Pinterest Challenge: Week Two*

Welcome to the Pinterest Challenge: Week Two! If you are new to this challenge [as I'm sure most people are since we're only in week two!] then feel free to go here to check out the rules & all pertinent information.

When we started talking about the nursery plans, I was pretty set with the fact that I didn't want a traditional changing table. The room we are using is a decent size, but there were a few key things that I wanted & didn't want to give up. Space was one of them, which means minimal furniture. In an attempt to not only save space but utilize it as best as we could, we decided to find a used dresser and re-purpose it, using the top as our changing table portion.

We got this baby for $100 from a used furniture store near our house. I fell in love with the detail as well as the size & space. It's a heavy piece & very sturdy, but obviously needed some love:

With this project in mind [even before we found the dresser] I had been keeping my eyes open on Pinterest for ways to re-purpose furniture, as well as ideas in general on what color to paint it. Because we had painted the walls such a dark grey, we wanted to stick with really light & bright colors for the rest of the furniture & I wanted the dresser to really pop. I was willing to do the work necessary for a re-purpose job ... until I got this one. I loved the detail, but sanding this bad boy down was going to be a bitch. What was I thinking??

And then I came across Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on pinterest. A product that claimed to be so simple & fabulous, that no prep work was necessary. A paint that doesn't need any sanding? That fills in gaps & holes, & doesn't leave paint streaks? What?? How is this possible? They also claim that you can use this paint on almost anything: furniture, walls, indoors, outdoors ... anything! After searching many, many blogs to see if the claim was true [do a search ... people swear by this paint product!] & searched for a US retailer that shipped, I ordered the paint & got to painting. Because we wanted something bright, I went with the color Provence:

A nice, bright teal! As soon as I opened the can, I knew I was in love. I should also probably mention that I have no idea why they call it "Chalk Paint." This is not chalkboard paint, so please don't get the wrong idea. I haven't quite figured that out yet. But the paint definitely went on as smooth as people said it would. The paint is a little thicker, so I did have to use two coats. However, if you wanted a more rustic look, one coat would have been fine. A lot of people sand down their projects a little, to give it that little bit of "extra rustic" look but I wanted a good solid color, so I applied two coats and left it as is.

After painting & letting dry, I applied a coat of the clear wax, which keeps the paint from scratching & overall just protects the product. I definitely recommend it. I was hesitant at first, but was glad I spent the extra money. The wax can be reapplied overtime, keeping it in good condition.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the final product. I think it's the pop of color that we need in the nursery while also being functional. And, I think it looks good :)

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Alright people! Show me the goods! What did you do this week??