Thursday, December 1, 2011

Painted Dresser and Nursery Prints

I hope you are enjoying hearing about Mason's nursery. I'm really enjoying telling you about it and I could probably go on and on about the room because it's now a little nugget of my heart, but I think I'll wrap it up today with some final details.

Today's story is about this area of Mason's room:


It's home to my two favorite projects. The first is the set of prints that hang above the dresser.



Kerry correctly identified where these prints came from. They are originally from a Little Golden Book called "Corky."


The day Julianne and I were hitting up vintage shops and found the vintage rocker, we also came across a copy of this book for $5. Julianne is a black lab NUT - she and David have two black labs, Brady and Lucy.

Seeing this little book almost made Julianne cry in the store. So we obvi had to get it. And then I blew her mind by telling her that we could rip out the pages and frame them for the nursery. She loved the idea.

But I kept the best part secret...I didn't tell Julianne that I actually didn't have to rip out the pages. With a scanner and my Mad Photoshop Skills*, I was able to scan the pages we liked and then doctor them up to make them look fresh and match the colors of the room. I also took artistic license with the prose and changed names and sentence structure.

So I started with this scan:


And this is what it looked like after applying my MPS:


Brady got the role in the book because he came first. Lucy is his little sister and I thought that the first-born deserved the part.

Another example:




Pretty nifty, huh? I really, really loved working on this because we got a huge bang for our buck. Once my files were done, I had Staples color print them on 8.5x11 cardstock for a whopping $1/each. And I framed them in very inexpensive 8x10 light wood frames from AC Moore. The whole wall of prints was less than $20 and arguably one of the most sentimental things in the room.

And my other favorite project was definitely the dresser. Remember this $40 Craigslist find?


I loved that Julianne and I worked on this together - mainly because it helped me get it done but also because I think she enjoyed playing a part in creating something for the nursery.


We cleaned this guy, sanded him down a bit and then used oil-based primer to create a nice fresh layer. Then we painted it using a sample quart from Sherwin Williams, but I forget the color. Those sample quarts are such a good deal - $5 for SW's high-quality paint (it's my favorite). The quart was MORE than enough to paint this piece with two coats.

Then we painted in the detail with Folk Art craft paint and some small paintbrushes. I think the color was "Antique Gold" - it was a coppery-gold that I used to bring out the copper of the lamp (which I found at HomeGoods...I LOVE IT).


The project took time, but it was not difficult. And I was able to get exactly what I wanted for a great price.

That wraps up the tour of projects! If you have questions about a specific item's source or anything in the room, feel free to email me!



 *Shout-out to my friend and fellow designer Crystal who also shared some of her Mad Photoshop Skills with me and helped make the prints extra awesome.

8 comments:

  1. Very nicely done!

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  2. Thanks for mentioning me. Corky was one of my favorite books when I was really little and that's why I still have it. My mind is racing trying to think of the best Children's book images that I might personalize. It really is a fantastic touch and I'm glad the book is still intact for little Mason.

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  3. Anonymous12/01/2011

    So generous to share your ideas & creative talent - thanks much. Love the prints & the monogram pillow ideas.

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  4. Whoa -- super cool with those prints!

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  5. The pictures are adorable and add such a personal touch to Mason's room. You are very creative!

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  6. Amazing idea for the prints - love how it became personable by putting their names it. That will be a "life" art work pieces for the family - so special!

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  7. Hi Daniela--I love what you did with the prints from that book! So creative and they look great! Regarding the SW sample paints--I'm curious, did SW change the formulation for their sample quarts? I remember when I purchased a slew of them a couple of years ago they told me at the store that they were not regular paint quality, but were in fact a "sample" grade that would not hold up over time. I'd love to know that this has changed b/c the quart size is great--so much more paint than the little $3 samples at lowes and home depot. ps. this is anne worthington--we ran into each other at jenny komenda's sale in DC a couple years ago....I was a Stroul probie at UVA too...anyway, your blog is great! :)

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    1. Hey Anne! Sorry for the massive delay getting back to you. I'm not sure if they have changed the formulation, but I swear by SW sample quarts. I've used them for lots of smaller projects and so far, so good. Granted, nothing has had a 10-year test or anything, but I have enjoyed using the paint. Good luck on your painting projects and say hi to Phil!

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