MiMi's Room

Remember that hideous dresser (nasty) I bought off craigslist? The one I re did for MiMi?
This one HERE.

I don't think I ever even posted photos of it in her room. *shrug* Sometimes I get beyond lazy and forgetful. So here we go:

I also went to the gymboree outlet in Smithfield, NC this week and they had an awesome sale. I bought 5 things for $55 (tax included) and got back $25 in gymbucks.

Here is Ethan in two of the tops I got him:

He also got some pants and another half zip sweater (for 8 bucks with a normally near $30 price tag - I had to snag) and like always i get a size up so they can wear it next year too.

MiMi got this shirt, but the pants she got for Christmas from her grandparents (cute).

I only ever shop the sales, I am way too broke to buy anything else wise, but they always resell well on consignment, so it's a win/win situation for me:) Have a great weekend, everyone!

Fabric Decoupage (modge podge) to the 70's Craigslist Dresser Redo:)

In my previous blog, (click here) I showed you the 1970's Craigslist dresser redo I did for my daughter. I kindly refer to her previous state as "the beast".
As you know, the beast had some pretty interesting drawers.
Some sort of Independance theme.
Totally cute for the time period the dresser was around - I am sure - but not so fab for a little girl.

I was going to buy new fabric to decoupage the dresser drawers, but funds became extremely tight, and as cheap as it sounds, I just could NOT afford to splurge on fabric. ((It happens))..

About that time I remembered that nearly 6 years ago, MiMi was a few months old, I was toting her on my hip in a local Wal Mart and they were doing away with their fabric section. I had spotted a pink & red funky fabric, & being only a dollar a yard I had the strong impulse to purchase 3 yards of it.

I had no idea what I would do with it, but I liked it enough to buy it.
AND hang onto it for 6 years.

That's when it dawned on me, this would be PERFECT for the dresser drawer liners.

All I would need to do was try and cut it to size, slap on some mod podge and call it a day.

I always say this, but I will say it again:
Isn't it funny how EVERYTHING seems meant to be.
Simple things like this fabric I have held onto for so many years as my 6 year old was a small baby and here I am using it on something for her now.

It makes my heart smile a little :)
Yes, I am a nerd and have no social life, obviously).

I have finished the first process:
cutting, mod podging the drawers and laying the fabric in.

Tomorrow I will put the Mod Podge on top once it cures and call it a done deal. I love it so far, and my daughter does as well.

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Fabric, meet old drawer design.

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Mod Podge added to drawer.

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Pretty, Pretty!

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Before & After.

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The beast, all I can say is, You've come a long way baby!

Link Party:

70's Craigslist Dresser ReVamp!

First let me show you the beauty that is the 70's Craigslist Dresser ReVamp!

I am proud of how far she has come:

She started off as an ugly duckling. A very ugly girl, with all of her ugly attachments:

Her previous owner said she was solid wood and in good condition.
When we picked her up I laughed. Her only solid wood features were her drawers and fronts. The sides and top were VERY much cardboard veneer.

Her top came with a huge gash, plenty of stains, etc.

She only cost $35 bucks.
When I started to disassemble her the next day to sand down and clean, I nearly wanted to give up on this refurbish. You see, I love a Craigslist re do just as much as the next, but she came with TONS of live spiders, dead roaches and roach casings, and even rodent poo.
YES, EW:

She had interesting drawer liners (true to the 70's). No nostalgic love from me ;)

First we removed the long veneer liners. As much as they could of been cleaned, the fact they harbored roaches and rodent poo was just not going to fly for something that would house my daughter's clothing, so we took those out.

Then the drawers and dresser began the sanding process (outdoors):

Then I wood putty & sanded the old drawer knob pulls

Then she sat for a few weeks.

Eventually I decided to paint her. Because I was lazy I waited a week or more before I finished. The end process was 4 coats of semi gloss, white olympic paint:
I took my time applying the paint nicely and evenly with a big painters brush. No clumps on my projects!:)

I splurged and purchased these pink acrylic knobs from Target for $14 a package. I bought 3 in total (I had 2 packages already so I technically only bought one)

I had Doug drill the new knobs for me and I screwed them in place:

MUCH, MUCH PRETTIER!! This is what the "beasts" drawer looked like before:

mm-hmm, much better :)

The 1970's UGLY craigslist dresser is NOW a beautiful white dresser with pretty pink glass like knobs. AMAZZZZING how something so ugly and filthy that could have been trashed can be saved on the cheap:)

Here is a cost break down:
70's Craigslist dresser - $35
Paint - FREE, had it from bed project
Knobs- $14 x 3= $42 (these are much pricier else where).
New wood slab top from Lowes - $30
_________________________________________________________
Total: $107

I am going to decoupage in some new drawer liners soon & then it will be totally complete!

Figuring you can't touch a dresser this size that is NOW solid wood for under $400 bucks, I say the $107 (including dresser cost) and some elbow grease is well worth the hardwork.

Even if she DID come with some NASTY surprises courtesy of the previous owner.
*update* - New Mod Podge Drawer Liners Here: Mod Podge Fabric Drawer Liners

70's Craigs List Dresser Refurbish - Sneak Peak

I bought a dresser off Craigs List last month. She was a beast. I will share the extreme before and after photos in my next blog. And by extreme - I mean roach casings, spiders, rat poo, the whole sha bang (yes she was a filthy beast). However, I have sanded her, replaced her top, took out the middle sheets that seperated the drawer areas (because they had rodent poo etc I wasn't even going to clean them. That's filthy to me and no telling what diseases it harbors). I have painted her, replaced the knobs and loved her. I am re doing the inner drawer liners next, and then she shall be ready for the big reveal. This is for my daughter's room.

But for now, just a sneaky peaky of my 70's UGLY Craigs List Dresser Refurbish:

Drawer Before:

Drawer After:

Lots of sanding & 4 coats of paint using a medium sized painter's brush, taking my time so the paint doesn't clump, and she looks brand new!!

Hopefully I can reveal her this weekend!

Harris Teeter Triple Coupons Trip!

This is crazy! Harris Teeter had triple coupons today (any coupon up to 98 cent tripled at the register). Of course I had my list and planned late last night, banked 3 hours of sleep, got up early, took MiMi to school and headed on over to Harris Teeter.

In the past when I did this I would be one of the only few people in the store. Today it was slam packed. Everything that was a sale item was virtually already gone.

I did manage to get (2) 6 ct each packs of Luigi's Italian Ice for 24 cent each after coupons, Glad trash bags for 75 cent (after coupons) and some of my favorite tooth paste for 50 cents :)

Of course Ethan was being a screaming banshee and the only 2 year old screaming to his hearts content. I know, you're probably thinking, c'mon lady, he's 2, 2 year old do this sort of thing.

Oh, they do, believe me, I know first hand. Ethan screams bloody murder if he can't get the shopping cart's seat belt on. Then he screams bloody murder when he can't unbuckle it. He will sit there the entire shopping trip fussing about the seat belt. If we go to a store with Thomas the train toys, I better steer clear or he will throw a world war 3 temper tantrum like no body's business. Personally I am not humiliated I just kind of don't make eye contact with anyone and if I do pass someone I say something like "it's okay buddy, you're too big for the seat belt".

Other times I want to burry myself head first in a pile of dirt/sand/whatever.

MiMi on the other hand has always been a simple child. I don't know, boys must be a different ball game obviously. He's still his mama's little sugar though!

I haven't posted in a bit because blogger was down for a while. But I purchased another craigslist dresser. This thing was a BEAST, but you will probably be amazed once I do the reveal. I am not even going to post befores until it is all done, it's that exciting and that much of a difference.

I should also mention the seller was not the best and left me with rodent poo, roach casings and live spiders, (after I specifically asked if this was a storage item because I did not want to encounter this) and he assured me it was not. I also asked if it was solid wood, and again, he assured me it was. My surprise when Doug brought it home with is horrible veneer top (ack). I ended up replacing it witha real wood slab, but like I said, this one is a TOTAL trash to treasure.

And, in the future, should I do another craigslist refurbish, I WILL BE THE ONE to go see it in person. lol, but for 30 bucks I can't complain, it's a beauty now :D

I think after taxes my total was $2.20. The kids like the Italian Ice, so that was a positive. We are a struggling family so anytime we can get something so cheap, it's a good day in our household.