craftiness :: special guest

Today's topic is "Craftiness" ...and I am so stoked to have Lauren from First Comes Love over to blog about a super cool DIY project. Lauren and I first met at the beginning of the year when a huge group of friends got together in Gatlinburg, TN. You see, my husband and Lauren's husband are good friends and actually grew up together. Well, Lauren and I hit it off that weekend, then 'lo and behold, a few weeks later we discovered one another's blogs... which is also when we discovered our mutual love for craft projects and DIY home decor. Just wait until you see what Lauren has in store for you guys today! A fabulous project that I can't wait to try when I get home from the cruise. Be sure to stop by First Comes Love and say hello! Enjoy...

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Hi there! My name is Lauren and I blog over at First Comes Love! I'm so flattered that Julia asked me to contribute to her lovely blog while she's gone. I know we all are missing her, but I, for one, am completely jealous of her big Alaskan adventure that she's on as we speak! Hope you're having a blast, Julia!

I started blogging shortly after I got married as a way to keep our families and friends back home in the loop about our newlywed life in our new home in Nashville. Little did I know, the blogging community became an incredible inspiration and has allowed me to share not only about our good life and big dreams, but also about the process of making our sweet little townhouse a home.

I refinished my first piece of furniture about a year ago... a hand-me-down hutch from my in-laws. It turned out so lovely and I enjoyed it oh-so-much. My husband now has a hard time keeping me from painting every piece of furniture in our house! I have talked him into quite a few transformations though... including the rest of the dining room set, as well as a few pieces that we picked up in thrift stores and such.

Right before we were married, we bought a beautiful, rich, wooden bedroom set.

We opted out of the bedside tables, deciding they were too bulky and heavy for what we wanted. We went months searching for something perfect, but ended up with a couple of slim-line, single-drawer tables from Target.

I love the simplicity of them, but it always bothered me that they were so "matchy-matchy" (that's a technical term) without actually matching. It just looked like we were trying too hard to make them fit, when, in all actuality, they just didn't. Recently, I painted horizontal stripes behind our bed, and that was enough to push me over the edge.

The next night, I sanded these babies down. (I was actually really pleased with the quality of this Target piece, for the record. It was solid wood! Surprise!)

(Call me crazy, but I actually really liked them just like this! They would be beautiful in a room with mostly white furniture and textiles, don't you think?)

I painted the table a creamy white that I've used on other pieces in the past... to give it a little something special, I decided to use leftover wallpaper from our office nook and cover the drawer fronts and bottom shelf. I let the paint cure, applied wallpaper paste, and cut the paper to fit (with 1/4 inch extra on each side). I applied it as you would any other wallpaper, placing it on the surface and smoothing out any bubbles that remain.

After letting the paste dry for a few minutes (I'm impatient), I took sandpaper to each edge to take off the extra paper. This also gives each edge a little bit of "roughness" and keeps it from looking too new and polished, just the way I like it.

I took high-grit sandpaper to each corner of the table and called it done.

And there you have it! It is exactly what I envisioned!

Thanks again for having me Julia! Hope you're enjoying all that Alaska has to offer... we can't wait to see pics from our favorite photog!

xo,
Lauren