Weathered Blues

Whew! It's been a busy month full of custom goodness. I am so thankful and enjoying it so much! 


I have a fun little rehab to show off today that I just completed for a friend. Christy brought me this fabulous antique dresser she wanted to use in her craft room. I was excited to do something really fun for a creative space! 


Here is the dresser before...

After...

Vintage inspired papers line the drawers...

This piece is quite the mix of colors. After a good cleaning and priming I painted it with a slate blue. It was a little too slate and not enough blue...happy accident. I added two more thin coats of a pale blue oops paint. I allowed the slate color to show through in areas which gave a really nice result thus the happy accident. I am on a bit of a kick with the Silhouette, so I churned out some cutesy tall stemmed flowers. After getting them positioned perfectly I painted two more thin coats of Annie Sloan Graphite over everything but the top surface. Lots-o-distressing and sealer coats later..she's all loverly!

::Limeade:: Side Table Makeover

Who is ready for Summer? Me! I find there is such excitement around each upcoming season. No matter what time of the year is around the corner I get excited about what that season will bring. This year we are finishing up Sam and Maggie's first year at the BIG school, Jon and I are completing our second round leading Financial Peace University, and then there is Cate...and Cate is 2...enough said, right?! So in just 2 more short weeks Summer kicks off at this house! I am ready to park it at the pool for the next couple of months but first we are going to visit Mickey and Minnie! Yep...the kids are so stinkin' excited! I have some really fabulous memories as a kid at Disney World and I can't wait to make those memories for my kids! This is your warning...Disney pictures coming soon!


On to the furniture re-fabu-lication business. I finished up several projects this week but these say Summer to me for sure. The before...

After...

I primed this pair and painted them with an oops paint from Benjamin Moore. They were very green...maybe too green...so I decided they needed some pizazz to tone down the green a bit. I broke out the Silhouette and whipped up some vinyl dandelions. I placed them on the table top and then coated the top with 2 coats of Annie Sloan Pure White. I distressed everything but more heavily on the white as I wanted the green to show through more. I painted the hardware white and distressed it as well.


These are a custom order for my friend, Stephanie. I love that she is not afraid of color and she gives me creative reign. Thanks Steph, you are awesome!

UPDATE: Kitchen

Hi friends! What have you been up to lately? Me, oh...juggling. Juggling all the demands of wife, mommy, and my 100's of projects. Anyone been there?

Jon and I were finally able to get our kitchen in livable working order. Whew! That turned out to be a lot of work BUT so worth it! I still have lots to do to bring some decor, curtains, rugs, etc. back into the room but I am not in any big hurry. I will just add things as I find them...or...re-purpose them sounds more accurate. 

I am so pleased with the painted kitchen cabinets! We went with French Linen by Annie Sloan and it was the perfect choice! I was worried the grey color might be too dark at first but we have a large open kitchen with high ceilings and lots of natural light making the grey work beautifully! PLUS the ease of the Annie Sloan paint was a dream. Seriously, no prep necessary. I love that I can just pop over to Jennie Leigh Designs and pick up a can at anytime and not have to wait on shipping. Nice!

The first two pictures show the most accurate cabinet color...

I really love the crisp look of the white subway tile with the light grey grout. I had to talk the hubs into this one a bit but in the end we were both pleased!

The color is off on this picture. You can see the corbel we added under the cabinet on the left side for some character. I like how the corbels give definition to where the tile stops as well. I still need to paint the inside of my glass cabinets but I will...at some point. White...maybe a color? Hmmm...decisions...decisions.

Ohhh the counter tops. Me like! I will post on how we made these happen later. Wait for it. :)

Just in case you forgot ALL the places this kitchen has been go here for the changes it has undergone over the years.

Posts to come...

How I painted my kitchen cabinets

DIY Butcher Block Counter Tops

Paint Colors...

Trim: Marshmallow Creme by Glidden

Cabinets: French Linen by Annie Sloan

Wall: Sweet Leaf by Valspar

May Workshop!

Our May workshop is just around the corner and I have a fun project planned for us! We are going to be making chalkboards using salvaged cabinet doors and mini bunting to adorn them. Fun!


These can be used in a variety of spaces...kitchens, bedrooms, work spaces...whatever suits your fancy! They are perfect for scriptures, organization, or to entertain the little people in our lives. I plan to use ours in our kitchen for inspirational tid bits.


Initially I wanted to make these magnetic BUT have you ever used magnetic paint? I am not a fan. I gave it a go and it was terrible. I am not sure how many coats would actually make it magnetic but I gave up, plus it is oil based and super messy! NO fun. 


I have my chalkboard made but I have not had a spare moment to take pictures...so what does a girl do...why she heads over to Pinterest of course! I perused until I found a few pictures to give you an idea (ours will more resemble the first picture)...

Source: In My Blessed Nest

Source: Miss Trixie's Favorite Things

Boards will vary slightly in size but will all be approximately 28in by 18in.


Important Info:


When: Tuesday, May 8th @ 6:30


Where: Email me at Clara@thecharmednest.com for location details.


Cost: $20, includes chalkboard and bunting


Payment: Class fee can be paid via Paypal to monkeydoodles@att.net or I will directly invoice if you prefer. Checks accepted as well with mailing address given upon request.


RSVP: All reservations and payment must be made by Friday, May 4th. You can RSVP directly to our FB event page here.


Optional: I will have lots of fun paint colors to choose from for your frame but feel free to bring paint if you are trying to match something specific. 


So come hang out with some lovely ladies and make something fun for your home! It will be fun for sure!

Quick Kitchen Update

I have been stalling on showing pictures because the "we're almost there" pictures aren't as fun as the final reveal. This is taking FOREVER so I thought an update was needed. Plus I need a little input from you!


We decided to tackle some budget friendly DIY butcher block counter tops. I seriously could not be more pleased with the look! I will share the how-to for that process in another post but for now here is what we have...

See a sneak peak of my new cabinet color on the bottom? Thank you Jennie Leigh Design and all your fabulous Annie Sloan paints for making the daunting task of painting my entire kitchen more doable. More on that too but I will say this...yesterday I was able to completely paint all of my bottom cabinets...that is impressive for one days work!


All my doors waiting for some sealer and to be rehung...

What do you think about the tin back splash? It appears more silver in this picture than it is in person. It is silver just not a bright silver, it has a subtle brown patina to it that compliments the counter tops. OK, so really what do you think?


Now to decide what to paint the upper cabinets? Hmmm...

Black Beauty

Hi my friends! I have super busy lately with lots of fun projects. One of which I am excited to share with you today! I started with this dresser...

And I ended up with this buffet..

I thought this piece could also work for a media center. Just loose a basket or two to place you electronic components and there you have it!

Details...just a little distressing was all this one needed to bring out the lines.

I painted this baby in Annie Sloan Graphite and used layers of Jacobean and Dark Walnut for the top. Added some fun fabric and baskets because I love lots of texture.  Delivering this lovely to it's new home tonight! 

Linking up with:

BIGGEST giveaway yet!!

Here we are...our BIGGEST giveaway yet and it is yours for the taking!


So have you been oooing and ahhing over the Nest's furniture restyles? Well here is your chance to have your furniture customized for FREE! Yep...that's right...FREE! Pick your paint color, distressing, glazing...all of it! You know you have that piece of furniture around the house that is screaming for a makeover! :)


Here is how it works...


Send your friends and family over to The Charmed Nest's facebook page to vote for you. There is a tab on our page titled, "Enter our GIVEAWAY here," they can click it and vote for you! Easy peasy!


Every time you have 20 friends vote for you your name is entered into the drawing. The more times your name goes in the pot the better your chances are for winning the grand prize! So invite, invite, invite and get those votes in! 


Psst...you can vote for yourself once too! :)


The drawing will take place on May 13th IF we reach our goal of 1000 total fans! Yes, that is Mother's Day! Pretty sweet gift!


Furniture eligible for this grand prize includes one of the following...dressers, buffets, and chest of drawers. Prize valued from $150 to $275.


I will give updates as names are being entered in. For example, if I have 40 votes for Maggie I will update THIS page to let Maggie know her name has been entered twice and so forth.


Sound like fun?! Yep! Let's do it!