Wordless Wednesday ~Now with words!

Welcome to my second instalment of From Totally Geek to Totally Chic!

I do believe it's official. I am obsessed with yard sale furniture and painting or refinishing it. I want the world to look like Anthropologie, but I don't want to pay that much. Know what I'm saying? I scour over fabulous decorating blogs and wish I could do that! My first foray turned out pretty good, so this weekend I took the plunge and conquered not one, but two projects.

I have a metric ton of jewelry. No, it's not all real, I love costume jewelry -again taking after my grandmother {dag nabbit!} I've got a fabulous collection of what I lovingly refer to as Mrs. Roper necklaces. Clearly my formative years were spent pining over John Ritter and thinking Mrs Roper could really work that MuuMuu.

So, this metric ton of jewelry has had no place to live but tucked in many little boxes, dishes, and dresser drawers. Let's just say I call on St. Anthony to find my engagement ring more often than my iphone.

and you know that's a lot.

Mumsy (my mom) had asked for some suggestions as to what I would like for my upcoming *cough* 28th birthday. I want a jewelry chest, said I. But once I hopped on ye olde internet, I realized that they were crazy ridonkulous money and also I didn't love any of them.

Enter the decorating blogs. And my new lovah: craigslist. Right at the tippy top was JEWELRY CHEST $75 bucks. I offered her 30. Thinking she might go to 60. Lucky me! She accepted my 30 bones and TOTT and I were off to pick up my Jewelry Dream House ala Barbie.

I wish I'd taken a picture of the before but it was this one right here:

faboo, non?

I said to TOTT, I want this to look like it could be a display case at Anthro. If I was a braver sort, I would have gone with a color, but as it was Lauren (Dude. Lauren the Waitress, Lauren the Paint Expert.Wild.) at Home Depot hooked me up! She taught me how to do what was in my head and off I went to do it.

And for my first try, I think I did mighty well! Plus? Auntie Keek took one look at it and said "It looks like a display case at Anthro! LOVE!' (no, she was not coached and no I didn't pay her. But I would have)

I was so drunk with happiness I decided to takle this beast- totally worth the $20 bucks I paid for it- and make it into a night table (for now) when we move I will put the top back on it and move it to a bathroom or a kitchen.

And so {for now} it shall live here and look like this:

So, who has something the need painted because I am DRUNK with painting power and I just want to redo everything.  It's such a blast!

What are your favorite decorating blogs?

Sometimes I'm awesome

Sometimes not so much. But right now I have carpal tunnel from patting myself on the back. Due to the fact that I pour over an excessive amount of home decorating blogs I became drunk with idea that perhaps I, who posesses no tactile artistic skill what so ever, could indeed create what I wanted instead of buying it.

You see I had this old dresser, ugly, cheesey bad cherry finish. Thanks Al's Discount Furniture on Lankershim. What are ya gonna do when you buy a whole bedroom set for 300 bones? Ethan Allen it's not.

Anyway I recently became obsessed with having a red dresser for Max's new room. And so, the ever patient TOTT shuttled me off to Home Depot and purchased me a sander and a hist ton of colonial red paint. I must admit I was pumped up with confidence from the three years that WWJD and I stripped and stained furniture on the regular. But painting I had never done. And stain seems more forgiving.

But I figured what the heck. It's crap anyway, and if I ruin it then at least I've tried!

Behold!

From totally geek:

to totally chic!

Forgive the craptastic iphone fauxto. I haven't quite gotten the lighting squared away in there and also there was a small person pulling on my shirt hollering 'Both sides!'

Demanding little bugger.

It actually turned out better than I hoped and I am now looking at every single piece of furniture here at The American Dream as a potential project. I think my in laws are going to start hiding things. And also I can't find the dog. Which is a shame since he is all black. He could really use an accent color.