Time's Up: Laundry Room Reveal

Can you believe the TWO WEEKS are up?  The time has flown by....and I have to admit, I am a little glad it's over.  My confession from this experience is that I LIED.  I actually don't like a deadline.  The only way I like a deadline is when everything goes my way.  Very realistic, don't you think?  So, even though I cursed and cried my way through this project, I am THRILLED with the results!

Just a reminder of what I started with......

Very drab, very boring back door.  Cluttered shelf practically disappearing into the wall...AND, the biggest crime of all....NO ACCESSORIES!!  How to change a boring door into one you LOVE: Add CHALKBOARD....and ask your very talented sister, Deanna, to paint sweet birds for you.

 

Deanna used acrylic craft paint to fill in the pencil drawing she did first.  I think it took her all of ten minutes.  Yes, it's ridiculous, really.  The girl's got talent.  After she painted, I distressed them with  fine sandpaper.  I love their faded look!

Then, if you're like me and don't go near the power tools, you ask your husband carpenter (AKA Dave) to install trim. 

 

And, of course, Dave will run into the garage and whip out his OWN trim from some random pieces of wood on the side of the house.  Hopefully, with any luck, you will end up with something like this....

 

 From DRAB to FAB!  This is probably my favorite addition being that I see this from the hall.  I LOVE how the trim changes the door and the black chalkboard against the cream.  (FYI: wall color MARTHA STEWART: Everyday Green, trim color MARTHA STEWART: Butter White)

 

The disappearing shelf came alive with a coat of flat black spray paint.  I had originally planned on re-painting the walls, but after doing the shelf in black, I decided the green walls looked perfect with it.  I added the #'s on the pegs with a paint pen.  Sweet bunny in his place of honor:)  The bottle was wrapped with jute, thanks to Sarah@ThriftyDecorChick.  I added a simple fleur de lis to coordinate with the art work I added on another wall.

I used a wood frame from the closet and applied more of the same flat black.  A little distressing and you've got yourself a new frame for your burlap work of ART.  The burlap was wrapped around the existing cardboard backing just like in the Fancy Pear project.  I used a stencil and colored in the design with a black SHARPIE....I know it's genius.  Unfortunately I can't take the credit for it and I can't thank the person who really is the genius.  So, if you know the blog where she made burlap place mats and used a SHARPIE, be sure to let me know!

 

 

This is the project that the glass broke just after I cleaned it up real nice and was trying to get it back in the frame.  Dave (God love him) said he liked it better with the texture of the burlap and blah, blah, blah....I have made my peace with it nevertheless.  I was thinking of taking it apart and adding cork board so I could use it as a memo board.  Any thoughts?

 

Candlestick revamped from the thrift store and painted flat black.  Dave tied these candles together and they were set out on our wedding night with many more.  I love having a touch of the sentimental....

Next up, the CABINETS.....

 

Now, if you recall, I was attempting to do the makeover  for next to nothing.  So, the first thing I did was take inventory of the supplies I had on hand.  I had two quarts of black paint; one semi-gloss and one satin.  Because I had painted my other cabinets with semi-gloss, that is what I chose to use for these.  IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING BLACK FOR YOUR CABINETS, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING SATIN.  This is just my humble opinion.  The cabinets still turned out great, but the look I was after (not quite so shiny) would have been achieved better with a satin finish. 

 

The distressing turned out better than I could capture on film....the darn things are so shiny!!  It's okay...it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.  And, don't get me wrong....You can't go wrong with black bead board.  Am I right or am I right?

Dave added bead board by cutting out the insert and nailing it to the back.  That way we preserved the design at the top.  This added instant character to builder-grade cabinets with very little effort on my part. (Looking beat down and pathetic usually does the trick...)

 

The window is a mistreated using just one yard of fabric.  Pastoral toile....so pretty.  I even have enough for two pillows on the couch as well.  I added another bamboo roman shade ( I have them in almost every other room of the house)  I really wanted to play up the rich browns and blacks against the pale color of the green.

I added a frame underneath the cabinets that was in the abyss of the guest room closet as well.  It was dark green and had a white matte.  I tea-stained the matte, added postcards given to us from my mother-in-law, and again hit the frame with paint.  The glass stayed intact:)

 

 

 

I love using items I already own....and it's even more meaningful when they are family memorabilia.  Most of the postcards had a postmark of 1915....To think they were just piled in the hope chest!  Now we I can appreciate them every time I do a load:)

 

Last, but not least, I was able to find the PERFECT rug and it was on clearance!  I know this could have been, like, 5 posts....So, if you stuck with me till the end THANK YOU!
It was a fun two weeks.  I may even sign myself up for another Procrastinator's Party......after I ask Dave, of course:)

Happy Loading!!
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