The TOP SECRET DESK!

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  *Featured on Remodelaholic *   The link to the post is here: Little Girls Modpodged and antiqued desk Thanks so much for the feature!!   *   Also Featured on:  Treacle and Ink (Brighton, UK) Thanks so much for the feature!
    My best and most favorite work so far. 
  I just adore my little girl and when the time came that she needed her very own desk I began the hunt.  No mass produced, press wood/laminate, ordinary desk for my little girl, OH NO she needed a special desk that not a single other person has.  I have looked all Summer at thrift stores, antique stores, secondhand stores.  I knew with such passion the desk would eventually find me, but there was just one problem I had to convince my husband she 'needed' a desk in her very small room.  Not an easy task, so little by little, I would talk to him about looking for one and also keeping her room very neat so he could see that there was in fact space for a sweet petite desk.  He called me a few weeks ago to tell me she had written him a letter requesting that he please reconsider letting her have a desk.  How sweet is that, little did she know her mama has been redoing a desk all this time~
  Here is the original desk.  I found it at my favorite antique shop just up the road from my house. I paid sixty-one dollars for it.  I knew that I wanted to paint it white and maybe antique it a little but then I found this blog post and this blog post by Lisa over at Recaptured Charm.  I emailed her and she gave me all the tips and tricks I needed to get started.  Thank you Lisa so much!
  You can click on any picture to make them bigger. 
 


 
  I love the way this desk turned out, my heart does flips every time I sneak out to the garage and peek at it!  I did all the refinishing at work and was going to leave it up there until the day before her party BUT then it rained and it rained ALOT and we have an old roof, a very old roof that leaks and thank goodness I covered the top with a big plastic bag (just in case) because we came in Monday morning and the office was flooded.  I mean really flooded and I ran to her desk with tears in my eyes because I knew it would be wet.  Only the bottom few drawers were a little damp, thank goodness I had gone ahead Friday afternoon and put three coat of poly on the entire desk!  I called my husband and he came and got the desk and now it is home safe and sound.  Yes I said that all in one breath, can you feel the anxiety?   I think I may have a few more gray hairs too~
  I consider it my best work, every inch of it was made with love for one of the most important people in my life.... my daughter.  She will be turning 8 in three weeks.      


  The middle draw:


   The inside of each draw is also papered and decorated with   tiny book covers of my daughter's favorite books, my business card, old photos of her and sweet messages.  I used rub-ons here and there for little hugs of inspiration when she opens the drawers.  Rub-ons are very addictive, I had to stop myself from going over board!

I didn't paint the inside of every drawer completely because, well, I'm not perfect and either is anyone else. 
 ~I believe imperfection is what gives us character~
The top:
    Some details on the top of the desk:

She loves pigs and has read Charlotte's Web many times.  I wanted to add many personal details to her desk that she would love, like butterflies, book covers and flowers.  All of her favorite things right there for her to look at when she is doing her homework.
 

  I love the Eiffel Tower because her grandparents live in Paris, TN and they have their very own Eiffel Tower.

 A little antiquing on the edges:

  Detail of the draw fronts:

A few secret messages on the under-side of the middle drawer, complete with her own set of
Ruby Slippers:

A Birthday Message to my sweet girl:

  The words to "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"

I am also redoing a very brown, very ugly, yet comfortable, old secretaries desk chair.  Repainting and recovering it to match the desk and making a matching bulletin board.

How am I ever going to save this for three weeks, the excitement is killing me!?!? 

I can't wait for her to see everything.  She is spending the night at her grandmother's house the night before her birthday and when she comes home on the BIG day her desk will be in her room all ready for her!

So what do you think of my very first furniture refinishing project?

Please join my blog and leave a message, I love feedback!

~I already have my next piece of furniture bought and ready to go, I am hooked on refinish furniture!~

***This project has been featured at***

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Handmade Vintage Costumes for the Next Generation

With Halloween rolling around faster this year than ever before, I was really trying to just figure out a simple costume for each of my children.  Usually the theme is picked in January and mom and I get started creating in September.  Ever since my baby boy peep was born I have always picked something both kids could be together.

The first year they were Little Red Riding Hood and the "Little" Bad Wolf (I looked everywhere and can't find these pictures) Ugh!

The next year they were Dorothy and a Munchkin

 

    

And last year they were Wendy and Peter Pan

 

 

This year we went vintage, clown vintage to be exact!.  I was looking through some of my old dance costumes to find something for my daughter and at the bottom of the bin were two wonderful memories that had been forgotten.  My mom made my brother and I matching clown costumes when I was around 5.  I loved them then and I love them NOW! 

Well the kids saw them and I thought, 'they are never even going to consider these for their costumes, they are make out of early 80's fabric, possibly late 70's fabric that was just saved til the 80's.'

They took one look at them and screamed in horror delight!  They both demanded that they try the costumes on immediately.  By this time I am just grinning from ear to ear, could this be? they liked them, they really, really like them!  HOT DOG, we may have just stumbled upon two perfect costumes!!!  We had to make some alterations and fix some old elastic but the clown costumes are being put to good use once again 30 years later. 

So do you think their kids will be fighting over the vintage clown costumes 30 years from now?

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