DIY

i love a good project. i strongly dislike [hate] the summer climate in mississippi. i HATE it so bad, that one day i am convinced it will be the harsh summers that run me out of this state forever, never to return except for an occasional visit or two.... and those visits, i'll make sure, occur during the mild winters or semi-pleasant springs.

you don't really know how bad a summer in mississippi actually is until you decide to experience it full-force, and work 8 hours non stop one saturday afternoon. blake and i tested our tolerance for the heat this past saturday. the project was a success. the weather was miserable. i'm so proud of him for toughing it out with me- he could have easily said no to my request, but not only did he agree to helping me, he sanded down my 3 pieces of furniture like a pro and did so with the best attitude. in the midst of a scorching/non-airconditioned garage, we actually found ourselves having fun- i'm so excited to show you how well our hard work paid off!

i took a lot of inspiration from the talented kristen fountain davis. she is a decorative painter that lives in the atl area, and specializes in painting walls, canvases, furniture, and ceilings. i came across her blog and discovered several of her refinished furniture pieces she did and i absolutely fell in love. here are two of my favorites.

before

after

before

after

aren't they both just lovely? i can't take my eyes off the yellow and white striped one. anyway, with all that said, i'd love to show you some of my before and afters of my diy projects this weekend. i am quite proud of how they turned out.

i had to include this picture because it just makes me laugh. we had to squeeze all three pieces of furniture (1 dresser and 2 nightstands) in my car. along with the boy and the dog(whos directly behind my seat). clearly we didn't plan this well, but managed to make it to blake's house safely and in one piece.

before

sanding away in 100 degree heat... takes serious skill which he clearly has.

applying the first layer of white paint after sanding is complete.

for an antique/distressed look, once the first layer of white paint dried, i applied a weathered crackle coat. then lightly rolled on a top coat of the white paint. it instantly began weathering! success!

pictures of the finished/completed product will be uploaded tomorrow. enjoy.