Master Bedroom: Bedside Tables

Remember then we got these tables from Maryland? It was a very small world after all  experience. After living with the bedside tables as-is for six months, I found some dreamy hardware that motivated me to get working: 

 

I liked my new hardware so much I took the old hardware off before getting a true "before" picture. Since we're using cream, yellow, and gray in our room, I figured it'd be best to lighten the bedside tables. While I briefly considered painting the tables gray, I already had off white and decide that it would look fine. Not to mention, we have two different wood finishes elsewhere in our room so using off white created some consistency between the dresser and bedside tables.  

 

These tables were a bit tricky since the wood stain on them ran when I applied the paint. To solve this problem, after the first coat of paint, I sprayed each table with a coat of Shellac, sealing the wood finish. With the next two coats of paint, the wood stain was fully covered. I also had to fill the holes where the old hardware was installed then install the new hardware.  Overall, it was a pretty easy makeover. Slowly but surely our bedroom is coming together.

 

Grateful

This Thanksgiving we are fortunate to be in the company of loved ones. While I aim to share my gratitude year round, Thanksgiving is a perfect reminder to do so. In this year of tremendous change, from full-time graduate student to full-time wife and expectant mother, I have been made exceedingly aware of the many blessings in my life. I am so thankful for our loving God and His unfailing grace, my devoted husband and his constant support, the baby growing in my womb, and, of course, our incredible friends and family!

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 
Psalm 107:31-32

Master Bedroom: His Dresser

With Peter's first "real" paycheck he purchased a rather large television. With no place to put the television, he made a quick trip to Goodwill and found a $40 dresser as a temporary solution. 

My dad has often pointed out that many temporary solutions stick around longer than we anticipate. Peter's Goodwill dresser has been with us through three moves, lasting longer than the television it used to hold. Today, rather than storing Xbox games and DVDs, it holds his clothes. A few years ago, right after we adopted Lily, our sweet new pup attacked the entire right side of the dresser doing significant damage to the upper corner.  The damage never bothered either of us since we figured the dresser would be replaced one day.

Of course, we both like the dresser; it is sturdy, solid wood, and provides enough storage for Peter's clothes.  The only real issue I had with the dresser was that the dark wood created a gigantic eye sore in our room. In order to reduce the amount of visual space the dresser consumes, I decided to paint it off white. Using the Annie Sloane chalk paint, once again, I transformed the bulky dresser into something a bit more sleek while camouflaging Lily's damage.  I used wood-fill to plug the holes where the old hardware was attached then primed those spots but otherwise I did no prep work before painting.

After looking at Hobby Lobby, Home Depot, Anthropologie, and Lowe's, Peter picked out new hardware for the dresser at Lowe's for a grand total of $17.63. I decided to install just one handle on each drawer in order to create a more modern look. I'm just guessing, but I think Peter's new and improved dresser may be with us for the long haul.