Christmas DIY Project

Every year, my mom, Jeri comes up with creative but simple presents to give to her friends. Every year, it seems, they get cuter and cuter and every year I get more and more jealous that I didn't think of them myself. This year, I did some Pinteresting for a Craft Night some friends and I had and ran across these - painted (with Annie Sloan paint)  Ball jars vases and I THINK I may have one-upped her! (but not even close)

It's a super easy process: I just painted the jars with two coats of Annie Sloan's Old White (three would look even better) with a regular paint brush. After they dried, I applied a tiny bit of gold gilding wax to the screw part of the jar (at the top) to add some Christmas flair. (note: I did NOT wax them). Then  I  sanded the parts that were raised allowing the glass to show through for a distressed look. To finish them up, I tied a little gold raffia around the top, threw in some sprigs of greenery from around our house, and called it a day.

What do you think? Cute, right?

DIY - Chevron Desk (Completed)

 

 

DONE!

I am absolutely obsessed with this desk. I found it on Craigslist for basically nothing and my initial intentions where to paint the whole thing white. While looking on Pinterest for inspiration, I saw a few posts that featured desks, credenzas, and dressers that were painted while still leaving some of the original wood. I figured I'd give it a try using masking tape to create a chevron pattern. I would normally explain the process, but I literally just eye-balled it. I never have patience for things like that, but honestly it looks pretty good.

I talked a bit about the process here. Hope you like the final product! (Now I just need a chair bc not I have to kneel. The. Worst.

Annie Sloan - Chevron Desk (BEFORE)

Get ready. This desk is complete but you'll have to wait for the "AFTER" pictures. For now, I want to show you the progress pictures. I bought this old desk from someone on Craigslist after I immediately fell in love. I was attracted to it's simple and effortless design and I knew that I could do something amazing with it using Annie Sloan's paints/waxes. Also, it was $30.

Since the chevron pattern is really trending, I decided to give it a try. It was literally the biggest pain the ass, but totally worth it. I would explain the process in words, but I suggest simply YouTubing it. Much easier. Make sure to keep checking for a post about the final product and hopefully you'll love it as much as I do.

So I've Moved...

Yes. Again. I have moved. Of course I'm still in San Francisco (like I'd ever leave), but now I'm in an apartment that I'm truly proud to call home. I've reunited with 12ft ceilings, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, and an IN UNIT washer and dryer. There will be a whole post dedicated to my new apartment, but for now, please know that I am back to DIYing using Annie Sloan's line of paints and waxes, and I couldn't be happier. For so many reasons, my new apartment just feels like...home. Above, I've included a picture of my room (that's still in progress) and some of the pieces I've been working on. Obviously, keep reading for the finished products.

Credenza (Final)

 

Friday!

This week has flown by and I'm totally okay with that. I think that part of the reason was that I was keeping myself busy trying to finish this credenza for Korey, my boyfriend, before he left for LA for the weekend. It's the first piece I've done since moving from Louisiana and I'm basically in love.

Step 1: painted the entire credenza in Annie Sloan's Florence
Step 2: painted the exterior of the credenza in Annie Sloan's Country Grey
Step 3: sanded the credenza creating an antiqued/distressed look allowing some of the Florence to show        through in spots.
Step 4: applied clear wax to the entire credenza
Step 5: applied dark wax (minimally) to the exterior completing the distressed/antiqued look

Please keep reading for many more projects to come. I already have one in the pipeline...

BTW - the "M" on the credenza is not for me. His roommate's name is Matt, too. #justsaying

DIY: Credenza {Florence and Country Grey}

Oh it feels so good to be back in action.

This is the preview post to tomorrow's reveal. This is an old credenza that I restored using Annie Sloan's line of paints and waxes. Make sure to read tomorrow for the big reveal!

1) painted entire desk in Florence
2) painted exterior in Country Grey leaving the inside Florence
3) sanded/distressed the exterior allowing the Florence and original wood to show through
3) waxed the credenza using the dark and clear waxes on the exterior and just clear on the interior

Mended Furniture - Serpentine Dresser (Re-Post)

 

 

 

I've have a ton of traffic from Pinterest on this post so I thought I'd go ahead and re-post it. Enjoy!

I say this every time I finish a piece of furniture for someone, but I think this is my favorite one yet! As a reminder, through the Mended Nest, I sell furniture that I find and repaint OR I repaint other's furniture. In this case, this is a client's dresser who trusted me enough to let me go crazy and do whatever I wanted. Obviously, it's not too off-the-wall, but still young, fun, and classic.

It took a lot a work, but it was totally worth the effort. I started by painting the whole dresser in Annie Sloan's Paris Grey and the drawers (and the sides of the dresser) in Provence. I also added a border of Provence on the top of the dresser. After applying a few coats, I went over the whole thing with a mixture of French Linen and water, wiping the excess with an old shirt as I went. This allowed the original color to bleed through with a washed/cloudy effect. After it dried, I distressed it a little and applied both clear and dark waxes to seal the paint. Again, I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome; I hope my client feels the same way!

If you're interested in getting a quote for your furniture, email us at TheMendedNest@gmail.com!

Vanity (Arles and Cream)

 

This was one of my very first Annie Sloan project for a client. Obviously I'm in love.

I created a custom color mixing A.S.'s Arles and Cream to produce a more buttery yellow. I wish I had better/more pictures to show the inside of the drawers which I completed in A.S.'s Provence. It. Was. Everything.

Mended Furniture - All White

 

 

 

Annie Sloan's Old White, that is. My friend, Johnny's mom asked me to redo a small table she had, so I (of course) accepted. It came to me a little beat up and kind of a funky dark green. It wasn't bad at all, but I knew I could make it even better. Per her request, I'm only using one color - Old White. Last night, I started applying all the waxes, and hopefully I'll be sharing the finished product with you tomorrow. Keep reading!

Lissa's Kitchen Set - Work in Progress

Happy Monday! Is it Friday yet?

So here, you can see that I blogged about this earlier; this is just a progress post. This is (obviously) a picture of the chairs that I'm working on that will go with the table and bench. I think that they're coming out beautifully. I used 3 coats of Annie Sloan's Old White to completely cover the chairs that were originally just a natural light wood. Afterward, I went over the chairs and sanded them pretty heavily, allowing a fair amount of the natural wood to show through. Because I wanted them to stay white, I didn't use any of the dark wax to seal - only the clear. Finally, I used a polycrylic to completely seal the chairs. I don't always to this, but since chairs get more abuse than an end table or dresser, I figured it could use the extra protection.

The finished product will be posted about later this week. Make sure to keep reading!

PS - please excuse my attire. I DO have short on, but they're those obnoxiously (bordering on offensively) short running shorts. I had just finished running the lakes before coming over.

Mended Furniture - Foyer Table

So what do you think? This is a table that I just finished for one of my clients using Annie Sloan's paints and waxes. I love this table because of it's simplicity (in terms of design and color scheme I chose). I usually try and throw in a blue or green, but I'm happy I decided to keep this neutral. 

For the body and legs, I went with one of my colors, Country Gray and for the drawers and top, I went with Old White. I only used a little of the dark wax because I wanted the table to keep it's original color. What do you think?!

If you're interested in a quote to have something refinished, please email me at themendednest@gmail.com. I'm happy to answer any questions, and I look forward to hearing from you soon! I also have pieces in The Foyer in Baton Rouge (down the strip from Juban's on Perkins) for sale. Check them out here.