DIY Dresser resoration

I found an antique dresser that I literally began dreaming about.

I thought about it for months, 

& when my birthday rolled around,

Ta Da!

The dresser of my dreams!

Then there was the dilemma:

Paint it? Leave it? Lacquer it?

I finally decided to paint it.

At first I thought I would do a shabby-chic type thing

& paint it distressed white.

So after the [lengthy & torturous] process of paint-stripping & sanding,

my very talented uncle agreed to help me paint:

But then, I decided that I wanted my dresser to look like this instead:

The hard part being the precision.

I tried painting the white on the drawers over & over,

....& failed, over & over...

Until my lovely sister gave me painters tape!!
[Duh!]

Let me tell you, it saved my life!

& I ended up with this beauty:

[this was me showing it off at my going-away party, hehe]

Here are a couple more views:

look at the perfection of those drawers!

I even got all fancy with the top!

painter tape is awesome....


DIY Dresser Restoration
Total cost: $40
Dresser: Gifted [Thanks J&J!]
Paint stripper: $9 [local hardware store]
Primer: $9 [local hardware store]
Electric sander: Borrowed
Brushes & paint: $20 [Lowes]
plus some frustration and hard work,
& I have the most amazing dresser EVER!

xox

Pillow Talk

Remember in my very first post when I mentioned all of the things I wanted to find/make for my future Portland apartment? 

Well...I actually finished one of my DIY projects!

Last night, my wonderful grandma helped me finish my
table napkin throw pillows!

[Note that this was  not so easy for me, really, because I don't have enough patience to sew on a button, 

let alone a bunch of pillows!]

As I mentioned previously, I had already picked up a couple cute patterned napkins from World Market:

& yesterday I picked up a couple more solid-color napkins to make 

a total of four pillows.

Sewing was pretty easy once the machine was threaded
& my grandma taught me:
"It's kind of like driving, you just have to press the peddle and drive straight!"

Needless to say, there was some drunk driving that occurred,
but luckily no casualties. 

(besides a small burn from the iron, hah)

 Speaking of ironing- did you know you can steam, iron and stretch fabric so that it's all the right size? I had no idea, I would have just sewed them crooked, hah.

They ended up turning out very cute!  And in just a short evening :)

Most importantly the supplies cost less than $30 (for all 4 pillows!).

[$1.99-$2.99 per napkin from world market, $8-$10 for stuffing from JoAnnes]

I couldn't have done it without the help of my lovely grandma [Thanks Gma!!], and I am pretty sure I will be wrangling her into more projects before the big move in August! 

Stay tuned! 

xoxo

Ideas for my future Portland Apartment

So, with my complete lack of a social life the last few months, i have been obsessing over my future life in Portland.
If I was pregnant, they would call this nesting....

But really, what could be more important than entering into a PhD program with the proper [designer] attire, [fancy loft] apartment, [expensive] home decor & [mini cooper] automobile?

Following my brilliant logic, this post is about 1 of these 3 major concerns....

How to decorate my [future] new-all-to-myself apartment!

i have been scouring the interior design blogs, and dropping major hints about what i want from the family Dutch Antique Store.

Here are some of the amazing DIY ideas I have come up with for my new Portland apartment!

1. I'm going to make a T-shirt rug:

(i may use sheets instead)

2. Check out these Stenciled curtains:

  (i think i want to do this zig zag pattern in an ombre fade)

(blue fade to white or grey-blk??)

3: Framed Costa Rica and California maps, to hang kinda like this:

4.  And I got the idea to make Table napkin throw pillows:

(I'm already on this one! i picked out these napkins at world market!)

5. I also need to figure out what to do with my super amazingly awesome elk antlers! AND strip/primer/repaint my amazing antique dresser (pictures and ideas to come)!

6. Then there are the items that I will be acquiring from the antique store and/or finding elsewhere:

- Antique copper safe (to use as a side table)

- Chandelier

- Vintage suitcases

- Dainty coffee table (paint black?)

- Louis XIV chair

- Vintage(?)Trunk

- Vintage dishware

- End of the bed bench

- Vintage display dome (what to put inside?)

- Beaker vases

I'll post pictures of my ideas and inspiration as they come, 

but this pretty much sums up my thoughts for now :)

Let me know what you think!

xoxox