This morning I had a small window of time before my daughter's dance class to go out thrift shopping and try to pickup some furniture to refinish. You see, I'm currently sold out. All the pieces that I've done to this point have sold -- yay! This is so very exciting, but at the same time I need to get to work. Are you curious to see what I found this morning?

At my first stop I struck out. This happens sometimes, but don't let that discourage you. On my second attempt I snagged two of these nightstands for only $6.50 a piece! Not sure what to do with them yet, but I'm sure it will come to me.

I was drawn to the nice shape and the hardware. The drawers are also dovetail and you can tell that it's a better quality piece. Now I just have to pick the perfect finish!

Next stop, I found this Mid-Century Modern desk for only $10. You can't see in the photo, but it has the pencil legs that I really love. It's extra long but has a short depth, which helps with functionality.

This is going to be fun! I'm thinking more bold and retro for these color selections. 

Lots of love,

Mary

Hayden was inspired by a recent piece I saw done by Miss Mustard Seed. She painted stripes on a beautiful antique chest. You can view this piece in her portfolio here. I thought of the cedar chest I had sitting lonely in my upstairs hallway. Perfect!

Here's my finished product -- isn't she beautiful? I named her "Hayden" because she's just about the coolest looking antique cedar chest you've ever seen! (This one's for you, Em!)

Here you can see the before-pic. Can you believe that I picked up this beauty for only $20 at Goodwill? It was "50%-off Saturday" and I actually showed up at 9 am when the store opened to get it at that price.

It needed some repair. I started by gluing down the lifting veneer pieces. (This took 24 hours to fully dry.)

Then, the taping job. Using my painters tape, I measured and starting taping as close to the middle as possible and worked my way out. Perfection is never my goal (and not expected), but I wanted to achieve as much symmetry as I could.

When applying the paint, I used a rag and a whitewash solution of Annie Sloan chalk paint in Pure White. Making sure not to get the cloth too wet, I scrubbed the paint onto each stripe, one at a time. To ensure the solution didn't bleed through the tape, I also pushed down the tape while applying the paint.

The piece was distressed lightly to break up the stripes a little bit. Then, I toned down the stripes with a rag-rubbed coat of Minwax bombay mahogany wood stain. Lastly, I finished it with AS clear wax. I'm in love with the way she shows her age -- but with such a trendy, modern twist! I was glad to find that the interior is also beautiful cedar and fully intact -- so practical for storage.

I'm so very pleased with the results! And so happy that I've decided she's mine! :)  Sorry folks, this one's not for sale.


Lots of love,
Mary


Linked up here: