Day 3 of changes

I have put way more time into this "project" than I had thought I would. So far I have invested a total of  13 hours, and I'm not done yet. I guess  shouldn't be that surprised, after all, I'm giving a face life to three pieces of furniture!

I finally choked down my nerves and got to the decoupaging step of adding some character to the drawers of a previously boring dresser. After the first drawer was papered, I was hooked! Its going to look better than I had anticipated!!

It took about three hours, but all the drawers are done! (Minus drawer pulls, which I have yet to locate the perfect option.) I finished the drawers off with Mod Podge's Pearlized Finish Spray. They have an amazing shimmer that is perfectly subtle. I had the good sense to take the drawers outside for the spraying step. 

I LOVE the look of all the drawers together in the dresser. I have been fighting with whether or not to leave the green on the entire dresser or to finish it with the crackle medium and cream top coat.

After discussing it with my mother, who has GREAT design sense (her home looks like a feature in a magazine, without the price tag of a feature home) I have decided to complete the dresser as originally planned. Her point, which finalized the decision for me, was that the green is bordering on over-whelming the patterns on the drawers. So, I have my work cut out for me tomorrow.

Also, I have been working on the bed frame and reading chair for the bedroom. (Please forgive the state of the box spring, we have a young Jack Russell who likes renovation projects of her own. I put a picture of her most recent project/statement below.)

This is the base coat for the bed, it will also be undergoing the crackled/weathered effect. Brian had a minor panic attack when he came upstairs and saw the pink... :)

And, as promised, Finlay's DIY project. I swear I thought she was downstairs chewing on a bone while I worked upstairs.

And so it begins.

Okay folks, today is the day. I'm starting my first DIY projects this evening after work. On the agenda: Creating my own wedding photos mounted to canvas. This project I'm not too worried about. I'm going to do this one during drying time for my main project of the day. I'm taking a fairly non-descript dresser, courtesy of my husband, and "upcycling" it to be a bit more unique. I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone that happens to stumble across my little web journal... Pictures to follow!

Wish me luck folks. Or more acurately, patience. I don't have much and I think I'll be needing it to get this done properly! :)

So, it took me a grand total of 2.5 hours to get the supplies that I needed for my projects. So I didn't get started until a little after 7 p.m. and didn't accomplish nearly as much as I would have hoped...

This is what I started with. Pretty boring and used mainly as a TV stand until now. I have decided to doll it up a bit which is why I'm doing this while Brian is out of town... ;)

 

I have been trolling Pinterest for a few months now and have finally taken the plunge after finding a site that described how to paint furniture without sanding first. Any corners that I can cut, I'm all about it. I found a really cool product, Zinsser's Cover Stain. It worked like a charm and was dry in about a half hour. Note, it doesn't wash out of paint brushes, so either use one that you no longer care about or invest in some paint thinner/removal product.

                                                           Step 2 looked like this:

So it's been more than a while...

Ok, so I admit it. I have never been a Creature of Habit. In fact, it is almost habit of mine to completely avoid things that are starting to resemble a habit. Even if it something that I have been thoroughly enjoying. So I knowingly admit to dropping my writings, but if I'm being honest, the cooking thing was an epic disaster. I think I have cooked dinner a total of four-five times since my last post. I am just awful at it and it makes me anxious. Luckily, my husband (yep, a LOT has changed since my last post...) is fully recovered and in no mood to suffer through food poisoning. My time at the stove has ended. I am neither surprised or displeased.

I have however, decided that it is time for me to start writing again. The one habit that I have had in the past, for more than a week, has been writing. So I need something to write about. Food is out. I have managed to go up a pants size since the wedding and no one wants to read about my attempts at diet and exercise. It would be quite whiny and obnoxious.

So, that got me thinking about other things that fill my mind and my downtime. I have been obsessed with Pinterest. And obsessed it putting it lightly. My favorite categories are Home Decor and DIY. There are so many incredible ideas. Being a self-described creative person, I feel like I should be able to tackle some of these projects, with a far superior success rate to my cooking attempts.

That is what I'm going to write about... DIY projects and ways to update my home without paying an arm and a leg. Hopefully, I'll be able to get over any feelings of habit formation and actually make a difference in my home (which still has MAJOR hints of bachelorhood strewn throughout.)

First up - getting art on the walls.