My first paint project!

I decided to take the plunge today and paint my ratty old dresser. I've been looking at every piece of furniture I own now, dreaming of how I'll transform it with paint. So I decided it was time to just do it already and stop worrying.

I started with this old dresser I use for my tights and things. My mom bought it for $5 a few years ago (thanks Mom!). It was already painted white and was in sad shape with lots of chips and stains. I figured if I messed it up it couldn't be much worse than what I was already living with, and I could throw it out when I moved to LA.

So I dove in--after reading what seemed like hundreds of blog posts on painting furniture. I bought Rustoleum semi-gloss black paint. I chose this one because it had a picture of furniture on it so I knew I could use it (I'm not kidding). I am sure I could have used lots of other paints, but that aisle is intimidating so I went with what felt safe.

Here's a few before shots:

Even with this bad picture you can see how uneven the paint was.

It also had a few chips on it:

Here it is all sanded down and primed (ps-I have no idea if I sanded enough or even had the right sandpaper thingie. My new motto is just go with it! So I did...):

I got excited seeing it all grey--it already looked so much better! (like my orange toes? :)

And here it is now!

(what looks like a fleck of white is just on the picture, not the dresser!)

I'm really happy with how it turned out. I already have plans for painting two shelves black to match our other fancy one we got for free from Doug's old neighbor. This is addicting!

My very first DIY project--tile art!

I don’t even remember how I stumbled upon all the wonderful blogs I read, like this one and this one. I’m sure it happened during the hours of procrastination during finals in my third year of law school. At first, I was just admiring the pretty pictures and homes. I recently got interested in decorating and was having fun putting together mine and boyfriend’s apartment. But then I started letting my mind wander to what I might be able to do. Of course this was swiftly followed by thoughts of “you can’t do that." Nevertheless, when I stumbled across this I knew there was no going back. I blocked out a time on my calendar and read the post 5,000 times to be sure I understood exactly how to do it.

When the appointed project week arrived, I was so excited. I spent an hour roaming around Home Depot choosing just the right tile, even lining them up in the 2X2 square to see what it would look like (I’m sure they were loving that). I asked lots of questions that I’m sure made the nice Home Depot worker wonder what business I had in their store. Any questions he asked of me were pretty much met with a blank stare. I can’t even remember them now to type here. When the nice worker asked if I needed floor or ceiling grout, I said “ummm well I’m mounting it on the floor but it will go on the wall” (Kimba had not prepared me for this question!). This time it was nice worker’s turn to give a blank stare. I expanded—“well it’s for artwork." I guess that was enough for him because he showed me an adhesive/grout combo deal (2 for 1-score!) and I was on my way. He must have lots of clueless, uncrafty people like me who come in wanting to make tile art. Kimba’s post was inspiring so I’d believe it!

Supplies in hand, I trudged out to wait for the bus and was reminded yet again of why having a car would be nice. So I hailed a cab instead. I was in my new lulu workout pants and the 2x2 piece of dry wall was dusting on me! (Most DIY gals would know not to wear nice, new clothes to Home Depot. Lesson learned). I made it home, laid out my new drop cloth (which boyfriend asked if I made—clearly he has more faith in my craftiness than I do) and got to work.

I won’t give a tutorial because, really, there are far wiser, more experienced people out there to teach you—see Kimba’s site. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Here it is all grouted up!

And the final product!

I am SO proud of this first project. I feel like I can do anything now—and I can’t stop my imagination from running. I’ve already conjured plans for a new upholstered headboard (like this one and this one!) and seriously cannot look at a piece of furniture in my apartment without wanting to paint it.

So there you have it—I survived my very first DIY project and caught the bug. If you like the way this looks (or Kimba’s because I think I still like hers better) you CAN do it! It is SO easy and hardly takes ANY time. Just give it a try!

Let me know what you think below (please be nice though--I'm so new to this!)

Here goes nothing!

I love blogs. My ever-growing bookmark list (I may love blogs, but I still haven’t figured out this RSS thing…) calls to me every time I turn on my computer. I love the small window into someone’s life. Love being inspired by creative design ideas and seeing amazing transformations from trash to treasure—these fabulous bloggy ladies are some thrifty miracle workers!

But as much as I love blogs, I was certainly never going to write my own. For one thing, my life is pretty darn boring. Who would want to read along with what I do? For another, I’m just not crafty. Or creative. Or artistic. Who would want to check out my novice attempts at things that have been around blog land for years?

Yet sitting on my delayed flight next to my drooling boyfriend, I couldn’t stop writing blog entries in my head. For some reason all the wonderful blogs I’ve been reading inspired me to write my own entries (annoyingly, this happened while electronic devices were not allowed so I did my best to make mental notes!). I decided that really I was just being self-conscious and self-deprecating. And I’m tired of that. Plus, I want a place to chronicle my novice attempts at all these fantastic projects I’m dreaming up in my head. Because I’m kind of proud of the visions I’m having. And, more importantly, maybe there are a few other girls out there like me—totally inspired by what they are reading on these amazing blogs and wishing they could do that too. Well, maybe this will inspire them to see that they CAN. Because seriously, if I can do this—ANYONE can.

So follow me on this crazy journey while an uncreative, uncrafty, unartistic lady attempts to thrift, do it herself, and spray paint her way to a fantastic home for herself (and the drooling boyfriend).