Gray Dresser

  Hi All! Hope your all doing great! I have another exciting project I wanted to share (well exciting for me anyway!) Because I have a new dresser!! YAY!! We've lived here almost 3 months now & Im finally getting a dresser! I sold our old set right before we moved here, so we were using part of the entertainment center...

It served its purpose, but I wasnt in love with it. We really didnt need that much dresser space because we have separate closets & actually my husband keeps all his things in these bins...

 But, I found this dresser on Craigslist (actually 2 of them! which Ill save the other for another day, Its a tall one) This lady said her mom had these dressers for 45 years- I love the hardware & the legs!

 I actually thought about putting it in the dining room- Im looking for a buffet type thing to go in there, but I decided that could wait, so bedroom dresser it is!

 First I just painted it black..Our nightstands & headboard are black, so of course go with black right?!? Oh you know me... Cant be satisfied with something simple & I decided I dont think I want black, I was using a flat black paint & I think I just wanted a little more shine. Instead of just waiting to put on a topcoat (there's that patience thing again) I then decided "what would happen if I rubbed stain (espresso colored) over the black?" I did that-now I had an espresso colored dresser, I had shine, but not the color I was looking for-I was thinking in my mind to go with more of a gray/charcoal. I then put on a quick coat of French Linen (ASCP)

Love those legs! 

Then to deepen it up a bit I put a coat of Ebony Minwax stain...

  The one on the left is stained, the one on the right- without...

 Now we're getting somewhere! See in my mind I was like Oh my gosh just get this thing done! But if I wouldn't have put on the black, brown, & linen color, I wouldnt have been able to see all the great colors coming through!

 I am absolutely in LOVE with it! I am so proud of this, this is by far the best project I think I've ever done!

 I haven't done anything with the hardware yet either, I kinda like it the way it is, it may need a little something though..what do y'all think?? Maybe a little wax!

 I dont even want to set anything on it its so pretty :)

I also think Ill put some hinges on the top drawer to hide the TV box thing (hubby cant do without that!)

Before & After...

       

Thanks so much for looking... Kelly :) 

Sharing with : 

http://savvysouthernstyle.net/

http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.blogspot.com/

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2013/08/feathered-nest-friday_29.html

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http://www.farmhouseporch.blogspot.com/2013/08/welcome-to-scoop-84.html

Evie's "Olaf"

     HERE IS MY DIY VERSION OF          

        OLAF FROM FROZEN.... 

        HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

   I guess as long as my kids are 

     little I want their Halloween costumes to coordinate with one   

    another (while I still can!) So since Reese is going to be Elsa, Im 

    going to have Evie be Olaf :) 

  The Olaf costumes that I found in her size were VERY expensive! 

  Either that or sold out in her size! So I thought, well I can make      

  something, after all Olaf is just a snowman right?!? So what I did   

  was bought a fleece onesie (just a Carter's brand from Kohl's.)

I already had a variety pack of felt,  

   & I bought a pack of brown pipe cleaners. I cut out the buttons, 

   thats easy enough, & hot glued them on. You could also sew them 

   on, but I decided no more than this outfit was, its not a big deal if 

   she only wears it once. It's just like most of her other clothes  

   anyway... Wear it once, next thing ya know she's outgrown it! 

   Anyway, I then cut out all my other shapes for the face. For the 

   carrot nose I cut out a cone shape...

Rolled it up & hot glued the seam. I stuffed it with pillow stuffing to make sure it would stand up good. 

And this is what I have for the rest of it... 

Cut out some circles for the eyes..

I just used felt for everything... 

Then you attach it to the costume,  

   I used hot glue for everything except the pipe cleaners, I just put 

   a few stiches in to hold them down good & I put a few stiches in 

   the nose. 

I cant get her to sit still long enough to get a great picture, but you get the idea :) 

Thats one proud papa right there!

Here's some better ones of "Olaf" ... Not so much of "Elsa" though ;) 

I think it turned out pretty cute &    

    cost me about $15.00... 

I also made her a cloud out of  

    balloons and then cut out shapes of snowflakes hanging from 

    the "cloud." Well... I did not take one picture of the cloud at all... No  

    during, no after... Not a single one! We didnt even end up using it 

    either due to the weather :( 

 Hey, its the thought that counts 

                   right?!? 

Thanks as always for stopping by- 

          Kelly :) 

My Favorite Room

  

     I am so excited to share this    

       with y'all today! This is my          

   absolute most favorite favorite   

           part of the house! 

            This room took 

     me weeks & I mean (I never   

    thought it would end) weeks!! 

     And technically I'm still not    

   done because I still need to do   

    the staircase- but that doesnt   

           count right now ;) 

         So... Remember this... 

              The oak was     

         never ending. Crown   

   moulding, trim, cabinets, blinds, 

        doors, floor, fireplace,  

   staircase, etc etc- and where 

       would it end?!? This was   

      going to be a huge project! 

     When we looked at the house  

  my immediate plans were to paint   

        the panels & stain the   

    fireplace darker to make it pop. 

(Sorry about the light... These were the pictures taken when we came to look at the house.)

     Then after we got in here I debated... Was I ready to take on       

             this project?!? 

Well I'm glad I did... 

It was such a mess along the way...

But SO worth it in the end!! 

     This entire room was all done with paint including the fireplace     

      surround. I have had a few people ask me if we tore out the 

      old tile... Nope! Just some good ol' paint! 

 Its amazing how a little paint can make such a huge difference!

Before... 

After... 

     I'll break it up in more detail   

  about how I did everything along    

    the way, but for now... I had to 

   share the finished product :) 

    Thanks as always for looking!!

                Kelly :)

     

Our Elsa Bucket

  

Hope you are all doing great! 

     I've been busy getting the girls Halloween costumes ready... 

         Reese is going to be Elsa from Frozen (of course right?!? Im pretty sure about every little girl I know is obsessed with Frozen right now) 

          And our little Evie is going to be Olaf the snowman (more on that later) 

         So this little bucket I made for "Elsa" was pretty easy & VERY CUTE! 

     So all I did was buy a $2.00 little bucket from Hobby Lobby (I     

    couldnt find one that was already white, so I bought a metal        

      one & spray painted it) 

      I bought some glittery tulle ribbon & some silver glittery      

      ribbon. A girl can't have too much glitter right?!? 

             

      I also bought a couple sheets of glitter scrapbook paper. If you        

      have glitter & paper at home & want to make it that way, thats an      

      option too. It was around $1.50/sheet & alot less messy! (Optional depending on how you want to decorate it) 

      After I got the bucket spray painted & dry, I simply just used       

     my hot glue gun & working in small sections, lay out a strip of    

     glue & placed the ribbon on accordian style I call it.

I did about 4 layers & then placed       

        a few random pieces here & there...

Then around the top I glued down   

       the silver ribbon. Now you have a "tutu bucket" as Reese    

       calls it :) 

   You can frill it up however you     

                       like,    

        I've seen some on Pinterest & Etsy that were personalized. 

I used my snowflake punch & cut    

       out snowflakes & glued them randomly here & there & along the top. 

Then the final touch...

     I took Reese's Frozen hairbow that she already had & clipped it    

     on the handle. You could just get some ribbon & tie a simple bow   

      also. Either way is cute! 

I love the way it turned out & she's 

     pretty excited about it too :) 

She made a great Elsa 💝

Cute Little Project

    WHOA!! AM I WAY BEHIND OR WHAT?!? 

   I know it's been forever but I have been busy trying to get our house in order & let me tell ya, it is not easy getting anything done with two little ones. I need a clone, maybe two, the way my list keeps growing & growing everyday. I swear, no sooner than I get one thing crossed off, I have to add three more things to it! 

  BUT! I am SO excited to show all my progress whenever I finally get it all done (which will be soon I promise!) 

Anyway, so here's my plain ole canisters... 

   I got these cute little labels for my birthday from my mother & father in law. They were super easy to put on & I think they add a nice little detail to fancy them up a bit! 

               TA DA... 

This was a quick little project & I love the way it turned out. 

My mother in law ordered them from etsy. 

 And a few more for the pantry... 

These are just too cute... I love em! 

Have a great day! 

Kelly :)

All The Details

   So I've had alot of questions about my cabinets, so here's the step by step of how I did it all. 

   First off... Supplies.

Have all your stuff on hand so you are ready to go with no interruptions. 

- primer (I used a bonding primer) It doesnt matter what kind or brand- Ive used Kilz, Zinsser, etc. they are all about the same.

This bonding primer however says you dont have to sand & it says for glossy surfaces... 

I'd say we've got some gloss going on!! 

- paint (dont go cheap on this, no matter what brand you get or where you get it from get the top of the line- Benjamin Moore is probably my favorite- It'll cost ya about $60/gallon-I did get the contactor price on it before & it was cheaper... I used Valspar Reserve brand for this project- it was $40/gallon. Maybe its not important to use good paint, I dont know, but Im not going through all this hard work & have to redo it later) 

The paint color I chose was Paramount White in Satin. Like I said in my previous post... Choose paint colors at home in your own lighting- it makes a HUGE difference! 

My method was to tape samples to the cabinets & step back to compare :) 

-paint brush... I used an angled 1&1/2- again get a decent one.. Mine was around $8.00

-paint tray

-Sanding blocks (med/fine grit) just in case you have a rough spot or some stubborn grease that wont come off & touch ups for later

-foam roller & frame (I had 2 brushes & rollers- one for paint & one for primer) 

-Clorox/Lysol whatever brand Wipes

-Misc/optional...drop cloth (I used boxes since we had just moved & had several on hand) painters tape, drill- to remove hardware,spray paint if you want to paint your hardware. 

- Remove all the hardware from each door & drawer & place in a ziploc bag or a bowl (seriously do this because things will get messy & they will get lost) 

- Remove the cabinet doors from the hinges. I left the hinges on each cabinet, just detached the doors. 

EXCEPT... 

Above my sink... I decided I wanted this cubby to stay open, then remove all hinges & putty/caulk in where the screw holes were 

 Also place these pieces in a bowl or bag so you can find them later. I did not paint the insides of my cabinets,(except for the open one)  so I left everything in there. I did however take everything out of the drawers. 

- Set up sawhorses with boards on them or just boards on the floor to have something to set your cabinet doors up on 

- Lay out your doors on the sawhorses & wipe them all down with your wipes- if you choose to sand- then do that first, then wipe off with the wipes. The wipes help get all the dirt, grease, & dust off. 

**I did do a light sand on my first few cabinets & then I remembered the paint counter guy said with this primer you dont have to sand or remove any gloss. Sure enough the directions on the can said the same. So I decided I was happy with no sanding! **

Put on your 1st coat of primer. I started with the back side of the cabinets, then flipped to the front. After priming, I put my first coat on the back also, that way the front of the cabinets wouldn't have to be facedown, so I would have less flaws that way. 

Your house will be a disaster for a few days...  

After my priming was done, I primed & painted the bases of the cabinets & trim. 

I wiped all of these down before painting as well. 

The primer dries pretty quickly, so I was able to prime front & back sides & the get a coat of paint on the back sides of the cabinets all in the same day. So the next day I just had to do the fronts of the cabinets. I only did one coat of paint on the back of the doors, but I did two coats on the outsides of the doors. 

BEFORE... 

AFTER... 

You will have places you have to go back & touch up on- especially when you go to hang them back up, I had a few little dings here & there. Mostly because I didnt have the patience to wait & have somebody help me.. Oops :-/ 

I also did a glazing on the cabinets as well, I will do a new post on that. I did not do any kind of polyurethane or sealer over the top. I have used poly on a few things painted white in the past & I've always had them turn yellowish, so I would rather skip that part. 

Im SO happy with the way they turned out, and yes it is hard work & yes you'll never want to see another cabinet door as long as you live, but its SO worth it & its only for a short time! 

I hope I've covered everything, please feel free if you have any questions, ask away! I'd be glad to help as best I can! 

Thanks as always for looking!! 

Kelly :)