A Lellow Dresser

Down in the dungeon I have a rickety little corner of shelves stock full of happiness. There are rows of stained paint brushes in old jars, space dedicated to spray paint, itty bitty sample cans of crazy paint colors. There is a container full of acrylics and all sorts of odds and sods well known to any DIYer (which I like to refer to as a DIYCYC-do it yourself 'cause your crazy.) 

This past winter, with a baby literally hanging off my hip and a two year old pointing to my shoulder asking if it was my elbow, I stripped, sanded, primed and painted. I slowly lost my mind in the pursuit to actually regain it, as I always think a good project will help. Several large old pieces of furniture, old doors, window frames, and children received some paint in all various manners. Stacked drawers, drills, and hammers were only a small portion of the danger to a baby laying about the house. The crazed mother was high on the danger list. 

Would someone please explain to me how to take photos of these sorts of things? Impossible may ring true here. Complete with original hardware and terrible drawers-I love the skirt work and detail on this old dresser. Yes, I intended this to look scuffed up and dirty-my house isn't that filthy.

Now moi, I'm a bit of a naturalist. I know the 1900's called and wants their style back, but I'm there. Girls, I love the natural look of wood. I love old wood, I love stained wood and I like it plain jane. I don't have the urge to paint everything white as most the population does. I'm also not on the boat that cringes when wood is painted over. Folks, it's just a piece of furniture after all. Are you going to take that with you when you leave this planet? I doubt it.

What? The glare hurts your eyes? Put on your shades! This is the before folks, and all roads lead to this clothes holder being 100% Canuck. From what era? Who knows! I bet whoever crafted this dove tail joint drawer specimen would flip their lid knowing the sunshiney hue it now adorns. Whoops!

For my own house, very little get's painted in the way of furniture. For display of my baby swag at shows and for resale for old fashioned baby rooms, sure, I'll slap a coat of blue on that waterfall dresser. My little girl's antique dresser (that was not in the family previously-I have no qualms about this) was washed in yellow. Little girl's rooms are the perfect place for a happy splash of color.

Happy side note, my Auntie Pat was proposed to with an actual shiny ring in a cracker jack box. Can you believe it? I would have definitely eaten the thing and most likely choked. 

This piece got the works, a thorough clean, a light sanding and a bit of effort. I distressed the beast to give it some old fashioned country fun, and used light & dark wax. Yes, dark wax to dirty it up. After days of effort, between naps, meals and house cleaning, my Dad walks in to see the finish project still sitting in the living room. He knew I had a dresser to work on for Tay, and saw the ray of sunshine sitting there. Dad let me know that if I was to get started on that piece I should probably try a stripper first before I start to sand it down, it looked like there was a lot of paint on there. 

 "Um, thanks Dad, but it's already done." 

 "Oh."

 Now that there is another before and after painted piece of furniture post to drop into the big old ocean of blog posts about this, let me sign off by saying never open a can of paint in the living room. Never. Ever. This would be sad and silly, you will be grouped into the insane new mother's group, even if you are a man.





Linking up here and here!