dresser remake

Saturday I decided Lawson needed a new dresser since he will soon be "kicked" out of the nursery by Fischer. I have lately been reading so many blogs that turn thrift store finds into beautiful pieces of furniture. So, Saturday we headed to the antique/thrift store and found a perfect "kid size" dresser for $27! I was beyond thrilled at how cheap it was and how good of condition it was in! I got really excited about redoing the dresser and headed to Lowe's to purchase some spray paint and a mask for the fumes since preggos aren't supposed to be around paint... especially the super strong fumes of spray paint. Here is a lovely picture of what I wore all night.

After the little one went to bed I began my project. I first sanded the entire dresser with 150 grit sandpaper to remove the glossy finish. I meant to take a before picture but I got too excited and didn't remember until after I had sanded the drawers. 

After she was completely sanded I wiped it down and (with my mask on) primed the entire thing with Kilz spray primer. I found out that Kilz sort of leaves a sandpapery feel to it so after priming it I sanded it with one of those foam hand sanders to get it smooth. This is what I had before I went to bed.

During Lawson's nap today I started on it again. I first spray painted it with Glossy White spray paint... it took about 3-4 coats. I found that thin coats... all though it takes much longer.... prevents the drips and streaks. It gives it a real "professional" spray look without looking like you used spray paint. After coating the entire thing which took about an hour, I decided that it needed a little color. So, I taped around the edges of the top of the dresser and then painted the top an avocado green which will match Lawson's quilt. After everything was dry, I began to add a brown glaze. I found it worked best by brushing it on with a paint brush and then wiping up the excess with a wet rag (or in my case a t-shirt) and then using a dry one get kind of "clean it up" and get the desired look you want. I made sure to leave a lot of glaze in the nooks and crannies to make the distressed parts of it pop! I then spray painted the hardware with a metallic ( it think it was called "hammered")color to match the glaze better.Before the handles were gold. Okay... here is the finished result!

I was a little iffy about using spray paint as I have not had much luck with it before, but after learning how to properly use it, I fell in love! It is so much easier than brushing on paint and dries so quickly! You can actually finish an entire project during nap time! It also leaves a really smooth, professional look.  Can you tell I was a little too excited about this project!? Hope you like it!
Dresser: $27
Spray paint and primer: ~ $22
Glaze: Already had
Total: ~ $49!!

PS. It is supposed to look kind of old and dirty. That's the glaze!

long time no see...

With a VERY active 15 month old, school, trying to sell our house, and pregnancy, I have had a hard time getting the dishes done, let alone write on my blog! Anywho... Lawson is growing so fast and amazes me everyday. He is learning new words everyday and his new favorites are tree, book, duck, and shoe. Well it's really "ree", "boo", "duh",and "sooh"... so cute! He has learned how to ride his powerwheel and how to pick "bahs" (balls or tomatoes/strawberries). Anything round is a "bah" and we must play with it! He loves playing vacuum too... he finds some toy, such as a bat, and walks around the house pushing it on the ground and making the "mmmmm" sound. I think I need to teach him how to use the real vacuum; if only there was a way to keep him away from the cord! Lawson loves to eat anything and we found out recently that he LOVES carrot and raisin salad... crazy, I know. I had never made this, but they have it at Chick-fil-A where he tried it. When I found out he loved it, I quickly found a recipe (shredded carrots, raisins, crushed pineapple, a lil mayo, lemon juice, salt/pepper, and a lil sugar) and made it for him and he gobbled it up! Today he fell asleep in my arms while we were reading books before bed, which he hasn't done since he was probably 5 months old! It was so sweet and I just wanted to hold him forever and not put him down!

Adam graduated in May and we are so proud of him! He has worked full time, supported his family, and earned his degree all at the same time! He starts his new job next Wednesday and we are super excited! I'm glad he is finally going to have some weekends off! He also is going to be loving what he does. I believe that one should enjoy what they do... if you are not happy with your job if will reflect in your life. No matter if you make billions of dollars or just enough to get by, do what makes you happy! 

Our cousins have moved close by and we are enjoying spending time with them. I hope Lawson will grow up to be best friends with them! They are teaching Lawson so much and he loves playing with them. School is going well and I am loving the summer semester. Campus is not crowded and you don't have to fight for a parking spot. It's only 10 weeks longs and I will then be one semester closer to being DONE! Hooray! I have lately been appliqueing a bunch! I have made Lawson 3 shirts to go with some hand-me-down shorts made by my sister. I think I have decided that I love little shorts and shirts that go together. They are super cute and are easy to get on and off... no buttons or snaps! I appliqued a helicopter, sailboat, and crab shirt. They all turned out super cute and only took a few minutes! Already having the shorts made for a cute new outfit for Lawson. 

Sorry for the rambled post. So much has happened lately and I didn't want y'all to miss out :)! Hope everyone is doing well! Anyone got any good chocolate recipes?  I've been in the mood to try some different desserts! Here are pics from our recent trips to the strawberry patch and GA Aquarium. 

Look what my hubby can do!

Recently I was reading a blog where I came across THIS website. Ana finds furniture in pottery barn, etc. and the recreates them so any ordinary person can build them for a reasonable price and does not have to spend hundreds of dollars on nice furniture.  I immediately fell in love with all of this handmade furniture! This lady has truly been an inspiration for me and Adam. Adam has always loved working with tools and has always wanted to learn how to wood work. I knew we could do it! After searching through her plans, I picked out a few plans I liked and sent Adam to Lowes. After just  a few days this is what we have:

 A table to go in the kitchen for more storage( mainly my baking supplies) and to use as a buffet table when needed. We stained it this color to make it look rustic and old.

... and the shelf above

                                   A bench to go in the living room for storage and extra seating.

Isn't my hubby awesome! I actually helped him and got pretty good at using the nail gun and chop saw!
He also built a bookshelf to go in Lawson's room, but it still needs painted. It has cubbies on the bottom and then just a shelf on top! We are about to start working on a locker style cubby shelf mudroom thing to go in our entry way for storage to collect coats, mail, shoes, and junk. I'm thinking of painting this a bright bold color so it will POP! Let me know what you think of our new handmade furniture!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

The week I've been dreading!

This week I started grad school and Lawson started part-time day care. I have never been away from Lawson for this long and I have been so nervous about leaving him. Let me just say, he on the other hand was not upset to leave me one bit! I guess I should be thankful that he is such an independent little boy, but I kind of wanted him to be just a little bit upset that I was leaving. Nothing! He is definitely not a baby anymore! He can eat big boy food like pizza and chicken nuggets and he is about to start walking! He even tried salad today for the first time! Crazy??! He is loving daycare and playing with other kids and has started talking so much more since he's been around other kids! The only bad part of daycare is that he is getting off his napping schedule which in turn affects his nighttime sleep. I hope he gets adjusted soon! This week went so much smoother than I imagined. I love his daycare... they take such good care of him and he enjoys it! A win win!

This is Adam's last semester in school (hooray!) and we are having fun walking to classes together and meeting on campus to eat lunch! It almost feels like we are on dates, since we don't have Lawson. Tonight I am working on Lawson's birthday invitations. I cannot believe it's time for Lawson's first birthday! Where has this year gone? I sometimes feel like we all need to slow down a bit just to enjoy life and these special moments with our little ones! This is going to be my new year's resolution: slow down and enjoy life. Quit worrying about having a clean house (it's never going to happen anyway!), don't get upset if Lawson wakes up at 2 AM... go grab him and cuddle with him before he's too big, stop trying to be a perfectionist, and spend time with my family having fun... like going to the park and going on walks! I find myself worrying about so much that I sometimes forget to just relax and enjoy the wonderful blessing around me.

I hope everyone has had a great week and YAY for 3 day weekends!!!