which I just happened to have in my inventory. The desk was already painted white with a horrible coat of polyurethane.

 I sanded the top and sanded the layer of poly off the whole desk. It's amazing what a difference a stained top can make!

I used my usual homemade chalk paint (1cup paint and 1/4 to 1/2 cup baking soda). I also used my usual Swiss Coffee by Behr. She wanted white but not a bright white....Swiss Coffee fits that description perfectly. 

I kept the pulls and sprayed them with oil rubbed bronze. They were sprayed black originally but with a flat boring black. 

I also lightly distressed around the edges and sealed with wax. Personally, I am not a fan of polyurethane. Even though the label says it will not yellow (even the water based poly)....IT DOES! Plus it can leaves drips if you aren't careful. I have also used rub-on poly which is easier to use but it can still yellow.  Therefore, I am a huge fan of wax. 

What kind do you like better: wax or poly?

Head over to the Picked & Painted Facebook page (click here) to share your opinions

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the 36th ave
house of hempworths
mms
under the table and dreaming 

Custom Desk in Winter Surf

I recently finished a custom desk for a new client. I love how this desk turned out and the color is so bright and cheerful. I'm looking at a snow covered yard as I type this and this desk really makes me look forward to warmer weather.

BEFORE

AFTER  

I really missed the color blue. I feel like I haven't painted anything blue in a long time and this piece came out great. 

The color is Winter Surf by Behr and I used a black glaze to darken the color a little. Before I glazed the color was more of a Tiffany blue. 

I used homemade chalk paint, distressed around the edges, glazed, sprayed the pulls that were on there and sealed with wax. 

I also sanded the top and stained it (in the before picture the top had already been sanded). 

My client is also having an old dresser re-purposed into a TV stand that will be a few shades darker than the desk. I hope to share that piece with you guys in the next few weeks. 

linking up to:

5 days...5 ways
tip junkie
alderberry hill
home stories a to z
uncommon designs
savvy southern style
diy by design
the 36th ave
under the table and dreaming
the dedicated house