Dresser Revival: Part One: Beginning

You never know what you'll find on Craigslist: I found two dressers in dire condition just asking to be my new project. I purchased the pair from a nice couple and brought them home to see the real condition; it was amazing that I got them home intact one dresser tried to topple lose out of the bed of my truck. This was a moment where constant prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17) is necessary to not damage your items/vehicle or someone else's car or cause them harm. This project is a completely new area for me since I had never used paint stripper, so with much research I landed with the idea of using Citristrip, it's supposed to be better on the respiratory system and environment. So here I am starting a project in December when it should wait until warmer weather, but I'm impatient.

 



You can see the paint peeling revealing a blue/black antiqued layer of paint, which we thought was the original layer, but the original layer was a polyurethane coating on pine wood. In one of the drawers we found a piece or paper glued inside and it dated the dressers to 1962: 50 years old!

 

We started the project by giving it a thorough once over looking for cracks and deciding how to fix the problems that had occurred over 50 years of use. Once the knobs, that were still attached, where removed it was time to apply the orange goo. (Note: the foam brushes above are not recommended for applying the paint stripper, it will dissolve the brush.)



After reading about the product I decided to give it a try; once again I will mention this is better for the environment, but probably wouldn't have the punch that chemical strippers contain. We gave our opinion of this product with the thought of a handicap: cold weather around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and humid.

The latex paint the previous owner applied easily peeled off with a little scrubbing.

Aren't they beautiful, the curves and design are artfully rustic.

A little damaged and quite frankly splitting in areas we will have these better than new. To intrigue you here are some samples of the color ideas floating in my head.

 

BEHR Premium Plus Ultra Hawaiian Cinder Interior/Exterior Paint

 

BEHR Premium Plus Ultra Vanilla Custard Interior/Exterior Paint

BEHR Premium Plus Ultra Forest Ridge Interior/Exterior Paint

 

BEHR Premium Plus Ultra Burnished Mahogany Interior/Exterior Paint

 

I would love feedback on colors or any other ideas for this project that I will conquer, just leave a comment below and be sure to follow the blog and receive updates on this topic and others including food, gardening, and inspirations.

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Farm Girl Friday

 

Make Your Own (Christmas) Gift Tags

 

I like visuals... do you like visuals. In school at the very beginning of school years many teachers would talk about one certain rule of what kind of learner the student is and how they benefit from their type: they said you're either a visual, auditory, or hands on. I was a mix of visual/hands on like most country girls. I wanted this post to be very visual, not just to learn something you probably already know, but it was my way of testing my new camera and Christmas things are always pretty!

 

Let the show begin ->

I wanted to make my own tags to match my brown kraft wrapping paper (like butcher paper.) Gold and brown work well, right? Hobby Lobby had a a sale on stamps and ink pads last week. Here is the link to a weekly renewed 40% off coupon for you to get your stamping on.

I'm using a stampabilities ink pad in "Gold" and a stamp that is also from the same company. Store ink pads upside down to brings ink to the service, don't worry it won't leak out. Test a new pad and/or stamp by stamping the inked stamp multiple times on a scrap paper until you know the pressure needed for a clean look. Trust me... practice!

With medium pressure use a clean stamp to begin your project. This is a blank "To: & From:" stamp. Use a color that will contrast the back ground, yet go with your gift packaging theme.

 

 

Gently apply pressure to the middle with your index finger. Do not... I repeat Do not rock the stamp or press the living daylights out of it, this will definitely cause a smeared look.

 

Lift upward without dragging. Allow to dry thoroughly before using or writing on. A blow drier on it's lowest setting can speed up the process: hold it at least six to eight inches away from the stamped object.

 

Regal & pretty. These will look great when I countrify these (will post soon.)

 

Extra touch: use letter stamps to fill in the recipients and your name.

 

 

This set also included these symbols: top Fleur-de-lis, middle at symbol used in e-mails, bottom l to r key and heart.

 

 

Merry Christmas from me to you!

Clean stamps after each project and before changing colors, this prevents color bleeding and gunking of small detailed areas of the stamps.

 

Pat firmly on paper towel until dry. Store stamps in a cool place away from heat sources to prevent melting.

 

Two cutting styles for tags. See (bottom) what I mean about practice and not rocking the stamp... a 'rustic' mistake :)

 

 

Also used this stamp; used it to add inspiration to my Christmas cards that did not already contain a bible verse. Luke 2:14, above. A great site for purchasing cards with great Christian foundation is Dayspring & they're fashionable!

 

 

An alternative to the cream paper and gold tags. This is creamy brown with "Cherry Red" ink.

 

 

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Shared with:

 

Farm Girl Friday Deborah Jean's Dandelion House

Barn Hop (#90)