My Little Dresser

I decided to have some fun with this free dresser.
A lot more work went into it than is visible in these photos, like making the drawers function better, cleaning out and lining the inside of the drawers, filling many holes and getting my dad's assistance with cutting off edges and adding to the rear of the table top.

Before:

After:

Knobs (brand new) purchased at a thrift store.

Tabletop edge trim created by my dad from some scraps.

Patterned wrapping paper found at Target.

Cream and Black paints I already had.

How I used decoupage to adhere the wrapping paper to the dresser top and drawer fronts:
1) I decided to use wrapping paper since the surfaces I wanted to cover were large and I didn't want to buy more than a dozen scrapbook paper sheets and have to align them to follow a pattern. The wrapping paper worked great for how I wanted it to look (not perfect and a little shabby). But, if a smoother more perfect surface is wanted, a thicker paper is better and leaves less wrinkles and small bubble bumps.
2) Cut out paper a little larger than surface.
3) Quickly coat entire surface with decoupage with a foam brush.
4)Quickly align one edge of paper on the surface and work across, smoothing with hands to get the paper covering the entire surface with minimal bumps, wrinkles and bubbles.
5) Apply a coat of decoupage with foam brush on top of the paper and allow to dry completely. I've discovered that applying the top coat of decoupage before the under coat is dry creates a smoother surface once it is all dry.
6) Use a box cutter or exact-o-knife to (carefully) trim any edges that are too long.
7) Use fine sand paper to sand all around edges to give it a shabby look, especially on corners.
8) Look over any edges/corners that may have lifted up and secure and coat with additional decoupage as needed.

I am loving this new space to organize my mounds of fabric!
I was a little hesitant to go with such a bold pattern, but I love that it is more interesting and artistic than most of my projects.

~ Chelsea ~

Using Wax - Smooth Sliding Drawers

I am always amazed at how well wax works to make drawers open and close smoothly and quietly. 

I'm currently working on a little old dresser that has the basic wood drawer guides. Those drawers were so hard to open and close and loud too! So, I rubbed the wax over the areas were the wood rubs together and now it glides open and closed wonderfully. 

I also used this method to solve loud, squeaky drawers on these nightstands.

Here are the points both on the drawers and the dresser body that need to be rubbed with wax to improve gliding. 

One of the drawers.

I am excited to make this free-off-the-side-of-the-road dresser cute and functional as a perfect place for my excessive amounts of fabric in my craft room/office. I look forward to showing it to you once it is done too!

~ Chelsea ~

Scrap Wood Art

What can you do with a warped, water-damaged piece of bead board? 

For my 16th birthday (long ago), I was gifted a beautiful Mesa Temple filet crochet (Wow, it took me forever to find what it was called online!) I have always wanted to display it somehow, but could never find a square frame that would work for it and my budget.

My dad cut out a square of old weathered bead board (above) and I sanded and painted it. Then I used the easy spray starch technique to attach the lace-type fabric to the painted board. 

I created a simple hanger for the back using ribbon and thumb tacks and hung it on a single nail up on my wall. I sealed the ends of the ribbon with a lighter. 

I love using spray starch to attach fabric to flat surfaces, like walls. I have used this non-permanent and no-damage method many times in my home now (HERE and HERE).

HOW TO USE SPRAY STARCH: Just place the fabric where you want it and spray the starch right on top of the fabric just enough to moisten it. Then use a damp sponge to wipe away any excess or drips. Use your fingers to press lightly on the fabric to secure it to the wall. Then allow it to dry. 

~ Chelsea ~

My $1 Thrift Store Clock

Before:

After:

I enjoyed this little project making this little clock so cute. It now is on the wall in my little girl's room. I made the clock face using Silhouette software and then using the Print and Cut feature. It worked great and gave me so much freedom in creating the numbers, colors and shapes. 

Clock face printed on white cardstock paper.

Brush-painted white and lightly distressed.

I hope to find another cute (and cheap) clock to beautify someday.

~ Chelsea ~

Shutter Hair Clip Display

If you've been looking at this blog for a while, you may remember this little shutter back when I made it into a picture display using small clothes pins. 

Well that shutter now has a new life and purpose as it hangs in our guest girls' bathroom. 

So many little hair accessories in this house! This is about half of them... the ones that get used the most often. 

They're just clipped right on to the shutters. It works perfectly and I love how it looks in there.

No more getting squished or forgotten.

~ Chelsea ~