Nursery Progress Report

I felt it was time to show off some of the in-progress projects that are going on nursery-wise around here.  We had a big weekend planned, but that was derailed realizing I'm sick, yet again (seriously?  SERIOUSLY???)

Either way, some really great progress has taken shape, and I'm feeling less stressed than before (read: still slightly stressed, but just a little less...  :)  )

First, I'm happy to report that the painting of the walls in the nursery is 100% done!  If you recall, I used Olympic Premium No-VOC paint, mixed to PPG's Lime Green 209-5 for the walls.  I did the dirty work first, one night, of cutting in, and the edging.  This way the rolling of the paint took no time.  This paint is awesome!  It went on really well, and though I did two coats, I could have gotten away with one had I put it on a tad thicker the first coat.

Next, we have purchased the beadboard, chair rail, and baseboards- all 40 linear feet!  The beadboard is cut (the sheets start out 8x4') in half, so I have 10 sheets that are 4'x4'.  I think we'll go with 38" high beadboard, so we'll need to make some cuts for that to happen.  The garage will be set up like a workshop this weekend, so that hopefully next week some of the hard labor of wood installation can actually start.

Then, the remaining painting (chair rail, beadboard, and baseboards) can occur!  This part of the project I can't help much on... it kills me!

As for some of the other touches, those are definitely on their way.  If I can get some sleep today, and feel ok tomorrow, I should be able to knock those projects off the list!  Remember my design board?  Well, I'm talking about the star artwork, the mobile, and the alphabet art. 

I'm still a little frightful of sewing the replacement covers for the glider and making the curtains, since I've only used my sewing machine a few times!  (Remember these curtains, and these pillows from earlier this year?)  I think the curtains for the window are slowly turning into curtains for the closet instead, and the intention of purchasing blinds for the window is becoming a reality.  Either way, the fabric will be a nice touch- just depends where it ends up!  (Closet doors were removed, and I really want to be able to hide that mess!)

We still don't have a dresser, even though I know the one I want.  I've been striking out lately, even though I did get excited when Kate @ Centsational Girl found the same one I was looking for, and painted it white...  We're in the same area, and it seems that folks just love those dressers, and they either aren't selling them, or they're snatched up quick! But, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for one that was just posted about 30 min ago, and it's already white!  :)

I'm really having fun watching it all come together, and planning for what happens next, I'm just a bit anxious about it all getting done.  Looking at the calendar, there really are limited weekends left to work with.

How long did it take you to pull a room together?  Did you ever have a room that felt like it just wasn't going to EVER be done?  Do you work well under pressure, and deadlines?!  Do tell!

Thrift Store Table Turned Bench

I've noticed a few things lately:

1.  Many items at a thrift store can be drastically changed by a coat of paint
2.  I love the color blue
3.  Little tables can be turned into sweet benches

So, this post is about all three.  :)  Plus, I haven't done anything furniture related in a while, and I was itching to do so!

I got this little table at the thrift store for $6.25 on half-off day Saturday.  I loved the legs, and the carved detail on the sides.  The table was solid for the most part, just needed a few bolts tightened.

 

 

Clearly, this table couldn't stay this color.  Nope!  Not with my love for spray paint, and making things my own.  Luckily, the tabletop was held to the base by just 10 screws, so I took those out, and had two pieces that would make painting easier.  Out came the white primer.  I first did a coat with the table upside down.  Then, turned it over to get the other sides of all the details.

 

  

  

(totally shows why you have to turn pieces with detail over... look at that brown peeking through the cracks)

I wanted to turn this little table into a bench after I brought it inside, and placed it under the window next to my new orange curtains.  During one of my HomeFabrics store trips, I got an array of fabrics, and had to choose what would look best.  I ultimately went for the slate blue velvet type fabric to cover the top.  It was a remnant of sorts, and was 1 yard for $2.  :)  deal. deal. deal!

 

 

Covering the top wasn't difficult.  I used a cut of 1" foam, and two layers of quilters batting (I picked up the bag for $0.99 on a thrift trip once.  Always be on the lookout for craft supplies too!).  The top only required a piece of fabric about 28 x 20.  I used spray adhesive to adhere the foam to the top of the table, then laid that down on the batting and the fabric (which was upside down).  I used my staple gun, with shallower upholstery staples, and pulled and gathered like I did when I made this fabric covered headboard.

 

  

After the padded top was complete, and the primer had dried, I went back outside and hit the table with a coat of a light grey spray paint, by doing the same two-step approach like with the primer.

 

 

Truly, the next step was the most difficult!  Screwing it back together.  Seriously?!  Yes.  Because the screws were at an angle, I had to turn the orientation of the table around, and then really push the base onto the newly padded top, so that the screws would grab the mdf board my new bench top was made of.  After about 20 minutes of playing with it, I had all screws tightened down, and stood back and admired my little stool.

(This photo is for the sake of contrast, so you can really see the color.  Next to the blue walls (below) it's hard to tell)

Oh, and yes, that's my new Ballard Inspired Bulletin Board that I painted.

Oh, and over the course of this project, I used all these tools:

Now, I think I should have gone with a white base, not grey.  What do you think?  It's currently sitting in a room with walls painted "Blue Willow" by Pittsburgh Paints.  I think the grey legs don't offer enough contrast, and I may go back to white (like the way the primer looks).  Our wooden floors will be dark brown, with a grey undertone, and the table I'm covering with Zebra print fabric will be a dark brown or black base.

 

 

What do you think?  Go White (like Rustoleum's Heirloom white) for the base, or black?  Or... something else I hadn't thought of?

Not bad for few bucks huh?!  I like my new little padded bench.  She's sweet.  Can furniture be sweet?  Either way, she is.  :)

My Color Love

My color love...

Otherwise known as my Pittsburgh Paint Group (PPG) Fan deck, this baby does double duty to match colors, as easily as it helps me find color pallets for future projects!

The story behind the deck is odd, but the results are nothing but fab.  This trusty tool sits right in my pullout sheet binder, and is always within reach.

I've mentioned my use of color choices on a few posts (here,  here, and here), but I wanted to share what all the fuss is about...  :)

Here are some glorious color selection photos:

 

 

Notice those flags on the fan deck?  That's how I mark colors- One side of the deck means it's a color in the house somewhere, while the other side are colors I'm interested in using sometime/somewhere in the house.  :)

So, that's my favorite decorating tool...

What's yours?!