Paris Grey Hutch Makeover

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It's been a while since I shared a client piece on here, but I had to share the latest client piece I finished. This thing is massive and was in such rough shape when I got it. I just love the way it turned out!

This hutch had been in a storage unit for some time and smelled pretty funky, so I started off by sealing the entire piece in Zinsser Shellac. This product along with neutralizing smells helps seal water stains and bleed through. It is always a great idea to coat a piece in Shellac if you don't know its history. I took an old sock and applied it over the entire piece before painting.

My New Obsession: Annie Sloan® Graphite

I have a new color obsession to share with you- Annie Sloan®'s Graphite. Any fans of PrettyDistressed™ know I love me some Old White, Paris Grey, French Linen and an occasional Duck Egg Blue in her Chalk Paint™ line. In the past, I have shied away from using Graphite. It is the darkest color in the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® pallet, and I had heard it can be tricky to work with. But let me tell you now that I have used it, I am dying to paint something in my house with this color. It's so rich and unique. Then once you put the wax on, it comes to life!

I am so grateful for my clients, and the way they push me out of my comfort zone. She selected Graphite for this dresser I was refinishing for her son's room. She has an amazing old century home and has a lot of antique brass throughout the home, so we knew we wanted to do a brass cup pull on the dresser. I selected the Martha Stewart Bedford Brass Canopy Cup Pull from HomeDepot.com. Graphite is really the ultimate complement to the antique brass. The cool thing about it is it's not a true black but more of a slate like a chalkboard.

Off to Market

Spring is in the air, and this is my favorite time of the year to paint. Drawing up the garage door and taking in the fresh air while sipping on an iced coffee from my Keurig was the place where Pretty Distressed was born. It soothes my soul. It is also a great time of year for moving and garage sales, and I just scored two beautiful pieces from such a sale. Today, I will be sharing the first reveal from my haul. And the most exciting news is she is looking for a new home.

DIY Distressed Sliding Barn Door

So sliding barn doors are everywhere these days. It used to be the case that if you wanted one you had to shell out some serious bucks. Even if you opted to make your own door, you still had to drop a lot of money on the hardware. Not anymore, there are actually a lot of affordable options for sliding hardware now and a lot of big box places even carry them in store. Lucky for me, this helped me get this idea off my Pinterest board and into our master!

I am blessed to have an ensuite bathroom in our master, and it is a decent size but it is fairly narrow. The door opened into the bathroom right up against the shower which made it very crowded. It was also difficult to keep the door open to keep an ear out for my kids anytime I was in the shower. And the door would always shut while I was trying to get ready at the sink. I first saw a project like this on I Hate my Bath on HGTV a couple of years ago. I knew it would clear up a lot of these problems and make our narrow bathroom seem much larger. After enough begging, my husband finally gave in and helped me build the door.

Gender Neutral Nursery On a Budget Reveal

I have had the most wonderful three months of snuggling and cuddling my new little baby but have decided it is finally time to get back to work. When I last left you, I was preparing my gender neutral nursery for our third kiddo. There is nothing better in my opinion than waiting to find out the gender at the hospital. On a Sunday afternoon in March, we welcomed our precious, little...BOY! Here is a tour of his Little Foxes Nursery.

It was such a good idea to prepare the nursery before baby arrived. I made the mistake of not doing this when we had my daughter, and she didn't have a completed room for six months. Let me tell you; it was depressing sitting in an unfinished nursery feeding her every couple of hours. Everything you see in this post was finished and photographed before our precious boy arrived. Here is my inspiration board I started with to get the ball rolling.

Revisiting My DIY Bathroom Update

I was fortunate enough to have my bathroom vanity makeover featured on Hometalk yesterday. In response, I received a lot of questions about the other items featured in the bathroom that I never shared with you, so I wanted to provide you with all the details today.

If you want to learn about the vanity project including the paint color and hardware visit my first bathroom post.

Originally, my plan was to hire an electrician to hang two separate lights over each sink and get two mirrors as well because I couldn't find one large fixture that I liked. Then our furnace went out in the middle of February and blew those plans out the window. So, I went on the hunt for a single light fixture again and landed on the Argenta 5 Light Vanity Light by Z-Lite. While this was a big investment, I saved money in the long run by not having to hire an electrician to split the wiring into two separate fixtures, not to mention, patching up the wall. My husband was able to install this himself without the help of a professional.

A Look Back at My First Piece

It is hard to believe at this time last year I was living in a completely different house in another state. This past year has brought a lot of change including, a new home, a new school for my son, a new church, new friends, renewed relationships, and everything else that goes along with uprooting your family. Even though it has been tough at times, I thank God for this opportunity and the ways He has blessed our family that I couldn't have even dreamed up including this little blog, Pretty Distressed.

Last November, I decided to buy my first can of Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan, and my life has never been the same. I started creating all over my home and sharing it with others as I found my passion for writing again. Then, I ventured out to selling pieces and even taking on clients. I can't thank you all enough for bringing this dream to life. I am so encouraged and inspired by your comments and messages I receive daily. 

Last week, I was contacted by Annie Sloan Unfolded, the sole distributor for Chalk Paint® in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They like my work so much, they are offering me an opportunity to do a product review post right here on Pretty Distressed. It was honestly one of the most exciting emails I have ever gotten. I have been brainstorming like crazy and hope to be giving you more details as my project and post take shape.

Today, I wanted to share with you the first piece I ever refinished. It isn't anything special, but I dressed her all up to show you that dreams can start small. 

Using a Polycrylic Sealer with Chalk Paint®

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Update: I recently filmed a video comparing wax and General Finishes High Performance Top Coat that is comparable to Polycrylic. Check it out. 

I have another client reveal to share with you today. This is the second job I have completed for her, and again she brought me a gorgeous family heirloom. She grew up eating at this table. Now, she gets to gather around it with her own little ones and make some new memories.

Like I mentioned, this table has already lived a long life. So, the top was pretty beat up, and its finish was peeling in spots. Normally, I don't sand before painting, but I wanted the paint to go on smoothly since I was using white and it is a table top. I got my orbital sander out and used a medium sandpaper, 80 grit, to smooth it out.

The client selected Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Old White which I know you see a lot of on my site, but it truly goes with anything. It has so much more depth than your average pure white, and also really helps dark wood shine through when you are distressing.

Dining Room - Before & After

It is reflection time again. I have shied away from sharing a before and after of my dining room because it is incomplete in my eyes. I still need some window treatments, wall hangings, a rug perhaps. But I am sick of waiting, and I want to share it with you because it is my happy place. Seriously, I sometimes just sit in my front room and stare at the dining room because it is so pretty and peaceful.