Before & After: Nursery Dresser/Changing Table

I wrote a few weeks back about the special delivery we were receiving from one of the local second hand shops - one item of which was destined for before and after greatness! (If I do say so myself...)

 

Doc really took charge of this project as my fatigue levels have been high over the past few weeks, and I have never actually painted furniture before. (I make a GREAT supervisor though...)

 

We were going back and forth on the color choices for a bit, but after a recent trip to Toulon, and noticing the particular green color of a large majority of the shutters around town, we opted for the color Provence Vert. I've been in love with this color since we moved to SwitzerFrance 3.5 years ago, as it is also a popular color for shutters in our region, but seeing it in Toulon cemented it as the color paint we were destined to use.

 

 

Deciding on the color wasn't so much of an issue as trying to pick the perfect drawer knobs for the project. My initial inklings were towards flowery knobs or ones with gold on them, where Doc was leaning towards heavy metal knobs.

 

When our local Leroy Merlin started their soldes however, we literally went in and bought 40-some drawer knobs (they were THAT discounted), of unexpected high quality, so we could see for ourselves on the actual newly painted dresser.

 

And we figured, hey, there will be more refinishing projects in our future, why not have a bunch of extra sweet French drawer knobs?

 

We ended up choosing the design that was my favorite of our choices, and are loving the result. Every time I walk past the nursery I can't help but stare at it. Doc seriously did a great job.

 

Working on the nursery together has been such great fun, and I can't wait to continue getting it ready for Homekid. We've got some great ideas and DIY projects to work on for it, and I can't wait to share them, and the final result, once we're done.

 

How about you? Did you go with all new furniture for your child's nursery? All vintage? A mixture of the two?

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey 

Things making me happy right now: 23 weeks.

 

 

Slow drip coffee. Thank yous and mercis galore to my doctor for giving the go ahead to have one cup of coffee a day. Needless to say I've found the biggest mug possible and drink it over a period of about an hour.

 

 

Non-maternity clothes that still fit. I've been patting myself on the back for the last two weeks for the smart purchases that Past Honey has made. Thank you Lululemon, American Apparel, Puella, Onzie, Petit Bateau and a host of blousy silk shirts from Cynthia Rowley, Rory Beca and SYLK. You make a girl still feel normal and stylish, despite an ever expanding baby bump. I'll never complain about any of your high prices ever again. Fingers crossed that as I enter my 6th month of pregnancy on Thursday that you all still fit. (Please please please!!!)

 

 

Les soldes. Hell ouai, it's on it's way. Can't wait to dig in and pick up some affordable/adorable clothes for Homekid, and maybe a little something for mama while we're at it.

 

 

A husband who listens to my crazy ideas and helps me follow through with them. I'm really good at coming up with plans and projects, and sometimes not the best at following through with them in a timely fashion. Doc on the other hand is Dr. Efficiency. He painted the dresser for the nursery this weekend, and as soon as we can decide on new drawer pulls I'll show youse that before and after.

 

 

Fig trees. They just make me happy. And several of ours are getting figs, despite the cold weather we've been having.

 

 

Fig tree pen pals. This is pretty much exactly as it sounds, except that the pen pal is not an actual tree, but my mom. Today I received a healthy little stack of pictures (taken from a disposable camera, bless her little heart) of my fig trees and the rest of The Beach Orchard back in Southern New Jersey. I can't wait to continue to receive my little monthly updates via the snail mail!

 

{You know some weather is rolling in when the Salève completely disappears!}

 

On that cold note, thank you for the cooler mountain weather France. The lightning and thunderstorms at the end of last week were awesome, and helped bring the temps down. I've got enough discomforts to deal with right now, and it's nice to wake up not covered in sweat.

 

Being serenaded to sleep at night by cowbells. There really is nothing like it.

 

 

Books in English.

 

 

Wild poppies. They're blooming everywhere right now in our little village and I just love them to pieces.

 

{I think he's holding the crib right there?}

 

Nursery planning. It's safe to say that both Doc and I are in total nesting mode, albeit in our own little ways. I've been making etsy shopping lists and planning the room out in my mind, while my physicist husband went ahead and measured out the dimensions of the room, and then proceeded to make to-scale paper cut outs of the furniture we already have or have picked out. To be honest I'd have been surprised had he not done that.

 

Things that I'm not loving right now:

 

It's officially difficult to put socks on. And shoes.

I miss unpasteurized yogurt.

And unpasteurized cheese.

And unpasteurized salt butter.

And dried meats.

And I'd kill for a nice glass of dry red wine.

Or a Jura white.

And maybe two cups of coffee.

I also miss running.

And my bike.

And hiking. Damn I miss that mountain behind us.

I could also deal with not being completely exhausted all the time.

And the back spasms.

Le sigh.

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey



French Black Friday.

Imagine a world....

                 ....where it's Black Friday....

                                           ...for a MONTH.

                                                            ....(duh duh duhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!)

                                                                                                        ............................

Is it heaven?

Is it hell?

No.

It's France.

I don't think I posted much about the SOLDES last year, as I didn't actually do any sweet shopping until it was almost over and the pickins' were slim.

This year I decided would be different. I may not have been the "waiting outside Target at 3 am" lady, but I was deifnitely the "mid-afternoon perusing the racks" girl come day 2 of the SOLDES.

In the above picture you'll notice our groceries for the next week. (Read: It'll be a couscous festival for the next week at Chez Duggan.)

Quoi? Those don't look like groceries to you?

They came from the Val Thoiry, I think that's close enough.

(PS: I made out like a bandit.)

Happy shopping Francophiles!

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey

American girl/French girl.

My parents have arrived and we've been out and about exploring our little section of France for the last few days. Honestly I think they would be happy if we just walked along the countryside for the next 2 weeks, without any day trips or anything! Yesterday one of our walks was down to our shopping center in the Val Thoiry (i.e. the mall that the 80's left behind), and wouldn't you know it, the SOLDES was still going on...

Thanks to the SOLDES, (and the generosity of mon parents), I was able to pick up two pretty sweet pairs of new kicks. The first pair, red Bensimmons, which have been labeled by many as the "french girls Converse," (I disagree though, I think they're the french girls Keds...), are a long time coming. I've been wanting a pair since before we moved abroad, and I'm now feeling uberly french wearing these little red numbers today.

{'Merica.}

And these little babies - oh yeah!!!

Don't act like you don't love'em. Talk about one side of the spectrum to the other. Now if only I can find a pair with the French flag on it, and then I can wear one of each. Straight up stylin'.

C'mon Converse, make it happen.

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey