Tag Archives: before and after

May 4, 2012 · 9:49 am

Craigslist Buffet Transformation

I’m back!! Sorry for my absence. I’ve had a lot going on recently (business-wise) and was feeling a little un-inspired in the home decor department.

I’m feeling rejuvenated and ready to share some fun upcoming projects with you! Which brings me to my latest project..

After about a year of searching Craigslist for an antique buffet/sideboard (apparently I am kind of picky) I finally found the perfect piece!

Here’s what it looked like before:

It has all the intricate details I was after – stunning turned legs, scalloped wood & tons of gorgeous wood detailing.

After a good sanding, 3 coats of paint, stenciling and new hardware.. here is what the buffet looks like after:

Cute right?

{Supplies used}

* 1 gallon Behr paint in pure white satin finish – Home Depot

* 1 gallon Martha Stewart Dolphin Gray in satin finish – Home Depot

* Electric sander – $30 at Home Depot

* Martha Stewart stencil pack with quatrefoil stencil – Found at Michaels here

* Martha Stewart sponge paint roller & tray – Found at Michaels here

* New hardware from Anthropology

Now to get started:

Step 1 – Remove hardware & doors. Sand down the wood to remove shine & any scratch marks – I used 80 grit sand paper for this. I had to sand the legs by hand (UGH).

PS. Yes I know my garage looks like a junk yard. We need to have a garage sale, don’t judge!

Step 2 – Vacuum sanding dust then wipe down entire piece with damp cloth.

Step 3 – Paint time! In both paints I bought the primer & paint all in one, since I really hate priming. Using the all in one paint worked great.

I did 3 coats of white – in some spots I had to do 4 coats

I painted the cabinet doors with 2 coats Dolphin Gray

Step 4 – Stenciling. I decided to use the quaterfoil stencil from the Martha Stewart stencil pack. I was a little tricky at first to get the hang of it. The second drawer was definitely better than my first, but I don’t really mind.

Tape down your stencil, making sure it’s straight.

Only use a small amount of paint on your sponge roller, and gently roll over the stencil. If you use too much paint on your roller, it will seep under the stencil and then design doesn’t come out so pretty.

Not bad right?

Step 5 – Install pretty new hardware & you’re done!

We finally have extra storage!

This weekend Clay & I are going to Ikea to get these floating shelves to go above the buffet. I still need a spot to store all my wine glasses & pitchers, so I think the shelves will work perf. Can’t wait to see what it looks like.

Stay tuned for the big reveal!

By the way, do you think I should paint our dining table?? It seems so dark now..

Oh and we are also going to finally hang this lovely gold chalkboard above the buffet too.

Enjoy your weekend! Xo, Melissa

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Tagged as antique, before and after, buffet, buffet sideboard, Craigslist, DIY, furniture, how to, ideas, martha stewart dolphin gray, paint, prime, quatrefoil stencil, sideboard, sponge paint, stenciling

February 8, 2012 · 11:41 am

EASY DIY – spray painted media cabinet + trellis design

Since everything else in the living room has been updated, our good ol’ Ikea media cabinet was really starting to bug me. It was in need of some serious style infusing.

Soooo for fun, I started googling “trellis design/pattern” and came up with this

I decided to print it out and glue the paper together, making it large enough to fit in my 11×18 inch windows of the media cabinet.

It looked a-ma-zing, so I got all excited and informed my husband that I would be painting & covering the windows to the media cabinet. He always thinks I am nuts, but agreed and requested I paint it an antique white color rather than pure white.

I really didn’t feel like getting out my paint brushes, sander & primer and doing the whole messy ordeal, so I grabbed a couple of cans of Heirloom White Rust-oleum spray paint from Home Depot. (I ended up needing 4 cans) + some spray adhesive to apply the trellis paper to the windows.

Tapped off and hardware removed.. First coat!

Almost done…. Oh and I bought two aqua knobs from Anthropology to replace the old brassy gold ones + it matches the aqua wall.

So here is the living room before..

Before again..

After!!

Yayyy now people don’t have to see my extensive collection of workout dvds!!

I sprayed a light coat of spray adhesive directly on the paper before sticking it to the windows – worked very well!

What do you think?? Just for the record, I definitely don’t recommend skipping the sanding and priming steps even if you are going to spray paint. I am just lazy.

{Some other options/ideas}

A stencil would be amazing on any piece of furniture you are re-painting like this one – Cutting Edge Stencils have a good variety

{source unknown}

O’verlays would be amazing too

{via pinterest}

Xo, Melissa

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Tagged as anthropology, before and after, cutting edge stencils, design, DIY, glamourous home decor, home depot, how to, ikea furniture, media cabinet, modern, o'verlays, pattern, pictures, piece of furniture, pinterest, rust oleum spray paint, rustoleum heirloom white, serious style, spray adhesive, spray paint furniture, stencil furniture, tellis, trellis paper, update furniture

October 17, 2011 · 9:44 am

DIY Picture Frame “Love Wall”

****UPDATE****

This is what the current gallery wall looks like now. Read more about that here.

After the wedding, Clayton & I had so many wedding & engagement photos we wanted to frame. My biggest dilemma was I didn’t want to fill my shelves and fireplace mantle with a plethora of random frames! I hate cutter. So I decided a picture frame wall with our top favorite photos would be the way to go. And might I add that we used a lot of the same frames that were used in our wedding (double sentimental!) The frames in the wedding were used as our table numbers. I love that we are incorporating a part of our wedding into our home.

{Here is exactly how I created the gallery frame wall}

I gathered up 17 of my favorite frames. I traced the frames in newspaper and junk mail so I could use these cut outs as a guide for what the frames would look like on the wall.

I tapped the junk mail cut outs on the wall and moved the cut outs around until the spacing of the frames looked good

(Trust me, it’s going to start looking better soon!)

one by one I nailed & hung each frame in the place of the cut outs..

In keeping with Operation Glam Chic I went to Lowe’s and grabbed some high gloss yellow and turquoise spray paint by Valspar

I decided to paint two frames yellow and two turquoise

What a difference these bright colors make!

After that we chose and printed our “love photos” to complete our love wall… So what do you think?

We love the bright pops of color! It is truly amazing what a couple of $4 cans of spray paint can do.

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Filed under DIY Ideas, Home decor ideas

Tagged as before and after, create, diy picture frame wall, gallery wall, how to, how to display picture frames, how to make a picture frame gallery wall, photo wall, picture frame solutions, picture frames, spray paint picture frame

March 31, 2011 · 11:54 am

Checklist For Buyers

Buying a home is up there with one of the most important decisions you will make. It goes beyond picking out the cutest house on the block, or dreaming of the parties you could throw in that to die for backyard. Even the most experienced buyers can still find this process to be difficult.

It is important to be organized here! This will keep you focused and help you weed out the homes that aren’t right for you and the fam. You may try to convince yourself that you can make the 1 bathroom Willow Glen bungalow work with your 4 kids, 2 dogs and a husband. ALL because of that insanely amazing fantastic kitchen with the Viking stove… No. no. no.

So that’s why I’ve made you a checklist.

If you are just getting started out in your home searching adventure and don’t know where to start, this will be invaluable information for you to have. Hopefully this will make the buying process less overwhelming and put things more in perspective so you can act accordingly.

#1 What can we afford?

Before searching online or going to open houses, you need to know which driveways you can even afford to pull into. First thing on your list: get pre-approved. You can contact me and I will set you up with my loan officer, who will help you determine what type of financing works best for you and also how much you qualify for. Getting pre-approved will make you look that much better when writing up your offer. It puts you in a stronger negotiating position, not to mention it shows the Seller that you are a serious, committed buyer, capable of buying their property. Very important.

#2 Map it out

Set your goals for the months leading up to your potential move date. Plan on contacting your real estate agent and getting pre-approved 3-4 months in advance. This gives us a few months to find your place.

#3 Start shopping!

Although us agents have access to the multiple listing service, and would be searching & showing you homes on a regular basis (based on your criteria and loan approval amount), you can still look for your self online. This is the best part!! You can view virtual tours, pictures etc. Check out www.CaliforniaMoves.com Even calculate your mortgage payment!

#4 Location, location, location

You will find that this is going to be one of the most important aspects in finding your home. Location determines price, desirability, it’s re-sale value. If you plan on renting the property out at some point, it will have an effect on how long it takes to rent out & what kind of price you will get monthly. So these are all things to be considered.

You should narrow down what neighborhoods you are interested in or willing to live. Most people have a general idea of where they would like to buy. Things like school districts, shopping/dinning, parks & recreational areas near the neighborhood should all be taken into account.

#5 List out your must-haves & be ready to compromise

The dream home in your head might not actually exist in reality – Well at least not in your price range or neighborhood. You may have to compromise & pass on the house with a pool and gorgeous garden , and pick the 4 bedroom you need, plus it’s close enough to your child’s school and activites.

Make a list of about 4-5 things that you cannot live without. NOT 10-20! Let’s be realistic now. Some buyers can get a bit carried away.. I know I did!

#6 Fixing the ugly

Once you find the house you like, you might want to consider the cost of upgrades or remodeling. Factor those into your budget. Is that kitchen something you can live with for a few years until you save up for the renovation cost? Any upgrades you do will contribute to the value and equity of your home. So it’s 100% worth it!

Source: Decor Pad

My #1 Buyer Tip – DO NOT let the seller seduce you with their gorgeous furniture and lavish amazing taste people!

It’s not going to look like that when you actually move in. Well unless you are purchasing the home with furniture included or maybe you do have incredibly lavish amazing furniture. Who knows.

Questions? Contact us today!

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Tagged as before and after, budget, bungalow, buying a home, calculate mortgage, capable of buying, commited buyer, dream home, equity, get preapproved, home search, location, mortgage payment, multiple listing service, neighborhood, real estate agent, realtor, renting, repairing credit, school, shabby chic, tips for buying, when to buy, willow glen