Home Improvement...Not just a great show from the 90's

It's amazing what a sander, a little paint and primer, and a few trips to your local home improvement store can do for your self esteem.

In my first few months of marriage I've learned more about myself than I had anticipated. I thought moving in with a boy and starting a marriage I would have to learn more about Justin and how he lives. God of course has a sense of humor and I've learned much more about me and how I live than anything. I'm NOT a great cook, I have a burning desire to be like Amy Speropulos or Erin Williams, but I'm just not getting there. I've burnt some of the most simple things, eggs, chocolate chip cookies, chili, and I can't even talk about my crockpot disaster!!!

I just don't have Rachel Ray in me, but I sure do have a little Bob Villa!!! I decided it was time for a little DIY home project. Justin has been out of town for the past two weekends and I've been talking about redoing or giving away his old beat up dresser. So, I did a little research! I've learned from Rhonda King Gilbert to research EVERYTHING! After reading lots of different DIY websites, I decided to go for it. With my husbands permission and my full disclosure on it may not be perfect, I made a little trip to my local home improvement store.

My Dad and husband are both perfectionists and I knew from the beginning it wasn't going to be good enough, but I didn't care. I needed some redepemtion from my burnt cooking episodes!

My first mistake was the I didn't take a proper "before" picture! But you get the idea. This was Justin's dresser from college and when he lived with Colin and Bayless. And who knows where it was before Justin. It's been around!

Thankfully we have a huge garage and I have lots of room to spread out. I started by purchasing a sander, I went with the middle of the road sander, nothing too fancy. I also purchased 80 and 120 grit sandpaper. I opted for spray primer as I don't LOVE to paint. And I went with a semi-gloss paint, and a glossy black spray paint for the finish. All and all the trip was around $75, that included the sander that I will definitely use again and again.

After sanding for about an hour, I sprayed down the dresser with the primer and let it sit for about 2 hours. I'm overly cautious when waiting for paint to dry. After completing a few other house chores I was ready to actually put paint on the dresser! I started at the top and worked my way down with long strokes in the direction of the wood grain. This is where I got really nervous.

If anyone ever went to my house on Myrtle and used my bathroom, you know that I am NOT a Picasso painter. I left paint tape on my wall for two years. So, with this project I HAD to finish it and I really wanted it to be half way decent.

I waited a few days for the paint to dry and took another visit to the home improvement store to decide on new hardware. I could not make a decision without Justin. He has amazing taste and I wanted him to feel involved in the project. We finally made it over there yesterday at lunch. I've been chomping at the bit to get this thing finished and out of the garage. Especially since its been taking up MY parking space.

So.....HERE IT IS!!! My special project! :) My Dad and Justin are both very proud! And what a great feeling to complete a project and save a little money. This will be a precious piece of furniture everyone can come see when they stay in our guest room.