One down... lots to Go!!

Sorry for my little absence! I have been in project central for multiple things- which is fun but also had me finally hit that brick wall on Saturday:) But a little rest and I am raring to go!
I have recently been hired to redecorate/organize a playroom- now this is not just any playroom... it is in a gorgeous, new house and is home to two cuties who tire their mom out almost as much as mine do to me!  So, the next few post will be some projects that I have worked on during this project and then when every finishing touch is done I will do a whole room reveal! It has been a ton of fun though- what a great family- we just needed to give them a place to be messy, while still containing the mess... oh, did I mention that my customers are almost one and almost 3? Their Mom and Dad have some input but let's face it- at those ages- it's a baby's world and we just live in it!!
This first project was a fun turnable book stand- nothing wrong with it and super functional so of course it stays- but let's just say that strangely enough their house isn't decorated in all primary colors?! that was sarcasm people...

(sorry- big surprise that I got so excited I forgot to take a good before pic!)
So the primaries got the boot- and Mom asked me what I was going to do to it and after you see our whole room plan this will make sense but I knew I had to incorporate animal print- and her colors were burgundy/brown/white.... huh.  I was a little stumped- I mean everything else was flowing so nicely but I didn't want this to be like all of the other furniture because let's face it- it's not!
So after I had no plan  formulated a fab plan, I went and bought some spray paint and got to work!  This piece was a real #$%@# fun project to prime and paint.... more sarcasm... stay with me.  But after a good coat of Zinsser (you know I love this) I took it out back at the crack of dawn because that's the only time it's cool enough to paint outside- and started a-spraying.
The gorgeous, deep red first- around the sides and accents and the top-

 after that was dry I cut in with the  rich brown and then haphazardly sprayed it over some of the red so it almost gives the illusion of animal stripes.

Now I liked the top just a solid red- but I really wanted to make it more custom- so out came some brown craft paint and then after saying four Hail Mary's I jumped in to paint my first animal print pattern freehand! yikes! a little scary and for a second I felt like laying down and crying- but then I just kept going and now I Love it!!

 and without flash so you can see that it is not as bright red as it appears...

and then for fun a bright pop of white (which coordinates with the other furniture) a stencil of the letter N, for their last name!

And there you have it! I am pretty pleased with this puppy and so are they- so that's what really matters!

Hope you are all having a great week!
B:)

Linking to:
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Wow Us Wednesday
Thrifty Thursday
Remodelaholic
My Simple Home Life
Saturday Social

Knock Off Decor!

So honored and excited to be featured again on Knock Off Decor! If you haven't visited their site before you have to go check it out- I am always inspired by all of the amazing things everyone out there in blog land thinks to do to recreate all of those beauties that are maybe a TON little bit out of some people's price range:)
So head on over and check it out at Knock Off Decor!

I am always up for a challenge- and I refuse to believe I can't make something happen- even if I have no finger nails left afterwards... well ok, maybe that particular idea was not worth it... but still... ;)
Stay tuned for some fun projects this week!
B

Blue Console Table... Copy and Paste

I could just copy and paste my last post and substitute the pictures but I feel my readers deserve more from me.... sadly you really are getting a very similar post.  But I do encourage you to come back later this week because I have couple really fun projects that are almost completed that I can't wait to share!

So- after my exciting dresser make-over my husband couldn't stand, hates, loathes wait for my next Craigslist purchase!  So I hurried right along and found my next victim lucky customer!  A friend had found this console and loved it- she requested a light blue, aged look and was pretty open to anything.

I picked out my favorite Tiffany Blue and got to work- popped off the cheap backing to make it open- Zinsser of course for a good primer- and then my pretty Tiffany Blue... oh how it would be nice to get one of those little boxes... right now... Hubs? are you listening? Anyhoo...

I used Minwax Dark Chestnut stain and just slowly wiped it on and then off- and really the trick to it is to start light and step back and then see where you want to go in a bit darker.  Once it was all finished, I got the call... cue ominous music!

My friend had just found out they were going to have to move and didn't want to even take another large piece of furniture with them- I totally understand- but now what to do? Well, she was sweet and insisted on paying me for my trouble and supplies and then told me to either keep it or sell it...

So, I would now like to introduce you to Tiffany... she's a bute! and loving the new hardware!
Let me know if you are in the Dallas area and if you are interested... but hurry... she has already tried out three different locations in my house that fit her beautifully!

Before...

And After....

These fingers are starting to itch... better put them to good use on Craigslist!:)
Hope you are all having a great week!
B:)

Linking to:
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Savvy Southern Style
Simple Home Life
Remodelaholic
Social Salutations

French Provincial Dresser to Green Console

Now in a house full of testosterone, most of the pretty furniture I refurbish ends up becoming a Lady:) This one was no exception!

A great friend of mine wanted a console/buffet in her long hallway and was in love with this one from Ballard Designs- but as most of us are in love with all things Ballard Designs, we are not in love with the price tags... so as I can not turn away from a challenge I began the Craigslist hunt for her.  It took a few weeks but finally we hit a jackpot- patience is the name of the game with Craig- they were asking $125- I offered $100 and she was ours:)

This was my husbands new favorite project by the way- due solely to the fact that I was spending someone else's money!

Now she was a little rough around the edges- but I saw her potential- great feet- great bones! after picking up some paint samples and some new hard wear we started to really see the vision of what my friend was wanting- so I came home and dove in!

This was fun because I got to use my new sander- so after taking off the old hard wear, I sanded it all down and then sanded again using a finer grit to make it very smooth.  I used a damp paper towel to wipe it all down and make sure no dust was left.

Then I used my favorite primer of all time- Zinsser! This stuff is just amazing- sticks to anything and really leaves you with a smooth coat.
And then the fun part- as the inspiration picture showed- she wanted a moss green- and then in my head I saw either distressing or wiping on some stain to give it some character.


I got a couple of coats of pretty green on- and then decided to just go for it with the stain- I just used a rag to wipe on a small amount in a small area- and then pretty much immediately wiped it off- no real science to it- just did it until I felt it was pretty even and looked good:) and I think it really made it more of a unique piece and also let the gorgeous architecture of it stand out more!

Then the pretty knobs from Hobby Lobby went on and the pulls from Lowes and this Lady was ready for a night out on the town!
I told my friend I had visions of doing my own version of Extreme Home Makeover- and hiding the dresser behind my car, and then saying... Move That Ford Escape!!!! and then the whole neighborhood (who would of course have gathered) would cheer and cry and carry on... I'm not dilusional... I swear... just might be the fumes of the stain...

So... cost break down- The one from Ballard Designs- $1200- plus shipping
Ours... Dresser $100
Hobby Lobby Knobs at 50% off x 7= $10.50
Pulls from Lowes= $12
Paint and supplies $20

Pictures don't really do her justice- and the color is kind of different in each pic- but you will get the idea:)
And Here She Is (Get ready for Picture Overload):

Total.... $142. 50.... and done in a weekend- with plenty of pool and family time to spare- gotta love that!
Hope you are all having a great week!
B:)

Linking to:
Thrifty Decor Chick
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Savvy Southern Style
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Beneath My Heart

Playroom Made for Boys...

This room make-over will be a quick post- followed by some tutorials later- but I had to share:)
Now- you all know I Love me some organization!! but that has been... let's just say.... put off to the side a bit due to the fact that I am outnumbered 3:1 boys vs. girls in this house.  They don't neccesarily see the amazing benefits to my organizational genious!! whatev.

But the playroom upstairs was driving me batty- no where to put stuff- toys all over the floor and a great place to watch movies but no great place to put a TV.

 I am not bashing Texas home builders but all of these big empty nooks drive me crazy here- you either have to find the perfect piece of furniture for them or you have to put built ins in them- so we decided to do yet another version of our own built in:)

So we took a little trip to Lowes... so many things to look at...
(on a completely unrelated side note... have you ever walked down the outdoor lighting isle there? it's like you are a superstar as each motion light comes on and shines down on you... maybe while you are secretly singing Katy Perry's- Firework- in your head... umm... anyway!)

Ok- quick plan- buy two unfinished lower kitchen cabinets- paint them- connect them- and attach to the wall in the nook- this only left less than an inch on each side which was easily covered by two side trim pieces and a long trim piece at the bottom.

Some paintable caulk down the seem in the middle and a pre cut counter top with wood glue to hold it down and TaaDaa!! it actually was pretty easy- oh and the Hubs drilled a hole in the top of the counter top so that we can put TV cords down into it to plug in.
Not only is our TV up and out of reach from little hands- but we have a bunch of new storage beneath now- yay!

Next- we took a trip to another organizers dream store- Ikea! overwhelming? yes! worth it? totally!
We got an 8 opening credenza that for Ikea furniture actually was put together very easily- and anchored my wall for the photo gallery I wanted to get done.

I didn't want to pay a ton for baskets to go in it right now- so I just bought some cheapo plastic jobbies for around $2 each. You know I couldn't leave well enough alone though- so I bought some Krylon spray paint that adheres to plastic- and just put a coat of white on them- and then some ABC stickers I found at Hobby Lobby finished them off:)

I want to have the feel of a play room but not a daycare! So- now we have bins to do quick pick ups- a great rug (pottery barn kids clearance) and the cheapest part of the make over? the old bedspreads and pillows that I threw in the corner next to the couch for the boys to jump and dive into! I think they love it because they totally feel like they are getting away with something slightly dangerous:) boys will be boys! but girls will be girls and this project was small but at least it cured the twitch that was starting in my left eye every time I had to walk upstairs and look at this room...

Ha! Not totally done- but it is a great start and I will post more pics as I get some more finishing touches up- and actually that Family Letter Art is the first one of my own I put in our house:)

I will do some tutorials from several of my last projects in the next week-
hope your week is great!
B:)

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