Erin Milnik

I LOVE crafting - taking something old [what others might consider junk] and turning it into a work of art. Part of what made me start "crafting" was after purchasing my daughter [Kimberly's] first dresser. Although I loved it, it wasn't made very sturdy - not like in the "olden" days when everything was made out of "real" wood and not the cheap-y ply-wood. I see potential in things worn and used and love the idea that I can turn it into a work of art with a little sandpaper, paint, and a few other goodies.
My latest project has been my son [Kyle's] room. No longer a baby, we desperately needed to tear down the crib and start a fresh. I did not have a budget for new furniture and so I spent months shopping around, looking through Craigslist trying to find something "budget friendly", and that would fit into a small space. I REALLY lucked out because I not only found a bed, but a dresser too and payed NOTHING for them! That's right, they were FREE - can't beat that. I immediately saw such potential in both and couldn't wait to start on them.

I first wanted to come up with a theme, so they sat in my garage until I could decide on a color scheme. I definitely wanted a plan before I just dove into it. I decided to paint the room a light/blue-ish grey and to paint the furniture white. I had thought about painting the dresser a bold color, but instead decided to use bold colors in all the decor. Ultimately, I wanted the room to feel fresh and clean, along with splashes of bold bright greens, oranges, and dark greys.

The Daybed came to me in a dark wood color [before photo below] and needed to be sanded and then painted. This project took me about 3-4 hours and cost about $5 [worth of paint]. The dresser came to me in a light wooden/yellow-ish color [before photo below]. My husband sanded it for me and painting it which took around 2 hours and about $3 in paint. I can't find knobs that fit the dresser since it's so old, so I am going to spray paint the knobs in a black flat paint [which hasn't been done yet].

I am going to make 5 different throw pillows for the daybed, hang some unique artwork on the wall in bright oranges and greens, and place a 20x30 inch Black & White Photo of Kyle on the wall. Here are some photos of what I have done so far....[more images to come once completed!] :)

Here is the dresser...knobs still need to be painted.

Color Inspiration....

Here is the Daybed, which will soon be adorned with lots of vibrant orange, grey stripes, and green patterned pillows that I plan on sowing together myself...

This Orange phrase will be placed in a frame and hung on the wall, and below are some fabric swatches of all those fun pillows and curtains for the room.

And [drum roll]...here are the before pictures....

Before I even start on this post...I must warn you...this is a LONG one. Jena + Russel have been patiently waiting to see their wedding images from their June wedding up in Long Barn, California, so I wanted to make sure to include as many photos as possible. The day couldn't have been more perfect, followed by beautiful light. Here are some of my favorite moments of the day.