Meet Greta. Greta got her name because according to her Facebook Marketplace ad, she is from the 1920’s so I wanted a name that fit that decade. I feel like there were good intentions for her at one time but she wasn’t living her best life for sure. This piece wasn’t free, but was only $20 so I snatched her up. These are my favorite kind of pieces to refinish. The kind you can’t mess up…you really can only improve them. She had chippy paint, ring marks and was basically a mess but had pretty good bones. The mirror was missing but the frame pieces for it were still in tact so I had to decide whether to leave them off entirely or get creative with them.
The first step was removing the old paint to see what the wood looked like underneath. I had some ideas in mind on how I wanted to refinish the piece, but until I see what I’m dealing with I never really know what my options are. Because I had a lot of paint to remove, I decided to use a stripper which was a first for me, but I did a little research and read some reviews and decided on this one from Amazon.
After reading the directions I applied it to the first area (the front of one of the drawers) let it it and then using a putty knife started “sliding” off the paint. It came off easy and I could immediately see pretty wood underneath but there was a catch. The paint that was scraping off was sticky and gooey. I realized that whoever painted this piece applied paint on top of what seemed to be varnish. The more I tried to remove the varnish, the messier and stickier it seemed to get.
I did my best but ended up doing a lot of sanding to get the final sticky film off. Because there was so much sanding to do I used my belt sander for most of it which helped me decide to paint everything but the top of the piece since there were imperfections in the grain of the drawers when I was done. The top cleaned up nicely though and had BEAUTIFUL grain.
I used this Rust-oleum Chalk Paint for the body.
A few coats of dark walnut stain and a couple coats of poly and the top was beautiful!
Next I went to Hobby Lobby and found these PERFECT knobs and the beaded garland to string across the mirror frame and that was it! Perfect little dresser for our guest bedroom!
Eve was my first BIG furniture make-over (hence the name “Eve”…get it?). I had done a couple of small projects that just required a little paint or stain and loved transforming pieces to fit our style and home and was itching to do more. Also, we were in need of a dresser. My husband and I are in our 40’s and have never had proper bedroom furniture. It’s just never been a priority. But I decided it was time and that I wanted to refinish a piece and make it our own.
The first step is stalking the swap pages and facebook marketplace. I quickly learned that cheap and free things go FAST and it is really hard to snag them unless you are checking all day. I had almost given up hope and then…..HAPPY ACCIDENT! I was out checking out a new photography location for an upcoming shoot. I noticed this location had nice bike trails and there were a lot of people riding. Hmmmm, my kids had been pestering me to get a bike so we could ride together. Before I knew it I was scrolling through Facebook Marketplace in search of a bike. That’s when I saw this beautiful piece of furniture pop up for FREE! Now I should stop right here for a minute and mention that although I’ve never been diagnosed, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a pretty good chance my son acquired his ADHD from me. I’m not sure it’s normal for most people to go check out a park, decide they need a bike and come home with a dresser but it’s really just another day for me. Anyway, I messaged them FAST because I knew it would be gone soon and hurried to grab it up and then returned home to a husband that was probably fairly surprised that I went to a park and came home with a dresser (he’s not surprised anymore when this happens).
BEFORE
So technically, Eve is a buffet, but we needed a dresser more than a buffet so that’s what we are calling her now. The piece was overall in pretty good shape but in order to get the end result I wanted I was going to have to do a lot of things I had never done before which was a little scary. Since this was the first time I was doing these things I did have to purchase some products, but hey…the furniture was free and I could use these things on future projects, so totally worth it!
The first step was sanding. A lot of sanding. I used hand sanders because I didn’t want to overdo it on this piece and because it didn’t need heavy sanding in most areas. It did have some scratches and someone’s name scratched into the top (why???) so I was able to work a little extra in those places. It also had some small but fairly deep gashes in the top so I filled those with a stainable wood filler. I knew I wanted the body painted blue and the top a dark walnut so after googling some options I chose Rust-oleum’s Coastal Blue Chalk Paint and Verathane Dark Walnut stain. The brass handles were very tarnished and I really wanted them to pop so thanks to the recommendation of a friend I purchased a bottle of Brasso to clean them up and make them POP against the blue. Brasso works great but does require a lot of elbow grease and patience (and is messy) so be prepared for that.
Before and after Brasso!
Once the paint and stain was finished I applied a good 2 or 3 coats of polyurethane on top letting it dry between each coat. The color of the wood turned out beautiful!
To finish it add some shine to the finish and details, I used a furniture wax by Behr (lots more elbow grease). We absolutely love this piece and I LOVE finally having a proper dresser! I instantly knew I needed a gold framed mirror to hang above her so back to Facebook Marketplace I went and found exactly what I wanted! So happy with the finished look!
**This blog contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
These are unusual times friends. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster in every way. There have been many blessings, like more family time and appreciating the simple things but a lot of disappointments and challenges as well. Things like sport events, celebrations, church gatherings have all been cancelled but the seasons are still changing, people are still having birthdays and all of this time we are spending at home is bound to give you the urge to change up your home decor.
I started blogging because I have always had a passion for sharing things I love that make life a little better, easier or just more fun! I also love home decorating, crafts, clothes, art, photography and more recently getting in shape and staying fit! My love for these things has led me to discover several online companies that absolutely love and use frequently for business or for fun. I find myself recommending them to friends all the time which inspired me to become an affiliate for several of them! Because “traditional shopping” is not really possible right now and because I truly love these brands, I thought I would share them and maybe fill a need for someone or just take your mind off things for a while with a little online “window shopping”. Many of these companies are also small businesses so if you happen to make a purchase you will be helping them as well.
Decor Steals
Check out their amazing home decor here:
Oh what I wouldn’t give to go down to the West Bottoms here in Kansas City and walk around some of my favorite home decorating shops. Since that isn’t an option right now, this family owned business is the next best thing. With new “steals” coming out every day it’s become a favorite place to check out and buy some fun things to update our home. One of my favorite pieces in our entryway came from here years ago…our giant angel wings!
Cricut
This year I decided to spend my Christmas money on a Cricut Machine and I am so thankful that I did! I have used it so much and absolutely love coming up with new designs and creative ideas. My favorite thing so far has been designing shirts but I have so many projects and ideas I want to try! If you don’t have a Cricut yet, or if you need some supplies for yours you can check out all of their machines, tools and products on their site where there are almost always sales and bargains!
CLICK BELOW TO SHOP CRICUT MACHINES AND PRODUCTS!
Also, here is my Etsy shop if you would like to check out some of my designs. 🙂
Well this is company just speaks to my soul and I think it’s one of the coolest things and best places to get personal gifts, beautiful art, invitations or many other unique items. Independent artists submit their work and then it gets voted on and the winning submissions are sold on the site. I recommend them to many clients because of both their photography related items and their beautiful invitations and save the dates but it’s also a great place to find meaningful gifts for loved ones!
Get those beloved photos on the walls! Canvases are my favorite way to display our family photos and Canvas On Demand is my “go-to” for all of our canvases. The quality is fantastic and they won’t break the bank! If you feel like you are sitting around staring at the same ‘ole walls lately, this is a great way to mix things up a little.
Stitch Fix
Click here to schedule your first Fix and try it out!
In the middle of all of this “staying at home” the world is still turning which means the seasons are changing and although you might be spending a little more time in your pjs or leggings than usual, you are going to want to wear real clothes at some point. I actually have been making it a point to put on some cute clothes and do my hair and make-up most days of the week. It just feels good to look good. I also recently lost a lot of weight (which I will be sharing next) and none of my clothes from last spring or summer fit. I LOVE Stitch Fix for so many reasons.
A box full of clothes picked out especially for you arrives on your doorstep as often as you like…how fun is that?!
The quality and fit of everything I have received is amazing!
I hate returning things. It’s usually such a hassle. But Stitch Fix makes it so easy to return anything you don’t want. Just throw them in the postage paid package enclosed with your Fix and drop them in the mail!
You can try pieces on with clothes you already own! It’s a lot easier to decide if you would actually wear or use something when you can see how it looks with things you already own!
Skip Fixes anytime. If you don’t want to receive your regularly scheduled Fix, simply go online and skip it. No obligation at any time!
Noom
So this isn’t really shopping, but it is something amazing that I have to share because it literally changed my life in so many ways and also because now is the PERFECT time for it to change yours too! Years of putting everything and everyone before myself resulted in putting on some extra pounds that I did not love. I had no interest in any weight loss program I had ever seen though because most of them involved depriving yourself of things and made no sense to me long term. I didn’t just want to lose weight, I wanted to get fit and healthy in a realistic way that I could keep up for life. I saw something about Noom on social media, read only a little bit about the program and new it was for me so I tried the free 2 week trial which I loved (and lost 5 pounds doing) and was hooked. I started in September of 2019 and hit my goal weight (35 pounds lost) on Christmas Eve and let me tell you it was the BEST Christmas gift I could have ever given myself. I decided to lose another 5 pounds…because why not and now over 4 months later I am easily maintaining my perfect weight, started working out and run 5k weekly ( I was training for a race that has sadly been postponed but I will keep running and be ready!). This program is real. It deals with the mental aspect of why YOU eat what you eat and helps you relearn how to eat in a healthy way while enjoying anything your heart desires in moderation. I got so excited about this program and the thought of sharing it with others that it is the very thing that inspired me to become an affiliate and use my platforms to share all the things that I love. CLICK ON THE NOOM PHOTO ABOVE TO GET YOUR PLAN, START YOUR TRIAL AND START LOSING! You won’t regret it and when you can finally leave your homes and see friends again, won’t they be surprised!!
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