My First Roadside Find

We were driving down the road a few weekends ago when my  husband said to me, "That looked like a cool desk" and then continued to drive down the road.  My response was something like, "what???  If it is a cool desk, then you better turn around!"  He did and thank goodness for mini vans because we manuevered a few things and had ourselves a new to us but old beauty of a desk.  

This is what it looked like at first.  I am a lover of old things and typically prefer to keep them "as is".  However, we were just not sure what kind of paint was on top of this desk and it was a MESS so we decided to strip and paint.  

It was going to be a computer desk for our loft area.  We had been wanting a desk exactly like this to open up the space.  I was beside myself with excitement because we had never been so lucky to find treasures on the side of the road before.

My husband was just as excited and got to work right away.  Here are most of the supplies he used on this re-do...

It was beautiful with the paint off and would have been great left just like that.  However, we were also looking to lighten and brighten up the space so we decided to paint it white.

We tried to spend as little money as possible on this re-do so we used the only white paint we had around.  It was simply plain white paint straight from a shelf that had been used on woodwork around our home.

I love the way it turned out.  My husband ended up doing all of the dirty work.  The drawer is my favorite part.  It is a very deep drawer so it can fit a ton of stuff and the handle is just perfect.

There is metal around the bottom of the legs that we left as is.  Love the look against the white and it gives the desk some character.

It is deeper than we probably would have liked but when you get something for free, you just can't complain.

It has some fun holes that give it character too.  My husband used the palm sander off and on along the edges to distress it a bit.

And here she is all prettied up in her new home.  It is amazing what it did for the area.  It feels bigger and brighter.  LOVE it.

Here's to hoping this is the first of many roadside treasures...

Happy Tuesday!

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Roadside Find to Nursery Dresser

 So, it's no surprise to any long time readers that I LOVE to pick up furniture off the side of the road. Okay, well truth be told I hate to actually do it, but I am really goo at convincing my husband to do it for me! I have gotten quite a few signature pieces around my house from another man's trash.

The latest addition to the trash to treasures stash was a dresser for our coming baby's nursery. I had been searching garage sales ALL week long, and low and behold my husband happened to drive by the perfect project right around the corner from our house. My favorite thing about it, it was FREE!

So, follow my journey as I turn this:

Into this:

 

First, I wiped and sanded down all of the surfaces that were to be painted. 

 

To keep with the 'free' theme, I used some leftover 'Manhattan Mist' paint from our living room makeover last summer. It is the perfect gray/ blue hue to tie the other nursery elements together. 

 

It was a slight bummer that the dresser didn't come with knobs, but who am I to complain? I found just what I was looking for at Hobby Lobby, and wouldn't you know, knobs were 50% off that week. So, for a grand total of $23.00, I purchased 17 new knobs for my dresser. (Yes, I need 18, so I am on the search for just one more!)

 

While this dresser is old, all of the drawers are in working condition, it is the perfect size, and it was just the right price. I love thrifty finds! And with all the other money we are putting into another nursery, I am sure my husband doesn't mind either. check out the sweet detail on the base of the dresser below, it might just be my favorite part!

 

What thrifty finds have you had lately? I would love to see them!

Now for a little reminder:

Next week begins July, and a new weekly layout for us here at LTC. We hope that you will join us for our first ever LINK party next Thursday! I cannot wait to see what you have to share with us then!

Happy Thursday!

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Yard Sale School Desk

Even my husband has now given into my yard sale obsession. This pays off for me in a lot of ways. All of the credit for finding this piece is owed to him. While driving home from work on a random Thursday night, he passed a great sale around the corner. He called me, I came out with the cash and walked away with this beauty... for only $3.00! That's right. I gave them a five and actually got change, while walking away with an awesome new piece! To be honest, I kind of ran since I felt like taking this desk for $3.00 was highway robbery.

I am in the process of updating my daughter's nursery, which can be seen here, and after seeing the gorgeous desk Tiffany had in her big girl's room, I new this piece would work perfectly. I pulled together my new Amy Butler (LOVE!) fabric inspiration for the room and some left over paint to give this chair a little make over.

The paint I applied was Martha Stewart Anjou Pear. Immediately after painting it, I questioned my decision not to stain it instead. The texture of the wood was so rich and the grain was simply fabulous. Something I overlooked before a quick coat of paint. I compromised my original decision by sanding down the paint and exposing a lot of the desk's original personality.

For a bit of personalization I decided to apply a little monogram. We went with a lower case "b" for our last name. We are hoping this desk, with what I can only imagine is a rich history, will stick around for a few generations to come. I stenciled in the b and painted it with my Laura Ashley Geranium Pink.

Now with the finished product, we can all just sit and enjoy. Well, she, can sit and enjoy. I have a lot more work to do to put that fabulous Amy Butler fabric to good use and update my big girl's room. I guess you'll just have to come back for some sneak peeks and the finished product!

I'll be linking up to these great parties this week, as well as the CSI Yard Sale Challenge.
Hope you will stop by and join us all!

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Antique Desk Revamp

This is my first furniture post, although you can certainly expect MANY to come. This is due to what I am sure my husband would call a "problem" of picking up trashed furniture off the side of the road. I never quite have a plan or place in mind for furniture I find, I just always know I HAVE to have it! I love taking old, ugly, destroyed things and making them beautiful once again.

My latest victim was this miniature secretary's desk. When I saw it I thought it would be perfect for my daughter someday. My husband had a hard time seeing past the amount of sanding it would require, but I was not deterred.

The first thing we did was sand down the desk. It had two coats of THICK paint on it. Then, it was up to my husband and his father to fix all of the cracks and missing pieces. The drawer had to be re-fitted as well so that it would slide in place properly. I wish I had better pictures of this process to share. It was certainly entertaining!

Next, I used a beautiful Laura Ashely color to give the drab old wood a fresh look.

Seeing as how the desk was definitely an antique of sorts, I wanted to give it lots of unique character. I tried to accomplish this by "antiquing" the edges with my favorite old Martha Stewart Anjou Pear color (as seen on the Sock Exchange last Thursday.) I just used a sponge brush to apply the contrasting paint color to the edges and in random splotches of the desk.

To finish off the desk, I painted the inside of the drawer with the pear color and added a crystal knob.

I have to admit I was very pleased with the product! As soon as we turn Laurelei's nursery into a big girl room I have even bigger plans for the desk, for of course it is going to need the perfect chair to go along with it!

For now it is bouncing around my home, having found its current spot in an awkward kitchen corner, (which is certainly another post for another day! I mean, what do you do with such a tiny, inconvienent corner in an already small kitchen? hmmmm)

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be linking this now to the CSI Roadkill Rescue Challenge. Stop by and check it out!

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