Three-Tone Dresser

My dear parents were visiting us all last week, so I’m a little behind on projects…but I wouldn’t trade my time with them for anything!  This is the first time they’ve been able to come see us since we moved last Christmas.  My mother is in very poor health and it is particularly difficult for her to travel so I don’t know how many opportunities like this we will have.  She kept fretting that she was “keeping me” from getting ready for my next show…but I reminded her of one of the greatest lessons she ever taught me…

People are always more important than things!

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So here’s a project that I actually finished several weeks ago; it has already gone on to a new home.  I did get to enjoy it in my dining room for a little while!

It was a garage sale find that was meant to be mine!  It was in remarkably good shape…it had the original casters (love those), all the pulls, no missing veneer, etc.  The only thing it was missing was the little metal drawer stops that keep the drawers from sliding all the way back…a few partially-exposed screws took care of that!

I thought the wood veneer on the drawers was too pretty to cover up.  the top drawer is something like curly maple…I think…while the bottom drawers are walnut.  I am no expert, so I could be totally off here!

Although I used the same antique walnut stain on all the exposed wood, I wipe it off very quickly on the top drawer to highlight the difference.

The body was painted in Sherwin Williams Creamy, and lightly distressed and glazed.  I love the contrast of the paint and the stain!

You can see another two-tone dresser I finished last year here.  I don’t think this one will be the last!

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The Inspiration Exchange	Elizabeth & Co.
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Friday Remodelaholic	The Scoop!
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Knick of Time	Domestically Speaking
Perfectly Imperfect	No Minimalist Here
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	Mod Vintage Life A Little Knick Knack

For the Birds: a dining set

My dining room has been “full” for a little while again, and it has been so nice!  A friend of mine was moving and didn’t want to take her dining set with her…and I just happened to be willing to take it off her hands!

The sad part is that I canNOT find my “before” pictures.  I remember taking them…really I do!  But they are not to be found, either on my phone or my camera.

Suffice it to say that the finish on the top of the table was utterly shot, one of the chairs had a large hole in the caning, and the seat cushions were stained and dog-hairy.

This version, I think, is much better!

I will admit it took me a looonnnggg time to finish this project!  I got the table top stained and the body and chairs painted, and then they sat…and sat…and sat.  It was WEEKS before I replaced the caning (using my tried-true kitchen tools, as shown here)  put the poly on the top and glazed and distressed everything else.

I don’t know why I waited so long!

I love the pretty legs on this piece.

And I really love the seat fabric!  I ordered it from Fabric. com here (it’s called Richloom Birdwatcher Meadow).  I am such a sucker for birds, and I think the whole dining set re-do was just an excuse to use this fabric!  If you love the fabric like I do…they have a couple other color options.  I chose to go with the more “neutral” one, but my heart was really pulled toward the Meadow colorway. 

You can see my Milk & Cream lazy susan made an appearance on the newly finished table…it’s always fun to put a few new things together!

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Linking up here:

The Inspiration Exchange	Elizabeth & Co.
Primitive & Proper	Thrifty Décor Chick
Friday Remodelaholic	The Scoop!
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off Miss Mustard Seed
Beyond the Picket Fence	Coastal Charm
Knick of Time	Domestically Speaking
Perfectly Imperfect	No Minimalist Here
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	A Little Knick Knack

Two-tone Dresser

I know, I know…it’s  not a house project.  But this is probably the last furniture project I finished in 2012, and it hasn’t been shown off!

As you know, deciding we were moving to Seattle last October threw a real loop in our lives.  I still had half a garage (my half) full of projects that I planned to finish for a fall boutique.  Cooler heads prevailed, and I backed out of the boutique in order to concentrate on moving, and I sold most of my projects in whatever state they were in.

This little dresser was an exception.  You see…it was on casters.  I am such a sucker for casters. 

It was a little (OK, a lot) beat up, and it was missing one of it’s original carved wood handles, but I love those wheels!

I wasn’t really sure what I had in mind for this piece, but after I sanded it down, I decided the beautiful inlaid wood pattern on the drawers was too  pretty to cover up with paint.

My biggest problem then was that I was missing a handle, I couldn’t find anything that I remotely liked that could replace it and cover the original holes.  So…I didn’t.  I filled in the holes as best as I could and called it “good enough.”

Sitting here, right now, I’m thinking, “Why didn’t I make new pulls out of ribbon or something??”  They say hindsight’s 20/20, don’t you agree?

  

I didn’t have time for fancy staging for this one…just pulled it outside of my beautiful workshop (which finally got a concrete pad just a few weeks before we moved) and snapped some pictures on a cold November day.

I sold this piece the day before the movers arrived!  Honestly, I wouldn’t have cared if it had had to come with me, though!

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This project has been featured at My Repurposed Life.

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Linking up here:

Domestically Speaking	Elizabeth & Co.
Primitive & Proper	Thrifty Décor Chick
Friday Remodelaholic	2805
My Simple Home Life’s Simple Creations Friday	Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Feature Friday
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Beyond the Picket Fence	Someday Crafts
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Perfectly Imperfect	{Primp}
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	All Star Block Party A Little Knick Knack
Cowgirl Up! Thrifty Décor Chick	{aka} design Coastal Charm