The Vanity

It's done! It's finally done! I worked my butt off but it was worth it. I know that shabby chic typically involves painted furniture, but this wood was too gorgeous to keep covered up. I hate to say but I have no step by steps or secrets to how it got done...it was just a full week of stripping, sanding, cleaning, and staining. All with a temp of 95 in the shade. YUCK. Well, I'm in love with it and I can't wait to work up the bravery to put stuff on top of it. 

I can't stop looking at it! It would freak people out, but the TV is hung above it, so I look like less of a weirdo. Now I've just got to strip and stain the gorgeous chair that goes with it.

The Vanity is Almost Done!

The vanity it so close to being in mah room! When I saw this beauty on Craigslist the post said that it needed to be restored. I thought that was nuts! It already had a pink shabby charm about it. Then, in the process of cleaning it, I pulled off one of the handles and it took a huge hunk of paint with it. Underneath there was beautiful wood....and I don't usually like wood! 

As you can see, I'm pretty messy. I look like a Verathane dalmatian! 

Another Vanity Update

So I began stripping the pink vanity because I had a sneaking suspicion that there was some beautiful wood underneath. It has been a slow and tedious process, but I think it is well worth it. Typically I prefer painted and distressed furniture, but this wood is far too pretty to leave covered up.

 

Look at the beautiful flowers I found on the top drawer! What a pleasant surprise. 

The drawers were the first things I began stripping...and you can see why I went on to do the whole thing!

 

I started out with an ancient container of old stripper that was practically jello consistency. Not good. I knew there had to be an easier way. There is. I got this Klean-Strip aerosol stuff and I seriously should have bought stock, because I've spent more on stripper than I did on the vanity. There are empty cans everywhere. But is IS the best way to get into all of the nooks and crannies of old intricate furniture. It has been worth it.

Now there is nothing special about the formula. It's not green, it's not safe, and it will seriously burn the crap out of you if you get it on bare skin. But this thing had 5 layers of paint, so there was no alternative. It is just convenient and it works. I wish I would have just sucked it up and tried this in the first place instead of trying a "green" method of using washing soda and water. That made a HUGE mess and was very difficult to get off. Anyeho, I'll post pics after it has a rich stain and smooth poly coat. :)

August Booth

The white dresser was a garbage find, but trust me, it's come a long way from when I found it.

I'll post some before and after pics of the bench soon, it was rather hideous when I got it.

 

I sewed the neck piece....I actually sewed.  It's a rarity and it will probably be some time before I do it again, so I thought I'd brag a little. 

I filled the booth with all kinds of new goodies, and I'm very pleased to have a rather empty looking garage now. I know the dress form is not super vintage, but I just had to have one and she looks quite lovely in the corner.

Some Frenchy Dressers

I've put the vanity on hold for a little bit as to work on some other projects that are a little less overwhelming. I've always secretly liked the shape of those 60's "French Provential" pieces, but the formica and gold trim is so tacky. Turns out they look pretty sexy when painted up just the right way.   

 

  

This dresser is pretty huge with 9 spacious drawers....each of which were pretty gross. It must have been in the garage for some time and certainly needed some love. Not to fear though, as I always have plenty of "oops" paint to paint the drawer interior.