Craigslist Dresser Re-do...In Process

So a while back I found this great dresser on Craigslist. It was a perfect solution for me because my in-laws decided they wanted back the vintage library table they gave us that we had been using as a TV stand. I love the idea of all the storage this will provide for DVDs, toys and books...anyone who knows someone with kids understands the sheer amount of STUFF kids accumulate and can appreciate having some extra storage for said stuff. So, I sent my husband and dad off to the seller's house...$35 in hand for this monster. I was not prepared for how HEAVY it is! Holy smokes! I had to help my husband drag it across the garage and I could barely manage.

Anyway...here's the dresser before:

I love the faux bamboo trim!

The top drawers also have a faux basketweave panel inset. The pulls that came with it are a faux bamboo look too.

The top is a glossy laminate type finish so I sanded and sanded and sanded...

I cleaned up the drawers...

...and I primed.  The primer went on just fine with no problems. Unfortunately, when I got my paint on I wasn't so lucky:



There are several spots where the paint is bubbling like this. I don't know why it would be doing that unless there is something wrong with the paint. Why would the primer go on just fine but then the paint bubble like this unless it is the paint? Oh well, I guess I will just have to sand her back down and do it over. I'm really hoping that the rainy weather stays away long enough for me to get this done this week so I can get the behemoth in the house and I can show you how beautiful I know it can be! Does anyone have any ideas why the paint would be bubbling like this? I'm at a loss...

UPDATE: Completed project - here

Purge!

I've admitted before that I'm a procrastinator. I have been my whole life and I've learned to embrace it. Well, for a few months now I've had the idea to purge and organize the cabinet in my master bath and the other day when I saw one of my favorite bloggers, Thrifty Decor Chick herself, post her linen closet reorganization and mention she was going to throw a linky party to share our organized spaces, I knew I had to make that linky party my deadline.

All in all, the closet wasn't too bad. Okay, it was - I just have a hard time admitting I had a problem.  Here is the before:

I've got the baskets in there that were somewhat organized once but then life happened and we got lazy and just kind of let the junk take over. A lot of what was there was books and magazines (I hide in the tub and read when I need some quiet time - no water, just me and a book.) so it was starting to look like a book shelf too. 

This is just what came out of the top two shelves. Can you believe I've had most of those lotions and body sprays for at least ten years? That's right, TEN YEARS! I couldn't figure out why I was holding on to them. I stood back to take this picture and it kind of put it in perspective when I realized this looks somewhat like one of those counters on the show Hoarders. I needed to purge and it felt good.

These are the nail polishes I kept - I threw out twice that many because they were old and dried up or mostly empty or just colors I don't use anymore.

Here is the after. I know it is hard to really see (have you ever tried taking a head to toe picture of something from two feet away? No, not easy!) but the purge already felt so good. I consolidated baskets and got rid of half-empty boxes, bagged up all my old paperback books to drop off at work in the honor exchange library and went through all my magazines to tear out the pages I like to keep in my binders. I'll show you that organization trick someday soon ;)



I'm so happy I finally got this done and I'm so thankful for Sarah for hosting her organizing linky party. If she hadn't mentioned it, I probably would have gone three more months with the disaster in my closet!