Before and After

I have had this chest of drawers done for about a month now and keep meaning to post my before-and-after photos. I have been wanting an old chest of drawers for the small wall we have between the staircase and the kitchen. I didn't want to pay much for it since I wanted to try my hand at distressing it. So....I was walking around goodwill and found this baby for $30. I called mike and had him measure the wall and I pulled out my handy-dandy, oh so precise, measuring tool...my thumb. Yes, that's right. My sister told me that from the knuckle to the end of her thumb measured approximately one inch, so I figured mine must be the same. And, I have to tell you, it a pretty good estimate! We only had a few inches to spare and I LOVE how it turned out!

BEFORE:

One of my best friends, Whit (her blog can be found here) and her husband re-did a buffet about a year ago and used an electric sander. I decided to give it a try since I had never used one. I borrowed one from a friend, and I don't think I will EVER do a project without one again. It was SUPER easy and FAST! I may even be tempted to ask for one for my birthday this year!

AFTER:

How I did it: First I sanded the chest and all the drawers with an electric sander. There wasn't much of a top coat, so the sanding didn't take very long. Then I used a damp rag and wiped off the mess that the sander made. I let that dry then applied one coat of paint-I wasn't too worried about covering it completely since I was going to sand it down a little bit anyway. Once I finished painting the drawers, the chest was dry. So, I got out the sander and used some fine grit sand paper to smooth out the paint as well as taking a little off to expose some of the wood underneath. I did this to all pieces and then wiped them off with a damp rag again. Then I used some antiquing glaze (can be found at Lowe's or Home Depot; I have also heard to can use clear glaze mixed with stain as a substitute) and applied it all over one section of furniture, letting it sit a minute or two. Then, I used a damp rag again and wiped off the excess glaze. The glaze settled in the sanded area, giving it that worn, dirty look. You could also use some sort of top coat at this point, but I chose not to.

Don't be afraid to try it!

My sister's a smart one...

So, I must admit that my sister is a pretty smart cookie. She had the idea of listing out a bunch of home projects to not only get feedback but to hold her accountable. That way, people would ask her how certain projects were going and hopefully light a fire under her butt if she wasn't keeping up with them. (You can view her list here) I NEED a fire under my butt sometimes, so I'm following suit. Here goes nothing!

First of all, we are in the process of painting the main part of our house (which includes a lot since a lot of it is connected--including the living room, kitchen, back hallway, stairs, and upstairs hallway. We are painting it Rice Grain by Sherwin Williams (We actually used that paint chip and got the same color at home depot with Behr paint. We've used this paint before and absolutely LOVE it. So, why change something that isn't broken? That's my motto, anyway. I am DEFINITELY one who finds what she loves and sticks to it).

Below is an example of the paint. Rice Grain is the darker stripe, and it honestly looks a little darker in person. BUT, it's a neutral color and one that buyers probably wouldn't be totally turned off by if we ever decided to sell this baby. Not that this is in our near future, I hope.

I want to try and make this 'cloud like orb' from Kara Paslay Designs. All of her stuff is SO cute and most of it is DIYed, which I LOVE. Like this orb, for example is made from one of those white paper lanterns and coffee filters hot-glued to it. I think I could handle that, AND it would look great in the kids room!

I have wanted a new table for a long time and I LOVE the rustic look of the farm tables that are gaining popularity. This simplicity of this designs is totally what I was looking for, yet it still holds so much character. (This is actually a table from Restoration Hardware and retails for over $2,000!) That is WAY beyond any budget that we will ever have, but Ana-White has plans for an identical table that can be made for her estimated cost of $50! Now that's what I'm talking about! Her plans can be found here.

And since we have now taken a dive into the world of carpentry, why don't we make a bench to go on one side? Plans can also be found here.

And up next, we have my absolute FAVORITE project.....The Mason Jar Chandelier! I love the rustic, yet elegant feel! I will DEFINITELY be enlisting the help of my hubby on this project (who am I kidding?...I'll probably use his strong muscles on all of these. Well...maybe I can handle the coffee filter one alone :) This is another Kara Paslay Design. She does such a good job of documenting the step-by-step instructions for all her tutorials that it makes it seem totally doable.

I hope to get started on some of these projects VERY soon! Wish me luck!