An {epic} chest redo ~

Hey again my friends.

What a gorgeous day it was today.  We had the windows open and the fresh air was... well... fresh.  :-)

Some fun little crafts, cleaning, laundry, blogging and even grilling out happened today.

This redo seemed to take for-e-ver.

I found her on the KSL classifieds for $40.  Now that she is finished and I've seen her up close... I'm sure I over paid.  But, whatevs.

Here is the sorry shape I found her in:

This water damage wasn't seen until she was moved into the basement: 

I ended up sawing off the damaged portion and adding a bit of molding onto the rough edge.  

The hardware was just sad... beyond sad.

Like the extra holes??  

I filled the holes with wood filler: 

Also, let me point out this was my first {and maybe last} attempt at homemade chalk paint.  I used the unsanded grout recipe.  I was going for a creamy yellow... 

Um, yeah.  She looks exactly the same, minus the awesome gold highlights.  

Ok, well... let's take this in a completely different direction.  How about a lovely dark color.  I had envisioned her in Blue the whole time.  But, I wanted to think outside the box.  Well, alright.  Blue it shall be. 

Ok, tell me THIS isn't scary: 

Holy crap. 

No, don't be scared.  It will look better after it dries... right??

Yes. 

During these weeks I was on the hunt for some prettier hardware.  I found some gorgeous antique handles on etsy.  Once they came, I realized that they wouldn't fit.  Bah.  Last week I happened to be at Lowe's and they had something that works but in brass.  I decided to use the original top pulls and spray paint the 2 heirloom white so they would match. 

Then, I distressed... lots.  The edges seemed to distress far too easily.  Almost peeled away.  After the distressing I added 2 coats of paste wax.  I do love the wax finish.  It deepened the color and gives things such a lovely soft sheen. 

Today, I finally drilled the new holes and added the painted hardware.  We moved her up to the nook in the loft. For now, I'm going to use her to store linens and miscellaneous things.  I really want a pretty lamp to place on top.  I will be on the watch for the perfect one. 

Alright, here is how she looks today: 

Drew told me the finish looked cool.  That says a lot coming from a guy who is not at all into the French style.  I'm still not sure about it.  But, I have to admit she looks a helluva lot better than when I met her! 

Thoughts??

She might not stay in this spot.  You know how it is.  Moving furniture around is sometime a weekly event!

You guys do that too... right?!?!

Maybe she will grow on me.    

Maybe she will change.  

Maybe she's awesome as is.    

Linking to: 

Funky Junk 
Jillify It 
Inspired by Felicity 
Embracing Change 
Stuff and Nonsense
The Not So Functional Housewife 
French Country Cottage 
Hating Martha 
Miss Mustard Seed