Goodwill Dresser Makeover

I always love to hunt for hidden gems/finds at Goodwill, and recently I was able to finish this chalk paint dresser makeover:

 I had just attended a "vintage" sale and had been gawking the many chalk paint creations: frames, side tables, buffets and dressers...when I decided to stop at Goodwill.

 We knew we were going to be moving in a month or so, and I had visions in my head of a house I get to decorate that is mine.

I walked around nonchalantly and this pepto-bismol-colored creation called my name.
I went straight to the cashier and paid my $29.99 to buy it. I excitedly snapped this picture with my cell phone, not even realizing I had just bought furniture for a house we didn't own yet, and without my husband's input....a rare accident, but it happens.

On the way home I informed my husband that he would be needing to pick up this awesome dresser I just bought, and let's just say he wasn't overjoyed about me having ANOTHER project.
Once it was home, and upon further investigation, I discovered it had obviously belonged to a crazy teenager who thought it was smart to write all on the drawers the names of the things she was going to have inside..."socks" & "pants" apparently belonged in the bottom drawers.
It had been painted with many coats of spray paint and more...varnish..stain..pink...green...you name it.The drawer pulls were interesting and pretty in their own way...I have a "thing" for ovals, and loved the feel they gave to the drawers. Too bad they were covered in nasty pink and gold spray paint- and one was missing.

Steps for the Makeover 

1) Remove drawers, handles and paint
I pulled out each drawer and removed the handles. Lucky for me, my parents decided to visit, & being 6 months pregnant, I let my mom strip as much paint as we could off of the surface of the dresser.

 We focused on the lumpy parts the most, removing many layers of paint, and gave it a light sanding to smooth it some.  In reality, using chalk paint hides a lot of imperfections. Getting every bit off wasn't vital, but I wanted to give it as good of a surface as I could before painting.
Something about the pink spray paint on the top was very stubborn. It was not coming off and was not lightening in any way. Knowing how pinks/reds can bleed through, I used one quick coat of primer on the top. The pink on the sides/front of the dresser was much easier to remove.
2. Picking paint
I recently read TwelveOEight's post about her homemade chalk paint and I gave it a try.Wow! How awesome and easy it was to make this homemade version of chalk paint.
In a plastic container, I mixed 3-4 tablespoons of plaster of paris with 1/4 cup of water.I poured that mixture into 1 1/2 cups of Olympic FLAT Premium Interior latex paint ( color: Spice Delight)After stirring well, I began painting! 

In the end, I used a full quart of paint to cover the entire thing with 2 solid coats. The outcome was a smooth and matte finish...chalky in appearance and very easy to touch up if I ever wanted to. I chose not to distress edges/corners because there were some parts where not all of the pink would come off. 

3. Added a molding to 2 drawers
If you notice from the original photo, there were 2 gaps. I initially thought this was just because the drawers were in the wrong places, but later realized they had actually broken off. 

I inserted the drawers thinking it wouldn't be a big deal to have gaps, but since it was painted cream, the gaps were even more exaggerated.

 We attempted to find a molding as close to what was already on there, and we soaked the pieces in a bathtub of water overnight to soften them.
The next day, we carefully nailed the malleable molding on the bottoms of the 2 drawers. We patched any gap between the molding and drawer with wood filler, and solved our problem. 

4. Added drawer pulls
We reused the 4 large oval pulls that were originally on the dresser. I found the other 4 pulls I loved at Hobby Lobby, and after removing the gold on the oval pulls, we used acrylic paint to match the color of the oval pulls to the others. 

Thanks to the help of my parents and husband, I was able to make something from a discarded piece handiwork that someone thought was junk.
This dresser is solid wood, with dove-tailed drawers...at one time, someone was proud of it. Now I can be.It was nice working on this project with my parents. Its not often I see them, much less work on projects with both of them. I even think my husband is a tad impressed with how it turned out.

For the decor: a mix of things I have had growing up, things I made, and things given to me by family. The silhouettes are my newest buy with our recent trip to Disneyland.

Thank you for reading my blog! I would love to hear any questions/feedback you have, as well as have you as a follower on Facebook! Thank you

Linked up at:WhipperberryMy Romantic HomeFrench Country CottageRedoux InteriorsThe DIY Dreamer

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Vintage Finds..Our New Table

Last week had the pleasure of discovering new thrift stores and shopping in antique stores. To my happy surprise, my husband was more than helpful by watching our girls so that I could have this scavenging time with one of my best friends, Christina, who had come to visit from Texas.
We've been friends for 8 years, were college roommates for 2 of those years, and it was so nice to see her.

For the past 9 months or so, I have been falling out of love with my kitchen table. It was one of those tall, bistro style tables...and it was black.
My 3 year old couldn't get into the chairs by herself...our legs dangled when we sat in the chairs, and it just wasn't what I wanted.

I have had my eye on Cost Plus World Market's Sourav Table for quite some time. I'd complain sometimes to friends on FB about how much I wanted "my table" that was in the Cost Plus store.

We signed up for their customer rewards program, and were happily rewarded with 15% any purchase. I bit the bullet, sold my table, and with that coupon on top of it all, I had about 75% of my new table paid for.

Getting the table out of the store and into my car was a whole ordeal in and of itself. To make a long story short, we basically drove 2 hrs in the car with screaming babies, my friend got her toe smashed by one of the employees who pushed the table on top of her foot accidentally, and the table barely fit in the van once we did get it in there.

Needless to say, after all of that, I was so excited to dress it up a little like how I had pictured it in my mind. I can always count on Christina to tell me if it looks good, because she has fashion and decor sense Im not too savvy with.

Here are a few shots of what we crafted and found in thrift stores!



Chair makeover: $5.99 chair from the Goodwill in need of cushion TLC....recovered with fabric I already had!

The minute I saw this burlap brown fabric with silver-patterned flowers on it at Hobby Lobby, I knew I would want it for a table runner. I added a little gray ruffle and some cream lace to the ends.




I found this adorable chrome napkin holder for just 50 cents at Goodwill

My place settings are a mix of thrift store finds, and  things I already had.
Silver charger-Hobby Lobby
Cream Plate- already had (came from Target)
White small plate- thrift store find for 50 cents
Crystal Bowl- thrift store find for $1
Wooden napkin rings-  thrift store find (were brown, I painted cream) got 6 for $1
Vintage napkins- antique store love, so I splurged and paid $14 for 6 napkins

 My new favorite candle...from Hobby Lobby....sell for $9.99, but I had a 40% off coupon ;)

 AND LOOK! Noel sits at it all by herself, and loves to do her coloring there already!
Do you like my Italy/France photography?

Thank you for taking a peek into our dining room table's new space.

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Thrift Store Finds

Have you ever gone to the Goodwill or the thrift store and found the most amazing thing? Have you raked in a bunch of new accessories you didn't think you would find? Well, I too have a found a few great things there, and its always a reminder that the rejects of others can be repurposed and given new life in a new home.

Recently, I went to my Goodwill to find circular frames. I found some, but they happened to have porcelain art framed that I didnt want. As I was about to bash them in with a hammer, I found a Royal Copenhagen mark on the back. Through a little research I found them to be a set selling in online auctions from between $400-$700 dollars!! I had only paid $12 for the set, and I was going to keep the circular frames I originally wanted!
After posting them on ebay, I only got a bid of $20, so some person in New Jersey really got a steal, but hey, I made my money back. I didnt want the art at all, so I was happy just to make 20 bucks back.

One other great find I had were these silver bowls. I found them at two seperate places at seperate times, but they were both a great deal. Especially the big one, which I found for about $3!

The only problem is...I have no idea what to use it for since it is so huge.

Any suggestions welcome ;)

What have you found??!

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