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.

Revisted: Top Five Furniture Picking Tips

I am super busy right now finishing up some pieces for clients, but unfortunately don't have any reveals to share right now. I always get a lot of questions about how I find my non-client pieces, so I wanted to revisit my Top Five Tips for Furniture Picking that I put together back in January. I hope they inspire you to find some pieces of your own to paint.

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.

Pin-spired: Antiqued Flower Pots Just in Time for Summer

Pinterest strikes again. I was Pin-spired last week to give my old flower pots a makeover just in time for some summer flowers. I learned about using petroleum jelly to distress with spray paint from Holly over at Down to Earth Style. I followed her instructions exactly, so head over to see how it is done. Her project is with a frame but the process is the same no matter what you are painting.

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.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Video Tutorial #3 - Distressing

In today's video, I am talking all about distressing. This step is one of my favorites, so much so I named my blog after it. Distressing really brings out the character of a piece. Instead of looking like something that was sprayed or dipped with some paint, it gives it depth and texture. Check out my tips on how to make your piece pretty distressed. 

The Making of a Makeover

In my last post, I revealed my recent sideboard upcycle. There were simply too many details to share with you in one post, so today, I am going to give you the nitty gritty on this makeover. 

This piece arrived via a client and is something that I typically wouldn't gravitate toward refinishing on my own. The client didn't really have a vision of how she wanted it to look and gave me free reign to let my creative juices flow.

Sideboard w/ Leaves - Before & After

After a brief painting hiatus, I am back. I just completed another piece for a client this weekend. And I must confess, I was very scared when this piece was dropped off at my house. It was blonde oak, brass and in really rough shape. I don't know why I have such an aversion to brass, but it really makes me shudder.

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.

Officially in Business - Pedestal Table Before & After

While I am super excited to tell you I have completed my hutch upcycle, today is all about this beautiful pedestal table. I was graciously given the opportunity to work on this table as my first commissioned piece. I handed it off to its owner this morning, and she is quite pleased.

When starting this project, I must admit I was quite nervous this being the first piece I have painted that wasn't my own, but this little table was just screaming to be white, shabby and chic. The transformation is stunning.

Work in Progress...Still

The hutch I am refinishing has become my life. And, yes, it is still a work in progress. My little J-man turned four this week so I have been busy planning an epic birthday party and day for him. I hope to jump back into the swing of things and knock this piece out this week.

As you may have seen in my last hutch post, I decided to go with a first coat of Paris Grey. After doing some research on washing, I decided to go with an Old White wash on top. Here is a little sneak peek. 

Don't Lose It, Reuse It - Mirror Refinish

I believe whole heartedly these days that you shouldn't donate or throw out any decor until you try to reimagine it. This iron mirror is a prime example of this. It was one of my favorite pieces in our black and white kitchen in Minnesota, but now that we have a main level with cool grays and whites, it just seemed too dark.

Not just for wood, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint can be used on metal, glass or even outside on pots and garden decorations. This was a really quick transformation that my mom helped me with. She was watching me paint and had to get her hands on some Annie Sloan.

Another Man's Trash...Screen Upcycle

You know how they say another's man's trash is another man's treasure? Well this was certainly the case in my most recent upcyle project. I spotted a screen in the corner of my mother's garage on our recent vacation to Nashville, and knew I had to have it.

Creating Weathered Wood Finish with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®

The most fantastic thing about using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® is that there are a million ways to use it. I read about this weathered wood technique in Annie Sloan's Color Recipes for Painted Furniture and also watched a tutorial by the amazing Christen Bensten of Blue Egg Brown Nest. 

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?

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.

Jute- There It Is

Happy New Year! While I believe New Year's resolutions are a waste of time, I do believe in goals, and my new goal for 2014 is to start blogging all the creating, crafting and decorating I have been doing around our home. So here is my first tutorial- the jute letter.

I am a huge believer in "upcycling" these days. Reimagining things you already have is a great way to save money and keep clutter out of your home and landfills. We moved into a new home in September, and I have completely changed gears from our last home's style. I recently repainted our entire first floor in shades of gray and really wanted a lot of white and and natural wood toned pieces to really pop against the cool shades. The problem- all my accent pieces and furniture are dark from my contemporary/Arts and Crafts phase. The answer- paint and burlap.

Jute Letter

Items needed:
Letter (wood, plastic, cardboard, etc.)
Hot glue gun
Glue sticks
Jute
Scissors

I had this black "M" (for our last name), and I knew I wanted it to be the star of a collage in our family room. My initial thought was to paint it white, but I thought that was a little boring. I wanted it to have some texture and depth, so I decided to wrap it in jute.

If you don't have a letter, you can find them for pretty cheap at a craft store such as Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or JoAnne's. Since you will be covering it up you don't have to worry about buying one that is already finished. Mine just happened to be. Raw wood or a paper mache would actually work really well for this project.   

I bought a spool of 135ft and 4 ply natural jute at Hobby Lobby for around $3 after using a coupon. (Tip: Download the apps for all the major craft stores. Most of them have a 40% off coupon for a full price item. They also give you current sale price info.) Jute comes in different lengths and plies so pick the one that works best for your project. You can find jute in the string or yarn section of any craft store. I have heard they even sell jute at some hardware stores.

To start off, keep the wrapper on your spool and just find the loose end in the middle and pull. The string will pull out from the center and keep your spool of jute in tact which makes it a lot neater. Next, I covered up all the ends that I wouldn't be able to cover as I wrapped the jute around my letter. I cut pieces to length and glued them directly to the letter. 

Here is a picture of my letter after I covered all the non-wrappable (yes, I just made this word up) sides. Each letter will be different so make sure you plan before you start wrapping.

Now, it is time to wrap. Go across your letter with a single straight line of hot glue just thick enough for one string. Hot glue dries fast so only do one row at a time. Simply place your jute right on top of the letter and make sure to push it down well until it touches the row below. Flip it over, do the back side and keep repeating.

Keep wrapping...

 and wrapping...

You will use a LOT of glue so have plenty of sticks handy. I have heard there is a process where you can make a paste mixture and dip the jute in there. I opted for the glue gun because is seemed less messy and easier to control. I also wanted the jute to look raw. I thought the paste dip might make it look shellacked.

At some point you might need to make a cut and start a new row. Just make sure you hide your cuts on the back of the letter. Keep wrapping, and you will end up with this.  

I was really happy with how this turned out. It took a little longer than expected (around 4 hours) but I can be really meticulous about things like this. A normal person might be able to blow through it in a couple hours. I am going to hang mine on the wall as a part of a collage, but it would also work on the top of a dresser or shelf. Mine has holes to hang it. If your letter doesn't, you can drill your own or even glue a cute ribbon to the top to hang it. Be creative. Making a project your own is the best part of being crafty.

Before

After

Stay tuned to see my finished wall collage starring my jute "M."