Bedroom Vanity

When I was moving to Kansas City, many of our family members kindly donated items for my new apartment.  One of these donations was a small student desk from Nick's aunt.  It was a nice desk, but the finish was an orange-ish eighties oak, and it was also a little worse for wear.  I decided that it deserved an upgrade.  The desk itself is a little on the small side - it isn't possible to store files or paper in it.  But given the *tiny* size of the bathroom, I was desperately in need of somewhere to store makeup and jewelry.  So, it became an integral part of my "vanity nook" in the bedroom.

I don't have a real before picture.  Sorry.  I do have a half-way before picture, with one coat of paint and the drawers.  It gives somewhat of an idea of the desk!

As I mentioned, the finish was orangey, and the handles brassy.  It is also a very light desk, so it does not have any of the extra details that a desk of a similar style might have.  

I decided to use homemade chalk paint on this piece as well.  Instead of buying new, I utilized some latex paint that was leftover from the last time that I painted our bedroom in Chicago.  The color is Sherwin Williams Chinchilla.  It is a taupey/brown/grey/purple color.  

When I previously used it on the walls, it came out much darker and moodier, but between the small scale of this desk, the brighter contrast of the cream walls, and the plaster of paris (which lightens the paint) it came out as a lavender.  The texture of this paint seemed to be a little more difficult to work with than the green oops paint.  I think that this is because it was a self-priming, self-leveling paint.  So, note to self, when working with homemade chalk paint, there is no need to get fancy with the base!

I used a paint brush (as opposed to a roller) for this project because I thought that the style of the piece lent itself to a more textured finish.  I painted inside with this project, which overall worked well.  I used some cardboard for drips, and I did not have to worry about the low temperatures affecting the curing.  I did the first coat, and then waited a few days before the second.  This was not because it needed that much time to cure, but rather because I became caught up in other projects. The only really stinky part was the wax.  I finished painting the second coat in the evening, and once it was dry (about an hour or so) I put on the coat of wax before bed.  Not my best decision!  Oh well, learned my lesson and applied the second coat during they day.

I like how it turned out.  The color is great and the finish is butter smooth.  Just need to work on the chair now!

:)

My Bee-U-tiful Green Buffet

A while back I mentioned some of my CL finds that we bought in Chicago in order to take to KCMO.  Best decision ever by the way, I still have zero idea where folks buy stuff here!

Anyway, one of those finds was this beauty.  Or not beauty.

I mentioned at the time that I had plans to fix her up so that she was less poo brown hideous.  And she was hideous.  As in, I felt the need to explain to the movers that the buffet came that way and I was not responsible for her current state, hideous.

My initial plan was to strip the buffet down to the original wood, and then either seal it, stain it, or maybe treat it with a color wash.  So, I got to it with my handy stripper, scraper, and mineral salts.  At first, it seemed to be going well.  I was stripping in bursts around work (so evenings and one weekend), so it was not fast, but there was progress.  

Then I realized that in certain areas the paint was just NOT coming off the way that it should be.  The one thing that the previous owners did that even smacked of being correct was use a primer.  And it was not clearing on some of the smaller sections.  It is also possible that my stripper was losing its effectiveness.

It was at this point that I realized I was going to have to paint the sucker.  Which is NOT what I originally wanted to do.  Thankfully, I had already been planning to paint some of the other furniture in the dining room using DIY chalk paint.  For those of you who are not familiar, chalk point is all.the.rage. on the home decor blogging scene.  There is the awesome stuff called Annie Sloane Chalk Paint or ASCP for short that leaves a wonderful matte finish that is described as being really unique and just fantastic for furniture.  Other bonuses are that it dries quickly, covers without primer and is really workable.  So, I decided that this buffet would also receive that finish.  But, because this paint is not readily available in stores, I also decided to follow one of the 6,000,000 tutorials on line and make my own.  This had the added benefit of allowing me to use any color I wanted and of being cheap.  The quality is described as not *quite* the same, but how is anyone who ever visits my house going to know that?

The bummer at this point was that I had already started stripping. If I had known from the beginning that I was using chalk paint, I never would have begun the process.  But now that I had some pieces very light and others still poo brown, I could see that the paint would ultimately look as though it was two different color shades because of the different bases.  So I continued to strip, but really only worried about getting the worst of the brown off and did not focus on getting all of the primer or original brown off.  

Then, I painted.  I ended up using an oops paint color that I found at Home Depot.  It was an olive green, and I added some white that I had to lighten it up, and then added the plaster of paris.  The color turned out very nicely, if I do say so myself.  Especially since I made a few batches of this stuff freehand,and it still matches.  

This sucker was a BEAST to paint.  All the damn slats made me want to slit my throat.  I also painted it disassembled, and then assembled it again.  Going back, I would have painted the top separate but assembled the rest before I painted it.  Oh well.  Then it was a few layers of wax (which I think I did right!) and it was done.  I almost peed my pants I was so excited.

It's not perfect, but it's not poo colored, and so I'll take it!  Here's are some slightly more updated photos.

Clearly the way that it is decorated still leaves something to be desired!

The Glories of CL

My house looks like a storage unit.  For Realz.  My husband is probably thinking about moving out himself, as he hates clutter.  I'm excited to get everything back to normal, even though I know that I won't be around for it.  :(

But what is in the condo?  Well, there are boxes.  Lots of boxes.  And some donated furniture and kitchen stuff (which is mostly in boxes).  My old bed frame from my single gal days.  Furniture I had in storage and forgot I had.  Now, there is a mattress in the hallway too.  And then there are my craigslist finds.  I love CL.  I also hate it sometimes, but I mostly love it.  CL is glorious stash of junk, with just a few jewels mixed in.  And, it's the only way we can afford to furnish a whole new apartment.  Well, that and my in-laws.  Even our condo here has a large quantity of second hand finds, and most are CL.  Like my table, and my dining chairs, and my couch, and the buffet, and the storage console in Nick's office, and most of our dressers...don't forget the coffee table, and the half finished arm chairs.  Wait, maybe I'd better leave it there.

But, on to the new stuff.  I decided to buy in Chicago because honestly the KCMO CL does not seem as friendly (where do people buy used furniture in KC?) and I won't have a car.  Transportation is a vital part of the CL hunt.  So, the plan is to pack up the old and the new, and haul it all down with us.

Like my new couch?  Sure, it isn't in perfect condition, but it was a steal for a pullout.  Literally, I think I grabbed it and ran down the hallway.  Or maybe I just trotted alongside the buys while they lugged it.  And it's nice and soft.  She's a looker.

This couch is actually staying in Chicago.  I'm taking our old one with me.

Or my dining set?  This is likely to get painted at some point.  I mean, it was only $75 for the set (table plus two leaves, 2 arm chairs, 4 dining chairs, and the pads) so I can totally handle that.  It isn't exactly what I want, but the price was right and I can make it work.  What do you think about a white table with turquoise chairs?

Table with no leaves...I'll probably leave at least one in.

There's also my console / occasional table.  This is the one where the seller wouldn't believe that it would fit in the Fit.  Ha!  I fit it in, plus an Ikea run, plus three people in the car.  Never doubt the clown car.  Of course, the console is a great example of the deals to be had and the frustrations.  $200 table from Ikea for $50.  WHY GOD did the previous owners give it the worst paint job ever?  It's actually a wood piece (and oddly matches our kitchen table in Chicago - same line).  It was pretty on its own.  And I love painted furniture.  In fact, this may eventually be painted.  But why this?

It doesn't look nearly as bad in person, but I'll have it stripped within a week.  Then it will be great!  Then I'll figure out a bold color to paint or stain it (well) and it will be even better.

Last night I picked up a chair, since I realized that the chair in my floorplanner didn't exist anywhere but in my head.  It's a little beat up.  Someone's cat loved it even more than my two do (seriously, they only way they have left this chair since I bought it was a forced migration).  It needs some repair of the big scratches/tears and a recondition to hide the smaller stuff.  For $15, you can't really be picky.  A faux leather chair is minimum $100 plus tax, and leather is even more.

Well, maybe that isn't a ton.  But it feels like it!  Especially when you're packing up other CL finds, like my sewing table.

I know that some folk don't love the CL.  It takes a lot of time and energy (search through ads, send emails, go to see furniture), and sometimes the item just doesn't work out (like the sectional couch Nick wouldn't let me bring home just because it was freakishly large for our space).  But the SAVINGS.

Now, don't get me started on my new boyfriend Ikea.  He's an expensive date, but fun to mix in!  And contrary to popular belief, his stuff can be reused at a later date (I don't care what the guy in the yellow shirt says, if you take it apart carefully, it can be stored to be used again at a later date.  So there.)

I realize that the home decor stuff is a little heavy these days.  Candidly, trying to figure out a great apartment design has been one of the brightest spots of the move.  As a result, I've focused a lot it.  Okay, and maybe I read too many decor blogs so that is what I think to post about!  Can it be both, maybe?