The Incredible Hulk Lives in My Basement

Hey friends!

Our basement is a work in progress. I grew up in Texas and I didn't lay eyes on a basement until I moved to Missouri five years ago. 

Our basement is partially finished and the finished part serves as a family room, playroom and office. 

There is a lot going on and it's usually cluttered with papers and toys. 

Lots of toys!

Our old, ancient TV sat on top of a massive coffee table and the electronics and cords were out in the open. I was not a fan of the mess. 

I found a beat-up dresser on Craigslist and the hubby and I used it to transform the TV area into a nicer family room. These pictures are not the best but I just had to share this dresser and how we hide our electronics.

Please ignore all the toys in the reflection of the TV. 

YIKES!!!

 This is the best part!!

My husband built a shelf, removed the face of the drawer, and added a piano hinge so we can hide all the electronics when we aren't using them. 

I didn't fix the cords before I took this picture (kinda wish I did now). 

I call this piece The Incredible Hulk. In person, the green looks like The Hulk....but in a good way. 

I mixed emerald and lamp black by General Finished Milk Paint to get this color. I used a black glaze to darken the color and bring out some imperfections in the wood. 

I am so happy with how it came out but even happier that the cords and the bulky electronics are hidden. 

I'd love it if you would visit my Facebook Page. 

You'll get sneak peeks and tons of behind the scene's stuff. 

Helen 

Dresser turned Media Stand

Last year I re-purposed an old cheap dresser into a functional TV stand....(click here for a refresher). 

My newest client wanted to find an old dresser to use as a media stand for her newly renovated basement.
She also had this desk customized to put in her basement.

I found a dresser on Craigslist, the price was right, and it was in great working condition. It lacked in the pretty department, but that's where I come in, and it had tons of storage. There's a total of 8 drawers and a cabinet with 2 shelves. I'm a little jealous myself.....I have a love of drawers (it's where I hide all of my junk.....I could hide a lot in this piece). 

BEFORE

AFTER

There were two big drawers inside the doors but that space needs to be used to house electronics so we added two shelves. My husband gutted the inside, took out the drawer tracks and cut 2 pieces of 3/4 inch  MDF to fit. I do the painting and my hubby does all the hard stuff.  

These three photos give you a visual of what the process of gutting and adding a shelf look like. 

Since electronics are going inside the doors I also made sure to add ventilation holes to prevent any overheating. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the holes.

Here is one more after photo

For those who are interested in the small details:

The paint is Thermal Spring by Valspar (I think it has more green undertones in person)

I used homemade chalk paint (1 c. paint to 1/4 c. to 1/2 c. baking soda) 

**start with 1/4 c. and add more if needed**

The pulls are from Hobby Lobby

I lightly distressed and sealed with Johnson's Paste Wax

Let's talk about the gallery wall! In our living room we have a huge wall, and it's vaulted too, which means a lot of empty space. We decided to turn it into a gallery wall using pictures taken by my husband's granddad, pictures we found on a trip to D.C., a few pieces I found on Etsy, and some plates I found at Goodwill years ago. We have lived in our house for over 2 years and we just started putting stuff on the walls.

 I wanted to make sure it was something I would love. We still haven't painted any room since we moved in either (except the playroom and guest bathroom). I feel like those are big long term decisions and I am not ready to make them......but the time has come. Baby steps. 

linking up to:
liz marie blog
the shabby nest 

the 36th ave
southern lovely
blue egg brown nest
savvy southern style
house of hempworths
too much time
5 days...5 ways
classy clutter
show and tell 

the cottage market
tater tots and jello
nifty thrifty
the dedicated house
mms

at the picket fence
domestically speaking
from my front porch to yours 

Claw Foot Dresser

My client was looking for a new entertainment center but she needed something tall. We found this dresser on Craigslist and painted it the same color as the Red Dresser I did a few months back. This color was a hit with buyers and I have had a lot of requests for it.

She wanted to keep everything hidden so we didn't remove any drawers for open shelving. She will house the electronics inside the doors.

Okay, if you are a hardcore antique lover you might just want to move on. If you aren't and you love to see old furniture updated then please carry on.

BEFORE

AFTER

She picked some great clear bevelled knobs from Hobby Lobby.

I love the brass key holes!

Any time the camera comes out this cat thinks it's a photo shoot just for her.

every.single.time!

The inside of the drawers were...well, there are really no words for the inside of the drawers. 

There was green AstroTurf looking fabric that was glued down....IT WAS AWFUL!

I pulled it all out and lined the drawers and the inside of each cabinet with a camel colored microfiber fabric.

They look so much better.
I also drilled a hole in the back of each cabinet for cords and ventilation.
**If you are turning a dresser into an entertainment center make sure there is adequate ventilation**

I did very little distressing. Just a little around the corners of the drawers and little bit on the feet. I sealed it with two coats to Minwax Finishing Paste.

 The top picture is a little pink and isn't the exact color. The side view of the dresser is the truest in color. This color, Rose Dust, changes so much depending on the natural light in the room.

I hope Brandi loves her new entertainment center! It's such a bold statement piece and who doesn't love a bold piece of furniture? 

Linking up to:

Miss Mustard Seed

French Country Cottage

My 1929 Charmer

Tip Junkie

TV Stand Reveal

My client Shelby wanted to turn a dresser into a TV stand. I did a post a few weeks back that showed the inspiration for what she wanted. If you missed that post you can click here.

I usually show the before picture first but I'm gonna change things up with this post.
Here is the after.....

This looks SO splotchy...but it's just the below grade photos. Note to Self: Stop Rushing!!!

Moving on....

The dresser was part MDF and part wood. Well.... the drawer fronts and bottom trim were real wood. I usually work with solid wood pieces so I was a little out of my element but in the end it all came together.

The first challenge was the top which was bubbling, peeling and had a large area covered with sticky stuff. Ewww. Plus the overall look of the dresser was not working! Here's a visual of the overall ugliness!

I sanded the top down in hopes to get a smooth(er) surface. I primed the whole piece and then painted two coats of Swiss Coffee by Bher but even after all of that the reddish brown was bleeding through the top. This is where my second challenge came into play. I sanded...AGAIN... and then decided to paint with homemade chalk paint. (My homemade chalk paint recipe is 1 cup latex paint to 1/4 cup baking soda but now I just pour out some paint onto a paper plate and sprinkle in some baking soda and mix until its a medium thick consistency. After the second time making a batch I quit measuring)! The chalk paint did the trick and stopped the bleeding through!!

I took out the two middle drawers and cut birch plywood to make cubbies. Well, my husband cut the wood but I made sure to tell him how to do it!



If it wasn't for my husband I would have forgotten to add holes for the electronic cords. And that's why I call him Dan the Man....seriously, that's his name in my phone!

I distressed the whole thing, spray painted the brass pulls black (which were $1 a piece at Restore) and then added a coat of wax. I think it turned out great for not being all wood. Shelby and her husband picked up their new TV stand today and they loved it. Shelby was a great client to work with and made my job super easy!

Here is a side by side because nobody likes scrolling up and down really fast!!

BEFORE  &  AFTER

Again, I rushed my staging so I apologize for the somewhat blurry photos.

Linking up to:

Lolly Jane Boutique

Nifty Thrifty Things

I Heart Naptime

Positively Splended

Newlyweds on a Budget

Not Just a Housewife

Primp...(sorry the code for you botton was not working)

Miss Mustard Seed

Happy Hour Projects

Momnivores Dilemma

Remodelaholic

Shabby Nest

From My Front Porch to Yours

Somewhat Simple

A Glimpse Inside

Handy Man Crafty Woman

Miss Mustard Seed

Thrifty Decor Chick

Too Much Time on my Hands

Under the Table and Dreaming

Alderberry Hill

Stylish Once Again

Creatively Living (Blah 2 Beautiful)

aka Design