:: What a little (or a lot) of work will do

I've been looking for a sewing hutch - a place to store my extra fabric and supplies, as well as my patterns and quilting tools.  About a month ago I found this beauty at our local GoodWill store - AND it was on Half-Off Saturday!  (Yes - I was practically dancing right there in the store).  Even though it was a little bit bigger than I had in mind, the bones were exactly what I was looking for, the detailing was beautiful, and it was a Thomasville - which means high quality craftmanship, real wood, and dovetail drawers.  It wasn't the color I was looking for, but we all know THAT is how you get a good deal.  You can't have Pottery Barn beauty and quality, AND a Goodwill price tag.  =)  Good thing I know how to paint.  So it came home with me.

 With the first few brush strokes of primer, I began getting very worried.  I knew I was either crazy...or brave.  I decided crazy.  It was a bear to paint every surface of every shelf and door, but at that point I knew I didn't have a choice but to continue.  Let me just warn you: if you're thinking of painting your first piece of furniture, don't start with a china hutch.  =)
But now that the final coat of creamy paint is on, I'm so glad I did it - despite the many hours of work. 
Our eating table and countertops are covered, so the family's been flexible and we've enjoyed eating on a folding table.  It's so funny, things that adults find an inconvenience, the kids' think exciting.

Can't wait to show it to you finished!



:: Getting around to it

I might have mentioned I've been doing a lot of painting lately: wall painting.  And now I'm starting in on all those pieces of furniture that have been needing redone forever.  Girl 1 and girl 2 just got a white wood bunk-bed to share, which was just the push I needed to paint girl 3's bed. 

I started by giving it a light sand.

After I dusted it off, I primed first in the cracks, and then (because I was feeling lazy) I just used the brush to paint primer on the flat areas too (rather than dirty a roller for such a small amount of flat surface).

After the primer dried, I used Home Depot's Ultra Pure White in semi-gloss (to match the bunk-beds), and finished it off with 2 coats, letting it dry between.

Definitely more feminine for a little girl.  Now she just needs her quilt.