small dresser redo

oh how i just love a good redo.

i have had this little dresser for awhile. 

painted black she lived in my mudroom and most recently my living room

and just this past weekend, i noticed that i am tiring of my black furniture.

not a problem...bring out the white paint!

i didn't want the entire piece painted white so i left her drawers neutral.

stripped, primed, painted, waxed and adorned with new hardware she's had quite the make over.

use what you've got girls, make it new.

just might be my new favorite {old} piece.

here is her before.

linking up to white wednesday at faded charm!

she's a beauty

large and drippy aren't great descriptors of something really so beautiful.

unless

of course

you are this:

a large, drippy chandelier.

my grandma passed away last month, just before christmas.  this is the one thing that i really wanted of hers.

i remember always sitting at the kids table at her house when i was young.  i will never forget the first time i sat at the big table (i was 23 years old).  it felt special, sitting at the adult table under this beautiful chandelier.

i felt so grown up.

i feel so lucky to have this piece from her.

my plan was to put her in my living room, but she is too large. (really meaning that mr. traybella at 6'4" hits his head on it)  and since i don't have a designated dining space (because i move my dining room table around all the time) i have decided that she will hang proudly in my bedroom.  i can't wait to get her hung there and see her sparkle.

RIP grandma.

~ linking up to white wednesday over at faded charm ~

old buffet : breakfast bar

the only thing i really liked about my old buffet was the amount of storage it had.
so i really didn't want to get rid of it, but i needed it to function in a different way.

 so i swung it out from the wall and repositioned it to act like a peninsula in my kitchen. 
and then i thought, if it had an overhang, it could double as a breakfast bar.

 i had my home depot cut down a 4x8 sheet of oak plywood to the size i needed 3x5. purchased some trim to go around the edge, some stain and headed home.  i had the brackets in my stash, they were purchased at a garage sale this past summer for a buck each. 

i also wrapped the back with bead board so that it looks pretty from all sides. 

then i painted it white and just spray painted the existing handles.  

 but my favorite part of the entire project has got to be the top.  you've seen this french chocolate label all over blog land.  so i found an online source to make me a stencil.  personalized it with our last name and the year we were married 1995.
melissa & bill at http://www.mulberrycreakonline.com/ were awesome to work with.  a few email conversations and my stencil was off in the mail to me. 

 the stencil was so easy to place and i love the result.

use what you've got!  simple enhancements to make it new and unique and now we've got a great family piece that also doubles as a conversation starter.  i love multi functional furniture.  sooo cool!

linking up to faded charm for white wednesday. check out all the other fabulous whites!

happy new year

i do not like to make new year resolutions.

probably because i do not like to set myself up to fail.

but

i do like to make a new list of things that might challenge me.

call it what you want, i guess.

it is nice to have all the christmas decorations down and put away.

the house is clean, all the sweets are gone and we have had some great relaxing days.

because i can not plan for an entire year,

for the month of january...

i plan to do weekly meal planning,.

grocery shop only once per week. 

seldom swipe my credit card.

organize the boys closets.

continue the Insanity workout program{this time with everything i've got!}

eat healthy.

cut back, if not out, sugar.  {this will be so difficult for me}

me more by doing less.

love more, take risks and continue to live a simple life.

i hope, that by going month by month, i am able to stick with these lifestyle changes.

Cheers!  to the new year!