Free Dresser, Before and After

Painting a Free Dresser

I've finally got an update on the dresser I posted a preview picture of last month!  

El Cheapo thrift dresser

A few weeks (already!!?) ago, while Jessica was staying with me for our sister Lucy's wedding, we picked up a very well used dresser at my local Goodwill. It sorta looked like a knockoff of a bedroom set I had as a child, since the finish and lines were similar. The quality was not even close though. This piece is 35% plastic and a whole lotta press board. But for less than $15 buckaroos, we decided to buy it as a challenge. We hit up the nearest home improvement store for some primer, and basic painting supplies. While there, we also checked out their selection of Oops paint and snagged a few for $2 each that could work.

The dresser has worn paint that is pealing away on the solid wood parts, lovely brassy gold hardware, and gold details. Should be fun right?

After inspecting the whole thing, I noticed several drawers are missing the tracks underneath them, and the hardware is not original. That's okay with me though, I kinda like these guys, so with a new coat of paint, they will look just fine. The whole thing got a coat of spray primer, inside and out, so it wouldn't smell like used, old dank wood/press-board nastiness.

I removed all the hardware, and sprayed them with a few light coats of ORB (Oil Rubbed Bronze). After that, I painted the whole thing in some sort of grey-ish off white, one of the oops paints.

Once it was mostly complete I put it in my dining room, then decided I wanted some of the detail to pop more, so I took a small detail paint brush and lined the grooves with a navy blue paint. I may add more to it later, but for now I want to live with it for a while like this.  :)

Free is always good

I thought I'd share a little sneak peak of what I have in the works. My Husband snagged a FREE dresser from one of his co-workers. I have been searching for a dresser for my two boys to share for nearly a year people.. so its about time we finally found one worth fixing up. They've had their clothes stored in plastic storage totes and cardboard boxes since we moved last June! Trust me, I am so tired of the constant mess and refolding I do whenever they need to find a certain pair of shorts or the matching sock that happens to be at the bottom of the box.

My sister has volunteered to help out on this one when she visits next weekend, so this is an early preview.  :)

I'm making plans on what I want this beauty to look like, its for my boys, who are in the tween to early teen age range. I want it to be fun but still appropriate for them as they get older.The traditional elements are definitely not working on this guy..

I have several ideas floating in my head so we may possibly:

• Change the hardware, new or maybe paint the existing hardware?
• Sand and stain a different color?
• Paint the whole thing in contrasting colors?
• Mix it up by staining one part and painting the rest?
• Adding some sort of fun and youthful element?

Well that's it for now, check back next week(ish) for the final results!

Ohai there.

Me? I am Valarie.  I am a pierced, tattooed videogame playing Momma of two awesome kids and a girlfriend of the most amazing guy ever. I live in Texas currently, recently relocated from Indiana. I am best friends with Jessica and it sucks not being able to drag her [or be dragged] to yard sales and thrift stores. I hella dig on cupcakes, zombies, Pin-Up Styles, and most anything retro. But yeah, enjoy my overuse of [brackets] and my smartass sense of humor.

And now, the real reason you are here...

Teal Chalkboard Table

Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of the before of this table, but my boyfriend had it sitting in the garage covered with boxes and dust. I dig on straight lines and apart from the oil stains and the small chip in the corner, this table was most excellent. Jessica and I redid this when she was here visiting me back in March. It has a chalkboard top and awesome teal legs and sits in the 'sitting room' where it gets a random message posted to whoever I feel like tormenting that week, usually the boyfriend.

After.

Purple Book Shelf

My boyfriend also had this shelf sitting in the garage, two of them actually, so far I have only redone the one for the girl spawns room. 

Before

After...without all the girl spawns stuff.

After with her stuff.

Brown Table

Here is a UGLY beige and GOLD table that I got from the thrift store for 9 bucks [I think it was 9 bucks, it was cheap regardless.]  It was all weird and glazed looking too, wtf?. I don't know what the person who painted this was thinking, but holy balls, someone should politely tell them how hideous beige, gold and glossy is. I went out to the garage a few ago to take a picture of the completed redo of the table....and.. /gasp..tragedy had struck. My plastic tubs full of vintage pyrex [I was waiting to redo the kitchen from the disgusting beige swirly wallpaper before displaying it so it was just hanging out there being awesome.] had somehow fallen over [Yes, there was breakage. Yes, I was devasted. No, I didn't cry. Yet.] and crashed onto the completed table and all over the garage. So...the table needs a little repair. lol

Before.

But yeah...I look forward to boring you with my redo's and reading your comments.

Chair Love - Things to Come

Over the last two weeks I have hit a few yard sales and developed quite a stock pile of ugly chairs with beautiful shapes to redo. The most I paid for a chair was $8 and most of them were $5. I decided I better get the before pictures before I forget and then I could give you a little sneak peek of whats to come. This is the order I plan on doing them in but may change.

1. A pair of worn out (and broken) chairs. There is a table I want to do with these as well, picture will come later.

2. A pair of simple yet ugly chairs. I already have an awesome (to me) idea for these bad boys, you will just have to wait and see.

3. Ugly little vinyl topped chair with so much to give. This thing is going to be totally cute.

4. The biggest and most sturdy of my 6 chairs. I also think this will be the most difficult to refinish because I have to take the arms off to reupholster it and I just don't know if I have the skillz but I'm certainly going to try!

Well, thats it for now. Stay tuned for finished projects! I'm going to start some structural work on the first pair today.

You've Got to Start Somewhere!

Welcome to the beginning!

I talk all the time about wanting to do something creative with my time and over the past few months I've become obsessed with all the amazing furniture redos I've been seeing on Pinterest and various blogs across the web. I love how people can take something that is ugly, beat up or just plain broken and create something fantastic! I decided that I would find a piece and test out my skills and this is the finished product.

As with all first time projects you are bound to make a few mistakes along the way and I am no exception to this fact. First, I forgot to take a before picture! I have no real proof on how ugly this table was before I went to town on it but trust me, it was bleh. Second, it has a few spots where the stain is a little too thick, you cant see it in the picture but its true. Lastly, when I sanded off the old finish I didn't realize that the center part of the top was a peeling veneer and went all the way through to the wood under on a few small edge areas. All that said, I made it work and I absolutely love how it turned out.

With my first project in the books and myself a little validated I'm ready to dive into the endeavor with full force! I'm sure as I go along I will get better and so will my projects.

I'm not alone in this project though. My sister and my best friend will be working their own projects and adding to this blog with me. We each live in a different part of the country and have our own individual styles so it will be a nice mix of projects and not necessarily always furniture. They will be on with their intros soon, I'll start with mine.

I'm Jessica, 32 year old SAHM to my three kidlets aged 10, 5 and 3. They stress me out, a lot, but I wouldn't trade them for the world! We live in NW Indiana, right outside of Chicago. My husband works hard to provide for us and make it possible for me to stay at home.  We have been married almost 6 years now and I couldn't be happier.

I hope you enjoy all we have to show you :)