Walmart Kitchen Table Makeover

I am so pregnant, but I managed to sneak in one more client job before we welcome this baby to the fold. Today, we will be looking at a makeover I did for a client who just bought her first home. She is looking to make it her own without breaking the bank and wanted to start with this table and benches she got from Walmart.com. I know some of you might be skeptical about buying furniture from Walmart, but this set is really well made and all wood at an affordable price. Honestly, it is a great set as is, but she wanted to give it a little more character, so we decided to lighten and distress it up. The result is a cozy, little farmhouse table.

Girly Girl Dresser Companion Piece

Recently, I finished off a dresser for my daughter's big girl room makeover. And now, I have gotten around to refinishing its companion piece, a chest of drawers. I also have a night stand that goes with this set I picked up at a garage sale this summer for $50 that will stay in the garage until we convert her to a full size bed one day.

The Goods on Mother Earth Paints

I recently shared my Girly Girl Dresser makeover for my daughter's room, and I owe you a review of the paint I used, Mother Earth Paints. The owner, Robin, contacted me and asked if I would be interested in trying out her paints and offering my honest opinion on them. Here is the Pretty Distressed low down on Mother Earth Paints.

Mother Earth Paints is based in Kansas City and was created by a former vintage store owner and avid furniture painter who had used her fair share of chalk enhanced/furniture paint. Her dream was to take her favorite properties from each paint she had come across and put them into one "does it all" paint.

This water-based, low VOC paint has a sweet smell that is not irritating at all, so you can paint in your home without a problem. I had to do three coats of each color to get the coverage I wanted. Normally, I like to only have to do two coats, but I am still saving time by not having to prime or sand the piece. I also think coverage will depend on what your are painting and your purpose, so one or two coats could work for some. I was impressed by how smooth the paint went on and how little brush strokes I saw. This paint would be perfect for those who are interested in getting a smoother, more polished finish versus a rustic thick look. 

Girly Girl Dresser Reveal

I am trying out a new paint today for the reveal of my girly girl dresser for my daughter's room. Robin over at Mother Earth Paints gave me an opportunity to try out her paints, and I was really impressed with the results. Check out the transformation of this Bassett dresser.

I will be following up this post with a full review of Mother Earth Paints later this week for anyone interested in hearing what I think about them. In the meantime, feel free to check them out for yourself.

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. 

Cottage Inspired Dining Hutch - Before & After

I know I owe you one more video tutorial on dark wax to complete our dresser makeover we have been working on for a couple of weeks now, but I have lots of other things I have been painting that I have been dying to share with you. So today, I am excited to reveal my cottage inspired dining hutch.

Over the River and Through the Woods to Carter's Cottage

Last week, my husband gave me the day off. Yes, you heard me, an entire day without having to dress, bathe, feed or transport anyone but myself. Glorious. So what did I decide to do...hop in the car and drive out to the heart of downtown DeKalb, Ill. to visit my local Annie Sloan stockist, Carter's Cottage.

Previously, I had bought my paint from a local store that shipped to my home and at a store in Tennessee when I went to visit my parents, but from now on I am making the drive out to DeKalb to see Christie. 

Pin-spired: DIY Country Chic Window Treatments

Are you a Pinterest addict like me? I love that there is a simple place to go for inspiration and store it all in neat little categories. This weekend, I finally turned one of those pins into reality, and I am beyond excited to be sharing it with you today.

This project was "pin"-spired by Jennifer over at Town and Country Living. I am a little bit obsessed with burlap. I love its natural, earthy color and the relaxed, country vibe it gives off. I really loved the idea of pairing it with a tree branch for an extra punch of rustic charm.

Simple Easter Decor

I hate to admit it, but I really don't enjoy decorating for holidays. The thought of storing all that extra stuff that I only use for a couple weeks kind of gives me hives, but after a long, gloomy winter I decided a little spring decor would be good for the soul.

Foyer - Before & After

I look around my house sometimes, and all I can see are the mountains of projects I need to tackle. It is often hard for me to pause and reflect on just how far we have come on our journey of making this house a home. Today, I want to take the time to slow down and enjoy my foyer. 

At Last, the Dining Hutch Reveal Has Come Along

Happy Monday! The dining hutch reveal is finally here. For those who have been following the blog for a while, you know that I have been working on this piece for quite some time now. I inherited a dining set in early February, and as they say, the best things come to those who wait.

Repair Cracked and Chipped Furniture Like a Pro

I hope most of you saw my Goodwill dresser reveal recently. In that post, I talked about how two of the corners of the piece were damaged. It turns out, it wasn't that difficult to fix them. All I needed was some expert advice and a how-to video from home improvement guru, Ron Hazelton.

I followed his video step by step. Check out how it went.

My Goodwill find

Crack #1

Crack #2

I had to purchase some materials, but I am glad I will have them for the future in case I run into another piece that needs some TLC. 

Items I had:

clamps

putty knife

wood glue

WD-40

scrap plywood

utility knife

sandpaper

Items purchased:

Minwax wood filler

4 in 1 rasp

dowels

My Home Depot didn't have the Minwax brand of wood filler. I ended up finding it at my local Ace Hardware store. I highly recommend getting this specific brand because it worked great and allows for filing just 30 minutes after application. I also suggest getting a 4 in 1 wood rasp/file to save yourself some money. It has four different file textures on it to shape your corner in stages. Start with the coarsest side and work your way down.  

Here is a shot of getting the wood filler on. You have to work fast with this stuff because it hardens really quickly. You don't want to over work it, and clean your putty knife right away with acetone. I didn't do this the second time and ended up throwing it away because there was no getting the wood filler off once it dried. 

Also, I had nice clamps because my hubby is planning on building me a farm table for my dining room. If you don't have clamps, get some like Ron uses in his video. They are only $.99 at Home Depot.

I apologize for the blurry pictures. My lighting was really bad that day.

Here is corner #1 after cutting it out with my utility knife and filing it down with my 4 in 1 rasp. I finished it off with some 150 then 220 grit sand paper.

Here is corner #2. I had a big chunk of this drawer that I was able to glue back on with wood glue before I added the wood filler.

Completed corner #1

Completed corner #2

The finished piece

Again, thank you to Ron Hazelton, for his easy to follow tutorial. I will never be intimidated by chipped furniture again. What about you? Do you feel more comfortable tackling furniture repair now?

Goodwill Dresser Upcycle Reveal

This post contain affiliate links. I will receive a small commission from products purchased through these links.

Update (1-20-16): You guys love this makeover so much I have created a series of video tutorials to show you exactly how I achieved this look. Check out part 1 and part 2 on my YouTube channel. Part 3, the last video in the series, coming soon!

I am beyond excited to share this reveal with you. This is my first refinishing project with a piece I bought from a secondhand store. The hunting part was challenging, but also exciting.

I found this gem at Goodwill for $24.99. I hesitated to buy it at first because it had a couple of chipped drawers. Keep checking back for a post on how I fixed that problem. This thing was really banged up, too, with tons of dents and weird spills and stains. I almost walked away but my gut told me that at this price, I had to give it a chance. And I am so glad I did. It is the perfect piece for our front foyer.

I started off by sanding down all the spills and giving it a good scrubbing with some Murphy Clean and Shine Spray. This thing was dir-ty.

This is one of the corners I repaired. You can't even tell. Post coming on this technique soon. 

I removed all the hardware and sprayed it with Rust-Oleum Universal spray paint and primer in Hammered Black. This was my first time using this product, and let me tell you, it is amazing! This stuff looks like real metal. It costs around $7 at Home Depot, and it probably saved me about $50-80 in new hardware costs.

This look was created using two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. I tried a new technique and distressed it before I used my Annie Sloan Clear Wax. I used 100 grit sand paper to distress followed by a coat of clear wax and finished it off with a mix of clear and dark wax. I wanted this really shabby because of all the nicks and dents it has, so I used dark wax on the entire piece versus just in the spots I distressed.

With the great price I got for this piece, I am tempted to try and sell. But I think at this point, I am too in love with it. What do you think? Sell or keep?

Top 5 Furniture Picking Tips for Newbies

Let's turn some trash into treasure! So, I recently shared with you my new obsession for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint along with all the cool things I have been refinishing. Well, I have run out of furniture to paint around my house, so I have been out on the hunt for used items around town. Furniture picking for newbies can be intimating, so I have come up with some tips I have learned from my recent hunting trips.

Provided by FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Top 5 Furniture Picking Tips

1. Have low expectations.

Go into your picking adventures with no expectations of finding something really cool for a great price- or anything at all for that matter. It took me four trips to different Goodwills and salvage stores over the span of a couple of weeks before I found my first worthy piece. I also emailed about 25 people on Craigslist before I was able to secure a sale. When you go in with little expectation of finding something, it makes it that much sweeter when you do.

2. Set a budget.

Select a top price that works for you and stick to it. My goal is to not spend anything over $50 for a large piece like a dresser or hutch and $10 for a night stand or end table. If your goal is to sell pieces, you want to keep your cost low as possible for a better profit. And if it is something for your home, you still don't want to overpay for something you will ultimately be putting a lot of time and resources into.

3. Learn to negotiate.

I am so intimidated by negotiating prices. I would normally just fork over the marked priced, but when it comes to used furniture- consider it a jumping off point. You have nothing to lose by asking for a reduced price. This is what my guru sales hubby calls "the cost of no deal." If the seller lets you walk away, they are missing out on a potential sale. You, on the other hand, can just move onto the next store and next piece. Remember, you hold the power. 

4. Don't get emotional.

This is another hard one for me. I am super sensitive and can get worked up quite easily. Don't fret when you lose out on a piece you really wanted. You don't  want to get caught up and pay more for something than it is worth. There is plenty of used furniture out there to go around.

5. Be selective.

Don't buy just anything. I go for real wood items not composite, plywood, particle board or veneers. Usually, you will be able to tell by sight and touch if the piece is real wood. When in doubt, use the "lift" test. Wood equals heavy. Also, try to imagine what the item will look like painted. Ornate pieces with a lot of detail will work the best. Stay away from modern pieces with straight lines; they won't distressed well. Lastly, check the drawer or back of the item to see who produced it. If you find a Thomasville or Ethan Allen item, snatch it up. These guys have been around for a long time and make quality furniture.  

Look at this beauty I picked up from Goodwill. Check back on Monday to see the reveal of this refinishing project.

I hope you can use these tips the next time you find yourself at a salvage store or flea market. Happy hunting!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint- I Die

I have been dreaming of using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint since I first started researching it in August. This stuff is pretty pricey (one pint runs around $38 and the clear and dark waxes go for $28), and you will also need to invest in some good brushes and other essentials. 

I finally bit the bullet and bought some in early December. In the words of my girl Rachel Zoe- I die. This stuff is truly amazing. I am having a blast reimagining things all over my house.  

There are tons of great bloggers and small business owners that have great tips and tutorials on using Chalk Paint. Some of my favorites are Blue Egg Brown Nest, Simply Reinvented, and The Purple Painted Lady. There is a bit of a learning curve on how to use the paints and waxes, but I really think there are tons of ways to achieve the look you want. I have pulled inspiration and tips from all these websites to Chalk Paint my way.

Here are some pieces I upcycled from around my house using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

Project #1: End table

Before

After

I painted my first coat with Paris Grey and a lighter second coat with Old White. 

I applied clear wax and heavily distressed it with a 100 grit sandpaper. 

Project #2: Nightstand

Before

After

Here I used two coats of Paris Grey followed by a coat of clear wax and heavy distressing. 

Then I finished it off with a mixture of clear and dark wax to give it that aged look.

Project #3: Floor Lamp

Before and After

I used one coat of Old White on the base of the lamp and lightly distressed it. I then did a coat of clear and dark wax. The lamp shade look was created with painter's tape and spray paint. Read more about this lamp upcycle.

What about you? Are you dying to try ASCP?

Disclaimer: At the time of this original post, this blog and this post are not sponsored by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I received no product or compensation for this review.

Extra: Behind the Scenes

Photo shoots don't always go as planned. My little J.S. and S.J. wanted to join in on the fun.

Putting down the phone and breaking out the big boy.