Striped Dresser

Major project alert!

I have been working on this dresser all week, minus Labor Day weekend where I went to the town where I grew up and experienced some major hick-age.

My husband and I have been married for 5 1/2 years.  He had this dresser when we got married and I never thought to ask if it was special to him, I just assumed that it was.  Three years later we started talking about it and I found out that it was his x-girlfriend's sister's and that he doesn't even know how he got it.  Score for me!  Now it's mine.  But it took another 2 1/2 years for me to decide to change it.  And now I have.

Before

After

I did this all on my front porch so it was always well ventilated.  First I sanded it.  I just roughed up the edges and the drawers.

But I sanded the top all the way to the wood.

This one is hard to see but I drew a flower on the top with a pencil.  (Got the idea here).

And painted the dresser white.

I picked up some ebony stain and started staining the insides of the petals that I drew.  I started with the insides so that they would be darker than the outsides.

Then I outlined the petals with the stain.

Next I stained the rest of the petals.  I really love how this looks... but I kept going.

I rubbed the stain around the edges to fill in the brown parts with black so it wouldn't be so prominent.

Put varnish on the top. 

 Then decided it was a little too dark around the outsides of the petals so I sanded around the petals and varnished again.

I have been loving stripes lately and wanted to incorporate them into this project so I taped it off and painted gray stripes that I later sanded slightly to distress.  Side note: I love green frog tape way more than the blue painters tape.  It is so much better!

I spray painted the handles black (they were bronze before).

I have had a big dilemma in this house because there isn't a lot of closet space so I don't have room for our shoes, which have been placed in the entry hallway on the floor and in totes (on the floor in the entry).  

Solution!

I also wanted a place to put our keys right when we walk in so we stop losing them.

Linking up at the great Linky parties found at the bottom of the blog.  They are where I find most of my inspiration!  Check them out!

plus

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday

My Repurposed Life - Catch as Catch Can Party

2805 - Potpourri Friday

Serenity Now