The Big Reveal "The desk"

Howdy! k, so remember the old desk (from my sneak a peek post) that I got a century ago from a friend, that I was supposed to fix up? Well, I'm just about done with it. If you've forgotten how it looked before, here it is. . . .

It had some cosmetic issues including wonderful crayon art compliments of the kiddos. Also, it was pink. . . .and I do NOT have any girls in my house (besides me), so although pink is one of my faves, it had to go!

And did I mention the leg was not attached?

Aaah, here it is.

Well, after doing some work on it, I pretty much finished the desk except I hadn't put any hardware on it yet.

K, don't be angry with me but. . .I didn't take pics of the process but I will tell you that it was basic and simple. I worked on the drawers and the desk at 2 different times but they both got the same basic treatment.

1. Sand

I sanded the desk.

2. Fix

 I re-attached the broken leg. 

3. Paint

I painted the desk covering each area with several thin coats.

4. Wait

 I waited at least overnight for the desk to dry before I used it.

Here's the already sanded desk on it's side waiting for it's leg to be fixed. I used my mouse sander and because it couldn't get everywhere (like all the intricately carved places), I hand sanded it. As you can see, I did not have to sand all the "pink" off  as long as I passed over it once with sandpaper. I used only a 150 grit sandpaper although because I was trying to strip paint, I could've used a more coarse paper. I decided not to distress the desk (although it would've looked awesome!) because the finish of the desk wouldn't have gone with the finishes of the other furniture in the room I wanted to put it in. Plus I was really lazy and I needed to finish it because I had guests coming.

I also had some helpers. . .

My hubby helped fix the broken leg and my baby helped by entertaining himself while we worked.

I love hot glue! I personally believe that hot glue will fix anything! To fix the desk leg, 1.we hot glued it to the desk so it would stay in place and 2. we attached the leg onto the desk with skinny finishing nails. It was important to use the skinny nails instead of thick nails or screws because it could 've damaged the desk further and made it harder to cover the cosmetic damages.

Here's the paint that I used. It's our leftover housepaint. I would rather use paint I already have then buy new paint unless that paint is in the clearance aisle*;) (I also used this same paint to redo my guest bedroom headboard)

I'll be posting this one up. . .someday!

I covered each area of the desk in several thin layers one after the other. For example, I did the top of the desk, then the left front, then the right front, then the left side, and finally, the right side and then I started again. By the time you get to the top of the desk again, it should already be dry and you can start all over. It seems very time consuming but actually, it went really quickly. Several thin layers of paint is better than 1 or 2 thick layers. The thin layers dry faster and cover better.

 Here's the hardware that I wanted to use on the desk. I got it off an old dresser at my mom's when I went back to Hawaii in March. I would've brought the dresser back to AZ with me (cuz my mom was gonna chuck it anyway) but I couldn't fit it in my bag*;(

whaddya think? I may not even use these because it won't go with the decor of the place I'm thinking 'bout putting it. Oh well, we'll see.

Stay tuned to see where I put my desk. . . .here's a sneak peek!

Brandi-Lee

Awesome Finds: Wooden Board Project

So, I bet you're all wondering what I did with all those wonderful wooden boards (from my awesome finds post) that I rescued from certain death. Well wonder no longer 'cuz imma gonna tell ya!

What used to look like this. . . 

Now looks like this. . . . .

 (I still have 2 boards left that I'm going to use for my own house)

I made these gifts for my mother and father-in-law, my sister-in-law, and my sister to give to them when I visited Hawaii. PS I am posting this from Hawaii! Hi Ena!

Not bad huh? Was I lying to ya'll when I said that I literally find trash and turn it into treasure? And this, my friends, is not an isolated incident. I've done this over and over and over so many times that I could write a book on it. Why do I say this? Because I want ya'll to know that anyone, YES, ANYONE! can find stuff ANYWHERE and turn it into something Beautiful! 

How, you ask?

1. Change your mindset. (find out more about how to change your mindset here) You have to believe that YOU too can produce similar results. You need to believe that even you have the ability to make things beautiful (just say "Yes, I can!). When you've allowed yourself to accept these things, you can then move on to #2.


2. Open your eyes. You cannot expect for things to magically appear on your doorstep. You need to keep your eyes peeled no matter where you may be. You may be driving down the road and see something out for free or in the trash, or you may be shopping and see something for an "as free as can be" price. No matter how you do it, remember that there is more than 1 way to acquire what you want or need. (find out more about how to get "stuff")



3. What you see is not always what you get. Train yourself to look at things differently. Do not let appearances deceive you! What may be hideous to the untrained eye is beautiful to someone that sees the hidden potential. People will always throw out their "trash" but always remember that "One man's trash is another man's treasure".


4. Do it! Projects do not complete themselves. This may be the most important thing of all to remember.The reason I say this is because you may have all your "stuff" ready to go, but if you don't physically get up and do something with them (because you "don't know how" or "you can't make things beautiful" or "yada, yada, yada and every other lame excuse you can come up with") it'll lay there and collect dust and you will be where you were the day you brought them home.


I hope you will take these things to heart and finally decide that you are gonna decorate and 'aint no one gonna stop ya!. The only one that can stop you is YOU!


Good Luck--Brandi-Lee