Eden's Room: Chapter 5

I am still alive! We have been struggling with a internet provider and have been without reliable internet for quite some time. The good news to being away from blogging was that we got a lot accomplished during that time. This makes me happy since I all of a sudden feel super pressed for time. Now we can FINALLY reveal Eden's dresser/changing table.

When we were searching for a dresser that we could use as a changing table I had the exact look I wanted swirling around in my little head. I wanted it to be long enough to accommodate a changing pad, lamp, and a basket full of necessary items to have on hand during frequent diaper changes. I also wanted it to not feel too heavy. That may not be the best description, but its the only way I could think of to convey what was in my head. Another must have? It had to be under 40 bucks. Oh and in case I wasn't picky enough, I also was hoping for something old...like at least 30 years or so...but even older would be more spectacular. Oh and by the way, I did find something with each and every one of these qualities, and yet WAY better than what I had even envisioned. Want to meet her?

Here she is! Isn't she a beaut in all her purple glory? Okay, that was sarcasm. I couldn't wait to get my hands on her and change her up a bit (okay really it was Josh's hands, not mine that were going to do the work). The great thing about this baby? She was only 20 bucks! I found the dresser on Craigslist and fell in love instantly. It was listed at $25, but the lady ended up asking for 20, score! This dresser gave me a good panic attacks as Josh had initially contacted the lady and we spent quite some time without hearing back from her at all. To us that meant it was SOLD SOLD SOLD. I was quite upset. Thankfully it hadn't been sold and so it was ours. Once we brought it home it was time to fix this baby up (which was necessary due to the thick layers of paint and a smell I cannot describe).

First Josh stripped it using Citristrip (it's natural, smells like oranges, and works great!). Two coats ended up being necessary since we waited a little too long to start stripping the dresser the first time around. Stripping paint off such an intricate piece was not easy or fun for Josh, but thankfully he is THE MAN and got it done.

The next step was to clean up the leftover stripper with lacquer thinner. Even after that process the dresser needed a little more help. During the process we found that the dresser was made in the 50's. The dresser was indeed old and I love that. This also meant that the layers of paint were a little more stubborn. We ended up agreeing that a quick run of the belt sander would do the trick. We are so glad we did that because the result was beautiful!

It was almost too pretty to paint over! However, we really wanted to paint the dresser so we went ahead with our plan. Here it is painted in Sherwin Williams Fun Yellow. The hardware was spray painted with a glossy black to give it a little more shine.

We were so happy with the way she turned out! She fits in perfectly and I think Eden will enjoy her dresser for many years to come. The next step is accessorizing the dresser...