TV Stand Rehab

So long time no talk! 

Jake and I are now proud homeowners and closed on our house two weeks ago....it has been crazy busy ever since! 

~ Home sweet home ~

Crazy includes the little visit of a plumber to check on the septic tank because our toilet was having issues and overflowing (luckily with clean water) every time the washing machine or dishwasher would be used. Toilet paper was stuck ALL over our bathroom floor for 3 days - I was going insane having to look at it!

In addition to that, after I JUST cleaned out our refrigerator, a coke can exploded inside and caused an extra mess to clean; apparently it was too cold of a setting.

This all happened during our first week in the house; I can't make this stuff up people! haha

Thankfully the plumbing issue wasn't too bad and was easily fixed, but I still have to clean the refrigerator (again).

Anyway, I now have internet access again and I am happy to share a little DIY project that I recently worked on. I decided to work on this old tv stand that Jake and I got when we first got married.

Here is a before picture

I know, pretty dark and boring!

Let me just start with some honesty...this DIY had many fails and was not my most enjoyable project!

I decided to use CeCe Caldwell chalk paint that a friend of mine from Florida over at 

J. Kelly blog introduced me to. 

I got a small sample size in the Vintage White color. I loved the color, not bright white but it wasn't ivory either; the name says it all!

It probably would have been enough to cover my whole project if I didn't have 

fail #1

and spill my paint all over the floor of my garage. Dang!

I finished it off with the same paint and color and touched it up with some white spray paint (fail #2) on the inside when I was beginning to run out; I know, don't judge me. You really cant even tell and it looks so much better! 

Take a look!

Ta Da! 

I left the top the original brown and kept the knobs the same as well! I think that the  Vintage White accent is exactly what this stand needed.

What do you think? Have you been doing any DIY projects lately?

xoxo,

Jen

Antique Dresser Rehab - Stage 2

I recently showed you stage 1 of the rehab that this antique dresser went through here. I mentioned that this dresser needed some assistance with its drawers, or lack there of, and here is a before photo of one that was missing the majority of the bottom...yes, that is how I bought it.

I know, Jake and I had our work cut out for us! 

I needed to replace all of the bottoms of the drawers so that they would actually be put to their use.

River was not amused, but she sure was enjoying the sunshine! ;)

Jake and I headed to Lowe's and picked up a huge thing of plywood and some small nails.

First, we Jake measured each of the drawer's length and width, drew the outline pattern that was necessary for each one, and put that electric saw of his to good work. 

Then, we held the plywood in place and hammered in nails along the edges using these wire nails.

We used these nails because screws would strip the wood with how old it is.

Finally, we were finished!
The drawers are now ready for our baby girl's clothes and necessities for changing, since this is going to get the double use as a changing table.

Here are the final results, fabulous new drawers, knobs, and all!
Enjoy! ;)

Even with its imperfections, this dresser is a beauty!

Aren't these knobs just perfect?

What do you think of the final results?
Anything that you're working on right now?

xoxo,
Jen

Antique Dresser Rehab - Stage 1

Several weeks ago I was searching thrift stores and Craigslist for a dresser to give a facelift to for the baby's nursery. I wanted something that I could get the double use out of for a changing table as well. 

I found this run down, antique dresser with adorable key holes in each of the drawers for only $20.00 on Craigslist! Can you say SOLD?!

Aren't those key holes just to die for? I love them! Besides the cuteness that this dresser owns, it needed a lot of TLC, and rehab appointments! 

First, I used a stripping gel (with no harsh fumes for this pregnant lady) that I applied with a paint brush.

I let it sit for about 12-15 minutes and scrapped the old stain off with a putty knife. 

Once I stripped all of the stain (this took me a few days), I sanded it down completely with an electric sander. I also used a little rubbing alcohol and a cloth to remove any excess sticky residue that was left behind. This was either from the stripping gel, the old stain, or both. I'm not sure what it was from but, the bottle recommended this and it definitely helped. 

Finally, I was able to give this baby a new skin using the stain that already had polyurethane in it. I only bought a small 8 oz bottle of it in Mission Oak Satin and have plenty left over.

To apply the stain, I used an old sock. I dipped the sock into the stain and rubbed it all over the dresser until the whole thing was covered. After letting it dry for probably not long enough about an hour, I took a different sock and wiped the excess off that the wood did not soak in. 

{The wood will only soak in as much as it can with each coat applied}

You may not be able to tell much in the pictures, but I am loving the fresh look and smooth feel that this antique dresser now has. I debated about filling in any of the gaps in the wood, but decided to leave them because I feel that it gives it character. Plus, like I said, this baby is an antique!

I also love the detail of the strip of wooden beads at the bottom! Don't you?

Here is a picture of the knobs that came with it. I realized that one was significantly larger than the other 5 so, I am not going to put them back on since that is a clear sign to me that they are not all the original knobs. With me not knowing which were, I am just going to buy some that I like for it! 

I can't wait to show you!

Stay tuned! In the next blog post I'll share how I repaired the dresser drawers, or lack there of, and the final before and after results!

What do you think of the new stain color? How do you like it so far? 

Xoxo,

Jen

Vintage baby rocker

This adorable little vintage rocker was actually Jake's when he was little that my amazing mother in law had saved (along with several other items that I'll share later). 

My heart is so happy at the fact that our future baby will have little items like this that will forever be in our growing family because it once belonged to his or her daddy. :)

With that said, I wanted to give it a little face lift and adapt it to the vision I have of what the nursery will look like. With the help of my sweet friend, Lea, we first primed it using Valspar Primer spray paint because honestly, no one wants to sand down those tiny spindles. Then, I spent less than $5 on paint by getting a half pint sample size, I chose the color Jaded Lime by Valspar from Lowe's.   

I am loving its new color and I think it will be great for a little boy or girl! 

After (Lea applied) several coats of paint, we teamed up and distressed it to give it the aged/vintage look. I think it will look great next to the other dark accents that will go in the room. 

  

What do you think? 

I can't wait to add an adorable pillow to accent that seat sized for a tiny bottom! ;)

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

Jen