Landen’s dresser—take 2

I just discovered this old picture—by that I mean from 2004.

Three summers ago I was busy redecorating and renovating 2 of my great nephews’ bedrooms.

One of the projects was REworking a thrift store dresser (I bought and revitalized when the BIG brother was born -in 2004) to look less baby’ish as it moved to the LITTLE brother!

I shared the Before & After project with you, but couldn’t share the BEFORE THAT portion because I didn’t know what ever became of the pictures.  Since I just found one of them, I thought it would be fun to revisit this cute project!

Do you remember this?

This is where it started . . . original “beauty.” $15

I liked the “framed” front profile—and it was SOLID wood, well made, and heavy.  Perfect for a future rough & tumble boy- right?!

My niece wanted to decorate the baby’s room with blues & greens and lots of animals!  I can do that!

Again—this was back in 2004.

Eventually, it passed from BIG brother to LITTLE brother

-and needed to “grow up” a bit more too.  That was the Summer of 2012.

You can read about that project in the original post HERE.  In the top picture my great nephew was about even with the doorknob, at 4.  He’s 7 now  and TALL.  I should check back—wonder if it needs another update!?  ; D

Catherine

 

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My “knock your socks off” project—

Uh huh—knockin’ my socks off with some (self-inflicted) aggravation____ tell you later, and sure you’ll laugh.

Yes–this is of my own making.  Figuratively and literally.

I’ve been thinking about this design -idea- for quite a while.  **Sourcing the car part was its own challenge.  I’ve fallen asleep many a night working out some of the design concepts/construction in my head.  I’ve sketched out one design to change up to another–and finally aNOTHer.

Here’s the concept AND last sketch of my crAzy idea!

Braeden’s bed wall—is being built around a 1971 Ford pick up TAILGATE!

You can see it is essentially a sofa.  The back of it is the tailgate, the seat is the bed.  The other half of the waterbed drawer frame is the base.  And I’m still hunting for some tail lights–oy vey!

I originally wanted a really old (1930’s-40’s) truck hood because they were small(er).  Or I thought a bumper or a grill could be really fun!  ~Couldn’t find ANYthing—affordable.

The original concept was for something unusual to become the headboard of my g-nephew’s twin bed.  But when a neighbor found this tailgate for $10, and I wasn’t sure how good it was going to look cut down from 67″ to 55″ (the space it had to fit in)—this became the new design plan!  And will probably work out better as he gets older!

I think he will be able to claim the most   ORIGINAL   bedroom of any cousin, friend or classmate around!

Catherine

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Look where I’m going now!

This is my next project!

And, YES—I’m still working on Braeden’s room!

Curious–??   *Travel* with me!

—and my crAzy ideas!

Catherine

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progress in Braeden’s room–

I finished his closet, hung the trophy hooks, took some pictures—and I can’t figure out where the day went–??  I promise, I was truly busy.  All day!    Anyway. . . .

The closet!

I’m going to begin with that pole-thingy, that no one could figure out, it’s a PANTS POLE!

Make sense now?!?

How about NOW—does this help?!?

He’s 8.  What 8 year old, I ask, is very good at hanging up their clothes–??  If he can’t hang up his pants with THIS system–he’s REAlly lazy!

I think it’s a pretty big improvement!  It’s certainly a whole lot more storage and organization!  I actually wanted to install the pants pole in the center, with ½ hanging rods above and below it.  Like winter shirts above, pants pole, summer shirts.  But my niece vetoed me in favor of this order.

The shelves will be filled with sweaters to pajamas–and his games!  And I think it will fair well open to the room (the door has left the building!).

Now, the Bench, with Trophy Hooks!   At last!

Tomorrow, I have some other details to wrap up,

and then I begin working on the BED wall—I can’t wait to show you THAT crAzy idea!

Catherine

Like always, click on the pictures to see the details closer up!

I’m sharing this project with some of my favorite linky parties!

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yeah, still in Braeden’s room—

I wish I could say I have nothing else to do but focus on Braeden’s bedroom—but that’s not LIFE!

So, he started school with a semi-torn up, and totally chaotic-looking room!

But he is having fun loading up his lockers and shelves with all his fancy LEGO’s and Pokemon stuff, and now wants to get locks for the lockers.

At 8!–what does he want to keep private already?  Me/G-Auntie; “Only if daddy has the extra key or knows the combo!”  Daddy; “No worries–I have a good bolt cutter!”

With the lockers and the dresser/bench installed, I’m working on his closet, that will now be open to the room at all times—my niece asked if it “would be too weird to remove the closet door–??”  So, I’m taking a new approach to the finishes in the closet!

I’ve hung adjustable shelves on one entire wall, and re-lined the rest with floor to ceiling, stained bead board.  Plus, I have one other trick up my sleeve to make it more VISUALLY INTERESTING!

Any guesses what this is?!?

Catherine

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Tomorrow is installation day!

Everything is done with the lockers!

And tomorrow, when Brian finishes work, he and I will install Braeden’s lockers–yAy!  I can’t wait–ha–imagine how Braeden feels!

Below, as I quit last night—and today, cutting drawers down, base molding, last details, and finish waxing.

Sorry Kathy Ireland–really not feelin’ your cardboard drawers, or plastic veneers.

I am so-o-o-o-o happy to be done with this part of the project.  It was fun, exhausting, exasperating, and loooong to get through.  I looked upward more than once to acknowledge God’s sense of humor–uh huh–and I persevered.

I’ll show you how it looks installed and stylized—but here’s a preview!  It’s only propped together for the picture, so the middle shelf is missing, but you definitely get the jist!

two parts down, two to go—

Catherine

I’m sharing this project in this linky party!

 

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Braeden’s bedside lighting!

There are 4 key areas of change to Braeden’s bedroom:

1. His dresser, turned into a bench,
2. the locker  wall,
3. the bed  wall,
4. and, the closet!

While I’m painting “lockers,” let me share this other little project—

I found a hotel/motel styled swing arm lamp (that would be mounted between the two beds, even has a plug-in), and altered it to go beside his bed.

I found it at the ReStore for $5!

I’ve been sitting on the finished lamp until I show you the completed bed wall,  B U T—

• It was that ugly “brass” finish, so I used some Rust O leum hand hammered spray paint.
• Instead of standard lamp shades–let’s do something wAy more fUn!
• I bought a vintage globe in the flea market–I think I paid about $7.  I cut it in half, painted the inside a watery blue, trimmed the raw edges—

–et voilà, lamp shades!

And I topped them with vintage finials!

It was interesting to take the globe apart and get to see how they actually make these things!

I have a sUper cool surprise of a headboard—

Braeden has NO IDEA,

and I can’t wait to finish it and share it with you!

It took quite a bit of sourcing for THIS idea, and it may very well

knock your socks off!

Catherine

**If you go to this more recent post, you’ll find info on how to cut your globe!

I’m sharing this lighting project with these favorite linky parties!

Jennifer Rizzo’s

Fabulously Creative Friday!

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Braeden’s lockers–

If you remember, I bought these lockers for $10 at the ReStore last April/May.  I thought they could be cool in my g-nephew’s bedroom and provide some very needed, extra storage!

Since there were soooo many interruptions trying to work on Braeden’s dresser/bench, I made a shift to the locker-wall project.

• The lockers needed to be separated for this project–enter daddy.  I didn’t like all those burning little sparks from the grinder, so I made Brian do it! (I know–bAby!)
• Then I built a “box” to seat them on BECause–1. the locker face-frames hang down lower than the locker boxes, and 2. the whole unit needed to be lifted off the floor.
• Next, I used a rabbeting bit in the router table to create the void for the locker to rest in.  *The tape you see in the picture was to give me a good visual stop and start point.

At last, I could take the lockers apart to clean and paint easier.

I decided to paint the interiors this rich shade of aqua to play with the room color—Braeden loves the color of his room and made me promise not to change it!

I sure do hope these folks get paid well— what a job!

Painting the lockers became the biggest pain in the B-U-T-T.  It really was soooo much easier to paint everything in individual parts & then put back together, but NEXT TIME I will mark the outsides before disassembling–!  I painted the wrong sides but didn’t know it until AFTER I put one back together and realized it was “inside-out.”  I took everything bAck apart, repainted, and put together correctly–yAy.

So–I thought I learned my lesson for the 2nd locker–uh, huh.  Somehow I mixed up the panels–again–and painted the parts all wrong.  And–again–didn’t realize it until I was putting it back together.  ArGHHHHH.

I placed the lockers back on their “box,” and began installing the box shelves I made earlier on for this “unit.”  It was a loooong day–and pitch dark before I finally quit.

With that task sorted out—time to begin making a drawer box.  Without benefit of having a pocket screw jig–YET. STILL on my wish list–dang it.

I wanted to add the two drawers I eliminated from his (6 drawer) dresser/bench to the locker wall.  More storage–little bedroom.  An open cubby fills the end space the drawers didn’t take up.

I’ve been trying out different base moldings to wrap the bottom, but haven’t found the right piece yet.  Oh, well.  Tomorrow I’ll begin puttying and sanding, and then I can finally paint!

I can’t wait for this INCREDIBLY TEDIOUS project TO BE FINISHED!  I really can’t say I’ve ever felt like that on any other, but man-oh-man, this one has been a bear!

~Me and my bright ideas.

Catherine

I’m sharing this project with some of my favorite blogs!

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Working on Braeden’s bedroom–

Working on Braeden’s room has not been without interruption OR obstacles.

I snatched up his dresser a while ago.  My nephew told me from the very beginning that he “really-really“ wanted a bench in his room, so— trying to “use what we have,”  (remember this project?)

• I cut the top row of drawers off–as well as some off the bottom “legs” to make it a better height for a bench.
• After sanding the plastic-y, fake veneer for a “tooth,” I re-faced the front and right side with ¼” oak veneered plywood, and added a heavy base molding to ground the piece.
• Then I puttied, sanded, painted and waxed–and, hit the PAUSE button.

A few days later, it got partially installed—then, PAUSE button.

Sunday, I cut the seat/decking, routered an edge detail, cut the barn board, cleaned it, “urethaned” all of it—PAUSE button.  Again.  Seriously–??

So Monday I shifted gears and started working on the lockers.  Tuesday morning I discovered problem after problem with every-thing done so far.  Arrrgh.  More on THAT later.

But, last night—at last—the rest of the wood was installed, and the dresser-bench is “finished.”  –Well, some hooks still need to be hung–sigh.

You can see in the following shots–how I ripped (on the table saw) and applied (glue and ¾” nail gun brads) ¼” oak plywood to the face frame.

Now the bench will have a painted WOOD finish—not painted “plastic.”  The very nice (and expensive) base molding was someone’s leftovers/donation to the ReStore–I think I paid $1 or less for the short length.  **I buy a lot of 5 and 6ft lengths for small projects!

–click on the pictures to see the steps closer up–

Here it is installed!  I think he likes it!

Here’s a close up of that very cool barn board!  I ♥ the textures and the old cut nails!  We cut out the base boards so the bench fits tight to the wall–I guess it’s staying with the house now as a built-in.

And these will become the hooks!  He doesn’t know about this–notice how I added 1 girl—hee hee—wonder how long it will take him to catch on!

Anyway, I’ll spray them with Rust-o-leum’s bronze hand-hammered paint, and will use double-threaded screws to screw them into the barn board.  These are all old METAL trophy tops, so hopefully he can’t break them.  Fingers crossed.  You know boys.

Catherine

Here is the finished “bench!”

I’m sharing this part of the project with these FAB blogs!

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Some details in the little guy’s room!

I wanted to stylize Landen’s new shelves before taking pictures, but—didn’t happen.  Oh, well.      I’ll take a cue from Monsieur Monkey there, & just relax!

I lUv the ReStore, here’s why—

• the storage shelf/now bed wall– $10
• the under bed storage– $20 (his half)
• the EXIT sign– $10
• the swing arm lamp– $5
• the portrait light– $2
• the spigot drawer handles– $1 and $2 each, for a total of $10
• 3 under bed drawer handles– all $1

Total spent $58! HUge budgetary help!

From the very start, Landen wanted a blue room.  He picked out all kinds of blues to show me—ALL variations on navy, o-kaaay.  I happened on this blue paint on an ooops rack for $5.  It would NOT have been my 1st choice, but I really warmed up to it.  *Everyone seems to make the same comment about the color and stripes—“There’s something sort of “Dr. Seuss” about the room. . !“

Speaking of stripes, I found the striped lamp shade at TJ Maxx on clearance for $8.99.  I–patiently–pried off the little car, then used fabric paint to make the random stars!

Asking my niece about a mirror above the dresser, she suggested a chalk board or something instead until he’s older.  Hmmmm. . .

When I went to meet up with the Craig’s list guy about the barn board, I saw a metal ring laying on the ground–a ring from an old bathroom sink– $1.  I’ll take that.  An sos pad scrubbed it up, I cut up a cork board to fit— et, voilà!

I bought an “L” from Hobby Lobby, printed out and decoupaged a bunch of “Landen” pictures in black and white, and, you finally see that $2 portrait light!

The Closet-Wall.  The goal was sort of “minimalistic!”  So I purposely striped the closet door to “eliminate” any extra “interruptions” in this little room.  When the door is closed, it’s just–gone!  *And even the tv and stand will be gone very soon–in favor of a small 19″ tv that can sit on the shelf or mount on the wall.  –Boys and their video games–?!

Before all is said and done, I intend to re-frame the low window, adding a frieze board on top and raising the roller shade.  Let’s at least fake it that the window is higher and more architectural!

Opening the closet door you’ll find a very well organized space–well, NOW, you will!  Completely simplified and stream-lined.

Yes–the room is l-iiii-ttle, but now

it packs sOme kinda punch!

Catherine!

his FAVorite GReat-auNTie,

I’m sharing this project with these fabulous blogs!

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