Seeing Red!

 With the birth of our son, my DIY projects have centered around his room and some western flare. I realize most people do these things BEFORE the baby comes, but for those who know our history, know I never let my self truly believe in the small miracles until they are here safely.  Almost like I am afraid I will jinx it or something...I guess that just comes after such a devastating loss. Anyway, so I am now focused on little man's room and wanted to share a few projects I have been working on. 

First, here is a little wall decor.

This is actually a piece of barn wood from one of our family barns. It was honestly pretty perfect as it was...weathered, worn, etc.  I took some sand paper and sanded the edges just in case some little hands were to grab it (no splinters for us!) and then just took some red milk paint and dry brushed it over the wood.  Seriously as easy as that. The stars were made from heavy metal, so I used liquid nail to attach them to the wood (I was afraid hot glue would not have been strong enough).  I let that dry overnight, attached hanging hooks to the back, and TA DA! Done!

My second project has been this antique dresser.

I really thought it would be perfect for his room, however, after completing the project, we moved it into his room, started adding the clothes, and figured out it was not NEAR big enough...so, it will now go to one of  my booths...a little disappointed, but love it all the same! This antique dresser was well worn in that it had the perfect amount of knicks, wear, and yet still had beautiful lines and stain color.   I simply covered it in light coats of milk paint, distressed it lightly (I wanted that dark stain to show through, not as much of the natural wood), and then applied dark wax over the entire piece. I applied the dark wax pretty heavy over the corners of the drawers as that is where there was the most wear and I wanted to really draw that out and make it a focal point.  I had ordered western knobs to match his room, but I decided to save those bad boys for which ever piece we end up using in there and the original knobs on this piece were still gorgeous and fit the piece perfectly, so back on they went! I did add a little bit of antiquing gel to them just to deepen their color.

Here is an up-close of the dresser's leg...this is why I love milk paint so...love its "chippiness" and it just adds so much character!

So blessed to have the opportunity to create this space for such a wonderful little boy and I love getting to share it with all of you! Many blessings!