An old dresser makeover!

Occasionally I raise my hand at an auction THINKING I am bidding on one thing...only to find myself buying something I really don't want! This is what happens when you aren't paying attention or get distracted...or scratch your nose....THIS thing....

I had removed the old hardware and started puttying the holes before I remembered to take a picture....

There is nothing wrong with it...other than the fact that it is a "press board" dresser...or rather a "lingerie" dresser. Course I'm thinking if you can afford real "lingerie" (something other than cotton panties and wool socks) you might buy something a little nicer for your fine unmentionables.  Regardless, not something I really want to mess with.

But I own it...so I have to do something to make it appealing.

I decided I needed to do a little something on this piece since it really didn't have much going for it, so I looked to Pinterest for a little inspiration...and found this precious dresser on Pottery Barn Kids....

Enter the birds.

It's no secret...I kind of have a little thing for birdies...

Light fixtures....

To be honest, I did not realize how much I use birds until I started digging around for this post! I have "bird issues."

I gave the entire piece a little KSTP treatment and then gave it a touch of whimsey with some birds!

But I like the look. I had a large wood dresser I painted dark teal several months ago and it sold pretty quickly so I decided to paint the box of my dresser teal....off white drawers...changed the hardware to black and painted the birdies on the drawer fronts!

Fortunately I have the ability to look at some graphics and "free hand" my design. Not everyone has that ability. I would suggest heading over to The Graphic's Fairy. They have THOUSANDS of awesome printable pictures and graphics...and they even have tutorials for transfer methods. Awesome site! Normally I will free hand my design on paper and then use sewing trace paper to trace it...in this case I taped 5 pieces of paper together and drew the design. It allows me to play with the placement and get a good visual!

Moral of this little DIY project? Even if you have a "cheapo" piece of furniture that is as "ho-hum" as they come, you can dress it up with a little paint and creativity! 

YOU CAN DO IT!

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Exploring the changes...open shelving.

I've made a lot of changes to this house over the last 16 years (Cruise around this blog a bit...you will see quite a few!) Usually I spend a lot of time looking at inspiration, planning and second guessing before I actually start a new project. I think the "indecisiveness" helps...it forces me to REALLY think about what I want (and don't want) and I really envision the process and the change before the first hammer flies! 

One of my favorite changes has been my kitchen "reset." I call it a reset because truthfully I didn't really "remodel"....I just moved cabinets, added trim and built open shelving. 

This was taken during my "fall decor!"

I wasn't sure I would LOVE open shelving. But I do! I love having the things I use every day in my line of sight and at my finger tips! I like being able to display my dishes and change them up for the holidays! I like that I kept the cabinets for storage for things I only use occasionally.

I LOVE the reeded glass inserts in the cabinet doors above the dishes!!!

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality posted an entire photo inspiration of beautiful "open shelf" projects...I have no doubt one would work in just about any kitchen. 

I can NOT stress enough the importance of "finding your inspiration" before you start making any changes in your home! Big or small! Start every project with A LOT of research! You may fall in love with a concept, but it may be completely wrong for your space and a paint process could be all wrong for a specific style of furniture (one time I tried to "shabby chic" a "modernish" coffee table...huge mistake!) 

Fortunately we have some great bloggers like Rhoda who can make that job super easy with their "one stop shop" posts! Also, "google" and Pinterest are your friends when the bug to add or change hits you! You can find a world of inspiration just by googling or searching "open shelves" or "teal walls" or "farmhouse decor." There is nothing new under the sun...if you want to change it, someone else has probably posted a picture of it online! Look at LOTS of photos and do your homework! That is no guarantee you won't run into problems, but if you have the "final vision" in your head, it will be a lot easier to work through those issues! 

Realistically know what you can and can not do...or even what you don't want to do. I knew I wanted under counter lighting, but I also knew it was something I did not want to tackle myself...especially since my super awesome son-in-law, Joel, is an electrician! He installed my under counter lighting in a matter of hours...it took me ALL day to add two lights when I reset my kitchen! If you can't or don't want to do something, make sure you get several bids on the cost of labor. Always know what your cost will be for materials. Remember the beautiful reeded glass I fell in love with for my laundry room door? One of my ALL TIME favorite projects, but I neglected to get a bid on the glass...that was a pretty big unexpected hit in the ole' pocket book. 

Does open shelving fall under one of those dreaded "fads" that may fall out of favor in a few years? Very possibly. But in my case, I made sure to construct the changes in a way that can easily be changed in the future! I didn't actually tear up any cabinets, or paint them, or rip out walls. (I even kept the original doors that were replaced with glass doors!) I just did a little "rearranging." If or when open shelving becomes a thing of the past, mine can somewhat easily be removed and the original cabinets moved to their proper place!

If you THINK you want to make a change, whether it is an entire room or just a piece of furniture, take time to do a little research. Look at photos, read blogs, read reviews, study tutorials, get bids. I even suggest people go to open houses to look at what is "new" in home construction if they are considering a remodel! 

It took me many years to finally know what I wanted in my master bathroom! But when it was all said and done, it was exactly what I wanted. Four years later I still love it! 

Don't fall in love with a picture of someone else's kitchen or dresser. Find a vision for what YOU have and fall in love with that...then JUST DO IT! 

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A new little table project and fading fads!

Friday we had the last of a winter warm snap for the near forecasted future so I jumped on a few projects I needed to complete. (Until this week, but fortunately I bought another bunch of projects this past weekend! Yippee!)

One was this little maple corner table I picked up at an auction a few months ago. 

Pieces like this have convinced me to "embrace" the chalkpaint/distress look...very ornate legs and pretty cruddy finish. I know my "refinishing system" would work wonders, but I decided to chalkpaint/distress it and decoupaged the top with some maps I have hoarded away. 

This is also a great example of taking something a tad ugly and out dated and giving it new life with just a tiny bit of effort!

Again, I could do a tutorial on decoupaging, but there are literally hundreds online you can use...just google! 

Cute as a bug's ear.

Unfortunately, it is not a look I particularly like in my own home. Fortunately, I have a venue to sell these little projects. If I was going to keep it for my own home, I probably would have stripped and refinished it...at the very least stripped and stained the top and painted the legs a solid color.

Which brings me to my "musing" on current fads. 

I read an article this week on the Huffington Post site on current design trends that are fading in 2016. Interestingly enough, I don't have ANY of these trends in my own home....antlers, stuffed critters, acrylic chairs, chalkboard walls, and few others.  Now, one could argue that I am still stuck in the 90s and don't update my home enough. But the truth is, I often look at decorator ideas and trends and know that one, they aren't really my thing and two, and most important, it may be a "fad" that won't be around long. 

As I have mentioned before, I don't mind doing "the in thing" if it is simple and inexpensive and easy to change in the future. I like "following the crowd" with pillows, small pieces of furniture, wreaths, etc. 

But sometimes, following the crowd can be expensive and time consuming (not to mention energy draining) and while you may enjoy the fruits of your finances and labor for a few years, you are eventually stuck with something that is dated or out of favor. Something that could be expensive or difficult to change or replace!

I know from experience what happens when I spend a lot of time and/or money on something that goes out of date rather quickly! I end up with room of furniture I hate, but can't afford to change...or a kitchen full of honey oak cabinets...or rooms full of 8x8 tile!

So how do we strike a balance between keeping our home "up to date" but not saddling ourselves with a trend or fad that will fade in short order?

I have a few personal "rules" for decorating.

First, only buy big ticket items you LOVE....things like furniture, flooring, counter-tops, etc. Not sorta like or even  "looks nice" in a magazine or on Pinterest. But truly takes-your-breath-away LOVE.

For current trends and fads...keep it simple, affordable and small. I painted my interior doors black. I LOVE the look! And while it did cost me a gallon of paint and a days work, it is something that can easily be changed when the "fad" fades. Pillows and throws are a great way to "update" couches. Seasonal wreaths. Rugs. Wall paint. All relatively inexpensive changes that can be made that allow you to "get the in look" without breaking the bank!

Furniture...to paint or not to paint. As I mentioned here I had truly grown to seriously dislike (nice way of saying "hate") my bedroom furniture....so rather than sell it for pennies on the dollar on Craigslist, I painted it. Now I like it again. Maybe not LOVE, but I like it enough to not growl at it every time I walk in the room or be tempted by the newest Bassett catalogue! 

So paint walls or furniture if you think it will give it new life. Paint is a great way to add the "in" colors, like teal or marsala, without breaking the bank!

My rule of thumb for painting furniture...if you can enhance the piece and possibly salvage it for another season of use, paint it. 

Decorate with things that have meaning....heirloom pieces, family pictures, your grandmother's china....things that have sentimental "value".... the "Things I Love." 

Fads and trends have a place in our homes...we all love to have the "in" look. But limit it to things that are easily and inexpensively replaced or changed...pillows, wreaths, wall colors, rugs, etc. 

According to the article I read if you have a dining room with an accent wall with an inspirational quote, a chalkboard wall in your kitchen and a wood pallet accent wall in your bathroom, a gold dear mount, a chandelier made of antlers, ghost chairs, ombre curtains and gold foil prints above the buffet decorated with a budda bust, skull and rustic metal letter....well let's just say you might as well bulldoze your house to the ground!

Unless of course you LOVE it all...in that case, ignore the experts and do what you want...obviously I do because I don't have any of these "fading trends" and I love my home! 


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Happy New Year!

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

I had planned to hit the ground running after a little break during the holidays...but "stuff" happens! Brian had minor surgery Tuesday and then my tree people showed up yesterday to trim my ginormous pine trees. Not that I could help, but I always love watching people do what they do...sometimes it is how we learn. (I now know how to rope and climb a 50' pine...not happening!) While I have been able to work on a few little projects here and there, I haven't really been able to finish much since before Christmas! 

So I will leave you with this thought today. And hopefully life will drift back to "normal" this next week! 

Happy New Year! 

 

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