Y'all... I don't know how people have consistently cute blogs. I love them and appreciate them but I am not one of the cool "blog kids." You know those girls in junior high & high school who made the cute signs for pep rallies or their friends with their names all bubbled out with colors?! Mine just looked like I had a sweet 3rd grade brother who got bored of his legos and wrote a note. 

Now that we're on the same page about my blog quality: Here are some last min projects for Nora's room. Last post I mentioned this find from World Market (I bought it for $27). I originally got the idea from Nicole on pinterest. It was kinda ugly and I wanted it to have more of the gold/brass finish I have in the rest of the room so BOOM I spray painted it (all babies need to smell some DIY before they're born.) 

 BEFORE: 

AFTER:

Jesus Wipes • Baby Book 

Next I painted a chair that I had. I have a lot of chairs because I have a chair problem.  At least one of my chair projects made it on design sponge, ratifying the rest. 

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Lamp • Nate Berkus Frame

Hopefully next post will have the whole nursery! 

Its my goal for today to get the last minute pictures hung and everything in its place. 

Its also my goal to get this baby out of my body... 

Before and After Mid-Century Dresser

About 2.5 years ago Rob and I were sailing the aisles of Katy Christian Ministries (A goodwill like resale shop) and came across this piece for $125. I loved it immediately! We decided to use it as a TV stand at first with "in the future" thoughts of changing it into a dresser/ changing table for a baby.

Fast forward---> Im pregnant (37 weeks currently) and baby room needed a dresser! 

* Those handles have to go, they look like a face, kinda like Falcor for any nerds who remember him. 

* Paint it white, except for maybe the bottom bar and legs, like this from West Elm. 

dumont buffet

* New Knobs! I hear anthropologie calling! At first I picked ceramic coral knobs because I was trying to really get in touch with my GIRLY side, but sometimes theres just not enough girly to tap into, so I took them back and got these:

Prism Knob

They are brighter in real life.

* Hire someone to spray paint it, not crappy spray paint, like air compressor spray paint. Took 3 rounds and WA-LA! 

* Sand and stain the bottom. I did this... not a great choice when you shouldn't breathe in fumes and have a belly to drag around. But it looks good!

Now to accessorize! At least I know half will be taken up with a changing pad! The mirror is from target, and the doilies on the sides are what we found in the attic created by my great grandmother, Cora.  Frames from Ikea.

Thanks for stopping by the blog! As always, Id love to see your before and afters too! 

House Before and Afters!

Remember last August when I said "stay tuned for before and afters" ... Well, you had to REALLY stay tuned. I like to move at the speed of slow about blogging apparently. Sometimes it just takes some encouragement, and being put to shame by friends who are busy and still have awesome blogs (like my friend Christie from high school. Go now: kikimac.me And Lauren who helps me think deep thoughts and wear good clothes. Go now: thebrodabode.blogspot.com)

*NOTE: if you have tried to follow by email, where you get an email when I post something new, it hasn't been working and is now fixed!!

So the entire house was painted the same khaki-ish color and all the trim had yellowed big time. Do notice all the brass light fixtures ... and their magical replacements!

THE OFFICE: before

THE OFFICE: After: Color: ANVIL by Behr (PS this is the "after of the desk mentioned here."

 THE ENTRY/ STAIRCASE/ HANDRAILS: Before:

THE ENTRY/ STAIRCASE/ HANDRAILS: After: Color: Galveston Gray Benjamin Moore

THE GAMEROOM: Before:

THE GAMEROOM: After:

DOORBELL: (I know, who really cares but look at this little ugly guy) (apparently this house was pink at one point)

AFTER:

My next task is accessorizing. Lots of blank walls going on. Its so hard for me to commit to accessories, I think everything should have been collected from across the world or have some special meaning. Maybe they're special because I got them so cheap at home goods? Working on that mind set! 

Stay tuned (week or less I swear) for this dresser redo!

And here's a sneak peak of the nursery! 

-Danielle 

Before and After: Side Table

More than a year ago I bought this little blue guy for $7.00 in the "little Mexico" of Fort Worth. And that could have been mostly anywhere in fort worth. One time we went to a park not thinking about what day it was and it was the craziest sit on horses with sombreros eating snow cones fiesta I have ever seen. There were even tons of police and one of them asked us, "Why are you here? Go home!" 

It was cinco de mayo. Anyway. 

Before:

The after process:

 prime and paint white

filled in holes with wood filler, paint teal

I found martha stewart die-cut paper to use as a stencil.

and here it is... 

for Juliana, one of my sister's very 

sweet friends!

A before and after and more...

HEY! Look at me not waiting a month to post again! Since everyone loves before and afters Im going to put it LAST so you have pay attention to all my rantings first. (apparently rantings isn't a word, its red lining) But not really just do as you please with your eyes and your scrolling mechanisms. 

Rob and I went to the last showing of the Bill Cunningham documentary on Friday night. Bill has been the "Fashion on the Street" photographer for a LONG time for the New York Times. He tries to find trends and interesting ideas... and for an 80 something year old he does a perfect job, and he's precious. He lives the most meager life I have ever seen. Maybe a little too meager. The DVD comes out the 13th of September and I think Im going to buy it so one day I can sit down with my kids and have a "mom's favorite films" time and discuss it over milk and cookies... and maybe chewy sprees.

SIDE NOTE:  

my HEB carries sprees by the pound 

and most of them are RED! Give it up 

for the worst for you food coloring. 

Sorry special friends, no red 40 sprees for you.) 

In addition to watching his documentary, you can see his pictures and hear his narration weekly on newyorktimes.com  fashion section then Fashion on the Street segment.
This week: Blue is in!

BEFORE AND AFTER

OK to the before and after. Rob's aunt gave us a table to re-do like Nov 2010, she is the principal of a preschool and this was an antique childrens' table and chairs. 

BEFORE:

I'm super lame and didn't get a before shot of the table, so imagine with me: Layers and layers of white paint, drawn on, banged up, and clumpy. 

Here are the chairs:

 

step one: paint the seats brown to get ready 

for the stencil (found at michael's on sale for $0.99)!!

sand the clumpyness off the legs:

sand and stain the top that actually had a really neat design under the layers of yuck...

build a new corner, I used Elmers wood filler

 spray paint a section of the legs for a stripe

parts I missed: Blew up lower case ABCs using illustrator and Garamound font, 

printed on cardstock to make a stencil, traced and painted them on the table top

AFTER:

After thoughts: I used a restickable adhesive to adhere the stencil to the chairs

but then it didn't come off so I had to goo-gone every letter :(

If you have a better way to do this let me know! Also I wouldn't have

spray painted the legs and chairs (except the stencil part) because I think

it looks crappier than painting. I spray painted in the interest of time.