shabby-chic white hutch.

when we moved into my grandparents old house two years ago, we were also blessed with their dining room set, which included a hutch.  i was super excited about this piece, and i knew right away i wanted to paint it white.

yes, folks... it has taken me two years to *finally* paint this hutch.  but the good news is: it is finished and i love it.

we had leftover sherwin williams paint from our kitchen cupboards, which made this project a bit easier.  i didn't have to sand it since the primer we got has special bonding powers.  guys, i can't even imagine what this would have been like if i would have had to sand this hutch.  this makeover was a bit of a beast: it all of the curves and different surface areas made it a bit tiring.

i may have popped a few advil in my course of this project.  phew.

but it's totally what i imaged it would be in my head, and i'm so thankful i finally tackled it!  i went back and forth on plans for the hutch... i thought of getting new hardware, finding wallpaper to line the back with, i even have a can of mint paint sitting out in the garage because i had most recently planned on painting parts of it mint green (my color crush of late).  when all was said and done, i decided to do the entire thing white and i'm so glad i did.  it's timeless and won't go out of style any time soon.

i originally wanted to change out the hardware, but i knew i'd have a hard time finding handles that would line up with the existing holes.  turns out, i didn't want to take the time to mess with wood filler and a drill.  so, i used some crystal knobs i had on hand for the bottom doors, and simply painted and distressed the original brass handles.  i love the shabby-ness of the brass peeking through the white paint and the distressed edges.  super simple and didn't cost me any money... yay.

this hutch originally had doors on the top half, but i didn't like the dated look, and wanted to use the shelves to display pretty pieces.  so i ditched the doors and filled and sanded the nail holes before painting.  i love the look of the white and cream decorations against the white hutch.  so classic.

i'm really excited about my new hutch and love the look it gives our dining room!  i have a couple more projects (ahem, dining room table and chairs...) to finish for this room to be complete, but the hutch gives me great inspiration to get it all done.

this piece will always remind me of my grandparents and the special place they have in my heart.  being the sentimental gal i am, that is the best part.

a turquoise table.

i have a new obsession: turquoise. i.love.it. i think it's a great pop of color to any room and can transform anything into a statement piece (ex:my turquoise birds).

our bedroom in our new house is in the process of being put together (see our bedroom in our old home here)... but we have a mustard-y yellow bedspread and light grey walls, and i've decided to incorporate turquoise into the color scheme for some extra spice.

when we first moved here this summer, we put together a large yard sale with my sister, my mom and my sister's mother-in-law. i think what was the most fun was looking over each other's items and doing a little shopping ;) i spotted this antique table of sarah's (my sister's mother-in-law) and claimed it immediately. i think she sold it to me for three bucks. awesome.

this is what it looked like when i bought it:

and with a coat of rustoleum's aqua spray paint, here is the finished product, at home in our bedroom:

i sanded it down, primed the top with kilz white spraypaint primer (to cover up the letters), and gave it a few coats of the turquoise spraypaint.

my *favorite* feature of this table are the vintage crystal knobs i ordered on ebay for ten dollars. i have a huge affinity for crystal knobs, and these caught my attention. i love the gold & crystal against the turquoise.

for now, i have it decorated with a few pieces that i love. it will probably change as we work on our bedroom decor, but for now i'm content with this vignette that was composed mostly of things we already had that we can now display.

old white shutters (a friend, free)

brown picture frames (goodwill, $3)

vintage fan (ebay, $10)

bird/tree stand (tj maxx, $10)

table (yard sale, $3)

the perfect pop of turquoise for our bedroom. totally worth the three bucks and a little elbow grease :) will show pictures of our bedroom and our home as it continues to unfold! stay tuned.

a pretty yellow dresser.

i've been obsessed with dressers for the past few months, and had a goal to find a couple this summer for our new home. i wanted one to use as our tv stand, and one to place in the hallway to use as storage for shoes, keys, and other odds and ends (still working on finding that one).

i love our local salvation army thrift store. this summer bella and i went at least once a week. it was on one of our trips that i spotted this beauty:

i know, i know... a little rough, right? but it had me at the claw-shaped feet, and all the elegant arches&curves and carved flower detail. nick needed a little convincing, but i knew with a little love&care this dresser would be just the piece i was hoping for.

here's what i did:

- i removed all hardware and set aside. one of the top handles was missing, so i knew i needed two replacement knobs for the top drawer. the other handles i kept because i loved their vintage feel, and they would be *perfect* with a coat of white spray paint.

- i sanded it down with a sandpaper block and used one coat of kilz spray primer to ensure the paint would stick (the top of the dresser was veneer).

- better homes & gardens "buttercream" paint was the color we used for our kitchen. not a huge fan of the quality of the paint, but i loved the color especially for this dresser. i loved it's yellow color, but it needed a facelift and to be brightened up a bit. and the "buttercream" shade went perfectly with our robin-egg-blue living room walls.

- i spraypainted the antique drawer pulls and found two vintage-y crystal knobs that i already had on hand (i am a huge fan of crystal knobs!). screwed in my new drawer pulls and i was immediately in love with my new dresser-slash-tv stand.

voila!

we use the drawers to store cables and remotes as well as a few blankets and dvd's. the size is perfect for our tv and i love the antique look it adds to our living room.

and the best part? the dresser was a mere 30 bucks. what a steal.

i am one happy girl.

this post is linked to these *sweet* blogs:

southern lovely

newlyweds on a budget
bacon time with the hungry hungry hypo
diy by design
homemaker in heels
at the picket fence

put a lil tin foil on it.

old oak end tables + tin foil, mod podge and pewter finishing paint = love.

intrigued?? read on...

so, i was given these old oak end tables by a friend and they've been sitting in our apartment now for almost two years. i was trying to decide what color to paint them, how to refinish them... and then, while bella was napping one day, i decided to watch the nate berkus show (which i now love). he had a design-blogger on there who had some great ideas so i decided to check out her blog.

a-mazing.

her style is quite a bit different from mine, but she had some ideas on there that i loved. and then, i saw it. a table she had refinished with tin foil and mod podge. who. knew. it was weird and quirky and something i would've never thought of myself, but what did i have to lose?? i decided to try it.

here's how i did it.

materials:

-old piece of wooden furniture (nightstand, end table, even a picture frame or a tray)

-tin foil (i bought a big roll)

-popsicle stick

-mod podge (go ahead and get the big container... you will use it all on this and future projects. never used mod podge? well, it's about to become your new bff)

-paint brush

-a metal finishing paint (i used "modern options sophisticated finishes" and the color i used was pewter... this stuff is amazing... i think it ended up being about $5 at michaels after my 40% off coupon)

-craft sponge brush

-a faux glaze tinted black (many dyi bloggers recommend ralph lauren faux glaze in black silk... however, i found that it's been discontinued in stores and is now only available online. instead, i got a behr faux glaze and asked home depot to tint it black for me)

-an old t-shirt

how to:

- begin applying mod podge with sturdy paint brush to the furniture, followed by tin foil, followed by more mod podge ontop. this is the tedious part. i was cursing the long, curved legs of my end tables and all the nooks and crannies. straight edges and surfaces are *much* easier. use a popsicle stick to help smooth out any bubbles (you'll have wrinkles... they just add character)
- allow mod podge to dry, and then apply another coat of mod podge to secure, and allow to dry.
- next comes the fun part. the finish paint. i used a craft sponge brush for this. follow directions on the bottle (i had to shake mine well before using) and then just brush onto your piece, and wipe some off with an old t-shirt... this adds variation.
- i did a second coat of this to my end tables.
- next, comes the faux finish which i'll admit i haven't done yet (i was just too anxious to post all this!) and because i really love the pewter finish to my tables i'm a little nervous to make it darker... so i may or may not. but you can check out this link to see what the faux finish does; you apply the glaze and then immediately wipe away with an old t-shirt and the black settles in all the cracks and crevices. i will probably do it because i love the antiqued look it gives, i just haven't had the time and i really wanted to get this post up because i love my new tables so much!

and now for some pics...

before...

...and after.

table: friend (free)
vintage candle holder: friend (free)

framed picture: target clearance ($8)

ceramic bird: michaels ($4)

mirror: already on hand (free; spray-painted by me)

table: friend (free)
vase: target clearance ($8)
votive candle: dollar store ($1)

river rocks: walmart ($5)

branches: already on hand

books: already on hand

lamp&shade: target ($20)

canvas: made by me

i now love these pretty lil end tables! what ugly furniture can you re-create? thrift, garage-sale, antique shop away and don't forget to buy your tin foil.

this post was linked to these *wonderful* blogs:

http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

http://morrowsunshine.blogspot.com/

http://www.homemakerinheels.com/

http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/