Good Morning!
As a before + after lover myself, I have a hard time believing that practically anyone could resist the lure of that slightly breathtaking moment when your eyes slide from the old, grubby "Before" picture to the eye-poppingly bright and clean "After."
But something that's essential for achieving that "wow effect" is being able to spot the "afters" in pieces that would look too-far-gone to the untrained eye in their “before” state.
Many an hour thrifting has helped hone my ability to spot the gems (my husband is skeptical sometimes, but half the fun of a good makeover is the moment when he is forced to admit that I “did it again!” : )).
So, when I spotted this sad, neglected, dirty old dresser at Goodwill (my thrifting haunt of choice) a few months back, I could see that it had major "after " potential.
I fell in love with the floral details, the key-hole plates, and the curvy lines.
(Nothing like an adorable little helper to make a nasty task—see that grimy pink scrunchy from 1973?—a little more fun).
What I didn’t love: the musty smell, the numerous dings and dints, and the drawers that I had to pry open with one foot braced against the wall.
But when the manager knocked the price down from $25 to $15, I figured it was worth it to take the dresser on, “issues” and all.
Now, because of the drawers, I wasn’t keen to store anything that I needed to access often, but I had been looking for a unique piece for my fabric collection, and I was sure this one could do the trick.
Sometimes, you don’t have to turn a flower pot into a telephone to “repurpose” an item. Sometimes, it just takes a tiny step outside the box to discover a new but similar use for something with loads of potential.
I took that step and loaded Collette (yup, just decided that now) in my van, scrubbed her down, and gave her a good coat of Kilz oil-based primer.
Then, I sprayed the keyhole plates with Rustoleum’s Heirloom White because I wanted a little contrast and focus on the details:
Next, I hauled out a half-empty can of Sherwin Williams Quite Coral—the same shade that I used to transform a garage sale chandy in a master closet makeover I finished this past summer—and got to rolling and brushing to my little heart’s content (okay, so my heart would have been a little more content with having cookies and milk while paging through the latest issue of Anthro, but none of that would have gotten get the dresser done, so…).
Here she is, all gussied up, better than new, if you ask me:
Just like I’d planned, I put Collette in my craft room and stuffed her full of fabric.
OH, and speaking of repurposing, I also used Collette as a sideboard for all the treats at my daughter, Della’s, 1st birthday party.
Two of the drawers weren’t salvageable, so I made little “drawer curtains” out of Premier Prints zigzag fabric + some clearance lace I had in my stash.
I also bought these fantastic knobs for 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby. 6 of them still cost more than I paid for the entire dresser, but in my opinion, they are sooooo worth it!
Here’s a shot of the whole birthday vignette.
And here’s a shot of the adorable little ladybug that inspired the party-theme.
I couldn’t resist. Can you blame me?
The cost breakdown for the whole project?:
Dresser: $15
Knobs: $27
Primer (I used maybe 1/2): $3
Spray paint (I used 1/4 of a can): $1.50
Paint (already had it): $0
Fabric (already had it): $0
Miscellaneous other supplies: 4.50
TOTAL: $51
So, what do you think? Worth the effort?
I’m pretty smitten, but I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Oh, and I’d LOVE to have you stop by for a visit at:
Here’s a quick peak at a few of my other projects:
You can also join in the fun of the 5D5W Facebook page here Can’t wait to meet you!
~Abbie
Source: Zoom Theory Photography
