White Distressed Coffee Table with Turquoise Accents

I've been working on this coffee table for 2 months. She was a little stubborn but so am I...

At first I painted her a bright turquoise but it was just way too much color for this table. Then I tried white. It was OK but I wanted to see if something else would make more sense. So I dry brushed the base in a greyish turquoise. I liked the technique but I hated the way it looked. So we went back to white .

 I decided to glaze her in a silver metallic and she was beginning to show some character. However, after all the coats of paint the thin carvings on the corners were looking awful. I could see drips of paint  and runs. I turned to wood filler to remedy the problem. It was my first go at wood filler and I didn't do such an awesome job. Still, I could see the outlines of the carvings and then I thought about decoupoging.

I had this swirly craft paper that I adhered to the corners with mod podge and sealed with a clear coat. It was just the right amount of color and the swirls added a little whimsy. 

The edges of the tabletop and legs got a little distressing attention and then I applied a white wash. I like white washing (watered down white paint applied and then wiped off) because it provides a muted wood tone to the distressed areas. I finished her off with a few coats of wax and spray painted the original hardware.

After two months of trying different colors and techniques, she's finished and listed in my Etsy Shop!

It's OK to make a few mistakes especially when you can paint over them.

Don't Be So Beachy

 I'm not a fan of beach inspired decor. With that said this little nightstand is looking a little 'beachy' and I happen to like it. I guess a little beachy-ness in small doses suits me fine.

I painted this nightstand in Hallowed Hush by Behr. It's kind of greyish green aqua. It's an interesting color.

Psst! You see the frame with the pressed flowers? My husband picked those for me on a hike while he was in San Diego last month. How sweet is he?!

A little distressing goes a long way.

Less is more.

Unless its diamonds.

A Very Turquoise Headboard

Thanks to everyone who helped me pick the color.

Visions in My Head

The past couple of weeks I've been on a mission to find a buffet. I wanted to use it as our T.V. console, entertainment center or whatever it is that you want to call it. Well, I found one for $50. Bargain!

The hubs and I carried that 70 pounder up two flights of stairs because oh yeah we couldn't live on the first floor.  It's $200 more  a month for the same apartment that just happens to be on the first floor. The bargain shoppers that we are, we just couldn't justify paying $200 more. So, back to the point. Yes, we carried this 70 pound buffet up 2 flights of stairs.

It was quite comical. The hubs is 6'5" and I'm 5'5" and I'm not necessarily what you would call strong in the physical sense. Up the first flight we tried flipping it over and over again until we reached the second floor landing. Then the second flight of stairs we did a little by little, inch by inch, pick up put down method. Anyways, we made it to the third floor and into our apartment exhausted but no injuries.

I was so excited about this buffet that I couldn't wait to tackle it. I started sanding it the very next day. The second day I put 2 coats of paint on it. The third day a third coat and 2 coats of stain. By the fourth day it was finished and I stood, head cocked sideways, staring and thinking, I'm not sure this is what I envisioned.

Convinced, however, that once we got it inside and the T.V. on it and the decor around it I would see that it was in fact what I had envisioned in my head.

Wrong!

The hubs and I lugged it into our living room and he put the T.V. on top of it. Again, I stood, head cocked sideways, staring and thinking, No, this is definitely NOT what I envisioned! Darn it!

It was all wrong. All wrong! Ugh! I just spent 3 days making it into what I thought I wanted and it was not at all what I wanted.

First, lets start with the paint choice. I chose white because I recently added some white decor to the living room and I thought it would tie in nicely with that. Also, I thought it would brighten up the space. Next, I chose a mahogany stain. What you need to know about me is that I've never stained before. This was my first go at it. I don't know a lot about staining except what I read on the back of the can. However, it was relatively very easy and it seems like it would be difficult to really mess up. My only problem with this particular stain was that it was way more red than brown. I was looking for brown. Even though on the can it had a picture of the color it was and it looked like a dark brown with a hint of red which is what my coffee table and end tables are. Needless to say, this red wood was not matching with my  space at all.

Still determined to try to make it work I decorated it. Put all our DVDs and games in it. And, as the hubs told me to do, I let it marinade for the night.

As I was watching T.V. I knew that it was just wrong for our living room. It didn't fit. It didn't work and I could try to force it but I was not going to be happy with it.

So, the next day, the hubs and I AGAIN moved it and brought our old entertainment center back to its spot.

I was disappointed. I really thought it would be awesome but it wasn't.

Here's where this story takes a turn. I decided to put it in my Etsy Shop. Within the first hour it already had 21 views. Which, for me, is a lot. Some items can take days to get 21 views. Anyways, within 2 hours someone was emailing me telling me it was exactly what they were looking for and really wanted to buy it. I was ecstatic! This would be the first time I sold a piece of furniture on Etsy. Yes, I've sold a few things on Craigslist but not furniture that I put a lot of time and love into like this one.

Now, time to ship this 70 pounder! Uh oh...

Here are before and after shots and a link to my inspiration which was by Perfectly Imperfect (Awesome!). Have a look~see!

Before... Bleh!

After

Paint It This Not That Results

And the winner is...    drum roll, please...    Turquoise!

Ayyo! (exclamation courtesy of Andy Bernard from The Office)

Which makes me very happy since it's always my favorite. I'll be working on sanding the headboard this weekend and I will get pictures up as soon as it's painted.

Happy Weekend!

Paint It This Not That

Can you believe the hubs found this headboard by a dumpster? Someone was going to throw it away. *Gasp*

It has a great shape and it's very solid. It does have some water damage that hopefully will disappear after some sanding.

I'm going to paint it but I need your help picking a color. See the poll below and let me know what color you would like to see it painted. Feel free to add your own color.

[polldaddy poll=4689499]

Painter's Block Mirror

You know that scene in the movie He's Just Not That Into You where Jennifer Connelly finds her husbands cigarettes? He had been lying to her about smoking again on top of cheating on her. She finally flips out and I'm sure most of us were thinking, Finally! She's mad! It's about time! And we start to cheer her on as she starts cursing and throwing his clothes down the stairs. Well, there's a beautiful ornate white mirror hanging on an exposed brick wall that she grabs and slams on the ground. It bursts into a million pieces and she heads down the hall sobbing to fetch the broom immediately to clean up the mess.

Well, I love that scene and that mirror. I've wanted one like it since I first saw the movie 2 years ago. I finally found one in a second-hand furniture shop a week ago and it was only $20. My husband bought it for me as an early Valentines Day gift.



As you can see it is very gold which I am no fan. However, it seems that if you are shopping second-hand and you want something beautiful and ornate in design you will usually find it in gold or brass. Who cares? You can paint it any color you like! I did. I painted it several colors and I'm still experiencing painter's block.

First, I primed it.



Then I painted it this pale aqua color.



It wasn't what I wanted so I decided to white wash it which is just watered down white paint.



Still not happy with the results even though I enjoyed the white washing technique. It looked too beachy for my taste. So, I painted it this dark blue-green color and distressed it a bit.



I like it but I'm still unsure if this was the color I really wanted. I'm going to sleep on it and see if my painter's block lifts in the morning.

Chandeliers Make Me Weak in the Knees

I dedicate this song to Chandeliers everywhere.

Weak by SWV at Jango {You must play this song. It will take you back to 1993}

I get so weak in the knees I can hardly speak.
I lose all control and something takes over me.
In a daze, your love's so amazing, it's not a phase.
I want you to stay with me, by my side.
I swallow my pride, your love is so sweet.
It knocks me right off of my feet.
I can't explain why your loving makes me weak.

Seriously, I love chandeliers and I'm not talking about the ones hanging high in expensive hotels. I'm talking about the ones lying low in the dirt at the flea market covered in brass. I lose all control and something takes over me. I have to buy it!

Recently, I found two! So I bought them both.

I really wish I would've taken a before picture but I was so excited about painting them that I completely forgot... :( Basically, it was old and very brass. Google Brass Chandelier and you can see many examples.

I'm not a fan of brass so I did a little painting and  a little drizzling to make them look like this.

And now one is hanging in my bedroom.

How to do-it-yourself:

Materials Needed: spray primer, spray paint, gems/crystals, clear string, crimp beads, and fabric

1. Clean it off.

2. Remove the candle sleeves and wrap the electrical bit in painters tape to protect.

3. Prime it.

4. Paint it.

5. Let it dry 24 hours.

6. String your gems/crystals in any pattern you desire.

{I found mine at Michaels in the floral section next to those colorful glass beads you put in vases. However, there are many websites that sell chandelier accessories and next time I will probably shop online for mine because there are many fun things you can do to embellish your chandelier like adding a bobesche}

7. Wrap  end of stringed gems/crystals around arm of chandelier, string crimp bead and crimp in place. Be sure to pull the string tight and close to the arm.

8. Sew 3" of fabric for cord cover. Hem the ends of the tube first and then pin inside out and sew 1/2 in" hem along the side. Turn inside out and feed cord through your new cord cover. If you don't sew, don't worry. You can spray paint the chain by wrapping the cord in painters tape and then spray painting the chain to match.

9. Get weak in the knees over your very sparkly and pretty Chandelier.

Now the hard part is hanging it and YES I did hang it myself after some reasearch on how to install a light fixture.

This is a how-to video by HomeAdditionPlus.com on how to install a chandelier.

If you're going to be working with an old  chandelier like mine be sure to know which wire is the black, red and ground wire. Also, if yours didn't come with everything you need to install, I found a screw collar loop kit at Lowes for $4.

ENJOY the fixture and the song!

Tickle Me Turquoise

I recently accepted a job where I get to work from home. Yay! My parents gave me this armoire that is actually a computer desk armoire.

Since I need to fit a home office in my one bedroom apartment and still have room for my husband this was perfect. And I can simply close the doors at the end of the day and I don't have to stare at my work while eating dinner.

All it needed was a splash of turquoise.

Topped off with some chocolate brown glaze. Voila! Home office complete!

If you want to do-it-yourself only a few items are needed:

1. Paint - Norway Aqua by ColorPlace (Wal-Mart, $10)

2. Glaze - Chocolate Brown by Valspar (Lowes, $17)

3. Paintbrush

4. Dishcloth

5. Something to paint

This is a very simple project. You don't have to have a lot of experience. Glaze is ever so easy and it gives any item that aged vintage finish we're all looking for. You simple apply it with a brush and wipe it off. If you are painting it on a flat surface like I did, then you do have to pay close attention to your brush strokes. Be sure to keep them even and going in the same direction. Also, a little goes a long way.