From Drab to Dream Worthy (part 1)

A little girl once slept on a cozy bed that consisted of her mattress on the floor of her girly bedroom. This was because her mama was waiting for the perfect inspiration in the form of a bed frame she could transform into something lovely.

Then one day...

Standing there covered in dust and grime...it was going to be perfect, just look at those curvy feminine lines...(this is the picture I sent my husband while I was full of excitement)

It is probably a good thing the shop was very dark. Once we got it home and in some natural lighting it looked a bit more rough than I first noticed. But after washing and sanding, it was ready for paint.

I started with some chalk spray paint.

But it was not filling the dints and cracks. So I used a brush and some Kilz Original paint. (I chose Kilz because I wanted the matte finish so it would be more like the texture of chalk paint.)

I lost track of how many coats it took to cover. But coat by coat I could see my vision coming together. There were several scratches, dents, and splits in the wood and I was able to camouflage most of them well with the paint. One tip: Make sure each coat of paint is completely dry before adding another. If the paint is still wet (even tacky) your brush can pull off previous layers of paint. Once I had the solid white look and evenness I was wanting I went back to the Chalk Spray Paint to give the entire bed a spray smooth finish without brush strokes.

After I finished with the spray paint I added a coat of Clear Matte Furniture Wax. This created a protective top coat but kept the matte finish I was wanting.

The end result made for a very happy little girl. But this was only part 1...a bed this perfect deserves something more than a fluffy comforter. I want to make her a quilt, but I don't know how. (Stay tuned for Part 2 and see if I can figure out how to use my sewing machine and make a quilt.)

But for now...Sweet Dreams Sweet Girl.