The Dresser Unveiled!

I know I just wrote about not wanting to skip days writing, but today was a really good day and a long time coming. Three months ago, I promised my daughter I would refinish her dresser. She had just inherited furniture from my baby sister and it made her old dark stained, early American dresser stick out like a sore thumb against her new furniture in white with pink accents.

The furniture also had a black undertone and a bit of crackling. At first, I looked at the new stuff and said, "I can do that no problem..."

Well, there were a few snafus along the way...

First, I had to sand the dress down to it's naked wood. I got pretty close (picture two)

Then I had to paint the whole thing black. (I see a dresser and I want it painted black... no colors anymore, I want them to turn black... my tribute to the Rolling Stones, thank you) I could swear I took pictures of that step, but they seem to be missing from my camera.

Next, I painted on a coating of crackle glaze.

Then the snafus ensued....

The crackly was old. Really old. I probably should have bought a new bottle, but I'm a Capricorn, and well we're um... practical... so I used what I had. When I painted the white paint on top... Ay, yi, yi! What a headache! Anytime my paintbrush touch a previously white painted spot, it would take all the white off with it.

So the whole dresser would look the same, I had to endure the frustrating task of painting everything even though the crackle was so frustrating to work with. I've crackled before and this has never happened!

Then, once everything dried, I sanded everything all over again. Not all the way down to the wood, but enough just to smooth out all the horrible spots of very bumpy white. Then I applied a very thin coat of crackle in key locations (instead of the whole piece) and let it dry for... a few weeks.

Then I applied another thin layer of white and let it dry for... well... a few more weeks.

Then finally, yesterday, I figured out if I water the white paint down, it might be easier to work with. DUH, it was!! I painted everything with the very watered down white and it came out great! Three months later, but great nonetheless.

Last, today I applied some accent areas in a light pink and put on the new knobs and viola! A brand-new dresser and honestly, when it was placed in her bedroom, you cannot tell that the dresser didn't come with the set!

So after all that, it finally paid off and looks really fantastic and I am very, very proud of myself. It took forever, and my poor daughter had to live with her clothes in baskets and on racks for three months, but she hardly ever complained and was a real trooper. Today, she said it was worth the wait.

Having all her furniture back together like one happy furniture family, inspired us to organize her room. We went through all her clothes, made piles for good will, piles to put away for the summer and changed over all her clothes to winter clothes. Then, we organized her closet, vacuumed behind furniture we couldn't get to in a while, put on fresh, new sheets, and she said she felt like she just moved in.

So, even though I didn't write, it didn't matter. I really needed to make good on this promise and it felt sooooooooooooooooooooooo good to finally see this arduous project come to an end. *SIGH*

Tomorrow, I'm home all day with no plans accept to write, write, write. I am feeling, light, free, and ready! I hope to add some serious bulk to my word count then. But for now, I feel terrific!

The dresser in cognito with the rest of its furnitre family