4.20.2009

Toy Chest Before and After

What, Carrie?  You actually have interests other than decorating your son's nursery?  No way!

For those of you who have been around for the past few months, you are quite probably on "Henry's Nursery Overload."  I don't blame you!  It's the only room of the house that needed my attention, though, and so I have slowly been pecking away at it since he was born.  However, I thought I would show you a little something that my husband and I have been working on that doesn't involve the nursery!

A while back I showed you this toy chest.  Not the most well-made piece, but I picked it up for $20 at Goodwill.  It had some lovely tack paper inside.  I will spare you.  (Gross.)  

My handy husband went to work on the mechanics, and installed some of those anti-slam hinges for the opening. We (well, mostly he) painted it a creamy white, and now here it is in Nina's room!

I love how it looks!  But even more, I love that I have a new place to stash Nina's ever-growing collection of random toys.  How many stuffed animals does one kid need?  Don't answer that.  I am afraid we have only scratched the surface!

The only thing I can't decide about this piece is if I want to do some personalizing on it.  Maybe do Nina's name in a pale pink or green, either on the top or on the front?  What do you think?  Leave it plain or personalized?


65 comments:

AndreaLeigh said...

that looks awesome, carrie! i love the cream. i was going to say personalize it at first, but you may want to switch it to henry's room later so maybe not?

Unknown said...

I LOVE it!!! And I think Nina's name on it would look adorable!

Amanda said...

darling !!! you should do her monogram on the front, that would look precious and very "posh tot"...alo, i love the nursery pics - i wanna see more...i never tire of nurserypics! do you ever go to holly mathis interiors' blog?! glad you are back posting again!!!

Shell in your Pocket said...

Love it! I would personalize it...how about with her three intials...with last name letter in the middle...

Whatever you do it will be precious.
sandy toe

Betsy said...

I always love personalization but do you think you might ever want to move it? Those decisions are so hard.

Sarah said...

I'm sure people visiting my blog are on Anna Claire overload!
The chest looks great, you both did a great job making it over! I like the idea of personalizing it--what a find!

Windy said...

I love it and I think a monogram would look awesome - then she can keep it as she gets older for all the stuff girls seem to collect:) I say go for it and keep your eyes open for Henry one of his own!

Chris said...

What a transformation! It turned out beautifully!!

Jodee said...

That turned out sooo cute! It looks perfect in her room! I would definitely personalize it!

Free Art Printables said...

What a great find! I think it would be cute either way!

the undomesticated wife said...

See, that turned out great! I think I'd leave it, then if I wanted to move it around, it would be easier. I love personalizing, but lately, I'm kind of over it and like things less fussy. But that's me. If you want to personalize it, it will still be very adorable!

The only problem I see with blogging is that people will see our cool thrift store makeovers and then there won't be any more cool things to makeover at the thrift store! LOL!!

Tara said...

darling!! i would personalize it...maybe so a cute little quote or something in vinyl lettering... then you can just remove it when you want to change it and you won't have to repaint it... ♥

Jboo said...

Wow!! That turned out great!! I think her monogram on the front would be darling!

I think you will probably be getting a few more stuffed animals as time goes by -- they seem to multiply fast!

Janet

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

It looks so cute.....you can't even tell it is the same toy chest...you all did a great job!! I think it would look adorable personalized with her initials in pink!!

Have a great week!

Lisa

Tonya said...

First thing that came to mind was exactly what a few others are saying as well....put her monogram on it!! I think that would look adorable!

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

I'd totally personalize it - but with vinyl lettering or something that you could take off if you were to move it somewhere else! It looks fantastic. Yeah for handy husbands.

Victoria said...

Hey,

First off, I've enjoyed seeing Henry's room as it has progressed!

I love the toy chest. I think personalize it, but then again, I agree with everyone's comments that you should use something like vinyl that would come off should you decide to use it in Henry's room later.

Kelli said...

That is a great find and transformation. That is something that Nina will treasure for many years to come. I would say you could put her name on the lid and if she wants is plain again, just repaint it.

Stacey said...

The toy chest is amazing! You had a great vision and it worked so well.

Wendy @ Ramblings from the Sunshine State said...

Oh that turned out fantastic!

Number 6 and no more counting! said...

Love it. It needs something but personalizing can get crazy. Maybe put something like TOYS or STUFF or TREASURES on it!

I think it is just awesome.

thank you for sharing this.

Lea
xo

duchess said...

That looks really good in there and I'm loving the personalize it idea.
Don't even get me started on the stuffed animal issue.

Desiree said...

That looks amazing!!! I envy people who have husbands that will do that stuff for them. Don't get me wrong, I could convince mine to do it but I don't have that much energy to convince and/or do it myself. Usually, when I show him something like that he just laughs and can't see beyond the ugly.

I would definitely stencil her name in pink or green (or alternating). I think it would look sweet.

-Desiree

Naturally Caffeinated Family said...

i love it!! it looks soo good! i think personilizing it would look great. i think the letters on the front would look so cute=)! and like others are saying you could always either paint back over it or something if you want it in a different place=)

Heidi Boos said...

Love the result! I say go for it to personalize it...it will make it evem more special.

Joanna said...

I love it!

Marci @All Things Wonderful said...

It's Adorable! Yes, personalize it! You can always paint it if you ever move it for Henry.

Bahama Shores Mama said...

Monogram it..........ADORABLE~

Kristin said...

It looks great! I like the white but it would be fun to have her name on the front. If you decide to move it later you can always repaint it another color.

Jennifer said...

I haven't done it yet, but I have plans to get a monogram for my daughters toy box. I'm going with vinyl. It's inexpensive, removable, and best of all super easy!

Emily Joy said...

I think it would be CUTE if you personalized it!

~Emily Joy

Thrifty Decor Chick said...

Just beautiful! I'm a sucker for words on the front of things...I use the wood letters a lot. So later you can pry them off, sand and touch up the paint if you want to move this to another room. Love it!!

Juice said...

I love it. I would not put "nina" on it since the chair is already personalized. There is a fine line between adorable personalization and a room that screams "mine! mine! mine!" you know? Maybe a monogram, or how about an adorable quote about play or laughter or something?

Shannon said...

That is so cute! What about a pale pink monogram on the front?

Ally's Corner said...

Oh my that is so pretty. I say personalized it.Stuffed animals, would it make you feel better to know that my almost 5 year sleep with 44 of them.

Twice as Nice said...

You're hubby did a great job! It looks brand new. As with everyone else I think a monogram on the front would look great!

Our Complete Family said...

Carrie it is adorable! Kuddos to you and hubs on a job well done on the redo!
I agree with the other gals~ a monogram would be precious on it and easy to paint over if you chose to move the chest around in your house later on or into Henry's room when he's older!
xo Les

frillsfluffandtrucks said...

It looks great! I think you could either leave it white or do her monogram.

~ Sarah

Jennifer said...

I love the chest! What a great re-do. I think it is a great find! You gotta Love a great Goodwill!
Have A Great Day!
Jennifer

Anonymous said...

Oh wow! The chest looks soooooooo great! What if you made like a square pillow for the top and personalized that? in like a super cute check or polka dot fabric??? that way its a pillow too and can be used on her bed later if you ever move the chest to Henry's room? Then its personalized but doesn't require another paint job to move it to a new room???
Happy Monday!
~Abigail

Kristen said...

It turned out gorgeous, and I think it would be even more so with her name on it! How cute would a monogram be on the front?!

Angie said...

That looks great, I have a chest like that in my living room, we use it to put blankets in. I think it would look so good personalized.

SoBella Creations said...

I love it! Personalize it. It can always be repainted later if you want to use it for something else. But, girls always need storage.

And they never think they have enough stuffed animals. I have told family no more stuffed animals.

~Mommy+Me~ said...

That looks great! :) I like her PB chair too. I bought my Godson the monkey print one for his 1st b-day.
I feel your pain about the stuffed animals! My daughter LOVES stuffed animals and has TONS! We often go through them and donate some, but there are still way too many! Believe it or not we recently got her an armoire for them. We redid her room and got new furniture so we got the armoire. Mostly so I could hide them in there and not have baskets of them all over. I figure when she gets older she can use it for clothes or a t.v. too. :)

Keeper of the Skies Wife said...

You both did an awesome job!!

I would leave it the creamy color without the personalization.

Anonymous said...

someone may have already mentioned this, but what about a vinyl monogram? you could remove it when you like or as she grows. it looks great though. love the pillows you used too.

Ms. Tee said...

Very cute, Carrie! How handy of your hubby to do the anti-slam hinges. It's adorable. I can't believe it was only $20! :)

Jessica said...

That's gorgeous!! What a find!

Maybe you could use some of Kim's work for inspiration! Here's her blog: www.kimwheeler.blogspot.com.

ZONE F DG TEAM said...

I'd leave it plain... let it weather to it's own accord and it will become a cherished heirloom that she may very well bring into her first home.

Unique Baby Gear Ideas said...

Wow those are before and after pictures to inspire the most reluctant furniture refininsher!

I like the idea of your little one's name painted on the front. Maybe surrounded with a wreath of green vines?

I really would love it if you took some pictures and submitted them to the baby picture contest currently running on my website.

Here's the url for the entry

http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/baby-nursery-theme-contest.html

and here is a gallery of pics from contests past

http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/baby-nursery-pictures.html

Courtney said...

Wow, what a transformation. It looks perfect how it is not, but if I were going to add something, I would do her monogram!

Ruby Red Slippers said...

Nina's name on the front is my vote...although one of my friends wrote "toys" in french...I don't remember the word-but it looks really pretty.
I am not over hearing about Henry's room-I love seeing a little bit at a time...It makes me work on my patience!!!

Kim @ Everything Etsy said...

It all looks so pretty! Love the little chair, too! You really don't want me to tell you about the stuffed animals!!!

~Kim

Christi @ Writing the Waves said...

Wow!

It looks great as is!

The name would also be cute though...or even a special bible verse that you could order from a company like wallwords.com. They have some really cool stuff.

We also have an old toy box that needs to have the safety hinge added, but we haven't gotten that far yet!

Wendy said...

I love personalizing...Maybe a mongoram?

Lisa said...

Love it! It looks like you could have bought it at Pottery Barn! Great job! A little personalization on it would make is sparkle even more! So cute! And yes, lets do the glamourous Red Robin sometime soon! We love it there! Let's try to pick a date before my hubby gets busy with golf! : )

Julie said...

I say personalize it with something generic that could go with either kids rooms or someplace you might want later... but you could always just paint over it if you put Nina's name on it :)

Stacy said...

Awww, I LOVE it!

I would leave it. I think with the cute chair there that has her name embroidered on it next to it, it may be too much "Nina"s in one spot! LOL.

Still, whatever you do, it looks great!

~Stacy

Together We Save said...

That looks great. Love it. Great Good Will find.

SewsCute said...

How about just her monogram in an intricate oval shape? I think it would look really nice. It would be personalized but not too little girly for her later in life. It's something to think about anyway!

Davene said...

What a fantastic transformation! I love thrift shopping, but I overlook stuff like this because it always seems like too much work. You inspire me to actually attempt something like this! :)

Southern Fried Gal said...

Hello! Stopping by from the Graves House! What a transformation! I say personalize it with a monogram!

Tasha said...

FABULOUS!!! Love it. I really need to start shopping at thrift stores and refurbashing things. Maybe once we move. Love love love, what you did with this. Love the idea of personalizing it too. I think her room as a whole is awesome.

Amber said...

I just love before and afters. It turned out so clean & fresh. It looks brand new! And like it came out of the PB catalog. You really are the queen of finding thrift store finds and making them fabulous for your cute home! I actually think I might like it plain.

I'm going to be in your "neighborhood" tomorrow getting together with some friends from my old church. Could I just come and tour your house for ideas, please? ;)

Anonymous said...

It is certainly interesting for me to read this blog. Thanks for it. I like such themes and anything that is connected to them. I definitely want to read more on that blog soon.