Antique Pine Dresser {the reveal}

Happy Friday friends!

Are you all in for a treat today! A while back I posted pictures on Instagram of my daughters antique dresser that took me months to complete... I did a blog post about all the before details and exactly how I obtained this look.  You can read all about the before here.

Well today I finally took the time to take after photos. I warn you now I may have gone camera happy, but I really love the way the dresser turned out and wanted to be able to share every detail! I also upcycled the antique shaving mirror that now serves as a mirror and jewelry box that sits on top of the dresser. I had the hardest time finding the perfect wall mirror as the walls in our daughters room are slanted... I love the character they give to the space, but it's often very hard to find wall decor that isn't to large or to small.

Grab a nice cold (or hot if you prefer) drink and enjoy!!

What do you think??

This dresser pretty much set the stage for our daughters big girl room makeover.

I'm still working on getting new bedding and pillows and custom curtains!!

Can't wait to show you all!!

Have a great weekend!!

 Don't forget to follow me on Instagram to see what I'm up to on a daily basis!!

Linking up with

Miss Mustard Seed

Blesser House

Craftberry Bush

Stone Gable Blog

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Thoughts from Alice

Finding Silver Pennies

French Country Cottage

The Curator's Collection



Antique Mantel {Before & After}

There's no better feeling in the world than completing a project that was conceived in your brain and finally brought to life. This is exactly how I feel about this gorgeous antique mantel I found on a Facebook tag sale page almost a year ago! From the moment I saw it I knew exactly what I was going to do with her and exactly where her permanent home would be inside our home...

Here is the picture of her from the tag sale site on Facebook.



I immediately fell in love with the detail and of course that adorable shelf!

I actually didn't mind the condition it was in either, but when I brought her home I felt she needed some TLC... So like a good new mommy to antiques, I put her in a safe place in the basement until I found time to get to transforming her into a magnetic chalkboard for the awkward large wall between our kitchen and living room. Up until a few days ago that wall was empty for a good three years.... I just could not commit to putting just anything there and I knew exactly what I wanted on that wall and this mantel was going to make that happen!!

I spent most of the winter sanding down all the old stain off the mantel and the later half of the winter trying to decide if I wanted to keep it all natural or give her a nice paint job.... I literally thought about this for a good four months... Don't judge LOL! Fast forward to a couple weeks ago and gorgeous weather, I got the itch to just do what I had to do. I painted a large piece of galvanized sheet metal I purchased off Amazon exactly one week after I picked up the mantel and attached it to the mantel with little picture hanging nails. I knew I wanted it to be a chalkboard (of course) but I also wanted to be able to use the magnetic scrabble pieces I had from another project...

Now here's the funny part of it all. I had finally made up my mind that I was going to keep the mantel all natural and just use a little of the Lime Wax I used on Gracie's dresser.... This is were the "oops" happened. I wiped on some of the Lime Wax and OMG. My gorgeous pine mantel was pink. Yes, my friends it was pink... So in a big fat panic, I decided to just paint over it with some Pure White, Anne Sloan chalk paint and then distress it a bit.... Well, now "oops" #2 was, I ran out of paint.... With my heart racing at 6pm on a Saturday night, I ran into the basement to see what color paint samples I had.... I was certain I had some kind of white paint in the house, but all I had on hand at that moment was a sample of Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore.... So like a mad woman I ran outside and started to paint over the white with the Gray Owl.... I let the paint dry over night and began distressing early Sunday morning and all I kept saying to myself was "Thank God for that Lime Wax!!". Had I not taken a chance with the Lime wax, I would have just stayed in my comfort zone and kept the mantel all natural with no "Wow" factor... It would have totally just blended and it would have been just another thing on the wall....

But now that "thing" on the wall is absolutely perfect and I just love the way it looks and how much life it brings to our space...

I will warn you, I took a lot of photos. This really is my first project that I took my time with and did exactly what I wanted to do with it....



 I have been waiting to have a unique piece like this in our home for a long time.... I love that it is so versatile and that I can display sentimental pieces from my children for all the world to see.... This piece will be a staple in our home for a very long time... Did I mention its screwed into the wall?? So, yes... a very long time.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Linking up with:

Miss Mustard Seed

The SCOOP!

Craftberry Bush

Rustic DIY Wedding Invite Display & Hallway Gallery Wall {Sources}

Hi friends!!

Not to long ago I shared our hallway gallery wall with you.

If you missed that post you can catch up here.

 

Since then many of you have emailed me asking where I purchased the frames and letters for the roman numerals so today I thought I would share the details and sources for you!!

 

Here is a photo of the completed gallery wall.

 



 

I still don't get tired of looking at this wall!!

Pretty much everything you see on this wall I already had on hand....

I have always had an obsession with picture frames and have collected them since I was in high school and as you can tell from all the framed photos all over our home, I love the idea of framing family photos, kids art work and often sentimental items, like the little note I wrote to myself that is framed in the upper right hand corner of this gallery wall....

I also have recently started collecting letters and typography of all kinds.... I love words and love them all over my home, especially those that carry meaning to our family....

One item on this wall that I frequently get asked questions about is the rustic frame right over the thermostat with our wedding invite.... Interestingly enough, that was actually a DIY that I never thought would get so much attention.... guess I read that one wrong!!

Here is a photo of the frame I found at Target (I purchased the distressed wood color) not to long ago....

 

 

 I loved the little key whole and although I didn't have a specific need for it at the time I knew that one day it would find a home.

When I was putting this gallery wall together I knew I wanted our wedding invite on it and I also knew I didn't just want to pop it in a frame.... I wanted it to be displayed with a subtle uniqueness.... Then I remembered I had this cute little frame from Target and I got right to work!!

 

All I did was paint over the frame with some Anne Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White , distressed it with sandpaper, gave it a nice coat of Anne Sloan clear wax and then carefully removed the glass and simply hot glued a mini clothes pin to the middle and Whaaalaaa!!

 

 

A unique rustic little frame to display our wedding invite!!

And the best thing about it is if some day I get tired of looking at it (most likely not!!) I can switch it out anytime and the frame stays on the wall!!

A super quick and easy photo display solution!!

Here are the sources for the other items featured in this gallery wall.

 

Roman Numeral Letters ~ Michaels

 

Life is beautiful frame ~ frame is from Michaels and I DIY'd the letters with my little stamp kit, also from Michaels

 

The Chalkboard I found on Etsy.

 

The "W" ~ Ballard Designs

 

The brown grain frame at the very bottom ~ My Sweet Savannah on Etsy

 

All other frames in this gallery wall were purchased randomly at

Home Goods!!

 

Hope that helps and inspires you to start you own gallery wall!!

Thanks for stopping by!!