A painted nightstand...and my new venture

I’m so excited to share my nightstand with you!  I got this baby off Craigslist for $25 and was super excited about it!  It was my first time buying anything off Craigslist and it went really well, actually.  When I bought the nightstand, I really didn’t have a place for it in our home.  I knew I wanted something old and I wanted a piece I could paint/refinish.  I just started cruising Craigslist and found this beauty and thought it would be a fun piece to start on.  When I got it home, I tried it out in different places and finally ended up putting it next to the guest bed in the basement.  My mother-in-law kept telling me we needed a nightstand down there every time she spent the night, so I thought this would do the trick.  And, for $25, plus a few supplies to refinish it, it cost less and has much more personality and detail than anything I could have bought at a chain store.

before 

(sorry about the quality of this photo - it was taken with my phone)

after

I knew before I bought it that I wanted to do a stained top and paint the rest of the piece.  I had seen that look over on Miss Mustard Seed’s blog and thought it looked so sharp.  Since this is the first piece I’ve ever painted - well, besides spray painting - I was a little nervous and didn't know where to start.  I had heard a LOT about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and really wanted to try it, but wasn’t ready to commit to the high price tag yet.  And my husband REALLY wasn’t ready!  ;)  So, my husband went searching all over the ‘net to see if there was a “better way” and found a recipe to make your own chalk paint.  To make it, you use 1 part Plaster of Paris and 2 parts latex paint.  The homemade chalk paint turned out pretty well, but I’m not sure I love it.  I really want to buy a quart or a few sample pots of ASCP to see how it works and compare it to the homemade chalk paint I made.  From what I’ve been reading, I’m going to assume that  the ASCP is far superior to my homemade chalk paint.  I guess I just need to save up a little money and just go for it.  And ya know what?  If I hate it, I can just try something else.  I know I can just use latex paint, but I've been hearing so much about ASCP, I can't get it out of my head!

I was excited to start on my project, but wasn’t sure how I would like it once I got going on it.  It is a lot of work at times, but I found that the painting, distressing, waxing was such a stress reliever for me.  It gave me time to be alone with my thoughts and I could even let my creativity out a little bit.  I’ve had a hard time separating myself from being a mom since I had my daughter and I found (so far, at least) that painting is something that can give me that separation.  Not that I don’t want to be a mom, I just need to be Allison, the person, sometimes!  I need some time to be able to think about things other than sippy cups and potty training!

This painting project brings me to my new venture I want to share with you.  I have decided to start buying and refinishing/painting antique furniture.  I have always loved the look of antique furniture when done in a tasteful way.  I love the look of an updated home with a few gorgeous antique pieces thrown in there to spice it up a little.  Heck, I would LOVE to live in an old farmhouse, renovate it and have antique furniture tastefully strewn about the home.  But that is only in my dreams since I’m pretty sure my hubby doesn’t share those same thoughts!  Oh well, maybe one day I'll change his mind!  Anyway, I want to start refinishing pieces for my home that will have a purpose and meaning for my home and family.  Eventually I would love to start selling my pieces and be able to contribute to the family income - being a stay at home mom - while doing something I love at the same time.  I don’t know what this will look like for me in the future.  Selling my pieces in an antique store?  Selling pieces online?  Doing custom orders?  I have no idea, but I’m open to just about anything right now!  So, I’ll be researching a lot more.  Colors and finishes I like.  Styles of furniture I want to focus on - good thing I saved my furniture book from college when I was going to be an interior designer!  I knew I should hang on to that book for a reason.  I kept taking it with us when we would move to different houses.  I felt like God was telling me to just keep it, that it may come in handy someday.  Well, maybe this is why He had me hang on to it.  Now I just need a larger vehicle so I can buy bigger pieces of furniture!  ;)

Thanks so much for checking out my new project!  Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.  

* Update:  I forgot to tell you ... I used Sherwin Williams Versatile Gray on the body and Minwax Dark Walnut stain on the top.

I'm linking up to the following blogs to share my project!  (This is my first time "linking up" anywhere...we'll see how it goes!)

Today's Creative Blog - Get Your Craft On
{Primp} - Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

House of Hepworths - Hookin Up With HoH

Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

Tatertots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party