Repurpose Project!

Yay!  I'm so excited to share this with you all.  First....the back story.

This whole thing came about last spring when Riley was beginning to get mobile and started crawling, rolling, and then walking to the TV stand and pushing all the buttons on the devices, pulling books off the shelf, etc.  I decided I wanted a new entertainment console and I really wanted everything to be enclosed.  Well, we started looking, and we couldn't agree on anything, or the ones we liked were crazy expensive.  Then one day I found one that I just fell in love with...

But, then I found out it was $1400...and if I just wanted the base piece, it was $800.  So, scratch that idea.  Back to the drawing board...  Then, I saw this repurposed dresser on Pinterest and I loved it!  It took some time, but I finally convinced Jarrod that I thought we should try something like this.

After doing some more Pinterest searching, it became evident to me that I was really into this distressed white look.  Like, really loving it!  I started pinning all kinds of ideas and tips for painting furniture and started researching a paint that friends told me about, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. {Here are some of the links I used for inspiration:

Shades of Amber

Little Yellow Barn

Design Indulgence

Next step...we finally found a dresser!  We got this bad boy for $35 from Craigslist.  And let me tell you...this thing is heavy!

 My helpers, all ready to go!

So, we decided to go for the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint despite it costing more than your traditional paint.  You can do some research online, but the ease of it sold me.  No sanding, so priming!  And, it dries super quick.  So, we washed the dresser down with hot soapy water and removed the hardware.  Then we played with it to decide which drawers were going to become the shelves.  Once we decided, we got started.  I chose the Old White color of paint and her clear wax.  I painted two coats on the whole dresser and all the drawers in a matter of about 3 hours.  

Then, we cut some wood for the shelves.  Now, we're not trained woodworkers or anything, so they're not perfect, but they do the job and they're made by us, so they're even more special. :)  We cut holes in the back for the cords, and then I spray painted the inside of the back with black so that it wouldn't be as obvious.

Next, we applied the wax.  I used a brush to apply a thin coat of her clear wax, and the wiped the excess off with a t-shirt.  Once that dried, I used a sanding block to distress the piece.  Lastly, we applied another coat of wax to protect it all.  If you're going to do this, I'd suggest searching You Tube for some videos so you understand the whole wax thing.  I saw some after the fact, and wish I would've seen them before waxing.

Lastly, came the search for the hardware.  Lesson learned...for my next repurposing project, I'll make the current hardware is presentable and can be spray painted.  The hardware on this dresser was hideous.  So, we pitched them.  But....finding hardware to fit these holes was next to impossible.  The end result was that we 1.) spent way more on hardware than I was intending, and 2.) had to drill new holes for the top drawers.  

The end result is a piece I'm so proud of, even if it's not 100% perfect.  I love that we did it together, and I love that it's supposed to be distressed....so if it gets beat up by the kids or the vacuum, it's not the end of the world!

 Can't wait to do another project!

 {After all was said and done, we spent about $170 on this project.  But, we have enough paint left to do another project, enough wax left to probably do two more projects, and the cost of the dresser also included a gigantic mirror that we're going to work on for our house, too.}

Doing Pinterest

In my resolutions for this year, I talked about wanting to actually DO the things I've found on Pinterest.  I can spend hours on that site if I wanted, but it does me no good if I don't actually do some of the things I find.  So, I was busy this month!

On top of the numerous recipes we've tried, I also made these:

I found a planner I loved on there, but instead of printing it out repeatedly, I put it in a frame and use a vis-a-vis marker to write on it each week, then erase with a baby wipe!

I love this, but I think I might change the background to gray.  I framed each state the kids were born in, with a heart on the city...Kettering for Gavin, Bentonville for Riley.

This is our new 'I love you because...' frame.  Again, we use vis-a-vis markers on it.  It's a simple way for Jarrod and I to let each other know the little things we appreciate and love about each other.  Of course, Jarrod had to write something silly on my birthday, and he let Gavin draw me a picture, too.

And, as silly as it seems now, it took Pinterest to inspire me to put hooks in my closet to hang my scarves.  Duh!

If you're not on Pinterest and want an invite, let me know!

Wordless Wednesday

A Painting Masterpiece

I honestly think one of the best things about this pregnancy is experiencing it through Gavin's eyes. He's so excited about the baby coming and is very involved.  I told Jarrod recently that I wanted to let Gavin paint my belly, which of course he thought was kind of strange...  But, I thought Gavin would really get a kick out of it.  So this past weekend, we finished up breakfast and I let Gavin go to town.  It turned out to be a quick activity, but we still enjoyed it.  

The proud artist! 

The finished masterpiece!

Tot School and Craft Time with Mommy

It's been a while since I did a Tot School post and we've been doing so many crafts so I'm combining them all into one....Lots of photos below!

 Here are some things we did at the end of October for Halloween:

 And more recent things for Thanksgiving, including a new sensory tub!

 I made him and Gracie a Thanksgiving matching game with pictures of Pilgrims, turkeys, cornucopias, the Mayflower, etc.  And we're starting to work on writing letters!

Fun with a batch of homemade playdough 

I got the idea on the right from another blog, My Sweet Chaos.  He hammered golf tees into one of those green styrofoam things that you use for flower arrangements and LOVED it! 

 Community helper matching game we did on the felt board to show people we're thankful for.

Craft Time with Mommy

More crafts!!!  I've been putting Gavin up in his high chair with something to do while I prepare dinner if it's something I don't necessarily want him helping out with.  Thursday, I was making homemade pizza dough and it's a messy process as it is...didn't want him contributing to that mess!  So, up in the chair he went and I went to the closet to find something for him to do. 

I'm not totally sure where this idea came from.  I had just added an empty tissue box to our closet of crafts, and this popped into my head.  I added a bunch of different textural items to the tissue box.  Then, I cut out the middle of a small paper plate.  Together, we added a lot of glue to the paper plate and Gavin got to work!

He got to put his hand into the box and pick out different items.  Then, he positioned them where he wanted them to go on the paper plate.

Craft time with Gavin is usually very quick.  He doesn't spend a lot of time coloring, painting, etc.  But, he loved this and it took a lot of time.  I got a good 25-30 minutes of prep time in the kitchen while he glued.  It dried overnight, and then we added a picture to it and Daddy got to take it to work!  So cute!

Painting a masterpiece!

A while back, I posted photos of Gavin making a birdhouse with Daddy.  We never did get around to painting it....until Sunday!  I finally remembered that I did have paint that wasn't washable in my craft stuff, so we set up the painting tablecloth, stripped him down, and let him go to work!  He loved it, and was covered in paint by the end. 

And the finished product.....

What lucky birds!!!