Getting Political - The Campaign Trail

Maybe I'm piggybacking on current events or maybe current events are piggybacking on me. Let's not get caught up in the minutia.

Perhaps the title of this blog post is slightly deceiving. If you thought I was going to talk about politics, well, you'd be wrong and you don't know me. I wanted to talk about something with almost as much coverage but with a greater ability to hold my attention. The ballots are in and the campaign dresser has been re-elected for another term. (#cheesemo) (Pssst...You should probably click on that hash tag. Just take my word for it. I haven't been that entertained in awhile.)

We've seen it every which way. The crowd favorite and also one of mine is the kelly green version from Lonny. This image has been splashed all over the intrawebs like Ebola. And just like Ebola I haven't gotten sick from it...just yet.

This one, in a more neutral gray, is also stunning from Little Green Notebook. Here it is a re-purposed piece used as a kitchen island.

When I came across a set of four, campaign style pieces on Craigslist I felt my palms getting sweaty and my heart started to race. Of course I emailed the seller within a few seconds as she was asking $125 for all four pieces. She also said that her email was blowing up with interested buyers. She was in the area and less than a mile away. I played that neighbor card like a seasoned poker player (err...seasoned go fish player) and scheduled a meet up for that same night.

I wish I had all of the images from her original post. I do still have this one...

This was the longest of the pieces and shortest in stature. Myke thinks it needs a vertical boost like the lifts in Tom Cruise's shoes. It's living in the dining room as a buffet right now. All I've done thus far is give it a good spit shine. (Which is quite a lot of saliva. (#trust)) Along with it was a taller, more vertical piece and two side tables/night stands.

My latest project has been our master bedroom. It was a low priority with everything that has gone wrong in this house. (I can't believe that I still haven't filled you in on that nonsense.) I've just recently started making changes. One being to utilize those nightstands on either side of the bed.

We're working with this color combination in the master bedroom...

This rug is so demanding and insistent on a color palette I have never used before. Ummmm, purple?

The room is painted a bright white. I thought with the pops of color we needed a neutral background. There is also an indescribable amount of light pouring into this room. I wanted it to be bright, clean and cheery. And that it is. So in stark contrast to the brightness I wanted to pull from the darker tones in the rug for the night stands.

Here are some before pictures of these little lovelies...

You can see in this photo that the tops were quite damaged a la Courtney Love. And they too needed a new face.

I sanded down all the surfaces to help the paint adhere. The next logical step would then be to prime everything. Some how this completely escaped me. Most paints have a built in primer but the color and finish I chose did not. I am hoping that the paint endures. I will be heart broken if not.

I used Behr's Hi-Gloss Enamel in Black Suede. I wanted something dark, rich and with a mirror like finish. This campaign dresser, originally from 1st Dibs, was my inspiration.

There are multiple processes when applying a hi-gloss paint. You'll want to stay away from brushing it on as all those brush marks will be highlighted due to the finish. You can use a small foam roller to apply the paint in light layers. I turned to my trusty paint sprayer.

This guy takes some getting used. You have to spend some quality one on one time to really build the foundation of your relationship.

I managed to spray my knife block, back splash and cabinets when trying to clean it after the first use. It was very dramatic/traumatic. It was reminiscent of spilling green food coloring all over our butcher block island while trying to make sugar cookies a few years back. Myke walked into a scene of flour, tears and defeat. (Mind you this was a packaged mix from Sam's Club that all you add is water.) He helped me turn those ruined cookies into something glorious. We made them into teenage mutant ninja turtles. I mean, the island was still ruined but at least there was a little comic relief. Baking is not my strong suit, which you may have already gathered.

Moving along...

Okay, so the next thing I tackled was the hardware. I struggled with what should be done. There were thoughts of trying to restore it with a little elbow grease and some Bar Keeper's Friend. Since I had already spit shined the buffet in the dining room I was feeling over exerted and parched. So I took the easy way out, as I tend to do. I have used this method once before on the hardware of the kitchen island. Yes, the same one that scoffs at my baking ability and throws it's ruined surface in my face every chance it gets.

I primed the handles with RUST-OLEUM's Clean Metal Primer.

Then I used my trusty gold spray paint, Design Master's Gold Medal, as seen in this previous post.

Now for the fun stuff, the after photos....

 

There are some drips on the front of the night stand that I want to remedy eventually but right now I'm loving them, faults and all. I also noticed that the hardware is crooked. I don't know that this can be fixed as the grooves in the drawer fronts were predetermined in order to make the handles flush. 

The bedroom is coming along slowly but surely. It feels clean and serene, just as I imagined it. Hopefully we'll be in a place to share all the details soon.