Drexel Heritage makes a sturdy dresser. When you come across one for $40 bucks at a thrift store with dovetail joints and great lines, you might be tempted to take it home and doll it up with a new coat of paint. I was.
Elijah did the sanding. Who knew a 14-year-old could be so useful? I made a note. And Isaac used our paint sprayer for a quick and even finish. I had the best job as the lemonade-maker.
We're debating whether to keep the finished piece in our living room or our bedroom. I really could use a new dresser upstairs. The one I have now is a beautiful, refinished antique, but it's teensy and smells like old people.
Below is a glimpse of this spring's hobo shanty town, though the photo doesn't do it justice. Think mis-matched tarps tied up with zip-ties and held down with water jugs. Then imagine loosely-wadded tumbleweeds of used masking tape drifting through the scene. It baffles me that the HOA left us alone. (This dusty contraption was up for weeks.) They sure are on top of things when a visitor parks their car on the street for the evening.
I do think we kept the neighbors entertained.
I know I've been MIA for the last while. I repent. I have a ton going on and it's been all I could do to keep up with my deadlines and still get some sleep on occasion. Sleep is my new best friend -- where has she been all my life?
With the kids out of school now, let's see if I can get back in the groove. I have at least two dozen posts scribbled down in my head -- and lots of BIG news.
Seriously, I never find great things like that at thrift store & the like! I must be going to the wrong places. The dresser looks great, btw!
Posted by: Erin | May 31, 2011 at 03:54 PM
It looks great! LOVE it!
Posted by: moxiemandie | May 31, 2011 at 04:00 PM
This is lovely!
When painting/stripping a lot of furniture, a handheld electric sander is really, really handy.
Posted by: iris | May 31, 2011 at 04:28 PM
Gorgeous! I have a hard time seeing the potential in beautiful pieces like these. I'm trying to look past the dirt and such but like Erin said I just don't think my local thrift shops have such wonderful pieces!
Posted by: Lisa | May 31, 2011 at 05:33 PM
It's beautiful!
Posted by: Cindy | May 31, 2011 at 06:00 PM
you have the best thrift store luck!! heard from the quilt market buzz about some of the BIG news...congrats & wishing you all the best!
Posted by: heather from arizona | May 31, 2011 at 06:30 PM
It turned out lovely! Great job by all involved!
Tip for getting rid of that musty, old people smell from just about anything:
(1) Put it in the freezer, for at least 24 hours. This works SO WELL. I have no idea how or why, but it does. Now, I know you can't get an entire dresser in there, but perhaps the drawers will fit, even if you have to put them in there one at a time over a week's time?
(2) Thoroughly wash down the insides of the cabinet case with a (nice-smelling, if you can find it) disinfectant. Don't saturate the wood too much, you don't want it to swell or warp. Sometimes this works on its own, other times you have to do this then step 3 and/or 4.
(3) Lightly sand the inside of drawers and the cabinet case, sometimes that will work to take a hairs-width of surface down and also take the smell with it.
(4) I've been known to make a thick-ish paste out of water, a bit of lemon juice (I KNOW you have tons of that around!) and some baking soda and apply it to the inside of the cabinet case and all around the outside and inside of the drawers. Let it dry, then vacuum it up. You can also sprinkle a thin layer of baking soda inside drawers, let it sit for a while and vacuum it up.
(5) Dryer sheets inside the drawers do not really remove the odor as much as mask it somewhat, so you will have old people smell + lavender fields (or what have you) mixed together, which is almost worse than just the old people smell. However, to keep the insides of the drawers and your clothes smelling fresh (after you do the other procedures), I've placed USED dryer sheets inside. New dryer sheets can be too saturated with the lard or oil used to make them and can leave marks on clothes; used sheets still smell nice and are much softer and not as stiff, plus most of the lard/oil has been removed and they are safer against your clothes.
Hope some of this helps!
Best,
Kimberly
Posted by: Kimberly | May 31, 2011 at 07:04 PM
Someone (can't remember who) posted your really BIG news along with their market pictures. I won't be the spoiler, but you won't be able to keep that one under wraps for long! : ) Congrats! I am always thinking of doing big paint jobs like that but all the work of putting up the shanty town always deters me, my HOA president lives next door so it would never last long!
Posted by: Kim | May 31, 2011 at 07:17 PM
Wow. That is STUNNING!! I love it, beautifully done. I want a 14 year old!! :)
PS It was so great meeting you at Nadine's over market!! You were so nice to me and my sister (and my cute nieces!! Ha!) Rylee is right, you're way better at things than her mom :) Maybe I'll run into you at Fry's sometime!!
Posted by: QuiltStory | May 31, 2011 at 08:53 PM
Hey Heather, It's beautiful!
Here's one of my cheap dressers:
http://sosylvie.typepad.com/so_sylvie/2009/09/an-italian-guy-staring-at-me.html
A few months after that post I added some floral ceramic handles to the top drawers (I got them at a local home shop, but you can also get them at Anthropologie, even though I don't normally recommend corporate shops):
http://sosylvie.typepad.com/so_sylvie/2011/03/craigs-list-in-sleepy-santa-cruz.html
Posted by: Sylvie | June 01, 2011 at 01:25 AM
Gorgeous dresser! You should consider submitting it to the Design Sponge Before/After column- it really is a star! My brothers and I were the resident sanders in our household as children. We loved helping out- even if we never admitted it! Lovely job!
Posted by: Leigh Ann Tennant | June 01, 2011 at 05:42 AM
Love the new dresser! Take it up to your bedroom!
Posted by: Huyen | June 01, 2011 at 07:51 AM
Looking forward reading your posts and hearing your news!!
Posted by: orit | June 01, 2011 at 07:29 PM
Lovely work!!! It turned out beautifully!
Posted by: The Dreaming Bear | June 03, 2011 at 05:04 AM
Hi Heather! My name is Luciana, I am a Brazilian architect. I just met your blog. I love your work! My hobby is to paint porcelain and your colors and patterns will inspire me. Congratulations! I always come back here.
Posted by: Luciana | June 06, 2011 at 08:27 AM
I also have a very old Drexel Heritage. It's actually just Drexel before they merged with Heritage. It is a buffet and more art deco but I also have the table and butler's table (end table) that goes with it. I have been wanting to redo it all and I am inspired by you I am going to get on it promptly. lol thank you and Man your kid is talented with the sander.
Posted by: Marsha | August 02, 2011 at 12:30 PM