Thrifted Desk Makeover: sturdy sewing machine table

Did you check out my Thrifted Dresser Makeovers last week? Even after all of that, I was so not done painting. My mission this summer was to get all the painting done before I headed back to my school-year job, and by golly, I'd get it done if it killed me!

This desk, like my dressers, also has sentimental value. I grew up with this desk. When we moved into our new house in 2nd grade, my dad bought it at an unfinished furniture store. I remember sitting in the garage watching him transform it with bright white paint and sunny yellow nobs. Ah, the memories.

All it needed was a little TLC after all these years. So I hammered the baseboard back in place and got me some pretty paint.

I seriously lucked out when I found this Tiffany blue paint for only .50 cents in Home Depot's "Oops" Paint section! Since I didn't have enough for the whole desk, I used blue for the drawers and antique white for the rest (like the dressers).

*Be sure to refer back to the supplies you might need in the painted dressers post before you get started with your own thrifted furniture makeover.

Another quick tip? If you're removing hardware and setting it aside while you paint, make sure to screw your nuts and bolts together on the original knob. Saves time and you won't misplace any of them.

▶▶▶KIDS DESK TURNED SEWING TABLE

It turns out, this old desk works perfectly as a sewing machine table. Lucky for me, this old style craftsmanship is solid wood, and as sturdy as can be. No wobbles, which is especially important when that old sewing machine motor cranks. Plus it has deep drawers for additional storage. (A crafty girl can't have too much storage!)

Lets have one last look, shall we? I did, after all, ache like I'd just done yoga for hours after I was finished. Painting requires more squatting muscles than I knew existed. Obviously somebody's out of shape!

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Lined Zipper Pouch - Tool pouch for the Domestic Diva

A short time ago my beautiful niece left for her first year of college.

Wait. Wasn't it just yesterday I was in my first year in college? But if I'm still 18, how can she be....??? Dang. Reality bites my friend.

Anywho, as her goodbye party drew near, I wondered what I could give her that was both practical and thoughtful?

I pondered on what things I found I needed once I had flown the nest.

And of all things that came to mind? Tools. After all, a girl's gotta be prepared to deal with whatever comes her way.

Tools for our college student:
Small hammer, retractable tape measure, flashlight, tacky putty & nails to hang pictures, pliers, and screwdrivers (flathead and phillips). I didn't have one, but an Allen wrench may also come in handy for cheap college furniture assembly.

Assembling the Zipper Pouch with Lining and Slip Pockets

Now for the tool bag. The last thing I wanted was to give my niece a big bulky tool pouch to stuff in her over-stuffed car, so I measured the biggest item I had and created an economy sized pattern.

For this lined zipper pouch I cut a piece for slip pockets, two lining pieces, and made the outside two-toned using heavy weight cream and black cotton fabric.

The slip pockets easily fit the tacky putty and flashlight for quick access. I'll be sharing a quick tip on adding slip pockets to your lining, in a future post.

To create the two-toned zipper pouch front, I sewed the two-colored pieces right sides together,

ironed the seams down and top stitched with corresponding thread.

I referred to the fabulous How to make a lined zippered pouch tutorial from Skip to my Lou. She has a great tutorial showing the sandwich technique for putting linings, zipper and outer layer together.

I also decided to add a stenciled design for the front and back, to give it a feminine touch, and added a skinny black ribbon for the zipper head. I'll be posting how I did the freezer paper stencil designs in the next few posts.

Here's the finished lined zipper tool pouch - front and back

Lined Zipper Tool Pouch Front

Lined Zipper Tool Pouch Back

The zipper pouch lining turned out nicely - the slip pockets help with separation and storage.

Lined Zipper Tool Pouch Inside slip pockets

A relief to see that it all still fit after assembly! hahaha

Okay, so I'm a little fanatical, but I added a little cover for the claw of the hammer. I didn't want my niece to stick her hand in the tool bag and scratch herself. That's what good Aunt's do.

My nephew was pretty impressed I fit all those tools inside such a small bag. My point exactly.

All zipped up, full of tools and ready to head off to college with her. If only there was room for one more thing in there...ME! We're all going to miss her but are so excited for her new adventure!♥

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http://www.sew-much-ado.com/, http://www.mygirlishwhims.com/, http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/, http://www.creationsbykara.com/, http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/, http://www.rolleduppretty.com/, http://raegunwear.blogspot.com/http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/http://www.adornedfromabove.com, http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com, http://www.somewhatsimple.com/, http://www.aglimpseinsideblog.com/, http://www.houseofhepworths.com/, http://www.the36thavenue.com/, http://myricandreasen.blogspot.com, http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com, http://www.delicateconstruction.b logspot.com, http://shabbynest.blogspot.com, http://www.504main.com http://seevanessacraft.com http://sarahdawndesigns.blogspot.com

 

Thrifted Dressers Makeover: before and after

Do you know how long fixing up these thrifted dressers has been on my summer to-do list? Well I'll tell you. Three whole years.

Finally, the weather here in Seattle has actually been good enough to get it done! Bam!





These dressers actually have a history. Can you still call them "thrifted" if you swiped them from your parents house? I say yes.

Once upon a time, the one on the left stood in my bedroom and the one on the right, in my sister's room. They were lovely back in the day.

Some time during high school I tried out my crafty skills (or lack thereof) and painted my bright white dresser with cream colored exterior house paint and changed my nobs from bright yellow to dark green with an old can of spray paint I found in the garage. Spiffy.

And there she stood, until I got my real craft on.

Painting thrifted (or in my case, swiped) furniture can completely transform it, so before you go buying new, consider stopping by a thrift shop - they're full of potential. 

Make sure you have all the right tools before you start your thrifted furniture makeover project. Home Depot is really helpful if you aren't sure what you need.

And for sure, check out the Oops Paint section at Home Depot. It's paint people bought but didn't want and it's yours at a major discount.

I got this entire gallon of antique white for only $7, marked down from $28!




Supplies you might need:
Tarp                            
Paint roller                  
Foam brush for details  
Primer
Paint
Putty to fill in dings
Sandpaper
Rags (dry and wet)
Disposable gloves
Newspaper
Old clothes and shoes to paint in (paint'll gettcha!)




Oh, and another thing? Get ready to use your muscles people! There's a lot of crouching, bending, stooping, squatting, and up and down with the paint brushes. I know, I sound like a pathetic couch potato but I was surprised at how tired and sore I was when I was done! For you athletic types, however, it'll be a breeze.

Here's another look at the before and afters. My favorite part of a makeover.

For the hardware on this one, I replaced the old green nobs with antique glass nobs I found at an estate sale last year.♥

Thrifted Dresser - BEFORE on L and AFTER on R

My husband wasn't particular on what hardware he had (as most men may not be), so we spray painted his yellow knobs white. I like the clean look.

Thrifted Dresser - BEFORE on L and AFTER on R

And here they sit on either side of our bedroom (sorry, my camera lens isn't wide-angle enough to get them both in the same photo).

I'll admit, I've probably gone a bit too far by making him have a vase full of flowers on his dresser, along with the decorative mirror hanging over it. Poor thing. I may need to get him a manly box or something so he doesn't feel like I've completely taken over. But who are we kidding?

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How to store large tissue paper

Tissue paper is one of my staples. I use it to stuff pretty gift bags, wrap my etsy sales up in it, make giant pom poms with it, print photos on it, you name it.

Tissue paper can be surprisingly pricey though and in those little packages they only give you like 5 pieces for $4.00. Come on. 

That's why I look forward to the holiday season when Costco sells the jumbo monster-sized package of tissue paper. Since it's only around during the holidays, I make sure I stock up.

If you're like me and don't have a lot of extra storage space because you've already taken over the house with all your sewing and crafting supplies, it's hard to know where to heave that hippo-sized package of tissue. In a moment of crafting clarity, I found a solution.

Have a large sized cereal box? That's all you need. Minus the cereal. Of course.

FIRST Open up all sealed edges of your largest cereal box. I used a jumbo box of Cheerios from Costco. Everything is jumbo there. 

SECOND Lay out your tissue paper and cut your cereal box in half, length-wise, with the length as long as the tissue and the width not wider than the original tissue bag. You will use both pieces of your cereal box.

THIRD Sandwich the mass of folded tissue paper in-between the pieces of cardboard and slide carefully back in the original bag. It slides in pretty easily with the underside piece of cardboard in a bit farther than your tissue. 

FOURTH Stand it up and store it! See how nice and straight it stands so you won't crinkle it all up by shoving it in the closet or under the bed? I know you wouldn't have done that.

It's even skinny enough and now protected enough, to squeeze it in whatever nook and cranny you have left. What do you know? My very last cranny.

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