Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

On Saturday, while the kids were napping and the husband was dutifully in his role of daddy-daycare, I popped out to check out our local Habitat ReStore. There was a clinic there and I had missed the last few I had heard about.  I wish the clinic had hands-on exercises - but overall the ReStore was great! I usually shop for furniture at another local shop that has decent prices, but I could see how much more reasonable the prices here were! And they had a very similar mix of quality pieces that the other thrift store does. They also had a huge number of old window panes, used doors, lighting fixtures and the typical books / decor / pictures. Needless to say I was very excited. 

My husband would hate if I brought home another project I didn't finish or have a purpose for.  On our third floor, we have two large totes next to our guest bed that are filled with my husband's sports jerseys and other clothes. Those ugly totes are covered with another ugly sheet. I started looking for something that could replace them. 

While I was there, I ran into an antique sewing machine desk which was calling my name for $40 (can't believe I forgot to take a photo!).  It had five skinny drawers on the right, and what looked like two large doors on the left.  Those two large cabinet style drawers were actually a disguised pull out chair! If I were in a bigger house or knew someone else who would love it as a gift I would have walked away with it in an instant.  However, I knew I already had a craft table and a regular desk upstairs that don't get enough use, so I sadly walked away.  And then I came up to the piece I ended up buying: a metal dresser. Its metal - as in filing cabinet metal (so very heavy) - with a few paint drips on it and a two-inch diameter circle where the paint had been worn off to the original metal finish. It was different enough and fit the space I wanted.  Refinishing this was not only easy, but also would help me get rid of the totes!!

The dresser was originally $40, and they had a 25% off sale for the St. Paddy's day holiday - coming down to $30. Before I got home I stopped at Lowes and bought three cans of spray paint - two of Valspar's Luscious Green and 1 of Cobalt Cannon. The total project cost came back up to $40.  My husband sanded it down and my daughter helped me with the clean up and taking off the handles.

(the handles before)

I had previously pinned a photo of a green cabinet I liked on Pinterest from Apartment Therapy (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/carly-chips-home-house-tour-165184#gallery/35554/24) and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do something similar.  It was also a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!  I spray painted (on a very windy day, I wouldn't recommend that!) the dresser green and the handles grey.  I'm really, really terrible at spray painting, though I love the way it turned out. 

This is a photo of it in our kitchen - not in its new permanent home upstairs.  I can see using this nearly anywhere in our house if I designed around it- a kids room, a future man cave, even in a dining room or study; but for now it will house those jerseys and rid me of the terrible totes. 

 

I'm still considering some things for a future iteration of this dresser: the first is clear coating the top to protect it from scratches... it chipped really easily when I was scratched it putting on one of the handles.  The second is putting some of those vinyl wall decals on it for a sports room or something funky like an octopus or maybe a giant anchor. I just went to one of those house parties for the vinyl decals and have so many ideas of projects to do running through my head now. One thing at a time I suppose!