DIY: Furniture To-Do’s
Ben is laughing at me. I have pulled out three pieces on furniture from the garage and have been cleaning brushes, organizing and taking inventory. This is what I do- it’s all or nothing! I’m so excited about my projects and am determined to get some things done while it is still nice outside. I am hoping to go ahead and sell most of these pieces at one of my friend’s booth’s at a local flea market… but if they turn out SUPER cute I may just keep them… HAH! (Ben is telling me that I will not be keeping any of them… we will see, my friend…)
I love to doodle and a lot of times it helps me get an idea of what I want to do and where I want to go with a piece of furniture. Occasionally I’ll “see” something once I’ve drawn it that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I love to dream big and I have a lot of opportunity with the fun pieces of furniture I have right now! Here are the projects- which one do you like the best?
1. I have 2 old chairs. I got them both for $1 at a garage sale and with a little stabilization & wood glue, spray paint and some fabric, I’m confident that these chairs will cause “Oooooooo’s” & “Ahhhhhhh’s”. I’m thinking of mustard yellow, greys, and navy.
Here are my chairs:
This is my inspiration: (www.centsationalgirl.com ‘s chairs look just like mine!- I love her after but I want a brighter color.)
Or this: (From the Nate Berkus show last week. Not a great quality picture but you can see the brightness of the yellow and the intensity of the blue silk cover. I’d rather use a grey/cream brocade with the blue)
2. I have an antique dresser that belonged to my Great-Grandmother. I had it growing up and over the years and many moves, it’s fallen apart a little. I primed it white, am thinking of doing a coat of white and want to make it a WOW piece with a large, painted on flower on the front and wrapped around the side.
Here is my dresser:
This is my inspiration: (from www.twicelovely.blogspot.com )
and this: 
3. Finally I have a side table that Ben got at a garage sale for a few bucks. I’ve been meaning to paint and re-sell it for awhile but never have. I’ll need to get new hardware and paint it again. I am thinking of doing perhaps a mustard yellow or bright, cobalt blue and then use a stencil I already own to paint on a brocade detail in a pattern. I’m thinking of getting a color just a little off from the one painted on the table so it’s a very subtle pattern.
This is my side-table:
This is my inspiration: This pattern, through stenciling, repeated in a subtle color (I can’t find the source of this photo, from Pinterest)
Like this: (from www.lilyfieldlife.blogspot.com )
What projects are you working on? I’d love to feature some good before/afters on here- comment or e-mail me if you have a fun project that you’d like to share!
Stay tuned for updates and how-to’s on my projects!
Dining Room Makeover: AFTER
Quite honestly this is probably the most excited I’ve ever been about a post. I do a lot of before/afters but this really takes the cake. It’s by far my most ambitious project I’ve undertaken and I’ve stretched myself as a person… and also stretched Ben. 
To be fair, I warned him before we got into this that he’d have to be involved. I’m a team player and luckily we work well on projects together. He actually had a blast and joked he has found his new career!
It’s been quite an undertaking! To start, check out my application video to get the opportunity to do this job. Then, came my before post with my giveaway. At this point I was wondering, “WHAT HAVE I GOT MYSELF INTO!” ha ha ha! I loved doing the giveaway as well, I’ve never done one before and what a great way to start! What made the giveaway even more fun was the fact that my friend who lives locally won so I get to see what she does to her living room.
As I’ve said before, I love painting. Painting with Glidden Paints was a new experience for me. I’ve usually just got some brand at Lowe’s or Sherwin Williams because I was told by my parents that it didn’t really matter. Not to fly in the face of their advice, but I politely disagree. The Glidden Brilliance 2 in 1 Paint with Primer saved me a ton of work. I was amazed how easily it went on- not blotchy or streaky. I did have to use customer service at one point- read about that experience and see video of my room in progress. Walmart really impressed me with their help and Glidden paint selection as well as all the painting supplies I could need. Overall it was a very, very positive experience and I’ve learned a lot about paint in the process. It’s worth it to spend a little extra for quality.
I chose Red Rose Bouquet and Antique Beige for my colors because they flowed nicely with the rest of my house. See a picture of the swatches at the top of this post. I wanted the white trim to stand out and the paint choice did that nicely. My room looks so… rich! Even now as I’m typing this I keep looking over my shoulder at my dining room- I can’t believe it’s finished and looks so great! I’d love it if you would check out my video below and watch the whole room transformation!
Here is the BEFORE. The khaki and white were so bland and the whole room looked unfinished.
and the AFTER! This rich red and beige pulled the room together!
Here are some more AFTER pics for your viewing pleasure!
My beautiful dining room.
A view through my old window into my new dining room!
A Close-Up of the Glidden Walmart Paint. You can see how well it covers here!
Walmart tableware. LOVE IT. A simple elegant. The flor-d-lis detail is beautiful! I didn’t have any placemats that worked so I cut up some burlap and used it. Not every Walmart has a fabric section so be sure to check or you can find it at most hobby shops. Fruit makes for an inexpensive, yet very festive, (and later edible!) decoration! I love the bright green contrast with my red walls!
You don’t have to spend a lot on decorations for them to be beautiful! I picked up acorns out of my yard and put them in a candle holder. I also used limes here as a pretty contrast.
I’ve had a great time. Once again, thanks to Glidden Paints for picking me for this wonderful opportunity to showcase their products as well as re-do my very much in need Dining Room. We are happy people.
This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. Thought and opinions are all my own and I have plenty of them to share with you!!!
