Desk Redo Times 2

Sometimes you just have to change things up.  I'm like that a lot with our house, especially with bold colors.  I loved this coral paint choice a few years back but now I'm over it and wanted something more subtle.  Plus, I really just wanted to paint something...its kind of a habit of mine, and I'm counting that as a good habit.  Painting a little piece of furniture like this is such a simple and easy (and cheap) way to update spaces in your home.  Its a new year and time for some new paint.  Navy it is.

Do some colors just kind of make you feel anxious or tense?  I'm probably just weird like that.  I really do like coral, orange and pink but there is something also about those colors that make me tense up if I'm around them for too long.  Please tell me if you share the same color aversion as me.  If you know me well you know I like blue of all varieties, its my fav. So when I wanted something more soothing to my soul I had to go with a color that made me calm.  Blue is it for me.

I just felt so much better immediately when it was all painted.  I love it.  I just used a quart of navy paint , a small foam roller and a little brush to do the job.  Probably took about an hour and a half to do two coats total.  I also learned its really hard to capture the true hue of some colors in photos.  This navy is really darker and moodier in person.  But you get the drift.

Random painting tip, while you are waiting between coats use a plastic baggie or plastic wrap to keep your brushes covered and from drying out.  This saves you mucho time and headache.  When we painted our house exterior we did this - everyday for weeks.  We only washed our brushes out in the end after two weeks of painting and wrapping them up at night.  It totally worked like a charm.  Some people may be picky about brush washing, I am not one of those.  I am just picky about paint colors.

I love how the hot pink paper lined drawer looks with the new navy hue.  Probably even better than before.

So to up the game even more for this little desk I changed up the drawer pulls.  I have had these glass pulls forever and I can't even remember where I got them from.  They were being used on Silas' dresser but we have been updating his room as of late and these were no longer in use - so these were perfect for this project.

Oh, and this drawer has stayed nice and organized.  

Now that this little desk has a new look its time for a chalkboard update.  The teal isn't going to cut it anymore.

We have been up to a lot around the house and I can't wait to share more of the projects we have been doing lately.  Hope everyone has a wonderful week!  

Chair Change Up

I have another quick, easy and cheap furniture update to share with you today.  Pretty much, It's the same project as my bench redo but in the form of a chair.  I did use spray paint this time - It's inexpensive and I didn't have any leftover paint that worked for this project.   I also think it would have taken a lot longer if I had painted this chair by hand instead of spraying and the end result is nice and smooth so it's a win-win.  Check out the before and afters - 

I used one of the pretty fabrics I got from the etsy shop Fabrics You Love to recover the seat.  Honestly, I first thought I might just leave it alone and not paint the chair.  We have actually had this chair a long time (I got it at the local flea market way back) and have left it in it's "natural" state.  But, I just wasn't feeling it anymore and thought an updated color would totally change the look of the chair - and I think it did.

Just a quick sanding and two coats of spray paint later, I had a nice sunny chair.

I was really worried about drips so I just made sure to keep my spray paint moving and applied nice thin and even coats.  

I love the new yellow color and gray fabric and I'm so glad I decided to paint it.

It's one of those things that I walk into the room just to look at now, I know I'm crazy.  Painted chairs make me happy.  

Hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend!  

Linking up to these awesome parties!

Spice it Up - A Desk Redo

I shared yesterday that we had a lot of paint projects brewing over here in la casa.  One of those projects happens to be a sweet little secretary desk that was given to me by Justin's Aunt right after we moved in.  Justin's mom, sister and aunt are like the superior masters of finding hidden jewels at yard sales and thrift stores.  So no surprise I was gifted a little jewel by them, this little desk.  I knew I wanted to paint it but wasn't sure right at first what color exactly.  I could go with a standard white - always chic and fresh.  But, I just wasn't feeling it and I wanted to add a little spice to this little corner of my kitchen.  Here's the little desk before anything has been done to it.  This desk had definitely seen better days but it was still really sturdy and working properly so it really just needed a face lift.

First thing I did was to remove the drawer for easier painting and remove the knobs.  I decided to replace them with something else I already had on hand.  I also washed down the desk with a little warm soapy water and then this little baby was ready for some spice.

So spice it up I did.  I hate priming things and will honestly skip that process whenever possible.  And it was no different in this scenario.  I decided that I would just go straight to paint and it worked out, I did however apply 3 coats of paint but it was really easy and quite quick.  I used a little foam trim roller for most of the painting and It worked like a charm.  I think I will always use a foam roller for furniture painting from now on.  I also have another tip to share.  If you buy paintbrushes at the dollar store in a pack of three - you get what you pay for.  Awful.  I'm sure most of you are thinking "duh" but I have always wanted to test those dollar paintbrushes.  Luckily for this project I was just needing a paintbrush for a few corners I couldn't reach with the roller.

You can see the first coat wasn't that great and I started to fear it was going to take a lot more than 3 coats but thankfully after the second It was covering really well.

So here it is now, in all of it's coralish, rusty, pinky-orange glory.  I have to say I absolutely love it.  I wish I had a picture of the knobs before I spray painted them white, but take my word for it, they are way more cute now.  I love the color contrast between the wall and the desk and we can't help but walk by it and smile a little.  Everyone needs a little bright color in their home somewhere.  It has definitely cheered this little corner right up.

(Ignore the random items sitting on top, I'm still working on that.)

So there you have it, our little desk redo.  Oh, and it only cost me $9.44 for the paint!  So under $10 and this desk is looking good.

Check back soon for some more paint projects we have been working on!

Linking Up at:

 Thirty Handmade Days

The Shabby Nest Frugal Fridays