Greetings from the Valley of the Sun!
I'm typing live from Phoenix, after a very long hiatus. It's been a whirlwind several months and the vortex is still spinning! More on that in a later post, because now I want to share a real honest to goodness, not sponsored, stuff I want to share with you post that has me super excited!
I have a horrible case of "I want, I want, I want" and our bank account has a horrible case of "being depleted"
So as much as I
want a brand spankin new bedroom set from the fancy schmancy furniture store for our guest room, it just ain't happenin.
Hashtag sadface
Instead, I'm forced to peruse Craigslist for pieces that have potential.
Enter Exhibit A.
I apologize for the not so wonderful pictures, but trust me, this was an amazing transformation!
That's the drawer from a nightstand I picked up for $15. It's wood people, real wood! And wouldya just look at those brass fixtures! This is genuine 80's Early American. It was all the rage . . . back then.
I've been wanting to try chalk paint for some time and I did the research, so you don't have to! I learned 2 things, a) chalk paint is expensive and b) you can make it yourself for less!
I found a recipe at
Elizabeth and Co that looked simple enough. Three parts paint (any kind of paint will do) one part plaster of Paris and a little water. Be sure to mix the plaster of Paris and water first until it's nice and smooth. NO LUMPS. This is important. I added enough water to make it just a little thicker than the paint itself. Add the paint and stir well.
Then just go to town and paint that furniture!
I applied 2 coats of chalk paint and it wasn't perfect, but that's the beauty of shabby chic. I let it dry overnight and then lightly sanded the entire nightstand. Nothing fancy, no power sander. Just a sheet of fine sandpaper that I ripped into manageable pieces. Once I was finished lightly sanding the nightstand, I used the sand paper to create that distressed look around the edges. There's no right or wrong here, just go with your gut. When you think it's done, it's done. It doesn't have to be perfect!
Right about now, you're thinking to yourself
holy cow that looks like crap. I know, because that's exactly what I thought. Don't worry. I just grabbed an old wash cloth, wet it and wiped down all the dust from sanding. Then I wiped again!
Finally, I was ready to apply wax. Originally I was going to apply paste wax, but that sounded like too much work. I bought MinWax Wipe on Poly in a satin finish instead. Super easy to use. Just apply to a soft, lint free cloth and wipe on all the surfaces. Oh and wear gloves!
Voila!
That $15 nightstand from Craigslist now looks like a million bucks!
I painted right over the brass fixtures and sanded them a little bit as well.
Total cost for my DIY project:
nightstand $15
paint $ 9
plaster
of Paris $ 7
MinWax $10
Under $50! Plus, I have plenty of plaster of Paris and Min Wax left over for additional projects.
If I could do this, you can do this! Any questions, ask away in the comments below.