Blue Desk Has Lost the Blues

Sooo... ya know how I used to pick up old furniture off the side of the road in Florida? And you know how I was so sad about not having bulk pick up anymore to feed my habit? (side note: a few days before our moving truck came I saw an awesome dresser on the side of the road, but I resisted--mostly for Jared's sake. I could have so easily just loaded on with everything else.) Well... we were outside working on our car a couple of weeks ago and the neighbors two doors down were having a garage sale. We went over and that's when I saw my next project. They said that this one wasn't even for sale and that some other neighbors had brought it over in case anyone wanted to take it. This was a good find, yes indeed.

The funny thing is that we were talking to the home owners about that show Hoarders and how crazy all those people are for filling up their houses with junk. "Yeah, I totally agree. Crazy people. I'll take the desk." The junky, broken, warped outcast of a desk. It did take some convincing to get Jared to see my vision. "This will be perfect in Erin's room, don't you think?" was my reasoning. "But you have like three unfinished projects in the storage unit already, and where would be put this one?" was Jared's point of view. All valid arguments, I will agree. But in the end, he was the one helping me carry the thing home. Thanks again, honey. I don't think he regrets it now. I love how this one turned out.

Before

After

I had to scrape off all the warped veneer and sand down the wood underneath. I still have to fix the inside of one of the drawers, but I couldn't wait to share this one. I already knew I wanted to do something this blue color and distress it to reveal its character and lines. The hardware was spray painted in ORB (oil rubbed bronze). The more I work on a piece, the more I love it. You don't notice all the fabulous details until you sit with it for a few hours. Why do I love that anyway? There is no way I could have built something this cool, especially in the amount of time I spent refinishing it. I mean, just look at those legs? And to think, somebody was going to throw it away.After I painted it blue, Erin loved it. But when I started distressing it she was visibly upset. I was ruining the perfectly good paint job. She wanted it to look new. And also, she wanted the hardware blue to boot. Good grief. Yes, it will be her desk, but in the end, I was going to do what I wanted. This may be my favorite project yet, even if Erin thinks it looks ratty.

One more because a pudding faced Marissa wanted to be in the picture

Another funny thing. I used the rub on polyurethane and didn't have any gloves. The stuff gets all over your hands and doesn't come off with soap for days, FYI. That's when I brilliantly decided to try peanut butter. It worked like a charm. Next time, I'll use gloves, but peanut butter is a good second best, in case you are wondering.

Right now it has a spot right by our front door and will be great for a mail drop and to keep pens and pencils, and it gives us a pop of color in here. Here's a shot of where we live with the desk in the corner.Now, if only I could find more pieces like this for free on the side of the road...

(furniture donations gladly accepted)