How to ROCK Coral

I had refinished furniture in years so I was a little nervous about taking this on, but I'm so happy I did! I'm really excited about how it came out for the nursery. I knew I wanted to something vintage-looking and shabby cheek for the room and since I'm keep most of the colors in the room to gray and white I thought a pop of color was in order. When I came across the 2015 Sherwin Williams Color of the Year I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. Read more about Coral Reef here.

I purchased a used rocker for about $40 and got to work. Below are some progress pictures. It took some time between processes to let each stain and paint job dry. It definitely takes some patience! Enjoy and feel free to leave comments below. 

Original State - Boring!

First white stain. I did about 2 coats with an extra coat on the back part of the chair.

Almost done! Added one more white coat and then sanded parts to give it the "worn" look.

Natural Inspiration

It seems my mind is filled with a constant craving to create and express myself through different mediums. I find myself making notes on my phone, sketching things and finding inspiration through all the creativity online. But to me, connecting with nature and finding the beauty in all of God's creations is what really inspires me. I think it requires us to slow down and just open our senses to the stillness you can only find away from technology and society and amidst the sounds of the chirping birds and the scent of the air surrounding dense trees. 

 

There is a wonderful park by my house. At 25 weeks, the roundness and weight of my belly is starting to make workout sessions a little more challenging lately! So, I've taken up walking as my main source of exercise. Today, I did my usual walk around the paved trail but the "road less traveled" beckoned me! I veered off the path and found myself walking through some hidden walkways (or at least my imagination made me believe that) that took me further and further away from the sounds of the passing cars. I slowed down and took deep breaths; the air seemed different. It was cleaner and coming straight from the large trees enveloping me. I found a few beautiful tree stumps and carefully stepped on each one. I felt like a 7 year old on my own little adventure. 

The patterns on the stumps and leaves, even the dried pine tree needles on the floor looked amazing. There was so much I could pull from as inspiration! In fact...I think I want to take a little of this nature back home! For some reason, I can't stop thinking about one particular tree stump that would make a perfect addition to the nursery. I think it would be a beautiful reminder of my walks during this pregnancy journey and a great place to place a few cozy blankets and maybe my feet as my we rock the little one to sleep.

My First DIY Project For The Nursery: Planter For Storage!

I've been pinning a lot of refinished furniture. I'm just fascinated by all the beautiful finishes and transformations you can do to stuff otherwise deemed ugly or useless. So, I figured I would start small and try my hand at double-staining something for the nursery. I went to Goodwill and found a WWF (World Wild Life) planter for $1. Perfect investment for a possible art disaster to come.

Goodwill investment $1

I wasn't sure what I could use it for at first, but the fact that it was in raw wood form and I didn't have to sand it was a good canvas for my first attempt and staining wood. I picked up a couple of different stains at Sherwin Williams while I was picking up my gray color for the nursery. I used very little of the stain. Hardly enough to even add the cost to my investment. I have plenty left over for a thousand other projects!

I started with a dark stain called Rustic Gray. I waited for it to dry, sanded it down (especially around the edges to give it that worn look) and then added the second coat in Pickled White. I used a rag to apply both finishes making sure to rub it was I went so the gray would still be the dominant color. Once the white dried, I sanded it again and then went over certain parts with a small brush to add a little more interest and unevenness to it.

I waited a day or so to make sure the paint was dry before adding the final touch. I needed to cover that panda and logo! As cute as the panda is it's not really what I'm trying to go for in the nursery. I visited Hobby Lobby and picked up a gorgeous gray burlap flower and a smaller paper flower from the scrap booking department. Total cost $5.

Here is the finished product! I love the way it came out! I'm thinking I can use it on the dresser to hold lotions or baby bows or other small items.

Hope this inspires you to convert a Goodwill find to something fun for your home!