pretty painted furniture!

i've been really, really into pretty painted furniture recently. i've had some good luck at goodwill and craigslist recently, finding some nice sturdy [but cheap!] furniture in dire need of a little facelift!

here are some fun before & afters:
here's a little more info about this hand-me-down little table, & here's the after!
the infamous end tables before:
and after:
and last labor day hubs & i decided to tackle a project together... our nightstands were very similar in shape, but not matching or coordinating very well. mine was a sweet sentimental relic from my childhood- i remember it always being my dad's nightstand until my mom redecorated & offered it to me. we repainted the plain wood white together & added a new drawer pull from restoration hardware. it's the 1st piece of furniture i ever painted, way back in high school! we did the whole shabang on this one, stripping & scraping it completely down with citristrip [best stuff ever!] then staining the top & priming/painting/glazing the bottom!

here it is before:
during:
and after!

M's nightstand, i must admit, was a bit of a quick grab - we moved here 3 years ago in such a frazzle that we went out & bought a handful of furniture items from walmart, including this nightstand & our t.v. stand that both ended up being a bit regrettable... i know now i could have done cuter & cheaper on craigslist with a little painting & glazing! painting this one made it where i could live with it.

before:
after!
the minwax policrylic that we used to make a nice, smooth, durable finish also gives it that bright shine that reflects the light so brightly. it makes it really hard to see how lovely the dark stained top & drawer front turned out!

nightstands with good bones are plentiful on craigslist, & lots of fun to start out with furniture painting if you're unsure of yourself, want to try a new kind of paint or technique, or want to get a little funky with some color. same goes for dressers, which you can sometimes even find for free in the free section of craigslist or on freecycle!

i don't have a 'before' shot for the rest of these... that dresser, for one, was done before i started blogging... but just imagine them all in that same plain, boring oak finish as the end tables.

after:
this cute little octagonal table i bought at goodwill specifically to paint up & sell... she's listed on craigslist if you're interested & local!

as i'm looking at the before & afters i'm seeing that i've been a bit of a one-note kinda gal... my good old heirloom white with some smoky glaze [with the exception of a little blue apparently!]. looks like i need to mix it up some & do some thing more colorful!

i've got my eye out for a dresser or dress-up trunk that can go pink for my little girl's room, & when the time comes for a big boy bed for my little man, i've got bright green in mind! i even started a whole pinterest board of all the pretty painted furniture i've been coming across, and there are 2 new [to me!] blogs i stumbled upon:

button bird designs & less-than-perfect life of bliss

check them out for some major inspiration!