be inspired :: color

While scrolling through images, I'm always on the lookout for great colors and textures that inspire me. Often, the first thing I do when I get a new piece of furniture is run through my colors board on pinterest to get the creative juices flowing.

 Wouldn't this be navy and white combo be great on a dresser for a boys room?

 The color for this antique dresser was inspired by the green bricks.

This image was the starting point for this red dresser.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

before and after :: black antique dresser

I tried out a new milk paint for this dresser.  Have any of you tried the General Finishes milk paint?
It's amazing, I tell you.
It comes premixed in a pint can, goes on smooth and distresses like a dream.  The only drawback is the limited color selection.

The before…

This paint sands very easily, so I used a 400 grit sandpaper to distress and brushed on two coats of oil based poly, rubbing with a fine grit steel wool in between.

I underestimated how difficult it would be to find hardware for this thing.  I was hoping to spruce it up with colorful knobs, but five (yes FIVE!) trips to get hardware later, I decided glass was the only thing that was going to work.

It's up for grabs!  Email for pricing - nattycox@gmail.com

Google Reader no more?!!

I know I said I wouldn't be back until next week, but...
Ahhh!  Did you hear Google Reader is shutting down?!  Terrible news right?
I did a little research on a good replacement reader and kept coming up with Feedly as a good alternative.
For anyone else panicking, it was an easy transition and they'll directly import all your blogs from Google Reader.  (You just have have to transition before July 1st).  It only took five minutes for the entire process.  They also have an app for mobile reading.
Phew.

The set up is definitely different and going to take some getting used to, but I guess it will do.
Grrr, google.  Don't you know we don't like change?

I'm super curious - do any of you have a different reader that you use and love???
Please, please share!

The StriVectin $100 Visa gift card GIVEAWAY ends tomorrow - don't forget to enter!

happy spring break!

It's spring break here this week and silly me, I thought I'd be up for spending a few hours getting some painting and blogging done.
No way.
We're three days in and I'm exhausted already.  In fact, I woke up exhausted just knowing what was on the docket for today.  And maybe it was partly due to the "dad's gone, kids get to sleep with mom" routine.  Drawing an invisible line up the middle of the bed isn't enough around here.  Never fail, they end up suction cupped to my back.
The kids and I are on our own this week, so we're headed to a hotel a stone's throw away just to get away from the nitty gritty (cooking, cleaning, emails, etc…) and focus on fun.
See you next week!

instagram: natty_cox

Don't forget to enter the StriVectin $100 Visa card GIVEAWAY!

removing stubborn smells from old furniture

Two of the pieces I picked up last week smelled like cigarette smoke BAD.  The two dressers were in the seller's garage when I picked them up so I didn't realize how intense the smell was until about ten minutes down the road.  In my experience, cigarette smoke is by far the hardest odor to eliminate - but it's totally doable.

I started small.  I began by spraying down both dressers entirely with vinegar,

and left them outside overnight to air out.  Usually this step is enough to get rid of most musty smells, but it did nothing for the cigarette smell.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that several coats of paint will cover the smell - very few paints are odor blockers.

The next step was to try wiping them down with a TSP substitute.  Wipe it on, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe it off.
Again,  nothing.  Darn.

So I pulled out my trusty shellac.  The zinnser shellac and (this primer) are widely used odor blockers.  They are also very hazardous, so I use them as a last resort.
I was planning to distress these pieces after I painted them, so I didn't want to use a pigmented odor blocker.
The clear shellac can be applied with a brush, roller or a rag (or sprayed).  I opted for a lint free cloth.  It dries very quickly so you have to work fast to avoid any drag.

The minimum recommendation to block odors is two coats.  The smell was so strong for these pieces that I applied three to every inch (inside and out) before the smell was gone.

Lightly sand with a 220 grit sandpaper before applying paint and you're good to go!

(Clear shellac is also a tannin bleed blocker.  If you're experiencing any bleed as you're painting and don't want to prime with a white primer that will show through when distressing - this shellac works great).

new finds

Sometimes I'm super lazy when it comes to "restocking" inventory and then other times I'm all over it.  I was lucky enough to find four new pieces on Craigslist last week.  And even luckier that they were only at two homes.
I've been working like crazy to get them finished.

This one is all prepped and waiting for paint...

These next two are painted, but I haven't settled on hardware for either yet...

And this last one was this close to being finished when it took a very, very wrong turn.  Back to the drawing board…and to the hardware store for stripper.

Have you picked up any great Craigslist furniture lately?  Do tell...

madeline's room

It's been a long time coming, but Madeline's room is finally finished.  Or it was finished eight months ago and I'm just getting around to taking pictures of it….
Either way, here it is.

This wall is the part of the room that's kept me from feeling like it's complete.  There are a couple pictures and frames that need to be changed, but I've finally embraced that I'm not going to get around to doing it any time soon.  My plan is to continue to let it bother me every time I walk in there and do nothing about it.  Lame, but true.

The vintage dresser is painted BM's Santa Barbara Green and the wall color is BM's Paper White - it's the perfect, barely there cool gray.
Try it, I guarantee you'll love it.

The antique spindle bed and the vintage nightstand are both painted BM's White Dove and the lamp is from Ikea.

30 minute pillow and "love" pillow tutorial here.  

How I made her duvet cover for six dollars.

Tutorial on how to make lined short curtains.

Her dresser before and after.

The wood shelves and the DIY poly-stain here.

the woes of aging

I have never owned a wrinkle cream… and before a year ago, I had no interest in them.  Then something happened.  It seemed like my face aged exponentially in just a couple year's time.  To the point that, for a while, all I could see was my new wrinkles when I saw a picture of myself.  Then I noticed my eyelids were starting to sag.

What?!

I'm not yet thirty, why are my eyelids sagging?! Maybe this is normal.  And maybe everybody goes through this aging crisis and overreacts a wee bit.  I don't know, but I certainly did.  (And still do a little every time we have family photos taken. :/)

I immediately started looking into anti-wrinkle products, but was put off by the prices and the overwhelming amount of available products, options and active ingredients - retinol, acids, tea extracts, etc.  Because I was overwhelmed with my options and was afraid to pay a large chunk of money for something that may or may not work, I purchased nothing.

A year later (last month), I was offered the opportunity to test and review StriVectin-SD™ Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles.  Yes, please.

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I started using it about three weeks ago.  The label suggests using it morning and night, and after two weeks you should notice a smoothing out of your skin. That's where I am.  

I haven't yet noticed diminished wrinkles or fine lines, but I have noticed my skin looking less ashy, my pores on my cheeks becoming less noticeable and a healthy glow to my skin when I'm sans makeup.  (Wrinkles and stretch marks aren't supposed to visibly diminish until eight weeks of consistent use.  But that seems like the standard for all wrinkle creams.) Every night before and after I wash my face, I find myself doing the forehead "wrinkle check" to see if they're diminishing.

True story:  I was getting ready one morning last week and had just finished washing my face when Zac said, "Your skin is looking really good… and I don't usually notice things like that." I think that says it all… my husband of all people noticed my skin was looking better.

What interests you most about NIA-114, a key active ingredient in StriVectin-SD™ Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles. Leave a comment, and you will be entered for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!

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before and after :: red and faux bamboo

The vintage Bali Hai dresser is finally finished!  Bad weather, and more bad weather and a contaminated can of paint made this project stretch on for much too long.  But in the end, it was well worth it.

Here it is before...

Red paint can be quite tricky.  Especially trying to get a deep, deep red.  I've tested many colors and have tried to have this exact color matched.
No go.
To get coverage (not sheer), white needs to be added to the formula, but to get this deep, deep red, white can't be added.  It becomes muted and loses it's umph.

So, Rustoleum's premixed Sunrise Red is the one I turn to over and over (even though it's intended for auto painting).  The color is amazing.  You can find it in the paint section of any big hardware store.  The paint is formulated for brushing and because of that, it's self levels like a dream.  

Not all oil based paints are created equal in that department.  Some don't self level well at all and the result is serious brush marks.

You will still see some brush marks, but nothing major.  I recommend thinning it a little for easier application.  Definitely not necessary though for those who don't want to deal with the mess.  It goes on plenty well straight out of the can. 

Because it's oil based, you might be tempted to pull out a throw-away foam brush or roller to apply to avoid cleaning your brush with mineral spirits.  But it's sooo not a good idea.  Foam brushes have a tendency to incorporate air into the paint which creates small bubbles and we all know those are never good.

bold paint colors for furniture

Half the battle when painting a piece of furniture is picking the perfect color.  This month's House Beautiful features a few designer's go-to bold colors for updating furniture.  I compiled a few of theirs and added a few of my favorites for a quick go-to reference.  Rest assured, if you're drawing a blank in the color department, you'll be happy with one of these...

(update: #8 is actually Jade Garden by Benjamin Moore.  oops.)

Sometimes swatches don't do a color justice and a few of the above color samples look a little bland (especially the red and green) while they are far from.  Below are a few of the colors in action to give you an accurate idea of what they look like.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

HB also displayed a stunning, faux bamboo piece in bright red.  All I can say is this style must scream, "paint me red!"  It's a beauty.  

Check back later this week for this piece all finished and purdy….in red.