Pinterest Project: Dresser Refurb

I have always enjoyed painting.  I like painting walls and pictures and furniture. I saw this ugly dresser when we moved in, and knew we needed it for storage space in the living/dining area, but it sat there looking rather ugly for the first 3 months.  After doing my big cooking day, I found more time and was able to accomplish painting this over the course of a few days!  I followed instructions from these blogs:
This lady does an amazing job on a ton of projects: Before Meets After. This is the specific one I was interested in sort of copying: Pretty tall dresser however, she uses real chalk paint, and I just used the homemade recipe from pinterest!

This one was helpful too: Shabby Sweet Tea with a beautiful turquoise dresser.

Here's my before:      

Here's the after:

I began with a pale blue/green color Olympic paint from Lowe's, and followed the chalk paint recipe using plaster of paris and hot water.  I cleaned the pieces of the dresser, removed all the knobs, and painted two solid coats of the chalk paint and let it dry over night.

The next day I gave it the aged/textured look by scrubbing all pieces with a sand paper block and then scraping them a little with a 5-in-1 painter's tool.  I blew and wiped off the excess dry paint this created, then used a rag (old ripped up T-shirt) to wipe on the brown glaze.  I used a wet rag (old cloth diaper type of material) to wipe off the excess glaze.

I let that dry overnight, then came the hardest part - the final waxing.  I have to admit that I did not understand the purpose of this and found it tedious and difficult - like waxing a car. I begrudgingly waxed every piece (took about 35 minutes of tough work), then went back to wipe off the wax (the can said to wait 10-15 minutes, I don't think the extra time hurt).  As soon as I began wiping off the wax, I loved the shiny, polished look it gave the wood.  I understood.

Putting on the wax reminded me of those trials in life we don't really understand or appreciate. Wiping it off to see the beautiful result was like finding how God is going to use that trial for His glory later.  I hated the car accident I was in 2 years ago.  Now, I know what fear is like, and we have a small savings account and are able to use some of that money to prepare for adoption and bless others when we feel God leading.  I would not willingly have gone through the pain and fear that followed that wreck, but I can gladly look back and say God has used it for His glory, just as His word says He will!

Romans 8:28

New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together^[a]for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

I also struggled in Memphis last year being a foster parent, teaching first grade, and being pregnant. Please understand that John was an amazing husband and father and helped immensely with everything or I would not have survived!  Even as a team though, it's not easy waking up multiple times a night with a tiny 3 month old who frequently vomits, while you are in the last half of pregnancy, and then to get up and go to work (or for John - seminary classes and work) the next day. Then having a newborn along with a 7 month old and 17 month old made me often wonder, "God, if we don't get to adopt these girls, why would you put us through such a hard time with them right now!? What is your plan here?" I felt like it was all in vain and selfishly wished I could just be pregnant with no other babies around, or enjoy Jonah all by himself.  However, starting this job and getting another little baby (after we were told they do not take children under 2), seemed like God saying, "See, I was just preparing you to be the best mom you could be to two babies at once."  Juggling life with two small babies isn't easy by any means, and I think twins would be easier because they would be on the same age/ability level and hopefully similar sleep/eating schedules too.  However, when you have two babies at unnatural age distances (less than 10 months apart), it is awkward.  Madi and Jonah were 7 months apart, the new baby is also unnaturally close in age to Jonah.  However, I think God puts people (and babies) in our lives to teach us and to use us to teach them.  I haven't finished learning from this experience yet, and I often feel like I am failing although I am daily striving to be a better mommy and teacher to the kids we have now.  I am confident that one day I will be able to look back and see how God used this situation for His glory too. I am reminded of a favorite passage of mine:

James 1:2-4

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

Trials and Temptations

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faithdevelops perseverance. ⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The final step in this project was to order some better knobs.  I love these brushed copper looking ones John found for me online! Hard work and finishing touches made this dresser a triumph! I wish the pictures could show better the color - it is very pale turquoise, but it looks almost white in the pictures.

Before - plain wood

After - Painted with brass knobs

I really really wish I could get better pictures of this.  Even John likes it and has given me permission to paint more furniture now!