Tuesday, May 4, 2010

My Labor of Love For My Sweet Niece

This is the desk I have been going on about and teased you with yesterday. My Mom got this at a yard sale 10 years ago for $8.00.
I still was not up to doing the clear coat, but I did get the keyboard drawer lined with some cute black and white paper.
I hope my niece loves it as much as I do. If only my brother didn't know I was doing this for her I could keep it....you think....that would be so wrong! OK I will give it to her.
I couldn't get the hubby to help me bring it upstairs to stage it. Argh! That means bad lighting and garage door background. Here is the before and some during pictures.
Shop mascots....my babies
holes filled with wood filler
My sweet hubby cut out the front of the drawer for me...gonna be a keyboard drawer.
All prime up.....
I primed with Gripper primer because the top is Formica. Let me tell you this stuff is thick. I brushed it on and had bad brush strokes on everything. Sand, sand, sand , and sand some more.
Next is the first coat of paint.....brushed on. Look at that! I had to do heavy sanding after the first coat. Drats!!
When I taped up the drawers I used the top of the desk to prop them on.....of course I covered it....I had just primed it the day before. When I was done taping I removed the heavy paper that I had covered the desk top with and  SHRIEK  I had chipped out big chunks of primer. Breath...breath....breath.
Rushed into stripping without taking pictures until I was almost done.
OK...at this point I re-primed and sanded the top. I then decided to throw caution to the wind and pull out the spray gun that beat me down when I tried to use it on another project I am working on. This time the difference is I am using latex and last time I was using latex enamel.
I just luuuuuuve power tools...

It actually worked pretty good.

Here she is all dressed and ready to go.
Bad lighting....it is white.
Lined the drawer with scrap book paper.
This is my first distressed piece. Please tell me what you think.

Linking up to:
Photobucket The DIY Show Off
HookingupwithHoHFurniture Feature Fridays
All Thingz Related DIY Day @ ASPTL http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

35 comments:

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal said...

What a difference! It looks sooo good! And the sprayer seemed to work well for you too :) What a great idea turning the top drawer in a keyboard drawer. I love that you added the paper.

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal said...

I forgot to mention how cute your assistants are!

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

great job! I love the keyboard addtion, that is very clever!
mascots... so cute!
way to go.
gail

Crystal said...

It looks great!!! You did really well! No one would ever guess it's your first distressed piece!

Michelle @ Sweet Something Design said...

What a great transformation! I love it! Your mascots are awesome too!! Great job!

The Shrub said...

Well done! She's a lucky girl! I like that you lined the new keyboard drawer -it's a nice touch. The distressing looks good too. You did it in the places that are more likely to get banged up so if she's rough on it, it won't show as much!! :o)

jmsouthern said...

Looks great she's gonna love it!

Sarah @ Hennessey House said...

this is too awesome!!! wow. i am truly truly impressed. well worth all that work :)

Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures said...

That desk turned out great. Your niece is a lucky gal. I love dog pics and your dogs look like they have lots of perosnality.

Annastacia said...

Way cute! I love how you lined the drawer with paper! The distressing looks fabulous! I'd have never guessed you hadn't done it before! I am wanting the same look for a table, any tips?

Jane@Little House of Projects said...

This came out great! I love the keyboard drawer. Your mascots are silly and cute!

Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking said...

It's beautiful! Love the creamy white distressed with the damask paper... absolutely perfect!

Miss Mustard Seed said...

It looks wonderful! What a generous gift for you neice. The distressing looks great and I love the detail of the paper in the drawer.

Atticmag said...

The keyboard drawer with the liner brings that desk into the 21st century -- she's a lucky niece. Jane F.

TidyMom said...

I LOVE it!!
Thanks for sharing and linking up to I'm Lovin'It! Have a FABULOUS weekend!

Lisa B. said...

I think you did a wonderful job distressing it. I'm not sure if I could give it away! :)

Ann Marie @ Twice Lovely said...

PERFECT amount of distressing! Bravo! And I love the keyboard drawer with the damask paper. Great idea!

Katie Olthoff said...

Gorgeous! The distressing and hardware are great!

Tracy said...

Oh I LOVE it! Great hardware too and I love what you chose for the drawer lining. = )

Suzanne@Meridian Road said...

Beautiful!
The distressing is just right~not too much, not too little. The handles are a great touch.

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Looking good...you did a outstanding on her and I luv her drawer pulls! Thanks for showing her off at NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAYS...I hope you are having a FUN time at the PARTY:)

Blessings,
Linda

Missy said...

Wow! I have an old nasty 1970s desk much like this one in my garage! It was my husbands from when he was a little boy. I've ehld on to it looking for inspiration. FOUND IT! Thank you for sharing! Great turn out!

Angie said...

It is gorgeous! You did a fabulous job!!!

Unknown said...

I love how you made it functional for your needs! Your hard work paid off! Great job!
Thanks for sharing @ Anything Related!

Bonnie@Creative Decorating said...

Awesome job on the desk!!! Your niece is going to absolutely LOVE it!

Tonya @ lovinthemoments said...

Love it! Great job!

Unknown said...

I love your little drawer touch. Nothing is better than a lil touch of understated character. And you did so well with the distressing. great job! Great pulls. Love it.

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

That turned out great. Lot of work though. Neat idea cutting that middle drawer out for the keyboard. I read on your profile that you have two fused discs in your neck. My sister has some disease (can't think of the name of it) that has caused a couple of her spinal discs to fuse. You are right you just have to carry on.

Allison said...

Great job! We have a desk so similar to yours and I actually put it in our garage sale this weekend. I kept sitting there looking at it and made my husband bring it back inside. :) I want to revamp it for my daughter's "big girl" room! You've inspired me!

Yanet @ 3 Sun Kissed Boys said...

You did great, that's how you did!!!

Unknown said...

Looks great! We're getting ready to redo a thrift shop desk for our oldest daughter's room and this is EXACTLY the look I want! You did a beautiful job--your niece is very fortunate!!

Its So Very Cheri said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it. That is absolutely adorable.

Thanks for linking it up

cheri

Kelli W said...

That is an awesome makeover! I love the distressed look. I am hoping to do something similar to an entertainment center that I have. Thanks for sharing!

Ali @ Honey and Maple Syrup said...

Love it! That turned out real cute!

Sawdust Girl said...

I have an HVLP that I've shyed away from. It's the only power tool (using the term loosely) that I just haven't got the talent for. I should have listened to all the reviews I read and got an airless instead. Oh well. Maybe you can give me some tips.