Guest Room Before and After

April 14, 2012 Jenny@NorthwestLovelies

Our guest room has come a long way, so I decided it was time to post some before and after pictures! There are still three or four (or five or six) things I'd like to do, but isn't that always the case?

The bed, dresser, and nightstands got an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint makeover. I was so excited to find a stockist in downtown Portland. I actually have to dedicate this project to my friend Kari (from this post!) who went downtown and picked up the paint for me, and then helped me get started!

I used part Duck Egg Blue and part Old White. I mixed it using a really scientific formula of 1/3 cup Duck Egg Blue to 1/4 cup Old White. :) Each piece got two coats of paint, a coat of clear wax, some distressing, and then a little more wax. I spray painted the hardware white, but first cleaned it well and primed it with spray primer. The amazing thing about this paint was that I still had about 1/4 can of Duck Egg and 3/4 can of Old White left when I was done! It goes A LONG way! Unfortunately, I decided to paint my cheap Target bookcase with the Old White and it sucked up everything I had left. I think next time I'll save the paint for furniture I actually like.

Painting the furniture with ASCP was so much fun! No priming, dries in no time, no stinky paint smell- I decided that the paint was worth the money purely based on entertainment value! I can't wait to paint something else!

I'd still like to add some art on the wall behind the nightstand, a new light fixture, some kind of flowy curtains, and something above the dresser, but I love how far it's come! I'm trying not to move myself in!

Related projects:

Coral Stencil Art

Glass Float Inspired Vase (It's in there just somehow not pictured!)

Linking up to...

Coral Silhouettes

February 26, 2012 Jenny@NorthwestLovelies

So in addition to my glass float inspired vase, I also created some art for my 'vaguely coastal' guest bedroom. My theming is becoming less and less vague, as you can see. :)

These were really easy to make. I started with three 18x24in. canvases and contact paper. After doing a little coral research, I drew three different coral shapes onto the contact paper and cut them out. The bright corally orange is a color that comes from the bedding. I adhered the cut out coral stencils to the canvases and used a roller to paint over each canvas until it was covered. When the paint was dry, I removed the stencils and they were done! I also ended up sanding a little to give them a slightly weathered look, but it isn't that noticeable.

Other than cutting out the coral on the left, this project was quick and easy. I finished it in a day! The guest bedroom is coming together!

Jenny

Linking up to...
CraftOManiac

Glass Float Inspired Vase

February 24, 2012 Jenny@NorthwestLovelies

I've been working on decorating what I like to call our "vaguely coastal themed" guest bedroom and bathroom. I've painted some of the furniture with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and I am obsessed. You'll see that in an upcoming post. But for now, I'm going to show you an idea that turned out just as I'd hoped it would!

I have a few large vases that I want to repurpose. The one I used for this project is about 30 inches tall and has been in our bedroom, but doesn't really work there anymore. Because of the bluish color of the vase, I had a vision of covering it in a net similar to the old Japanese glass floats. After researching how to tie nets for glass floats I discovered this tutorial.

I chose a sisal rope, which isn't technically correct, but I wanted it to have a loose, weathered look. I started with a ring, which I made by fusing the ends with clear tape. :)

The next step was to connect my ropes to the ring. It was EXACTLY the same as making a tied tutu, which I've done many times! I added eight at about 8 ft. each, so each end was about 4 ft. long.

I had to stare at the picture of the knot for awhile to figure out how to tie it, but I'm happy to say that I have mastered whatever knot that is! :) I could do it all day, but I have no idea where else I'll use it. This rope was tough to work with because it didn't tighten very easily, but I liked the look.