The 44 Day Garage Challenge....

There is an unwritten deadline of getting things done around the house.  I know it and the Man knows it.  Football season marks the end of getting any projects completed around the house!  Nothing gets done when football starts.  Sunday’s are sacred and Saturday’s are the primer.  The TVs in the house stay on a sports channel (notice I used the plural form of TV).  That’s right, all.day.long.  The computer and mobile devices are occupied with our fantasy football stats.  All.day.long.  

With my Buckeye’s kicking off on August 30^th I only have 44 days to light a fire organize the garage and my weeknights are currently consumed with soccer, cheer, tumbling, and more soccer.  It’s time to get a game plan! 

Here’s the current state of our garage…..


 

Yikes!  I’ve got to fit two cars in there AND I want a work space for my makeover projects.  

I hear laughter.

Here’s the game plan:

• Drink wine and get ideas from Pinterest
• Get rid of any broken toys and tools
• Recycle what I can
• Paint the back wall
• Take down the peg boards and shelves on the side walls
• Invest in a good standing 5 shelf contraption
• Build a work table
• Figure out what to do with the lawn and garden crap tools
• Reuse as much as I can to minimize the expense

Now it’s time to get out my inner cheerleader and get to work!  

I’m still hearing laughter……

The $3 Dresser that Needed Some Love

On a whim I stopped by the local thrift store and I found this gem.

It had been marked down several times and it was a 50% off furniture day.  Score!  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for but there was just something about it that I couldn't pass up.  It was in desperate need of love and attention.  I loaded it into my car and off we went!  It took me about a week to figure out what I wanted to do to it and since it only cost me a few dollars I was totally up for some experimenting!

First, I had to get the peeling veneer off the top drawer.  I don't have a heat gun so I placed a wet towel on the drawer and then used an iron to create some steam.  I then used a putty knife to loosen up the veneer strips.  What.a.hassle! It took me about an hour to get it all off and I may have ruined a towel in the process but that's our little secret. 

I decided on a cigar lounge look and wanted a metallic silver.  I mixed DecoArt Shimmering Silver Metallic paint, Americana Cottonball and Black Tie together a few times before I found the color I wanted.

As I got going I thought it needed some cool handle pulls.  Since this handsome piece was going in my Lil' Man's room it was only appropriate to find mustache pulls (slightly a challenge to find).  Of course I could not find any mustaches as a double pull so I had to fill two of the holes on each drawer.  My handy Dad recommended that I use wood putty to fill.  Easy!

Because I was feeling a little crazy crafty I thought I would go all out and try my hand at decoupage using Mod Podge.  I used old maps to line the insides of the drawers.  Check them out (it's the best part really).....

Now check out this handsome dresser! 

Now check it out again.......

It feels great to be finished with this project!  Stay tuned for Lil' Man's room reveal!

Lessons Learned:

1. Decoupage takes patience
2. Decoupage takes patience
3. Oh, did I mention - Decoupage takes patience