Those who know me well, know that I love to dabble at crafty things. I believe I got this trait from my paternal grandmother who was always making things for herself, family members, and even total strangers. I remember crafting with her when I was just a kid. She taught me how to crochet and cross stitch, how to make a number of Christmas things, created an interest in macrame, and any number of other things. As an adult, I’ve done my fair share of scrapbooking, sewing, decorating, upholstery projects, and furniture upgrades. Now that I’ve got a bit of extra leisure time on my hands, I decided to catch up on a couple of projects.
Some background on the two projects I am writing about here: In 2008, I talked Mike into letting me buy a dilapidated historic home in Belton, Texas (that is a whole other story). In addition to the house, I acquired all the junk that was left in said house (again, a whole other story). Much of the junk was sold in garage sales, much of it was just plain trash, but a few items I decided to save as projects. Well, long story short, several of those items have been moved from house to house, and/or storage unit to storage unit, never to be touched due to lack of time or interest.
Now that we are in the process of downsizing and liquidating, it was time to let stuff go, including my many project pieces. Spring break prior to retirement found me having my hopefully last ever garage sale. I totally took over the garage for a couple of weeks unloading storage units and filling it with the years of accumulated project pieces, staging items from house flips (from back when one needed to stage a house to sell it quickly), and things I just had no room for since downsizing twice from the big historic home. Literally everything was for sale and up for grabs. I did really well on the garage sale but few of the project pieces sold. I ended up donating most of the left overs to various thrift stores, but there were two pieces that I decided to hang onto and finally bring my visions to life. The first was an old 1950s provincial console television and the other a cool mid-century dresser.
I had a couple of ideas for the TV. Once the old picture tube was removed, I thought that it would make an amazing aquarium. However, aquariums are heavy and require way more maintenance than most people want. My second idea was to make it into a cute little bookcase. The bookcase it was, and it would have made a sweet addition to Taylor’s bedroom back when I first thought of it, but here we are sixteen years later. So, instead of it sitting in Taylor’s bedroom, it is an addition to her office, which just so happens to have a mid-century theme.
Step one was giving it a good cleaning. It was dirty to begin with but after 16 years of being stored and moved numerous times, filthy is a more apt description. A bucket of warm water with TSP did the trick. It really required less work than I expected to get it cleaned, and prepped with a good sanding. I took inside measurements and made a quick trip to Lowe’s to acquire the materials needed for the shelves and a new backing. Tools required: measuring tape, hammer, screwdriver, and level. I made shelf brackets with a small strip of wood on each side inside the cabinet and cut white pine shelving boards (1″x16″) to fit the inside. I also decided the bottom needed reinforcing and it needed a back, since the picture tube was the original back when we found it. I bought a half sheet of beadboard paneling to use for both. I placed it with the back side up on the bottom and the beadboard side facing the inside of the cabinet on the back. I then painted the entire piece with Traditions Heirloom Paint (https://www.allinonepaint.com). This was my first time using this paint, and I have to say it is pretty amazing. It’s not cheap but for me is worth the time saving by not needing to prime. I did leave the original finish on all the metal pieces and trim, as well as the original speaker cover. I think it turned out cute, and Taylor says she gets a lot of compliments on it, especially when people realize what it originally was.
Before photos In progress (with back and s
Finished Product
Project number two was tackling a heavy mid-century dresser. In addition to multiple layers of paint, it too was filthy. It evidently had an attached mirror at one time, though I never found the mirror. So, the first step once it was all cleaned up using the same method that I used on the TV, was removing the mirror attachments. I then used wood filler to fill in various holes, torn pieces of veneer, and gouges then sanded once it was dry. I had to repair some of the wooden door glides and tighten a few screws. I began stripping the paint which turned into a much bigger job than anticipated. My original plan was to stain the top and drawer fronts and repaint everything else. However, after stripping and sanding numerous times over a two to three day period, then experimenting with a couple of different stains, I realized that staining to top would just not work. Therefore, I ended up painting the entire piece and staining only the drawer fronts. I used the same brand of Heirloom All-in-One paint that I used on the TV cabinet. Since this piece is ending up in Taylor’s guest bedroom, I ran the choices by her. Her guest room has a subtle Harry Potter theme to it, so I decided to line the drawers with Harry Potter wrapping paper. I think it turned out quite nicely, though it took me twice as long to complete as I anticipated.
Before (please excuse the bad lighting)
After a couple coats of stripper and lots of elbow grease.
Almost there…
First try for a stain color
Finished product (please excuse the glare on the drawers)
Side view. Notice the subtle nod to Harry Potter.
Close up of top drawer.
View of inside of the drawers.
All in all, I am glad to finally get to complete these projects. I just hate to trash things that have potential. As it ended up, Taylor was able to use both pieces so I didn’t even have to worry about listing them on Facebook Marketplace. The way I look at it, if I ever find the need to make a little extra money, I can always turn to furniture flipping, though the reward is much more intrinsic than money making. To do things right requires patience and time. Though I have more time now, I don’t always have the patience. It would be easier if I had my own workshop set up to be able to leave things out and just walk in and out when working on things instead of having to get things out and put things away each time. Though I find finishing these kinds of projects very satisfying, I think my next step in leisure time will be completing some scrapbook projects. Hmmmm, now that I think about it, I do have fabric to make a much needed window valance for my kitchen window and fabric to recover the cushioned top of my 1970s cedar chest and paint to refresh it. Oh, and I do need to paint some other furniture in the guest bedrooms, and the firepit on the deck. I think it’s time to make and prioritize a new “To Do” list.