There isn’t a huge amount that has been completed, but I did manage to finish one wall. At this point, that seems like a HUGE accomplishment. Getting anything done this week has been kind of a joke. Between Ella and I both being sick, tons of nursery-related errands being run and housework piling up, nothing productive has really taken place around our house since Monday afternoon!
But back to my point. This is my changing station. I know I’ve already explained that this once was a dresser in our craft/play room. I bought it at a consignment shop for $50. It was an old hotel fixture and was in great shape and very sturdy. I refinished it right after I bought it, but it has gotten pretty banged up over the last year or so. Josh helped me sand it over the weekend and we gave it a fresh coat of glossy white chocolate paint (I use paint from Walmart… gasp!). The pulls from Hobby Lobby were perfect and look great on the creamy colored drawers. When I bought them, I couldn’t decide how I felt about the four differently designed knobs, but seeing them here all together gives me a little boost of confidence.
I used Ella’s changing pad and cream chenille cover on top of the dresser. I’m a rebel and cut the straps off since I never used them before. I did, at least, use the tabs on the back of the pad to secure it to the dresser and keep it from sliding. The shabby pink file drawers were picked up from the same consignment shop as the dresser and cost almost as much. I couldn’t help myself… they spoke to me. And they were pink! You caught a glimpse of the lamp earlier in the week, but here’s the whole shebang. I found it a few weeks ago at Homegoods and could kick myself for not buying another one. If you see one out there, please let me know. It seems some other pink lamp lover stole it right out from under me.
Here is a little closer view of the art above the dresser. I knew all along that I wanted some kind of gallery wall of frames or photos in this spot. My mother-in-law had a box of old frames that she was getting rid of and I raided her trash pile! The prints weren’t my style and the frames all needed a coat of paint, but after playing with them like a puzzle, I got a design that I was happy with. I added a chunky frame of my own, a small wooden shelf and two ballerina prints that hung in my mother’s childhood bedroom, as well as mine.
I started by spray painting the frames, but the finish was all wrong. Monday afternoon, I pulled them all down from the wall and painted them the old fashioned way – paint and brush. They look so much better and actually match the woodwork in the room. The large frame with the bible verse was a little of a fluke. I fully intended to put a family portrait here once we were home from the hospital with Sophie and K worked her magic. In the meantime, however, the wall needed a little color and although I wanted empty frames, there were a few too many. I picked up some charcoal paper* at the art store and played around with the bible verse and a few different fonts. This cute print is what I ended up with. Now I like it so much that I’m trying to figure out where to hang that family portrait!
