This will be my third dresser re-do.  I learn something new each and every time I paint furniture.  I love furniture refinishing and would love to do it as a side job one day (kind of like her).  Unfortunately I can't seem to find the time to finish my own projects let alone work on others so for now I'll continue learning, 'building my skill set,' and perhaps delve into the furniture up-cycling business another day.  As for this dresser, I can't share the finished photo with you because, well, it's not finished...  But here's what I'm working on:



I love this little dresser. I love the "feet," the key holes, the size...everything.  Of course I'm painting it just like I did Genevieve's first dresser and Nadia's dresser.  It's a bit annoying because the knobs won't come off.  There are always surprises when you're working with old furniture.  This is frustrating for 2 reasons: 1. I was planning to switch out the knobs for much cuter ones.  Like these beautiful knobs for example:


Mottled Knob

Ceramic Melon Knob

2. I have to paint around them.  Joe was about ready to take a hammer to them but I was afraid of splitting the drawers. Painting around them is awfully annoying.  I'd be finished priming by now if I didn't have to take the time to do that.  But this beauty cost me $50 and I love it, so I can't complain.

Oh and if you're wondering why Genevieve needed a dresser in the first place it's because her room is small and I'm making room for play space.  Her other dresser was adorable and I loved how much storage it provided but at over 4 feet wide it took up a lot of floor space!  I'm trying to use vertical space more in her room (and my house in general) to create storage and free up that coveted floor space.

So there you have it.  I hope to be finished it within a week or so and when I do, I'll be sure to post my results! 

Nadia is 8 weeks old and I am finally finished her nursery.  Actually I'm lying.  I still have one more tiny task to take care of but it requires shopping around for the perfect thing and I don't know how long that might take (I mean it IS me, after all!).  But more on that later...

Nadia's Nursery was such a fun adventure.  I really wanted to create a fun, unique, functional nursery on a budget.  I wanted it to reflect my style but also be suitable for a baby/toddler and a happy place for Nadia.  I have a love/hate relationship with decorating.  On one hand, I love it.  I love all things pretty and the thought of creating a space that makes me feel a certain way is a welcomed challenge.  On the other hand, I am very indecisive, can have a hard time visualizing the finished project, and am painfully aware of my shortcomings when it comes to interior design.  But when all is said and done, I love learning about design and learning how to execute my ever evolving style.

my inspiration.

Initially I had several different design schemes I really liked for Nadia's nursery. One involved a palette of beige, cream, taupe, and white...a peaceful, natural vibe.  One involved Joel Dewberry's aviary line with a rustic woodsy feel (I have to admit part of the draw here was using owls which despite their trendiness, I think are simply adorable).  The next involved a modernly shabby chic feel with florals and distressed furniture in a palette of bubble gum pink, red, and aqua.  The last was a girly room of bright colors- aqua, pink, and yellow, with an ethnic vibe- based on Dena Fishbein's Kumari Garden line.  Hey, I warned you about my indecisiveness!  I dropped the Joel Dewberry version and then showed photos and described my 3 ideas to my super artistic sister and my designer friend and they both gave me the same advice: combine all three.  At first I wasn't sure if I could do that--I'm a bit of a design schizo and I felt like they were all so different.  But the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I could totally take my favorite elements from each scheme and make it work.  So that's what I did.  I did give one priority and that was the Kumari Garden inspired room.

I had crib bedding made from it and the rest flowed from there.  From the peaceful beige palette, I took the natural elements and used DIY drop cloth curtains, the cute hamper, the natural blond wood shelves, and woven accessories.  From the shabby chic scheme, I took the aqua and pink, used a painted yellow dresser, and painted and distressed an antique dry sink to re-purpose as a changing table.  I also used the ornate (and yes, ubiquitous) ung frame.  The goal of "ethnic" might not have been achieved. I ordered a Moroccan Pouf from Morocco (yes straight from Morocco) and it ended up being a total NIGHTMARE!!!  I ended up returning it and since I can't afford the $400 version and am now deathly afraid of ordering a cheap one after my experience (let's just say it involved goat urine.  yeah that happened), I had to give up that dream. I also ordered a cool coffee sack pillow that I thought gave it an ethnic vibe, but that too didn't pan out.  I won't give you the boring details...I did however create this cool (if I do say so myself) Chinese lantern, pom, and lace lantern mobile and order this beautiful print from Jones Design company--all of which I think contribute to an ethnic feel.  And the Dena Fishbein print which was the entire inspiration, is one of the beautiful prints in her Kumari Garden collection which invokes an ethnic bohemian vibe. I also used her Tarika in gem as well as the Sujata in pink prints.

One last note and then I'll shut  up!  One of the most fun things about this room was doing it on a budget (Not as super tight as Genevieve's nursery but not nearly as expensive as many of the nurseries I ogled on design blogs).  Many of the items in her room came from thrift stores, yard sales, and even the side of the road.  I loved upcycling the changing table and painting the $20 yard sale dresser a cheerful yellow.

So here are some photos for your viewing pleasure (sources for almost everything at the very end)...

One of my absolute favorite features!  Lantern and pom mobile inspired by hers and hers.

Natural wood shelves-- styled but functional.

spray adhesive: $3.60 (used a 40% off coupon)
Grand Total: $6.60

Recently I took on the task of refinishing a dresser for my impending bundle of joy. I was really excited to decorate a nursery and immediately started looking at ideas online. I quickly realized how expensive nursery furniture is. Since I really wanted something with character that didn’t cost me an arm and a leg, I decided to look at second hand and consignment stores for a nice dresser that I could re-paint if necessary. I found this beauty at a thrift store for $60.

From my online research, I knew I should look for something without a lot of shine, so that I wouldn’t have to strip it. It’s best to find one already painted that you can simply paint over or to find a wooden dresser that isn’t highly laminated so that you don’t have to bother with paint strippers, etc. This one was perfect. I was also looking for something with great shape (although I didn’t even notice the adorable heart at the bottom until I got it home!).

Although I didn’t have to strip it, I did have to sand it. I tried to sand it by hand for a nano-second before I realized there was no way I’d ever finish it by hand. Luckily my father in law had an electric sander that I borrowed. As you can see, I sanded it down quite a bit, but I really could have sanded it even more to avoid having to do so many coats of primer and paint.

For primer I used a white stain blocker primer that I already had on hand. Even so, I needed to do about 3 coats of the primer, and then 2 coats of ultra white Valspar paint. Make sure to get the gloss finish so that it’s easy to clean. I considered buying vintage knobs and even doing some decoupage on the dresser, but since I was really trying to keep this DIY project low budget, I decided to just paint the knobs instead. I was able to use a sample of paint that cost $2.97. For more inspiration check out iffer’s little nest's refinishing a dresser post here. I must say, I’m quite happy with the result! Check back later for more posts on decorating a nursery!