Vintage Nightstand Makeover

While searching my favorite re-sale sites I came across a beautiful headboard for sale along with this chunky nightstand. I had a definite direction on what I wanted to do to the headboard, but when it came to the nightstand, I was stumped. After sitting in my garage and staring at this thing for almost 30 min, I finally had a vision! I went with Annie Sloan French Linen for the main part of the piece and Annie Sloan Old White for the trim and hardware. The paint sticks to the metal with no problems. I sealed the whole piece with a coat of clear wax after hand distressing. For the inside of the drawers, I used some left over sea foam green latex paint and applied 3 coats with a roller. No need to seal the drawers because the paint had a semi-gloss finish to it. Shortly after finishing this piece it found a home, at my Dad's house of all places! He and his girlfriend fell in love with it and will make the perfect accent piece in their guest bedroom.

& one of my biggest regrets: not taking a before photo :-/

...but I did manage to snap a few on my iPhone during the painting process

What you you all think of the after?

I still can't believe that I haven't blogged about this yet, being that this was one of the best moments of my life! Yes, I am a total Annie Sloan groupie & felt like I was a 12 year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert. After waiting for over an hour out in the fog & rain (my hair and makeup were a complete mess!) it was finally my turn to meet one of my biggest inspirations, Annie Sloan! This woman is such a role model of how to make your hobby, talent & love of 'crafting' into a profit business. I love how she refuses to ever sell her paints in big name stores and simply supports local small shops & artists. She talked about her book and all of the wonderful furniture transformations collaborated inside of it. If you haven't picked up her latest book yet, do! It's packed full of amazing ideas. Although my time meeting Annie was short, it left a lasting impression on me and gave me inspiration to keep going, to follow my dream and to really lose myself in the painting process & enjoy it!

(don't mind the blurry picture, my Husband is a 'photographer in training' Ha.)

To see where I met Annie & where I buy my paint from [CLICK HERE]

To find a local Annie Sloan retailer/ stockist near you, visit:

AnnieSloanUnfolded.com

AnnieSloan.com

These past few weeks have been very busy, between Easter festivities and having a sick bug circulate through our family, I quickly realized that I have fallen a bit behind on my blogging! ...But there have been plenty of new projects taking place in the Ciani home!

Last night I was finally able to finish up a set of 4 of these beautiful vintage Thomasville dining chairs. I bought the set a few months ago off of a local resale site for only $20! Yes, that's 5 bucks per chair! Can you believe it?! They ended up sitting in my garage for quite some time while I contemplated on which direction to go with them. Well, I am happy to say they are finally done and turned out even more beautiful than I expected! Seriously crushing hard on these babies ;)

My inspiration came from THESE CHAIRS by City Farmhouse

I found them to be so beautiful, clean and classic.

All that was needed was 3 coats of Annie Sloan - Old White,

some leftover craft paint & a small drop cloth

I purchased my drop cloth from Lowes for about $10. There are ones that are cheaper, but I wanted one that was a bit larger so I could also create some pillows with the leftover fabric. Drop cloths are great for seat cushions because of their durability and they hold the paint really well! (duh, that's what it's made for.)

Each chair came out to cost approx. $12 each

Talk about a deal!

The numbers I chose were: 22, 19, 53 & 78

These numbers have a special meaning to my husband and I. Adding personal touches to your home make it unique and is always a great conversation starter at parties/ get-togethers!

After finishing the chairs, I realized that I forgot to take step by step pictures on my 'BIG' camera...

most often I realize that I do this because I only have a short period of time to get projects done while my little one is napping or after she has gone to bed, so I usually turn to my trusty iPhone.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo, Jenn

Have you jumped aboard the chalk paint movement train yet?

Well, if you are anything like me, you probably have a whole album on your Pinterest account FULL of gorgeous painted & re-furbished furniture that you have been lusting over, wondering... "How did they do that?!" After months of staring at many gorgeous pieces of ~~furniture~~ ART (all transformed using chalk paint) I decided to take the leap and try Annie Sloan out for myself!

It is no secret that I have been re-finishing furniture for quite some time. The process is tedious & time consuming, but I love every second of it & feel so accomplished when I see the finished product. Being that I am a huge perfectionist and loathe the sight of brush marks, most pieces require me to buy rollers, paint pans, sand paper, sanding blocks, primer & various other supplies for each piece of furniture that I re-do. Not to mention the fact that regular latex paint requires about 3-4 coats for a smooth finish (before distressing). You can only imagine how much time I was spending sanding, priming, painting & waiting between coats drying. As many pieces of furniture that I re-finish in any given month, I was in desperate need of a better & faster way to get the look that I wanted, but in much less time.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to the RESCUE!!!

I honestly cannot even begin to tell you how much I love this stuff! Quick drying time, no sanding, no priming, no need to use rollers, brush lines virtually disappear, 2 coats will mostly cover anything, will stick to most surfaces, even metals and plastics! Yes, the paint is expensive. But shortly after starting on my first piece I realized how little of this paint you really use, which means that every penny I spent on this tiny quart will go a LONG WAY! Seriously, this stuff is a God send & a genius invention! Thank you miss. Annie Sloan.

If you follow me on INSTAGRAM

you may have noticed my latest instabomb of all my chalk paint reveals & many of you have been asking for a tutorial on this amazing stuff, so here we go...

STEP 1:

Find a piece of furniture that is plain ol' wood. The darker the stain the better, but any old piece will do.

Don't worry about scuff marks or dings, these all add character to the piece.

STEP 2:

Give your piece of furniture a good cleaning. Wipe down the surface with a damp cloth & remove any hardware (if needed)

STEP 3:

PAINT. Yep, that's right. Get your brush, dip it in the paint and just jump right in and paint. It doesn't matter which way the brush strokes go (the second coat will take care of that)

STEP 4:

Apply the second coat, this will cover the piece nicely and will fill in any missed areas. After this coat is dry you will notice the brush marks slowly disappear. (You can apply a 3rd coat for a more polished look)

STEP 5:

Sand it. I use a fine sanding block to sand the whole piece of furniture by hand and then use a small piece of 120 grit sand paper to distress the areas that I want more 'worn'. You will sand the parts of the furniture that would have naturally gotten the most wear over time (edges, corners, etc.)

STEP 6:

Apply the wax. Annie Sloan offers two versions of wax, a clear and a dark. For my piece, I used the clear. I also opted to buy her wax brush which is also quite pricey but SO worth it! You will smush the tip of your brush into the wax and cover the end of your brush (as pictured). Then work the wax onto your piece of furniture in a circular motion (like waxing a car). Make sure to cover every nook and cranny.

STEP 7:

Wipe off the wax with a cotton rag, muslin fabric, paper towel or anything that is free of color. When I am waxing, I work in small sections, waking on and then wiping off. You will notice a difference in your piece of furniture as you wax. The paint slightly darkens & the distressed areas become darker and more noticeable. Waxing your furniture seals it for protection, gives a matte finish and smooth to the touch feel.

STEP 8:

Step back and enjoy your beautiful work of art!

WHERE CAN I BUY ANNIE SLOAN?
I have gotten many questions as to where one can buy Annie Sloan chalk paint.
I bought mine at a cute & quaint little store near the beach in San Clemente, CA called
THE ABODE

For those of you not located in California... or near this location.
You can visit AnnieSloan.com
for a full list of retailers in every state that carry her products,
or do a simple web search...
there are many websites that also carry her paint and products as well.
Happy Painting!!!

After spending a few hours on Pinterest the other night, I noticed:

My HOW TO ADD CHARACTER TO YOUR HOME [on a budget] post
has been one of my most popular and most pinned.

Being new to the blogging world, I wasn't often visiting my own blog much after proofreading and publishing my posts, but after seeing it all over Pinterest I decided to click on the link and take a look back and oh boy, was I cringing at the choice & placement of some of my decor!

Being that this post was one of my very first after getting into 'DIY blogging' it was kind of rough around the edges and was put together very fast. At the time, I really didn't know much about Pinterest yet and had no idea that one little blog post would grow so fast in popularity! Fast forward to now, there have been a few little changes that have taken place in our living room that I haven't shared with you all.

In the past year since I began blogging, I have been able to settle more into my 'style'.

It still isn't perfect. & it might not EVER be. But it is a continued process and learning expirence.

My Husband and I are young, 25 years old and married for just 2 years.

The style that we started out with isn't necessicarally the one we fell in love with, it is what we could afford.

Sure, I have a vision of what I wish my home would look like. I have countless folders on my Pinterest of rooms and projects that I wish would instantly come to life, but it all takes time & more importantly money.

The biggest thing I have to keep reminding myself is

"ONE STEP AT A TIME"

I tend to be a perfectionist and want things done NOW.

In the real world, well that's just not doable.

I have made many mistakes in the past with decor. I noticed that shortly after getting married and moving into our home, we started with nothing. Therefore when I went shopping I bought items that we needed, that were cheap and that just filled up the walls and rooms in our home. Looking back that was a HUGE regret!

I am now stuck with a hoarding closet full of un-wanted accessories, pillows, curtains, bedding and various other items that I can't stand to look at. The price tag may have looked good at the time, but now it is an overwhelming pile of junk.

My biggest lesson: ONLY BUY ITEMS THAT YOU LOVE!

You can still decorate your home within budget & find some great deals, but if you don't really LOVE it, put it back. If you buy only items that you truly love you will end up with a home that is 100% you. Don't be afraid to live with bare walls for awhile, or to sit on the floor for a few weeks. Wait to find that perfect piece that you truly LOVE. Invest in pieces that you will keep for years! It will save you more money in the long run!

This is just a sneak peek, as there are still more changes happening in our living room
(that I will be sharing soon!)

Here are just a few changes that have taken place since my last post:

- new pillows

- new coffee table

- new accent table

- new accessories