THIS IS IT!! The Dresser Transformation How-To!

(Kimba GRACIOUSLY is allowing me to post about the exact same item I did last week. I certainly never expected the response I got!! Thank you each and every one of you for your AMAZINGLY kind comments and emails. Check out the rest of the GREAT items on DIY Tuesday. THANKS KIMBA!)

Several folks have asked me how my sweet girl became the beauty that she is (and prior to yesterday’s post, I never EVER referred to her as, “my sweet girl” or even gave her a gender! Ah what blogging will do to ya…)

First off let me assure you that DFE is well spoken for and… well… not available. (AWKWARD!) Though I am sure if you were in the area (and he were in the area) that he’d be happy to assist, but alas he is regretfully back in his home country (though my many projects on my list that have E written besides them keep growing and growing… November 8th just can’t get here quick enough!). But I digress…

So, in lieu of a DFE, a DH or any other semi-handy male-type specimen in your life will do just perfectly fine (I absolutely cannot believe I just wrote that (head hanging in shame) (head hanging further in shame as I realize I just put a parenthetical statement WITHIN a parenthetical statement!) YOU CAN DO THIS YOURSELF!!! I just couldn’t. But you could. Oh yes you can!).

ANYHOW – obviously you need a good SOLID dresser. I say solid because of the revamping, etc., that needs to get done, you need to make sure whatever you use can withstand the alterations (ie particle board – probably not gonna do it for ya).

A good prybar, sawzall, and general tools (screwdrivers, hammer, etc.) should be handy.

Remove all the drawers and then figure out how the top is attached and remove that. My goal was to reuse nearly every thing I took off, so we didn’t throw a single piece of wood, screw or bracket away (Did I mention the test of our relationship? Enter OCD me with laid-back DFE. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU THREW THAT SCREW OUT???” “It was bent and the head was missing.” “SO?!?!?!!”)

The top of my dresser was sitting on a BEAUTIFUL piece of molding. “We” (ha ha ha) carefully removed it and DFE reconfigured it to frame the very top.

Then “we” removed the pieces that framed the area for the top 2 drawers. At this point we knew we were only keeping one of the drawers, so we figured out which bottom of which drawer looked the best and retained the least amount of smoke-smell and cut the piece down so that the top now lay flat. (Ok, I’m just gonna stop saying we now, by this point this project was all DFE. As a matter of fact, he FORBID me from coming into his workshop until it was done.)

I was lucky in that the piece I had was WELL built and instead of the drawers just sliding in and out on a track, each drawer sat on its own shelf. This made the top and bottom shelf easy-peasy and gave us the perfect piece to do the middle shelf. So at this point all we had to do was figure out the spacing.

I thought one day I’d like to have spacers for plates (#7 on my list with an “E” beside it), so we made sure one shelf would have enough height to accommodate the plates. The bottom shelf and top shelf were “obvious” because those are exactly where they were to begin with. So all DFE had to do was position the middle shelf. He did this by placing mimicking exactly how they were done when they held drawers, setting the shelf in and reinforced it from the outside with some countersunk screws.

After all of this, it was merely a matter of finishing out all the open pockets/areas that would normally have been covered by closed drawers. Again, DFE did all of this using scrap pieces of drawers and stuff.

Finally, the call I had been anticipating… she was done. I still had the black paint from when I originally painted it, so I (DFE graciously allowed me to paint it) finished it all off.

I L.O.V.E. this piece of furniture. It’s one of my “5 Pieces of Furniture I’ll Never Get Rid Of.” (Yes, I have a list – don’t you??)

Sale-ing Saturday

So I’ve been searching for a site that highlights the goodies adopted from yard sales.  I didn’t find any.

Seriously?

There must be one somewhere!  I gots me some good junk and I wanna share!! (Insert really whinny, bad Southern accented voice here.)

So in lieu of another site, I’m going to start my own (PLEASE if someone has done or is doing this, apologize PROFUSELY to them for me, tell me about it and I’ll just link-on over there!!)

Yard sale-ing, junking, picking, has been a passion of mine for a LONG time.  After moving to the big city of Columbia, SC, (ha ha ha) I kinda abandoned it.  Which is STUPID, I know, and I believe is contributing to my feelings of discontentment and such (which I talk here at my other blog, incase for some strange reason, you’re interested).  So I very purposely set aside $20, checked out Craig's List for some hopeful possibilities, and away I went!  (If this post goes anywhere, I’ll share my yard sale-ing points and tips and such, but for now, know that I was prepared – travel French press and all.)

I went to one community sale (my favorite type) and one random home sale (bad choice), and had enough money left over to hit Goodwill (not so good), Kohl’s, TJ Maxx and Michaels (oh Hobby Lobby how I miss you so!).

So anyhow, without any further adieu, here’s my loot from today: 

 Say it with me folks, “WOOT!!!”

I know you can’t see it all, and if I were REALLY good at this, I would have taken the time to take individual pictures, but for now, let me just give you some of the highlights.

• Two, count ‘em TWO, cheese thingies (and I do think that is the technical term).  I’ve seen several folks take these, paint the bottoms and do the C.U.T.E.S.T. things with them.  I have two now.  I’m thinking giveaway someday soon??  Keep checking back.  $2 each.
• A slew and I mean SLEW of fall picks.  There were actually on my list to get at Michael’s.  I got all of them, PLUS a wreath that’s kinda decorated for Fall (though not to my liking) for $3.
• The glass hurricanes – there were 6 of ‘em.  I wanted 2 and the nice lady sold me 2 for 25 cents.  I’m seeing them sitting on top of chunky wood pillars.  
• Black fireplace thingie (again, another technical term) = $1
• There’s a shelf that the hurricanes are sitting on that you can’t see that was $1.  It will be black one day soon.
• Memo board (I am SOOOOOO going to try some of that chalkboard paint stuff) = $2
• There’s a framed picture that you can’t see.  It’s a watercolor and I just happened to have an eerily similar one at home.  Different painters, same colors.  I’m seeing a robin egg blue mat and brown frame (or vice versa).  $1
• The orange thing on the corner is a Speck Best Case Scenario for a 15” MacBook Pro.  I don’t own a MacBook Pro… yet… but I hope to in December.  These cases run $25 at a Mac store.  This was… wait for it… $2!!! 

There’s a few other items that I got at Michael’s and TJ Max that brought my total up to $20.  All in all, a good day of shopping, don’t ya think?

So just click on little ol' Mr. MckLinky down there, and join in the fun!

So… what’d ya get??

(Ok - FOUND ONE... well kinda one. Check out Today's Thrifty Treasure over at Southern Hospitality. I did and I LOVE IT!!!)



And another GREAT one over at Homebody!  WOOT!!

Little Ol' Me?!?!!

I'm one of the DIY Divas of the week over at The Shabby Chic Cottage!!!  I think I can honestly say I've never been called a Diva before (at least not to my face) and gotta say, I'm honored!!  Thank you!!!

The other 2 ladies who were also chosen did AMAZING transformations.  Check out Gail's ultra cool house number sign (SHE MADE IT OUT OF A TWIN HEADBOARD!!) and Beachy Keen Girl's GREAT kitchen makeover (I LOVE the black cabinets!!).

Again, THANK YOU SCC!!

I am working on the "How To" of my little dresser that could and twirling around in my mind for some sort of give-away (that does NOT involve DFE!) once I reach 100 followers (or maybe I'll pick some odd number like 107 or something)..

WOOT!!!

New To Old How To

I am diligently trying to write out all the steps DFE and I took to transform my dresser from this

to this!

Check back over the weekend for the post (I'm going to try to get some close up shots, etc.). Or email me (or, hey, follow me) and I'll let you knwo when I've posted it.

Thanks!! Thanks for all the emails and comments! You guys are TOOO kind!!

The New Adventures Of An Old Dresser

It's DIY Thursday and this is my official second entry.  WOOT!!

This beauty survived a house fire and was sitting in a warehouse with junk all over it. It had great bones, but was just a wee bit tired. I paid a whopping $25 for her, took her home and let her sit for a few weeks and air out (with the help of some charcoal to absorb the smokey smell).

From there she was sanded, sanded some more, and sanded still more.

FINALLY I decided her only hope would be some odor killing Kiltz and some good black paint.

About two years into our relationship, I saw this beauty in a magazine and KNEW "I" could m ake it happen.

So I went to my DFE (darling friend Everettt) and with pleading, begging eyes, convinced him that he could make it happen (confession - I had already tried.  I had ripped off the top and that was as far as I got).  DFE rolled his eyes and came over to pick up my sweet girl.


So DFE went to work (I so wish I had taken more pictures!) and SLOWLY she started taking shape.

(This is getting ridiculously long...)

FINALLY after weeks of sawing and sanding, only one near trip to the ER, more than one 'test' of our relationship (which resulted in "Look, I'll call you when I'm done, ok?), my girl was FINALLY ready to be picked up.

When she got to her new home (which turned out to be a new home for me too) I let her sit for a few weeks while I figured out how exactly to arrange her (something I'm TERRIBLE at).  But finally I got her all arranged and I was LOVING it!!!  DFE even made shelves out of her old top!!

Isn't she love-er-ly?

But, alas, I was never quite happy with how it all was looking and stuff, so NOW she sits by my front door, looking grand (as she should!).

 
Doesn't she just make your toes curl with glee?  She does mine!!

I am NOT at all pleased with how she's decorated, but I'm working on that (Seriously?  I have a red framed lamp and a pink matted picture?  REALLY??)  Yeah... I need to work on that one.

So if you're reading this it's because you wandered over here from either The Shabby Chic Cottage and their wonderful Transformation Thursday or  A Soft Place To Land, Thrifty Decor Chick, and (last, but FAR from least - Between Naps on the Porch and their AMAZING Metamorphosis Monday and one or two others that I promise to come back later and link to, like Hooked On Houses (LOVE IT!) .  So take grab a cup of coffee (and if you haven't tried Storyville, you haven't lived) and click away.

And one more place (because I fear y'all aren't totally tired of it yet).  Funky Junk Interiors is hosting a Saturday Night Special.  Check out some of the other COOL stuff!!

And ONE MORE!!  (I'm sure y'all are sick of this post by now!!)  Miss Mustard Seed has started a "Furniture Feature Friday" and well... yeah, I'm linking.

Enjoy!!

***UPDATE:  I am so T-TOTALLY stoked!!  Cheri over at It's So very Cheri gave me shout out!  She is most definitely one my of my FAVORITE places to stop and visit daily.  Check her out!***

A Bit Of A Tease

By far, the absolute most impressive thing I've ever re-did (ok, techinically I didn't do it, but it was my idea and my dresser and my pleading eyes that got someone to do it for me), is going to be my post on DIY Thursday. But for today - here is where I got my inspiration. It was from a magazine called, Junk Market Style from 2006 (I think).

Enjoy!!

It All Began With

See that dresser right there? The one right next to this post? The one that looks like it needs MAJOR help? Yeah that one. That's my very first dresser. My mom and dad purchased it from the William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh when they got married. It used to have a mirror (no clue where that is) and once upon a time had casters (thank you very much, Howard Isner, for making those a distant memory) and it even used to have all of the original hardware.

I have bought, refinished, reused and sold more dressers than probably I can remember. But this one... my first... the one with the memories... I just can't seem to do anything with.

I think I'm afraid if I do, that the memories or something will disappear. I tried to just replace the hardware, but I obviously failed. And I can't even seem to get accessories right (and how appropriate this is to link to TDC's blog!!)

I will share some of my other treasures (including my favorite, "The Little Black Dresser That Could") soon. As soon as I finish painting the other lamp, redo the mirror, make some banana mocha chip muffins, do a load or two of laundry, set up a Facebook & Twitter account for my church...

Gosh I'm tired...

I Saw The Light!

(Addendum by a Dumb Dumb: I'm so incrediably embarassed. I'm a college graduate for heaven's sake!! DIY!! DIY!!! DIY!!!! Sheesh!!!)

So my main reason for starting blog #2 (even though I initially said I wouldn't) was so that I could participate in all the DIY days and such that happen on some of my new favorite blogs. So this is my first DIY blog entry on A Soft Place To Land and I'm so excited I could SPIT (I promise I won't!!).

I've lived in my new "hometown" for nearly two years. And for that entire time I've felt disconnected, unsettled and basically like I shouldn't be here. I think a good portion of those feelings came from abandoning my second (third actually) love of junking, antiquing, picking and re-purposing all things cool and preferably old.

So last weekend, encouraged by some of the COOLEST blogs I've seen, including ASPTL and Thrifty Decor Chick, I pulled out some of my once forgotten projects, made a "quick" jaunt to Walmart for some spray paint and let the good times roll!

Several years ago, while living in my beloved Florence, I made WITH MY VERY OWN HANDS all new bed coverings, including curtains. They were all based on a GORGEOUS pattern by Ralph Lauren, but cost about 1/4 of the price (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm CHEAP!). One of the things I needed the most were new lamps.

Enter a Target end cap. I found 2, BEAUTIFULLY shaped wooden lamps for only $10/each. WOOT!!

But they were white-ish and I needed them to be black-ish.

Hello Krylon spray paint.

Now it only took me nearly 3 years to paint them, but I definitely think it was worth the wait. (No, I'm not a slow painter, just a terrible procrastinator.)

(And unfortunately I only have 1 to show because... well... when they tell you to make sure your surface is clean and particle free... turns out they mean it!)

Here's the lamp before:

During


After

And here are some of the items I hope to be working on in the coming weeks

As I mentioned this is part of A soft Place To Land and their DIY day. And it's my first DIY post!! YEAH ME!!

I Collect Dressers

Some people collect figurines, post cards, coins, vintage enamel ware... me? I collect dressers. I've got a serious, SERIOUS thing for them. Big, small, plain, detailed, painted, stained... I love them. I have 2 in my bedroom, one in my guest room, one in my living/dining room and I promise, if my kitchen had room, there would be one there, too. I've bought and resold nearly as many as I've kept. Dressers make me happy. Weird, I know. But I love me some dressers.

I'm not TERRIBLY picky, but I prefer my drawers to be dove-tailed and my wood to be real (no veneer or particle board, please). I bought one dresser and Renningers years ago that was green with orange drawers, I stripped it and stained it. I bought a walnut one and painted it black.

Yeah, I love me some dressers.

I started this blog because I've realized that so many of the blogs I hop to are all about my second passion in life - creating a comfy home for me and my "kids." (Ok, so they're only a dog and cat and really, they could care less about how my house is decorated) I've wanted time and time again to post a link or share a project I'm working on or completed, but my other blog just doesn't fit (and to suddenly start taking about a frame that I'm repurpsoing would have just seemed... well... odd...).

I don't claim to be creative. But I do love a good treasure hunt and a reason to break out my paint brushes, tools and sewing machine. So here I go, the good, the really bad and the, "Gosh that is ugly" of decorating and repurpsing with Dresser Girl.

WOOT!!

(If you bounced here from my over at Delicious Ambiguity, I hope you enjoy the trip. I started this one because many of the blogs I hop to and post on have to do with all things cool and exciting like bathroom makeovers and creative use for pine cones. DA just didn't fit.)