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February 10, 2014 by: Ashley Greenwood

Just a Little Blue ~ Nightstands

chalk paint nightstands

When my grandmother gifted Tootsie with a complete bedroom suite for her Big Girl room, I thanked her profusely and quickly loaded it up in Honey’s truck.

As soon as we were out of the driveway she turned to my mother and asked, “What color is she going to paint my bed?” 😉

Mema will be happy to know that I have no intention of painting the bed. But the nightstands?

Those just got a coat of baby blue paint!diy nightshades

How could I resist adding a little bit of color to all that maple wood? Besides too much brown makes my head hurt!

The before picture… well built, very brown laminate.

bedroom decor

And the oh so pretty makeover!

Just a Little Blue Nightstands by 3 Little Greenwoods

While I might not paint Mema’s bed I couldn’t help myself with these nightstands. DIY Chalk Paint to the rescue!

Step 1: Mix Up the Chalk Paint

There’s a ton of recipes for DIY Plaster of Paris Chalk Paint out there. I love The Happy Housie and Krista’s recipe for DIY Plaster of Paris Chalk Paint is spot on!

DIY Plaster of Paris Chalk Paint Recipe

Blend 1/2 cup plaster of paris with 1/2 warm water until completely dissolved. Stir in 1 cup latex paint of any color.

I love this paint! It goes on smooth and creamy with great coverage.

Step 2: Give a Light Sanding to Your Piece

Most tutorials say you don’t have to sand at all with chalk paint but I wasn’t taking any chances. Just because Tootsie’s a sweet little girl doesn’t mean she isn’t hard on furniture.

blue nightstands

Step 3: Paint Two Coats of the DIY Chalk Paint

I am lazy so I barely let my first coat dry before slapping on a second. But I did let the paint cure for 3 days before I placed anything on top of them or applied a coat of wax.

 Step 4: Apply a Protective Coat of Wax

This is important! You need a coat of wax over the newly painted piece to protect it.

The only wax I have ever used is Minwax Paste Finishing Wax. It has worked great on all the DIY chalk paint pieces I have painted.

waxing chalk paint

Simple scoop a small amount from the tin and rub it on with a soft cloth. Making a wad of the fabric worked great applying the coat of wax.

chalk paint laminate

After the wax dries for a few minutes, buff it to a sheen. So pretty!

diy chalk paint

The baby blue paint adds the perfect touch of color to her bedroom.

simple lampshade makeover

The painted nightstand also looks great with the newly recovered lampshades!

lampshade makeover

I’m half way through My #1 Goal for the New Year: Transforming Tootsie’s Bedroom into a Big Girl Space.

Big Girl Bedroom Action Plan:

  • Add family history with photographs. A Gallery Wall – Generations of Love 
  • Layer the space with pattern and color. Paper Pinwheels ~ Wall Art on a Budget  & DIY Lampshade Makeover 
  • Use what I’ve got! Thank goodness for hand-me-down furniture. DIY Chalk Paint Nightstands
  • Create an inspiring place to play.
gallery wall girls room

Gallery Wall ~ Generations of Love

girl bedroom wall art

Paper Pinwheels: Wall Art on a Budget

lampshade makeover

Sweet and Simple Lampshade Makeover

Only a few more projects to go! Thank you so much for following along as I make our sweet girl’s room a space to smile about!

                       Your comments totally make my day! They give me huge motivation to                    keep creating and having fun with my 3 Little Greenwoods! 

~ Ashley

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Comments

  1. 1

    Abby says

    February 10, 2014 at 10:39 pm

    These little nightstands are so cute, and I like the mix of wood in the room with leaving the bed unpainted. So dumb question, can you just put regular polyurethane over chalk paint or has it got to be wax? Thanks so much for stopping by chapter37 and for your kind comment!

    Reply
    • 2

      3littlegreenwoods says

      February 11, 2014 at 2:40 am

      Mmm… I would do some research on using poly but I would think it would be a great way to protect chalk paint. I am following along so I can see what your next painting project will be. 😉

      Reply
  2. 3

    Jess says

    February 11, 2014 at 4:00 am

    This looks fantastic! Nice job!

    Again, thanks for joining the Link Up this week!

    Reply
    • 4

      3littlegreenwoods says

      February 11, 2014 at 6:30 pm

      Thank you Jess for hosting! It’s so much fun to share my projects and see what everyone else is doing!

      Reply
  3. 5

    Deonna Wade says

    February 11, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    Love this…that color is so cheerful and fun. I had an old night stand from my grandma and I painted it red and put it in my son’s nursery. It’s nice because every time I see it or dust it 🙂 I think of her. Chalk paint is the best huh? I love it!

    Reply
    • 6

      3littlegreenwoods says

      February 11, 2014 at 7:13 pm

      Girl… chalk paint is the bomb! I am already looking for something else to paint with it! So happy you were able to reuse your grandmother’s night stand in your little one’s nursery. Tootsie’s room is filled with memories of great ladies who love her.

      Stay warm!
      Ashley

      Reply
  4. 7

    Erica @fortheloveofdecorating says

    February 12, 2014 at 1:15 am

    These look great! Love the shade of blue! Just popping over from the “Do Tell Tuesday” link party. Thanks for linking up.

    Erica
    http://www.fortheloveofdecorating.com

    Reply
    • 8

      3littlegreenwoods says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:15 pm

      Hey Erica! Thank so much for your sweet comment. Your “Thrifty Thursday” post was awesome! I want to go shopping with you!

      Reply
  5. 9

    Natasha @ Epic Mommy Adventures says

    February 12, 2014 at 1:31 am

    I love the splash of color throughout the room. I like wooden furniture, however, a splash of color is really great in a child’s room.

    Thanks so much for sharing on Turn It Up Tuesday! We love having you! 🙂

    Reply
    • 10

      3littlegreenwoods says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:09 pm

      Such a thrill to hear from you Natasha! Thank you for all your hard work hosting Turn It Up Tuesdays!

      Reply
  6. 11

    Brandi @ Nest of Bliss says

    February 12, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    Very cute! 🙂 I love the lamp too!

    Reply
    • 12

      3littlegreenwoods says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:07 pm

      Hey Brandi! Thanks for stopping by and your sweet comment. Love your Valentine Mantel!

      Reply
  7. 13

    Jennifer Burby says

    March 15, 2015 at 9:29 pm

    I love DIY chalk paint and recently used a recipe similar to this on a what was once ugly nightstand. Annie Sloan has gorgeous chalk paint but it’s extremely expensive and this option is way better for the budget-conscious. Cheers.

    Reply
    • 14

      3littlegreenwoods says

      April 5, 2015 at 8:25 pm

      I’m too much of a cheapy to pay big bucks for name brand chalk paint. But I bet it is fabulous! 😉

      Reply

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