Stripey storage

I devoted pretty much all my evenings over the last few weeks to fixing up the guest room.

Mostly, I was working on a new storage solution for my mountains of fabric and craft supplies.

I found this little gem of a dresser on Craigslist for 10 buckaroos.

It was so cheap, and the perfect dimensions, that I didn't even negotiate- I just needed it to be mine.

So I packed Hunter in the car and we went and scored ourselves a deal- of the furniture variety.

It was in ok shape, but it was practically begging for a makeover.

 

The lady who sold it to me had originally bought it to redo, but then she had her third baby and it never got done. (Lesson learned, three babies kill your DIY spirit)

I brought it home and tried (in vain) to sneak it into the backyard without Chris noticing.

He gave me the "you better have a plan" look, and I assured him that for no more than the cost of paint, I was going to have this little guy looking awesome.

So each night, after Hunter went to sleep, I would go to work on the dresser.  

I sanded it all down with a sanding block first.

Then I wiped it down with hot soapy water and let it dry overnight.

I removed all the hardware and drawers and painted each piece separately:

• The hardware got a coat of yellow spray paint.

 

• The frame got a coat of grey (well actually a few coats to cover that bad brown spray paint job)

 

• And the drawers got a fresh coat of white.

Once those were all dry, I set myself up for the focal point of the dresser- stripes.

I knew I wanted to something different, something fun and something not so symmetrical.

So I taped down some off-center stripes and went to work adding a pop of navy blue to the color palette.

 

 

Do you notice the darness of the picture above?  Yeah, that is because it was dark.  Not quite dusk and not quite complete darkness.  I won't lie.  I had a flashlight outside with me to help me see where I was painting. 

This taught me a few things.
1. I need better outdoor lighting in my backyard (something like this)
2. I need to be more patient (life is always trying to teach me this and somehow I never pay attention)

Why I thought painting int he dark was a good idea is beyond me.  I was trying to get done with this project, which had already taken me several nights and my hasty side kicked in.  

So, when I pulled the tape off, I learned the hard lesson of not taking the time and care that is needed on a project.

My stripes were, in the eloquent words of Gretchen Wilson, "all jacked up."

So I had to spend another night with an itty-bitty angled art brush fixing them all.

What I should have done is what I did when I painted Hunter's nursery stripes- put down tape, then paint a "seal" over the tape with the original color to prevent "bleeding."  This would have saved me many hours of painting touch ups.

But, I was hasty, and I paid for it.

In the end, it was all worth it, because I really love the finished product.

The room is not done by any means, but at least this little corner of the room is getting closer to being done.

I still have over a month until our guests arrive.

In that time, I'm hoping to get new curtains, recover the headboard and put up new art. 

So like everything else, it is a work in progress.