Nautical Nightstands

This pair of nightstands has got to be one of the ugliest "Before" items I have worked on. The tops were covered in Peel-and-Stick floor tiles and they had been painted in a hideous shade of pinky tan that reminded me of skin.

I couldn't contain my imatience and ripped off the floor tiles before I got a photo, but here they are after washing and sanding, ready for primer.

I knew they had potential - I liked the style of them and they were in excellent condition, aside from needing a going-over with a palm sander and some elbow grease.

I painted them a creamy white, and after it cured a few days I got to work with my favorite painter's tool - Frogtape! I taped off some stripes on the top, pulled out two of my favorite shades of blue paint and got to work.

The results were better than I was hoping for! I added some blue on the raised drawer fronts; I wanted these to be fun and I loved the little bit of added color. I'm a neutral girl at heart, so keeping these mostly white with just some details in blue made it fun while still feeling like my style. 

I thought they had a bit of a nautical feel, so I chose hardware that had a little braided detail that reminded me of rope.

I finished them off with two coats of clear wax. They looked so cute together in the shop, and they sold very quickly! It's always exciting to me when someone takes home one of my pieces. It never gets old; that feeling of gratification when someone else sees your vision for a piece and loves it enough to take it home! 

Beachy Striped Stool

I found this wooden stool at a garage sale and fell in love with the detail on the legs. I had to have it, and as soon as I brought it home I went to work transforming it.

I painted it a soft cream and added some blue stripes in a random design across the seat for some interest and to give it a bit of a beachy/cottage feel. I distressed it and topped everything off with a coat of wax for a buttery finish.

When it was finished I loved it so much I tried to find a spot in our house that it would fit, just so I could have an excuse to keep it. I did price it and bring it into the store, but I admit I was hoping that it wouldn't sell so that after a while I could bring it home and try to make it work somewhere. But it wasn't meant to be - it sold right away! I was a little sad to let this one go, but I am happy that someone else saw it and loved it enough to take it home with them!

And there's always more garage sales . . .

Linking to Miss Mustard Seed