Two-toned dresser/change table

We had our ultrasound last Monday and decided not to find out the sex.  I am trying to keep the baby's room neutral using grey, black and white and plan to add a hint of yellow.  I am so excited to show you the finished dresser.  Here is my big reveal! I actually finished the dresser a few weeks ago but we just found the time to bring it upstairs today (we've been painstakingly working on the stair rail). Isn't it beautiful?!

Remember the before?

Baby's room hanging light re-do

Before

After

My parents inherited this Home Depot hanging lamp when they moved into their new house.  It was not their style and not really mine either but I took it home to see what we could do.  We took the shade and all of the crystals off then I painstakingly taped the elements and the glass pieces.  As I mentioned before, occasionally I drag Rob into my projects and being pregnant is one of the ways I can do this.  I asked him to spray paint the lamp for me and this is what we have so far.  Doesn't it look so much better?  I decided to keep the bones of the shade and together we took turns ripping the material off.  I want to recover it and my idea is to have it match the curtains I want to buy from Ikea (see below).  They are really cheap so I might buy an extra set to do the shade and make a crib skirt.  Any ideas on easy ways to recover a lamp shade?

The stair rail transformation has begun...

Here are the before pics.  It was liveable but now we're over it and want the rail and spindles to complement the hardwood so we're tackling this job with the hope that we'll have it finished before December.  Wish us luck and stay tuned for more pics along the way.

Before pics

Update: As of November 23, 2011

 

Here is the stained banister.  Hubby did this while I was away on a much needed girl's weekend.  He still needs to put a coat of varnish on so I will have to find somewhere to stay the night this weekend.  After that comes painting the spindles.

Sorry about the bad quality of these shots...I took them with my new phone.  I was too lazy to get out the camera but I will for the next update.

I love kijiji!! Check out my find

I have been on the hunt for something like this almost since I found out I was pregnant.  I really wanted to re-do an old dresser to use as a change table and at last I have found this little beauty.  Don't you love the claw feet?!  Big thanks to my hubby who drove to Oakville last night to pick it up for me!  Stay tuned for the transformation...

Also, just wanted to do a little shout out to Rob and his dad for getting the garage door opener installed yesterday!  I have hope that I might be able to park in there once the snow starts.

Check out the finished product here.

Custom address plate

We searched high and low for an address plate that we liked that wouldn't break the bank.  Alas, it was not to be found so for under $20 (including the paint and brushes) I painted a wood oval from Michael's then painted black plastic house numbers and nailed them onto the oval and then covered the entire thing with 3 coats of varnish.

Rattan tea cart goes from ugly duckling to suave swan

Before!!

After..ahhh!!

I got this cart on kijiji for $20.  I borrowed my dad's paint sprayer (which has amazing coverage if you're working with wicker or rattan) and sprayed two coats of white paint on this little gem.  Now it's a trendy liquor cart.  We just need to work on our liquor collection.

A little disclaimer:  If you're using a paint sprayer make sure you have covered everything around you with drop cloths or that you're in a large open well-ventilated space.  There tends to be quite a bit of overspray and I accidentally painted a bit of my driveway...whoops!

Cheap Ikea dresser gets a matching makeover

This was just an boring pine dresser I bought years ago as a starving student.  It didn't go with any of our decor but Rob uses it as it does provide a lot of drawer space.  So I gave it two coats of the same white paint I used on grandma's dresser and then a couple of little stencils to give it some shabby chic detail. 

Grandma's old dresser gets a makeover

Sorry I don't have the before pics but this was a boring old brown dresser with a few scratches and dents.  I gave her a light sand and then painted two coats of white paint.  Then I took a stencil I found at Michael's and added some detail in light blue.

Update:  The dresser has sold

Handmade tufted headboard



I found a pattern on one of my favourite blogs to follow, centsationalgirl.com.  My dad helped me cut the backing out of plywood.  Then I measured and drilled the holes for the buttons, glued on foam, stapled on batting and the material and voila!!  Gorgeous tufted headboard and all for $80.  Believe me I scoured kijiji and all the sales for months for a headboard and never found anything I love as much as this.  

Spray painted filing cabinet

This used to be my parent's ugly grey filing cabinet with red handles.  Two quick coats of blue spray paint and it has a whole new look.

Spice rack turned jewellry case

Introduction...

My name is Christa and I have been happily married for 3 years to my highschool sweetheart, Rob.  We are expecting our first child (gender to remain a surprise) in April 2012.  I am an avid surfer of DIY sites and love a good transformation.  Usually I take on these jobs on my own but occasionally drag Rob along for the ride.  I created this blog in order to share my love of turning trash to treasure and upcycling as well as to log the progress of the renos we complete on our 1 year old semi.