White Cabinets and a Laundry Room Reveal

I am so excited to finally show you a room that has been in progress for a long, long time… my hard-working, sweet little laundry room.

Here’s a little glimpse of what it looked like before:

See those almost orange cabinets?  They were the catalyst for this little makeover.  They actually used to be off white, but because the painter sprayed them with an oil-based gloss (a band-aid to make up for painting these in the wrong paint finish), they ambered over the past four years to this.  Every time I walked in there I wanted to vomit, mostly because I was so dang mad about it.  He even sprayed them while they were hanging, so there were obvious drip marks.  *Fuming*

So, I did what any DIY gal would do: I stopped getting mad and started painting.

See the inside of this cabinet?  That’s the color it’s supposed to be.

Yeah.

Anyhoo… after deglossing, sanding, priming, and painting these cabinets, I’m thankfully no longer seeing orange.

The cabinets are painted in Sherwin Williams Pro Classic paint in Alabaster – it’s the perfect creamy white, and the paint finish is really smooth since it self-levels as it dries.  I used a trim brush to get into corners and details and rolled the rest with a foam roller.

My laundry room is really more like a laundry hallway, as it is the entry point to my home from my garage (no glamorous mudroom here folks) – and although I really wanted to get front loaders when we replaced our washer and dryer, I knew that keeping the washer door open to discourage mildew growth would likely lead to a broken washer in this thoroughfare.  We went instead with a traditional top load washer, but upgraded to high-efficiency to save water and we’ve been quite happy with our choice.

I use the tops of the cabinets for additional storage by adding baskets – these hold bulk paper towels, seasonal items, and seldom used appliances.  I made the cute patchwork grocery bag dispenser a while back and it’s still hanging in there!

Since this is the door my family walks through as we leave our home to start our days, I wanted it to be fun and inspiring so there’s a message to be awesome and a fun little fabric garland on the door.  The laundry chalkboard printables were free from the Simple Things and Sweet Bellaroos.

One last peek…

So there you have it guys – the little laundry room that could, made much more cheerful with a nice coat of bright, white paint.

Next up, some kitchen cabinets that fell victim to the same awful painting mistake will be getting a fresh coat of white paint as well – this time, I’ll be trying my hand with a paint sprayer.  Whoop!  If you have any tips for using a paint sprayer, please share – I’m a little intimidated by the whole thing.  Talk me off the ledge?

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Turquoise Desk Makeover for Little Girl

My youngest daughter has longed for a desk in her room ever since I did the Green Desk Makeover for her older sister.  Many months and Craigslist searches later, I was finally able to find a desk that fit my daughter and her room perfectly.  A little bit of elbow grease and some Annie Sloan Provence chalk paint later… and we have a turquoise desk for my litte girl.

This desk was listed on Craigslist but was actually housed in a multi-vendor antique mall, buried under all sorts of other vintage treasures.  It’s a Bassett desk from the 1960s and was in great condition, save for some damage to the desktop and some scratches.

I’ll admit it… this desk had me at spindle legs.

Seriously, aren’t they incredible?

After sanding the top and cleaning it well, I painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Provence, a gorgeous turquoise blue color that I have used on multiple projects in my home.  My youngest really likes to help mama with projects, especially painting, so I gave her a brush and her own tray of paint and let her go to town.  Chalk paint is very forgiving because you can sand it, so it was the perfect medium for my little’s brush strokes – any imperfections were simply sanded away before the top coat.

The hardware is all original to the piece and was in perfect condition as well.  I liked the contrast of the bronze and blue so I just gave it all a good cleaning before I reinstalled it. 

The spindle legs are still my favorite feature – it’s unusual to find a piece such a traditional piece with this type of leg.  (Please excuse the focus on these photos… my eight year old Canon rebel is starting to act up on me.)

Here’s another view of the turquoise desk in its entirety.  Tell me those legs aren’t incredible!  Pair it with a pink chevron wall and I’m smitten ;).

The desk actually has a coordinating hutch (see below) that goes on top but it felt a little too serious (especially with the eagle medallion) so I haven’t yet painted it.  I do like the additional storage it offers so maybe one day I’ll add it, but for now I’m happy with the desk as is.

My youngest is very excited for this new homework space in her room.  We’re still working on adding little desk accessories, but she’s already enjoying it for reading, writing, drawing and creating.  I imagine it will see lots of this activity in the years to come.

If you have any questions about the turquoise desk makeover, let me know and I’ll be happy to answer your questions!

Have you tried chalk paint yet?  Would you be brave enough to let your child help you with it?  I’d love to hear your experience!

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Golden Magazine Rack Rescue

Hey, hey, hey friends!  I can’t write that without getting Blurred Lines stuck in my head these days (I know you want it)…

I digress.

I’m here to share a fun little project that I scored this weekend from a FB swap page (FB is becoming quite the little Craigslist, isn’t it?)… my new to me Golden Magazine Rack!

Yeah, baby.  Nothing like a metallic resting place for your fave magazines, right?

The rack looked like this when I got it: brown and dusty with little gnaw marks from some (hopefully domestic) critter.

After a good cleaning and a bit of sanding, I sprayed on two coats of Rustoleum Pure gold, which gives it a nice golden sheen rather than a shiny, “hey look I’m gold!” vibe.

It was like, 100000% humidity this weekend in Texas so this took foreverrrrrr to dry, which is not good for a DIY blogger who is ready to stage and take photos and share with the masses…

Tell me I’m not the only one like this.

As soon as it was dry to the touch, you better believe I was gathering up my magazine stash and putting them in their new, shiny home.  This rack is now sitting in my office next to my new favorite place to read and drink a little coffee on the weekends.  (There’s a few strategically placed Highlights Magazines for my girls should they decide to join me.)

I love it – and I love that it didn’t cost much nor did it take me very much time.

• Magazine Rack (thrifted)– $7
• Rustoleum Spray Paint – $7 x 2 cans (I used just a tad more than one can)

• TOTAL = $21

Considering some of these higher-priced comparisons, I’d say I got myself a golden deal… (pun intended)

       

And I’m pretty sure my mags are enjoying their swanky new home.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to channel my inner Goldmember and paint something else gold…

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White and Aqua Hutch Makeover

 

Last summer I came across a great china hutch on Craigslist while I was searching for a dresser for my daughter’s room.  (Isn’t that always what happens on Craigslist?  It’s worse than Target!)  Anyhoo… because I had quite a few other works in progress at the time, this hutch sat in my garage ever since, waiting to be given a new life.

Because my future plans for my kitchen include painting a darker wall color, I knew I wanted this piece to be white so it would pop against the color of the wall.  This color is Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White.

 

 

I painted two coats of the Old White and then topped with a third, watered-down wash of Old White to help give the paint a smooth finish.  I decided to forgo distressing and just left it all white, then waxed with AS clear wax.

 

 

Rather than paint the interior white as well, I went with an aqua wash – this color was created by mixing AS Provence with a little bit of Old White, and then mixed that with an equal part of water.  I simply put it all in a mason jar and shook it up, then painted the interior, trying not to be too precise since I wanted it to look like a wash of color.

 

 

I love the seeing my white dishes against a sea of aqua.

 

 

I’m still tweaking the hutch styling, but for now it includes some of my vintage Rose Point china, a few collected pieces of Ironstone, vintage Pyrex, and some vintage dishes and pottery that I inherited from my grandmother.  I look forward to changing things up on the inside for holiday and seasonal touches.

 

 

I toyed with the idea of replacing the hardware, but changed my mind.  Sometimes it’s better to keep the original hardware, and this was one of those instances.  I want the hutch and its contents to be the star here.

 

 

And since I know how much you guys love pictures, here are just a couple more for ya:

 

 

 

My girls are on a trip this week with my sister and brother-in-law so I’m taking advantage of the free time and working on some projects around here, in between a few dates with Mr. home.made.  He deserves it, since I’m putting him to work too… hazards of being a DIYers’ hubby, right? ;)

 

What about you?  What are you working on this week?

 

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Home Update: Fresh White Trim

A while back, I wrote about the sage green trim in my home, leftover from the prior owners.  I’ve been living with this color for nearly three years now, and even after re-painting almost all of the interior walls, I’m ready for it to go.

This is my entryway, just to show you what the trim currently looks like.  The entire entry, living room, hallways, and kitchen have this color trim. 

This past week, I got a wild hair to repaint the trim in one of the hallways and was amazed at the difference.

Isn’t it incredible how much lighter and brighter it looks just with the white trim?

I originally started painting with Behr Ultra Pure White, straight off the shelf.  I have since come to the realization that ultra pure white does not go well with an older home where white doors have yellowed a bit over time.  I then switched to the color I used for the trim in our den and in our master bedroom: Muslin White from Glidden.  It’s still white, but warmer in comparison to the pure white.

One more peek at the before…

And the after…

Big difference right?  (Pardon the lighting… it’s a hallway, thus not a lot of natural light.)

Now, only two rooms, a hallway, and an entry to go!

Have any of you had colored trim that you’ve since changed?

Antibes Green Side Table Makeover

In addition to nearly every other room in my home, I’m working on a room makeover for my youngest daughter, one that allows a bit more of her personality to be infused into the space.  (Which may or may not be a good thing…)  Since starting kinder this past fall, she’s been waking up like a big girl to an alarm in the morning – I thought it was high time she had a side table so she wouldn’t have to get out of bed to turn off her alarm (or annoy her older sister while she lay under her covers, ignoring the constant beeping).  Rather than go buy one, I shopped my home and found this:

I actually bought this for her nursery way  back when *sob* to hold toys and books but it made its way out of her room during one of our moves.  It’s not bad as is, but it was a little too cream for a room with white walls and a white bed – not anymore, however…

Say hello to Antibes Green, another fabulous color of the famous Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

The original finish was a distressed cream color.  I wanted to have some of that peeking through so I used a watered-down “wash” of the green on the side cutout panels and the top rim.  I used two full-strength coats on the rest of the piece to really make the green pop.

The blogger in me wanted to completely stage this table, but I decided instead to keep it exactly how my baby girl likes it.  She was quite excited to set up her “new” table with all of her necessities: lamp, alarm clock, handmade clay bowl from art class, special books, and of course, a bright orange Furby.  She’s really a fun age right now and makes my heart smile.

In case you’re wondering about said room makeover, it’s a work in progress as is every makeover in the home.made. home right now.  Little by little, I’m knocking out my project lists though so hang in there.  Here’s a sneak peek just because I love ya…

Hope you have a fantastic weekend… we’ll be celebrating my oldest turning 8! *weep*  Where does the time go?

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Green Desk Makeover

Do you remember this desk that I showed you way back when?

Here’s how she looks now:

This little desk was quite the chore!  The laminate top was pretty resistant to holding paint, even after a good bonding primer, so my patience was tested.  Many drops of sweat, tears, and coats of paint later, I think she turned out pretty great.

The green paint color was a request from my oldest for her “jungle room” (I’ll share my decorating dilemma with her room at the bottom of the post so you can understand…) – she wanted to cover her room in vines so to reach a compromise, green paint it was.  I did tone down the bright green with a dark glaze finish – much easier on the eyes than the original color.

One of the knobs was missing, so I replaced them with new knobs from Hobby Lobby.  The drawer handles are original and just received a good scrubbing.  The chair came with the set – I painted it in ASCP in Pure White and recovered the seat with a plush, faux fur fabric (won huge Mom of the Year points with that move!)

As you can see, my daughter has accessorized to her liking… the bulletin board was a Hobby Lobby 50% off find that I also painted in ASCP Pure White.  I added a crackle medium to it and that has been, um, interesting.  I’ll post about that experience on another day.   

My daughter is quite excited about her new desk and chair, and loves using this spot to doodle, complete her homework assignments, and research her favorite little critters.

How many seven year olds do you know that have this book?!

Which brings me to the decorating dilemma in this room… try designing a room around these bad boys:

*sigh* I love my little nature girl, but it’s really hard to work around a tortoise, a hedgehog, and a few hermit crabs!  Animal cages aside, the rest of her safari/jungle theme room is slowly coming together.  I may just finish it sometime in the next few months and then I can share the full reveal.  I have a fun little bedside table makeover and a DIY safari canopy to share with you!

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Jennifer Rizzo
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It's Overflowing