Did you ever see Toy Story? And you totally sympathized with Woody because you probably had a beaten up old toy of your own you loved just as much as Andy loved his little cowboy doll? And then you realized that you hadn’t seen that beloved toy in quite a while and instantly felt sad remembering all of the great times you had together?
Then Toy Story 3 came along and changed the entire outcome of an old toy’s future. Because sweet little all-grown-up Andy passed down Woody to another child to be loved all over again. Remember? Remember?
A few weeks ago, I found an old beaten up dresser that I’m pretty sure was the Woody of a little girl’s bedroom. Okay, a dresser is nowhere near as cool as a cowboy, but this dresser had crayon drawn all over it from when a little girl’s imagination ran away with her. It had a drawer broken from holding all of the Cinderella-worthy dress-up clothes that were once stuffed inside. It had a dusting of glittery makeup that began the transition from playing beauty shop in the mirror to preparing for butterfly-stomached first dates. And the dresser all of a sudden was too little girl for that now big girl’s room. Until…
A frazzled mother with her squirmy toddler stumbled upon that once loved dresser buried in a collection of cast-off furniture of a thrift store. And the mother knew that dresser could be loved all over again just like that worn out Woody doll.
It might be hard to tell from this picture, but this is that beaten up dresser that I found for just $15. And her curves are absolutely devine! I had never worked with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint before (I know, shocker if you’re a fellow DIYer), but I knew this was the perfect piece to try it on. After I gave all of it a good cleaning, repaired the broken drawer, removed the few remaining knobs, and dug out more “surprises” than I had ever expected from the inside (old stickers, broken toy pieces, dirty hair bows, and the like), it was ready to be beautified.
But since it was white veneer and not solid wood, I had to take an extra step to make it look like a distressed antique. Using some leftover Home Decor Folk Art Chalk Paint in Java (affiliate), I brushed on two coats on the edges and little details that I planned to sand down later. (I forgot to take a photo of that step though. Shame on me, bad blogger!)
Then I did two coats of ASCP in Old White. I love this creamy antique white color. And it is a completely different white than the veneer was. Just that one small change in the shade made it go from plasticy-cheap to lovely heirloom.
Once the paint was dry, I gave the edges and details I had previously painted with the Java a light sanding with a medium 80 grit sandpaper to look like wood peeking out underneath. To finish it, I used Minwax Paste Finishing Wax (affiliate link) since I already had it on hand. (I’m itching to try ASCP wax soon though.)
About a month ago, we bought a coffee table for our living room (that better watch out because it’s creeping toward the top of the to-do list), but the hardware on it didn’t work well for the piece. My hubby pointed out that they looked like flowers, and after that I definitely saw it too. But I realized how perfect they would be for our daughter’s dresser. Flowers are welcome there. 🙂
I gave the hardware two coats of Krylon Brushed Nickel (affiliate), and they were instantly transformed into the perfect drawer pulls. And we didn’t have to fork out extra mulah to buy new ones! Gotta love shopping your own house.
I had to drill the holes just a bit bigger than the pre-existing ones, and they were a beautiful match.
It still blows me away that this dresser only cost $15. And even though I had to pay for paint, I still have over a quart left to makeover her “big girl” bed. There is a reason so many people love ASCP. It. is. amazing! So easy to work with and it creates stunning results. The photos really don’t do it justice, but since it is very overcast today, my flash dulls it down a bit.
The shape even reminds me of this dresser from RH Baby and Child (but without the $1400 price tag).
Right now, it is sitting in our dining room since we plan on using it for a sweets table for our little one’s birthday party in a couple of weeks. (Yay! Double duty!) Â So you’ll be seeing this dresser again for a birthday party recap later. And I’ll officially have a 2 year-old (tear).
I’m already dreaming up other makeover ideas for ASCP. Have you used it before? What is your favorite color/finish?
If you liked this makeover, be sure to check out these too.
You transformed that dumpy dresser into a beautiful piece. I wish I could look at cheap piece and envision it the way you did with this dresser. You did a beautiful job, and I too, like yours much better than the one with the $1400 price tag. Love the detail and the repurposed drawer pulls!
I wish I could attach a picture to this comment, but I was at Salvation Army yesterday and the same exact dresser was there but with different knobs, in pretty decent shape but on SALE for $139! So I would say you got a steal. Still blows my mind I saw the same exact dresser at a different thrift store ? but I love what you did with it! The knobs are perfect on it.
I didn’t have to sand to prep for the chalk paint. If you’ve never used chalk paint, it requires little to no prep work. After painting, I did sand it lightly with fine grit sandpaper so that the first layer of brown paint would show through underneath the white for a distressed look.
Absolutely love this dresser!! And I love your sweet blog… Always exciting to see what’s posted next!! I am a native Charlottean and I have to say I have never found such a deal as this in any thrift shops I’ve been to. (I’ve been to many!!) What a steal! I love how you finished it. I’ve never used Annie Sloan before. I’m in love with the Amy Howard One Step collection. So easy to use and a beautiful outcome every time! Thank you for such inspiring blogs!!
Thank you, Patti! It’s not often I find a deal this spectacular. Two of the drawer slides on it were broken, so that’s probably why I got it for so cheap. It was fixable though. I’ve heard great things about Amy Howard, but I haven’t tried it out yet. Annie Sloan is amazing though!
Actually, I like yours better than RH!! The little bead like details lining the drawers give it such character! I just had my first summer long experience with ASCP. We had to buy a new couch/loveseat and flooring so I decided to reuse our now orangey colored armoires, side table and dining room table. It was an experience. LOL!
I will do no such thing! Bring on the makeover links! Haha I like the little bead details too. They remind me of little pearl necklaces or something frilly that a girl would go ga-ga over. Going over to check out your ASCP projects now. I think Paris Grey or French Linen is next on my must-try list.
You transformed that dumpy dresser into a beautiful piece. I wish I could look at cheap piece and envision it the way you did with this dresser. You did a beautiful job, and I too, like yours much better than the one with the $1400 price tag. Love the detail and the repurposed drawer pulls!
Thank you so much, Debby!
I wish I could attach a picture to this comment, but I was at Salvation Army yesterday and the same exact dresser was there but with different knobs, in pretty decent shape but on SALE for $139! So I would say you got a steal. Still blows my mind I saw the same exact dresser at a different thrift store ? but I love what you did with it! The knobs are perfect on it.
Did you sand the piece at all?
I didn’t have to sand to prep for the chalk paint. If you’ve never used chalk paint, it requires little to no prep work. After painting, I did sand it lightly with fine grit sandpaper so that the first layer of brown paint would show through underneath the white for a distressed look.
Absolutely love this dresser!! And I love your sweet blog… Always exciting to see what’s posted next!! I am a native Charlottean and I have to say I have never found such a deal as this in any thrift shops I’ve been to. (I’ve been to many!!) What a steal! I love how you finished it. I’ve never used Annie Sloan before. I’m in love with the Amy Howard One Step collection. So easy to use and a beautiful outcome every time! Thank you for such inspiring blogs!!
Thank you, Patti! It’s not often I find a deal this spectacular. Two of the drawer slides on it were broken, so that’s probably why I got it for so cheap. It was fixable though. I’ve heard great things about Amy Howard, but I haven’t tried it out yet. Annie Sloan is amazing though!
Actually, I like yours better than RH!! The little bead like details lining the drawers give it such character! I just had my first summer long experience with ASCP. We had to buy a new couch/loveseat and flooring so I decided to reuse our now orangey colored armoires, side table and dining room table. It was an experience. LOL!
I used Paris Grey and Pure White. If you want to take a peek at it, I’ve got a pic here: http://successalongtheweigh.blogspot.com/2014/08/an-armoire-gets-new-lease-on-life.html
(Totally feel free to take down the link after you look at it!)
I will do no such thing! Bring on the makeover links! Haha I like the little bead details too. They remind me of little pearl necklaces or something frilly that a girl would go ga-ga over. Going over to check out your ASCP projects now. I think Paris Grey or French Linen is next on my must-try list.