mk's dresser...after

Back in August, I showed you the "before" of MK's dresser.  It was HIDEOUS shape to start with, but had a beautiful shape.

In September, I tried out Annie Sloan's Duck Egg chalk paint and loved the ease that the paint went on with and loved the color...I just didn't love the color against the gray walls of the nursery.

Anxious to save some money and try out some of the DIY chalk paint recipes floating around Pinterest, I set out to paint the dresser in a different color.  I chose Sweet Nothing by Behr, a gorgeous, barely-there pink color.

I came across this recipe from Dear Emmeline and picked it...simply because I already had the ingredients at home! :)    You can pick up a sample pot of paint from Home Depot for $2.94 (exactly 1 cup of flat paint) and a box of baking soda for less than $1!  I am thrilled with the results, for less than $4 - less than half of the price of AS chalk paint.

The dresser was missing a few of the drawer pulls so I simply threaded ribbon through the holes for a few months until I found what I was looking for. On a weekly trip to Home Depot I came across these pulls (they were originally brass) that look simply sweet on the dresser with a coat of white spray paint.

I would definitely recommend this DIY chalk paint recipe and will continue to use it myself!  It has held up remarkably well (I finished it with a coat of Minwax paste wax) over the near-constant use of the dresser/changing table.

Another peek of the dresser from the door to MK's room...it turned out exactly as I pictured!

Linked up to:

 Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

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36th Avenue

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Tatertots and Jello

Six Sister's Stuff

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It's Overflowing

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Home Stories A to Z'

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30 Days Reader's Choice Link Up

a little nursery sneak peek...

I spent the afternoon painting the nursery yesterday...the color I finally decided on is Martha Stewart's Nimbus Cloud.

It's a beautiful pale, pale gray that looks fabulous with the white bed, crib, and trim!

Here's a little peek at the antique Jenny Lind bed in the nursery against the Nimbus Cloud walls.  The picture is a little dark but it gives you an idea!   I can't wait until it all comes together...only 9 weeks until our sweet girl is due to make her arrival!

Have you ever painted a room while 31 weeks pregnant?  Am I crazy or just nesting? :)

dresser "during"...

I showed you the amazingly ugly (but with good bones) "before" of our changing table/dresser for our baby girl's nursery a few weeks ago.  Here's a little refresher.

I picked up a sample jar of Annie Sloan's Chalk paint in Duck Egg Blue to see if I liked the color.  Ya'll, the hype about this paint is NO JOKE!  It was so easy to paint on, no odor, and covered like a dream.  Here's a close up of one of the more ugly corners of a drawer before it received a coat of paint:

Some sweet little child took a pen to it....and I didn't even realize until I edited the photo that it's a list of "People I Hate".  Ahh!  Poor TJ was the only soul on the list so far.

Here is that same corner after one quick swipe of Duck Egg blue.  Amazing!

That one tiny little 4 ounce sample pot was enough paint to cover almost the ENTIRE dresser with one coat of paint.  Can you believe it?  Here's a quick "during" shot of the dresser.

 

It will definitely need another coat of paint to evenly cover everything and a coat of wax, but I am amazed at the quality of this paint.  I'm on the lookout for other pieces of furniture that I can paint with chalk paint now...nothing is safe. :)

What have you painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?

**By the way, Annie Sloan has NO idea who I am...just wanted to rave about this fabulous paint!  If Annie and her sweet people want to send me a box of chalk paint, I'd happily take it, but I bought this paint myself. :) **

Linking up to:

Frugal Friday @ A Shabby Nest

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gray or grey?

 

We are painting the walls of the future guest room/nursery gray.  I think it’ll pair nicely with the white Jenny Lind bed and crib that will be in there and plan to add a pop of color with a dresser painted in a robin’s egg blue color (maybe Duck Egg chalk paint by Annie Sloan?).

The only problem now is deciding WHICH color gray to pick.  Here are some top contenders:

Source: westermanfam.blogspot.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

 

Nimbus Gray by Martha Stewart (available at Home Depot)

Source: tarpapercrane.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

 

Wickham Gray by Benjamin Moore

Source: kellimurray.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

 

Glidden’s Smooth Stone

 

Do you have any suggestions for great grays that I need to know about?

guest bathroom reveal…finally!

 

February’s 12 in 12 project is finally complete and ready for it’s big reveal.   Let’s take a quick look at what this bathroom looked like in October 2011 when we first laid eyes on it next to a picture of the “remodeled” look from October 2011.  We removed the header above the tub, the spindly half wall next to the sink, and the crazy wooden “box light” above the sink, and painted the vanity and storage cabinet white.  Along with removing ALL.OF.THE.WALLPAPER and painting it, the bathroom looked a lot nicer but was still a little plain.

Here is the after!

I painted the space with Benjamin Moore’s Bird’s Egg, which I love.  It’s a fresh blue without being baby blue.  It definitely opened up the space and make it look larger. 

The letter hooks were moved down a bit to allow Grayson to hang up his own towels.  Moving the hooks also opened up a space to add this fabulous bathroom art by Paper Llamas.

These prints were in my original inspiration post.  Erin of Paper Llamas contacted me about sending me a few prints to try out for myself and also a few for YOU!  Look for a giveaway soon!

After selling our cabinet, we had some space for shelving.  I originally thought I would put some floating shelves here but stumbled upon some unfinished brackets at Lowes.  With some help from my handy husband, we made 3 shelves that were a perfect fit for our space for less than $40.  The shelves still need a little work in the decorating department, but that will come soon.

Another Paper Llamas print hangs by the vanity with a great reminder to brush your teeth.  I took down the old towel ring and plan to replace it with a hook.

Don’t you love what a little paint can do to brighten up a room?  Have you refreshed a room in your house with a fresh coat of paint lately?

decisions, decisions…

This morning has been devoted to paint swatches for my little bathroom redo and the stripes in our entryway.  Who knew it was so hard to find the perfect light blue color?  Here are the swatches I have taped on the bathroom wall right now…

 

And who knew how hard it was to take a picture in a smallish bathroom with no natural light?!  I’m leaning towards Benjamin Moore’s Bird Egg or Sherwin Wiliam’s Upward.  They both definitely look muted in this photo, so here are the swatches from the websites.

As for the stripes in the entry, the walls are currently Monroe Bisque – which I love – so I’m going to paint (3 or 5) stripes that are a few shades lighter than that. The only problem is the Benjamin Moore doesn’t put “shades” on their paint cards, only complementary colors.  But, I think I’m liking the Monterey White that’s on the card with it. 

Let’s take a vote…Bird’s Egg or Upward?  Leave me a comment with your vote!