My new favorite.

I finally finished what is now my most favorite piece ever!! I'm looking at it as I type this and I'm in love!!

Here's a reminder of what she looked like before:

And here she is now:

Before:

Now:

 I spent more time on this piece than on anything else I've ever remade - staining this gem was most definitely a labor of love but I absolutely adore the results!

 And as you can see, it's new home is in my living room - so it will serve more as a buffet than an actual dresser. I'm not really sure what to put on top of it so for now my little artichoke lamp sits by itself enjoying the view!

Next up - curtains, an area rug and addressing my trunk coffee table. Oh and a new sofa is also in the cue - my sofa is from the 1970's and currently slip covered which is why I try to not take pictures of it...but it's obviously just outside the above shot.

I know curtains and a rug will help warm up the room but I'm still looking for the perfect ones.  Actually, I've already found the perfect curtains but $110 for one panel is just a tad above budget :-)

So until I find the perfect and affordable curtains and/or fabric, my blinds will be just fine!

And just a reminder this dresser/buffet was only $20!! I spent about $35 on supplies - including stain, gloves, staining sponges, sealer, primer, oil rubbed bronze and white semi-gloss spray paint.

$55 TOTAL!

And once again thank you to the Harbaugh Family for generously parting with the dresser and allowing me to give it a new life!

**I'm linked up to Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday and Restore it Wednesday **

Almost there.

I decided to started my big dresser makeover project last night and after much staining and a little spray painting...I'm almost done!! It's late and I'm tired but here's a quick recap and preview of what's to come...

Here's the original stain before sanding...

 I rarely sand surfaces before painting just because it's such a pain. And I never sand down to the raw wood but this one required it since I was staining it (also a first!)  Looking back I probably should have used a chemical stripper because it took a few (or SIX!!) coats of stain to get the desired shade. I also switched stain midway - the first 3 were Dark Walnut and the last 3 were Ebony. I should have done Ebony from the beginning....lesson learned.

 This was after I applied the first coat of stain but before it was wiped off - I really like applying that first coat...it was strangely therapeutic! But unfortunately, it got progressively less therapeutic with each coat! I was just about done after the sixth one and by then was resolved to just accept whatever it looked like after it was wiped down - but thankfully, I loved it!

 Here we are after coat #4 had set in and been wiped off. It's getting there and it's all you'll see until the finished piece!!

I'm letting the final coat dry in the garage overnight before I apply the sealer. I then have to let that dry before I can finish painting the rest of the dresser!!

Until then...good night!