Curvy Blue and White Cottage Dresser

If you are a regular here, you know that very little painting actually happens from December through February. I paint outside and it's just too cold out there right now. It's my time to catch up on real life stuff! But there are lots of projects that never make it to the blog in real time, so I'm going to catch you up on a few of my favorites over the next few weeks. This curvy blue and white dresser definitely qualifies!

If you read my last post, you know that I have awesome blog friends. Well here is another example. This dresser was also a Craigslist find, a tip from my sweet friend Cassie from Primitive & Proper. Cassie lives about an hour away, but sometimes comes across furniture in my area and passes along the tip. Isn't she the best!

As you can see, I actually had a little trouble picking a color for this one.
 

While I was trying to decide, Megan (my painting buddy daughter) was working on this beauty. I loved it and totally copied her idea!

The color combination came from what  I already had on hand - Mariner Blue from Martha Stewart and Silky White from Behr. And I used the homemade chalk paint recipe.

 

 The dresser was missing a pull, so the top two drawers got knobs from my stash. I'd picked them up a few months earlier at Hobby Lobby. I just loved the color and they turned out to be a perfect match. Sometimes you just get lucky!

It's hard to decide what was better - the curvy top...

or the sweet cut-outs on the bottom.

I think it just all works together!

Definitely one of my personal favorites!

Thanks to Cassie for the tip and Megan for the inspiration!

I'm sharing with...
504 Main
My Romantic Home
A Little Knick Knack
My Repurposed Life
Petals to Picots
Simple Home Life
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Miss Mustard Seed
The Shabby Nest
Redoux
Funky Junk Interiors
Domestically Speaking

A feature and a thank you!

At yesterday's link party, I promised to share one more feature. This one comes with a little story I wanted to share about one of my favorite blog friends who just happens to live in my little corner of the world!
 

Megan from Our Pinteresting Family linked up this awesome table (it's huge) and set of four chairs that she found on Craigslist. All the pieces are solid oak and had been used at a local church for their Sunday school classes for many years.

As soon as Megan got home, her husband Rob went straight to work sanding and staining the top of the table, then painting and glazing the bottom. The entire project was finished and posted on their blog within 24 hours! It's beautiful and gosh they work really fast!

Now I just happen to know that because Megan was sweet enough to let me know about the Craigslist ad. Megan remembered the little chairs I painted and personalized for a client in December. The chairs were a Christmas gift for my client's grandchildren. You can read the entire post here.

 

 

Megan thought I might want a few more chairs for upcoming tag sales. What Megan didn't know was that the personalized chairs were a big hit and I've already had requests for more. So Megan bought her table and chairs on a Saturday morning and I bought all the rest a few minutes later! And yes, there's a table in there too!

Megan and Rob did a beautiful job on the their table. And if you haven't already visited Our Pinteresting Family, head right over and say hello. As the name suggests, it's a family affair and many of their projects are Pinterest inspired. They are super creative and thrifty too! 

 

 

Thanks so much Megan! It's really nice to have friends out there!

 

And if you're interested in a personalized chair, just let me know.

Thanks to Megan, I now have a few!

 

 

Be Inspired Features and Link Party #52

Happy Tuesday! Welcome back for features and party day!

 

I've started the year on a bit of a mission. I am making my way through every drawer, closet, nook and cranny around here in an effort to clean out the clutter and get organized. I'm generally a pretty organized girl. Clutter stresses me out. But I've learned that once it gets warm enough to paint outside, that pretty much takes over my life and it gets hard to keep up with everything. So this year I'm being pro-active. And I have to say, cleaning out the clutter just feels good! How about you? Have you started the year on a mission? ... Now let's check out some of the seriously amazing projects from last week...

Leslie from City Girl Arts shared this beautiful diamond dresser redo with striking brass hardware!

Wendy from Sometimes Twice used paint and pretty paper to take this little bookcase to a whole new level!

Mary Alice from Chateau Chic used the theme of clocks and time for her January mantel and I am totally smitten!

And Doreen from Hymns and Verses created this totally awesome Ballard Designs wall clock knockoff for under $15! WOW!

My friend Emily from The Diligent One turned an under-utilized closet into an amazing mini-mudroom!

Looking for a Valentine's Day gift idea? Crystelle from Crystelle Boutique shared these darling little heart handwarmers made from upcycled sweaters!

I think this Delicate White Chocolate Cake with Cherry Preserves from Barbara at 21 Rosemary Lane just might be the perfect cake to make your sweetheart for Valentine's Day!

And I have one more feature to share, but I'm saving that for tomorrow because it has a little story to go along with it!

Thanks so much to everyone who linked up and linked back!

We so appreciate having you here. If you've been featured, feel free to grab a cute little button from the sidebar!
 

Now on to this week's party...
 

* Link up your furniture makeovers, DIY projects, home decor, crafts, recipes, thrifty finds, etc... We want to see whatever is inspiring you at the moment!

* Grab a party button or link back in some way. You must have a visible link back to be considered for a feature!
 

* And we'd love to have you follow along with us!

 

We'll be back next Tuesday with features and a brand new party.

Now let's be inspired!

 

Curvy French Dresser and Desk

This was one of those dream projects - cute pieces in perfect condition, totally free and delivered to my doorstep!

My friend Nancy was visiting her mother in Ohio. They were doing a bit of cleaning out and Nancy sent me a quick email with a photo of a curvy French dresser and desk with a simple question, "Any interest?" My answer was equally quick and just as simple, 

"Yes please!"

Each piece got a wipe down with TSP, a light sanding to break down the shine, two coats of paint, a light distressing and two coats of wipe on poly for a beautiful finish.

I kept the original hardware, but freshened it up with two coats of white mixed with the homemade chalk paint recipe.

The pictures are showing the color as a little more blue than the actual color - Behr's paint and primer in one in Lotus Leaf - mixed with the homemade chalk paint recipe. The color really has a little more aqua to it. It's the same color I used on this china cabinet.

 Lotus Leaf is a very close match to Duck Egg Blue Chalk Paint.

This desk would make a great vanity too!

The chair is really simple and got the same white as the hardware. I think the desk would look amazing with a cute chair with some colorful fabric.

The hardest part of this project was peeling off the layers on contact paper inside the drawers.

I'm happy to report that all three pieces found a happy home with my friend Susan. And Susan and Nancy are friends as well, so I thought that was pretty cool!

Thanks so much to Nancy for thinking of me! And just remember that if you are starting off the new year doing a little cleaning out, you probably have a furniture painting friend who would be thrilled to find some furniture on her doorstep!

I'm sharing with...
Common Ground
Craftberry Bush
Finding Fabulous

 Jennifer Rizzo
Blissful and Domestic
My Repurposed Life
Petals to Picots
My Romantic Home
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Miss Mustard Seed
The Shabby Nest
Simply Designing
I'm Not a Trophy Wife
A Little Knick Knack
Funky Junk Interiors