For the Boys... A bedroom perfect for adventures!

The boys did come first... before all the pink princess stuff.  Joe's nursery was in primary colors and transportation themed. We were very happy with how it turned out with all our thrifty finds and generous gifts from Grandma. Matthew's nursery was softer and farm-themed with the sweetest rug!  When it was time for Brooke to arrive, the two boys moved in together.  And they share this space.  With another boy on the way, and my "Nesting" bug... I am determined to get their mural done... It has been a work in progress a little too long.  The mural was inspired by artist, Jessie Hartland. 

The pirate ship is the newest addition and a special surprise for the boys.

I have been working on the farm... we added a pond and some more homes and docks...

Just recently added the log and puppy in the reeds...

One of the original boat docks...

How can you get this LOOK?

Thomasville dresser- free from Craigslist, we painted it navy

table and chairs- from Grandma, w/new spray paint on chairs (WalMart's generic spray paint are perfect for PBK look-alikes)

tab top curtains- Pottery Barn Kids

Pottery Barn rug- on clearance and was $175

airplanes on ceiling- from HomeGoods

Hot air balloon- made by Authentic Models

Camp dresser- $180 each from Pottery Barn Kids outlet in Memphis (totally worth the trip)

we painted the ceiling, just like we originally did in Joe's nursery, but without the details... I would really like to put fiber optic lighting into the ceiling and it might be on my to do list still.

Please don't forget to vote for Dawn's "Princess Pallette" on Apartment Therapy's Room for Color 2012 Contest... so I can "nest" some more!

http://dawnlynn.blogspot.com/search/label/nesting

Dresser Makeover into Bathroom Vanity

My inspiration for this project is this EJ Victor chest that I saw on http://theenchantedhome.blogspot.com/. Her blog is AMAZING.  

This is what I needed. Wood filler to fill in imperfections, base coat color paint, a color to mix with the glaze and then I used acrylics for the details.

This was a french provincial dresser that I bought for $20 from a craigslist ad.  I painted it navy blue for our second son's nursery, but when our baby girl came along, the boys moved in together and we had a navy blue dresser!  What to do?  We wanted to replace our bathroom vanity in the Master Bedroom, so my husband, Mark used his carpentry skills to transform the dresser into a vanity and it works well.  I really like the height of it.

On goes the first coat of paint

... and then another coat of paint.

Then I painted the trim of the drawers in a dark brown.

Next came some of the details. I made marks with a pencil and used a ruler to create the harlequin pattern, then free-handed the flower details. On the top two faux drawers I used a gold metallic paint, just for something different.

Then I started to free-hand the flowers.  At first, I didn't like them, but then the more I did, the more it came together.  Lesson learned: Don't give up... keep going and follow through with your idea.

A little more details to the flowers...

And here is the finished product, I ended up using the glaze along the sides of the vanity, legs and bottom.  Just follow the directions on the can... it is easy. Now, I am off to Hobby Lobby to find some great handles for the bottom 3 drawers.  Their furniture knobs and handles are always 50% off! And they have a few that resemble the ones at Anthropologie!