Old Barn Door Turned Headboard

I recently told you that we had separated my two older boys and given them their own rooms. It's been a great decision so far...they are both happy with their own space and they are still buddies!

For me, the saddest part of separating them was losing the guest room where I'd worked so hard to create a girly space ...as I am the only girl in this house. One of my favorite projects ever was taking 2 huge picture frames and turning them into a headboard!

Thankfully, I was able to sell them to someone who was thrilled to have them!

So then I needed a headboard for my son's room...something a little more...boy.

I found this barn door at Carver Junk Company and I was on a mission to turn it into a headboard. 

This, of course, needed help from my father-in-law.

I poly'd the heck out of it to keep the patina in (along with any dust and mold) and my father-in-law secured it with 2 pieces of wood drilled into the back and then the bottoms were bolted into the bed frame.

I am thrilled with the result. Keep in mind, the room is still coming together (as seen by the bobble head Santa Yoda still on the nightstand AND the tags still on the drapes *blush*).

So there ya go...if you are looking for a unique headboard idea, find a barn door and get to work!

~Allison

Friends with Dressers

A few years ago, when I started re-doing furniture, there were only a few blogs I read. They were my inspiration and Kirsten at White Butterfly Furniture was one of them. I loved every piece she did and she seemed so real. Oh and she had 3 boys at the time...like me. She now has 4 boys and she makes it look easy!

Long story short, Kirsten recently moved about 20 min from me! I finally met her in person when we were all sweaty at the gym. We hugged and it was instant friendship!

Last week, my husband and I decided that our 7 year old and 5.5 year old couldn't room together anymore...for various reasons, but mainly because waking up at 5:45 am and giggling until 7:00am was becoming the norm. Not ok. That and the semi-nude wrestling that ensued when getting dressed in the morning. Moms of boys, can I get a "holla!"? Are my boys the only ones? If so, I don't want to know.

So we moved Mr. C (almost 6), to our guest room. We never use it anyway...but it was very girly. I emptied it out and we started fresh...but I needed a dresser.

Now, am I the only one who feels like thrift shops and Craigslist have become overrun with people who want to paint furniture? I mean, I love that people want to do this, but it is making it difficult to find decent pieces for cheap.

I emailed a few people, Kirsten being one of them, to be on the lookout for a dresser during their thrifting adventures.

She wrote me back and said she had one in her garage...turns out it was the perfect size!

Before:

This was after I jimmied the drawers out..they were STUCK. And one drawer was in pieces. I decided that I didn't even want to bother with fixing it...baskets were going to be used in place of a drawer.

I have a barn door headboard that I'm working on, so I wanted the dresser to have a "rustic boy vibe"...if there is such a thing.

After trying red, dark mustard and a medium blue (all of these colors remain under the final color...stripping is my least favorite and we're keeping this), I ended up with this:

Rustic top and drawers..waxed and buffed.

Baskets from Home Goods. Love.

My kid loves it and he's loving having his own space. Stay tuned for the headboard. It's going to be awesome!

~Allison

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Painting New Furniture

Recently, a friend asked me to be on the lookout for a bench. It had to have certain dimensions...long and narrow. And it needed to have a build that allowed baskets to be kept underneath.

I searched Craigslist for a few weeks, but nothing came up. And then I found one online at World Market with the perfect dimensions. I showed it to her, and while she liked it, she didn't love the finish. Nothing a little paint can't fix!

Before:

After:

These pictures don't do it justice. Snowing again in MN = no motivation to take decent pictures.

Have you ever painted anything new?

~Allison

Maple Nightstand: Before and After

Hi Friends!!

Here's a quick before and after on a nightstand I recently picked up. I went to see a "dresser and nighstand" set on Craigslist and I was pretty sure I would buy the set, but upon inspection of the dresser, it was bad. I wouldn't have paid $10, much less the $40 they were asking. But I did get this nighstand...actually this is a photo from Craigslist of a nightstand with a similar finish, as I forgot to take a before photo (again!).

I had this great color on hand (Benjamin Moore: Mount Saint Anne) and after a coat of oil-based primer, painted 2 coats, distressed and sealed with clear wax. I LOVE this color!

Have a great day!

~Allison

A Few Goodies

Just a few picture for you lovelies tonight. No before pictures, just "after rehab" goodness: 

The before of this was your average, maple colonial buffet.

 After:

All was well until I looked closer at the former hardware holes..

Lame. I had to start over on the drawers. But it was worth it. This piece is going to the boys' elementary school auction in April!

I also happened upon these sweet chairs. I didn't even paint them...just recovered in burlap and called it a day! These will be at Carver Junk Company in Carver, MN!




How's that for a little Tuesday night fun?

Thanks for stopping by!

~Allison