Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Blessing #65 - The old/new armoire

Remember the armoire Shad (a.k.a. Templeton) got off of Craig's List for FREE! Honestly, when he first brought it home, I did not know what I was going to do with it, but after a week of looking at it, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.



Here is the step by step of what I did...

Step 1: I lightly sanded down the armoire.
I knew I wanted to distress it in the end so I didn't sand too much. The rough patches make it prettier when it is distressed.

Step 2: I applied two coats of paint to everything but the inside of the doors where I only applied one coat. I'll show you why later!

Step 3: I constantly had to push crawling Collin away from the paint, and I seriously wondered why I started working while he was awake.

Step 4: After the paint dried, I got sandpaper and distressed like crazy!


Before I distressed it, I did not like the way it looked at all, but as soon as I took some sandpaper to the paint and distressed it, I started to fall in love. In this picture the left side has not been distressed while the right side has been distressed. I know the inside of the doors look weird, but I had big plans for them.

And now for the big reveal...drrrrrrrrrrrrrr



Chalkboard Doors!!!! I would really like to paint an entire wall in chalkboard paint, but for right now this is a great compromise for us renters!

Step 5: I applied 3 coats of chalkboard paint to the inside of the doors!

Step 6: The entire armoire except for the chalkboards got a coat of polyurethane.



I love how it turned out! (Have I said that enough yet?) This is just what I had pictured in my head before I started!


The old hardware did not work, and Shad saved the day when he said, "I have some old glass knobs." They were throwing out some old cabinet doors at his work, and Shad had the smarts to take the pretty knobs off of them before they were thrown away! He scored major points with me for that one!


Brandon could not be more excited about the new armoire, but please excuse me for one second. I need to take care of something.

Yes Mom, I know he has on snow boots.

Yes Mom, I know it's June.

Now that that's taken care of, here is a final picture of the view as I walk into my kitchen (air conditioner and all!)



I'm linking this post up to some of my favorite link parties.

16 comments:

  1. That is absolutely lovely.  I must start checking the free section of craigslist!

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  2. gorgeous, Steph!!!  chalk board paint-amazing!!

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  3. I love this blue and the chalkboard accent--so charming!  I would love it if you shared this at my linky party.

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  4. boy, we girls are clever aren't we? This transformation is amazing!

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  5. Now that's pretty darn cute! I really like the color and knobs!

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  6. Wow, I cannot believe you were able to snag this piece for FREE!  I love the way it turned out!

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  7. Oh my, this is fabulous!  I just found your blog via {Primp} Your Stuff Wednesday!  I am going to search for a piece and totally copy this!!!  :-)
    I'm stoked to be a new follower of your blog.  You can find me at Coffee & Cabernet.  I'd love it if you stopped by!

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  8. Lovely Makeover!! I featured you on my blog!
    http://thecolorfullivingproject.blogspot.com

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  9. I LOVE the idea of putting chalk board on the front of the doors, and you did a great job antiquing it!  I am officially a new follower!

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  10. chasingclairedeluneJuly 2, 2011 at 4:37 PM

    Really Cute!! I love when Free Stuff turns out to be one of the coolest things you own.

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  11. What a gorgeous piece. I love the legs, the chalkboard is awesome. Great job!

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  12. I love the idea! I just bought a huge wardrobe/closet at IKEA. It was on sale and is heavy heavy! My husband put it together in the livingroom since there was so much space there and not much in the room it was to go in. AHHH, it will not fit through the door now!  So, I was trying to think of some way to make it look good in a seen part of the house. It is foilled with shelves and going to be for my fabric stash. This is a great idea! Now it can be out, look useful for the granddaughter and still hold all my fabric (well, maybe not all). Thanks for the idea!

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  13. I just started reading your blog and found myself laughing (crying) at some of your comments - sort of talking to yourself type comments that really struck me funny.  Think I'll check out the free stuff on Craig's List, too.  Thanks for starting my day off with a smile!

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  14. It turned out nice and looks great in your space. Between Shad and you...you both make a great team.

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  15. I came over here from Sassy Sites... just had to comment on it! Great remodel, love the chalk board doors. And when I saw your boy in snow boots, I laughed because I wore snow boots all summer long when I was a little girl. EVERYONE still remembers it and will occasionally point it out to me, but it's a fun memory for all!

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  16. the cape on the cornerJuly 5, 2011 at 2:21 PM

    that looks great!  so glad your vision came out as planned, and love your drumroll.  lol.  drrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

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