Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Blue Ombre Dresser with Homemade Chalk Paint

Remember way back when I asked what I should do with this dresser?


Just to refresh your memory, it's for my daughter Kayla's room.  She is dead set on having her room be blue and green and wanted the dresser painted both colors.  I'm not a huge fan of multicolored pieces of furniture, so we came up with a compromise.


I painted it an ombre blue and added some cute blue and green knobs.

I didn't want to buy a bunch of paint for this project, so I just used what I had in the garage and mixed, mixed, and mixed some more.  Achieving the right shades and differentiation in color definitely took some experimentation!

Here's just a little sample of some of the colors we tried.  To make chalk paint, I just add Plaster of Paris and a little water to the paint.  The benefit of using chalk paint is no sanding and priming and a short dry time.  It also distresses really well, but we didn't want to distress this piece.

I would love to add Kayla's room to our house tour, but it's definitely NOT in photo-worthy shape right now.  There's a huge bunk bed right in the middle of the room and sheets strung up to make a fort, not to mention all of the precious treasures she cannot bear to throw away.  Ahhh, the life of a preteen girl!  Here's just a teeny-tiny view into this blue and green room. 

I think this little brass owl is so cute.  He used to be in the living room, until Kayla adopted him as her own.

What do you think?  Are you still a fan of ombre?  I am!  And, if we get tired of it, all it takes is some paint to give it a new look.

Linked to some of my favorite DIY blogs:  Liz Marie, House of Hepworths, My Simple Home Life, Happy Hour Projects,
Elizabeth & Co, DIY Dreamer, Today's Creative Blog, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Reasons to Skip the HouseworkPrimitive and Proper, Home Stories of A to Z, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Tip Junkie, Type A Decorating, , The Thrifty Home, Domestically Speaking, Primp,
A Diamond in the Stuff, Restore Interiors, The Shabby Chic CottageBeyond the Picket Fence, My Simple Home Life,
Addicted 2 Decorating, Just a Girl, Remodelaholic, Miss Mustard Seed, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Thrifty Decor Chick, Coastal CharmSerenity Now, Get Outta My Head Please, You are Talking Too Much, The Southern Institute  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Fox Hollow Cottage Pinterest PartyBeneath My Heart

18 comments:

Cassie Bustamante said...

it looks amazing! i love the knobs! loving what i am seeing in that room!

Lisa @ Shine Your Light said...

I totally love how the ombre affect completely changed this piece! Pretty blues and so fun for a kid's room! Lucky girl to have such a creative mama!

Maury @ Life on Mars said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE this! Looks so great!

Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. said...

Your dresser is amazing! Love all the shades of blue! And as a girl who loves to play with paint, I'm so glad you included the photo of the paint cups! That just made me smile!

Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door said...

So cute! Perfect for a girls room!

Emily @ The Diligent One said...

I love the colors- great job!

Danylle McLain said...

What a difference paint can make! Love the ombre look and those knobs are perfect. She will be able to grow through her teens with that one.

Aubrey {All Things Bright and Beautiful} said...

Definitely still a fan of the ombre...and what a friggin' cool makeover!!! I'm not usually one for the multi-colored either, so this is a faboo compromise with the kidlet (c: And then they feel like they made a contribution! Win-win! (c;

Tiffany said...

That is so adorable. I can't believe you mixed all that paint yourself! I'm still loving ombre also.

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Oh...I love all the colors on her...beautiful makeover.

Blessings,
linda

Michelle {Jarrah Jungle} said...

You really did save that poor cabinets life! I love the mix of blues it looks perfect on those drawers. Great job lovey :)

Sam | Away She Went said...

Looks great! I really need to try homemade chalk paint - I feel like the last person to try some form of chalk paint! Anywhoo, good call with the ombre affect!

Cara said...

How very fun!

A room with a view said...

I love what you did with this piece, Suzy and those knobs are adorable!

Donna Wilkes said...

Mommy hit a home run with this one! I loved the shape of this when you first showed it. The different shades of blue accent the height of the piece. Kayla is one lucky girl!

Distressed Donna Down Home

Anonymous said...

so so cute! i love the ombre, you are inspiring me to try something new...
keya

Miss Kitty said...

Very classy, Suzy! Thanks for sharing how you make your own chalk paint too. I saw your post over at Debbie Doo's pinning party. I am pinning your fabulous ombre chest of drawers on Pinterest. Hope you get lots of views over there too.

Beth @A Little Country House said...

Looks really good! Love the hardware!