It's Official: My Bed is Awesome

Somehow I've managed to complete a whole new slew of Project 52 goals in the past couple weeks.  So, here is what I've been up to:

12.  Finish reading Committed: A Love Story.

This book was written by Elizabeth Gilbert, of Eat, Pray, Love fame.  It's part memoir, part informational, and (SPOILER) details her journey from the end of EPL to finally getting married again.  I didn't find it to be nearly as engrossing as EPL, but it was very interesting, and I enjoyed learning about how different cultures, and different historical periods in our own culture, have viewed marriage.  For instance, I learned that historically, about 20% of women in America never have children.  Always has been about the same percentage.  I seriously thought the number was MUCH lower.  I guess I'm not such an oddball freak after all.

15.  Sort through books and post on half.com.

I guess this one is still in progress.  I decided to take the books to a local store that purchases used books instead, but they only took about half, and didn't give me much at all for them.  Whatever.  I will probably just donate the rest to the Salvation Army.

38.  Paint bed.

Okay, I didn't paint it.  I refinished it.  And it's awesome.  I also completed:

39.  Get new bedspread.

Done.  Again.  Because I wasn't satisfied with the first one.  So, here is the big reveal:

and another, closer view...

We stripped the old oak finish off the bed, then stained it with Minwax stain in Ebony, which proved to be a disaster.  I was going for an espresso type finish, like almost black, but not quite?  And what I got was ummm...oak.  With a bit darker look than I had before.  So, I did some internet research, and I was led to Minwax Polyshades in Ebony.  This product has a stain and polyurethane in one.  You don't wipe it back off like you do a stain, so you end up with a much darker look.  We just did one coat, because it came out the shade we wanted right away.  It basically looks black, unless you look closer, or unless the light hits it a certain way, then you can still see some brown through, and you can totally still see the wood grain.

And, just FYI, if you want to try this product, it says you do not have to strip the existing finish (assuming you are going darker).  We didn't strip every bit of the bed, because a lot of it doesn't show (like the inside of the rails).  So, we tested this suggestion by going ahead and putting the Polyshades on the whole thing, even the parts we hadn't stripped.  And it totally worked.  Though it did look a bit different on the non-stripped parts.  Like not quite as dark.  I should clarify that we didn't even lightly sand those parts, and the product does suggest that step.  So, it might have made it soak in a bit more.

Anyhoodle...  It feels like a whole new bed, and it barely cost me $100 (and 8 days of my life!).  But it really only needed to cost me like $20, if I hadn't wasted so much time, energy, and money on the stripping.

And the bedspread...on sale at Target, Simply Shabby Chic.  Mine was less expensive than this at the time.  Plus I have the "Red Card" so I saved an extra 5%.  This didn't necessarily make R feel any better about my coming home with yet another comforter set.  But I love this one.  Really.  And I'm not looking anymore.  (seriously.)  This is gorgeous and soft and cuddly, and the grey with the dark bed with my pinkish/lavenderish walls is now perfect.  It's like I did the wrong color on the walls on purpose.

Oh, and this lamp fits in beautifully:

It's actually prettier in real life.  The base is kind of pinkish, purplish glass.  I fell in love with it at Target months ago, but I refused to pay what it cost.  Then later I found the base on clearance and bought it.  Then I found the shade on clearance at a different Target and bought it too.  It was fate.



I've also painted the white parts of my dresser black, and I've hung a couple new pictures:

We also did:

40.  Install new ceiling fan in bedroom.

Do you remember the old one?

Blech.  Dark wood, brass ugliness.  I gave it to someone on Freecycle. We got the new one at Menards, like six months ago.

So the bedroom is coming together, and I'm pretty happy with it.  I still would like to "refinish" (which I now know means simply lightly sanding and painting the Minwax stuff over) the two wood curtain rods and our nightstands. 

I've actually done a couple other things too, but I think I'll save them for next week's post.  How are you doing with your goal(s) for 2011?