Old Dresser Turned Portable Bar

Time for Part Dos of the dresser redo.  Also known as the project that almost drove Bliss over the edge.  (See the whole sordid affair of the dresser's before in Part Uno).

Dresser Redo Part Uno & Party LInk

I picked up this old dresser for FREE!

 I had no idea what to do with it because I no longer have room in the house for my dresser addiction, but it was FREE, how could I pass that up?

It was in pretty rough shape, kept in an old barn just rotting away with peeling veneer.

This is only part one of the dresser redo.  Or is it part two based on the teaser from before?  

Whichever, the dresser isn't quite done.  It needs some details finished up on it tonight with photos tomorrow, so the final reveal will have to wait till Saturday.  Call me a tease if you must.

Besides this post is really to give you the link to join the 

Hot Fun in the Summertime Party. 

Five blogs, five Fridays in July.  Link to one be seen on all 5.

 (Scroll to the bottom to link up your project).

But back to the dresser..... the veneer was bubbling up and peeling off in places.  I would have probably painted right over that because I'm too lazy to peel, but as soon as it was loaded off my vehicle Brawn started picking away at the veneer.  

He picked at the top and the drawer fronts and at that point I decided it was going to be a joint effort because he was making a mess.

There were a million other things Brawn should of been working on but he had an idea. 

An idea to replace a previous idea I had for something else I picked up.  He didn't have a vision, just an idea. 

And I didn't have a vision for his idea.  Yet.

One thing I knew, I didn't want to paint over the back of the dresser.  It had the name of the furniture company stamped on it.  So we taped it up to preserve it.

As I sat and watched Brawn pick away at the veneer I started to see the diamond in the stuff. 

I directed him with the power tools, after all he is the Brawn of the operation and I'm the brains right? 

For my vision the top needed to have a place for a container. 

Saw into it honey..... zzzziiinnggggg.

I decided it needed one less drawer. 

Can you cut some wood and turn the top space into a shelf?  

Anything for you beautiful.  (Yeah he calls me that, I think his eyesight is going).

I had to make a trip to the store.  I was trying to match the color of some boards on the patio.

That's the color we picked????  WTH???  That is NOT the color I was trying to match.

Boy did we get that wrong!
 

But we gotta use it anyway, too cheap to buy another. 

The artist formally known as Prince who hails from our land would no doubt be happy with the purple/pink color, however I was not.

The fastest way to get the dresser painted was to spray that bad boy with purple rain. 

And when we need something we can't find or don't have, we improvise.
 

No funnel?  Make one.

Coke bottle funnel.

It really wasn't planned that Brawns shirt was going to match the paint, but convenient nonetheless.

 That taped up spot on the back is some original lettering that was on the dresser.  I didn't want to cover it.

The purple rain dries a little less purple/pink, but I'm sorry that color is just NOT going to work.

Old wood that we used on our wood scrap art wall here, is put to good use again on the back and in the drawer.  

Looks like it's gonna be a giant bird house huh?

This stainless steel planter thing belongs in a black wrought iron holder that hasn't had any plants in it for a while, so it is getting repurposed for use with this dresser. 

Looks like now I need a new use for the black holder too.

 

Remember these crackle globes from one of my garage sale finds?

Three of them have become part of the dresser redo as well.

They are the coolest candle holders EVER!

And because it was hot in the garage that sweet man lugged the dresser inside to the entry way so I wouldn't have to sweat. 

I made a bit of a mess getting that purple/pink color to disappear, but it was worth it - I now love the color.

Purple pink no more - it now matches what we were trying to match.  

 

Stay tuned for Dresser Redo Part Dos, and while you are here...... link up for the Hot Fun in the Summertime party.  It opens at 8 pm tonight.

** See the finished dresser, part two {here}

Hot Party Features

Week #1 of Hot Fun in the Summertime has concluded.   Week #2 opens at 8 pm Thursday night. I'm suppose to pick the features.  Huh?  Me?  The one who procrastinates for.ever. has to pick within a few days?  Yikes!  How can I pick?  How many can I pick?
 
We had 90 entries.  Wow!  You guys are awesome, thank you so much for making the party a success.  So I did math, and I suck at math by the way, and I came up with the rule I could pick 9 features, that's like 1 feature for every 10 entries.  At my blog I'm the boss applesauce, and that's what I went with, (although I did count the mason jars only once even though it's two sets).  I also did some eenie meenie miney mo because a couple times I could not pick.  I guess the rules of this party thing is that I can't pick all 90 entries.

Here is a cute beach-stripe end table from TheUpholster'sWife.  

Nothing says summer more than the beach to this (old) California Girl.

I'm always looking for simple crafts that I can actually do.  

These little containers from TheDecoratingFiles are made from paper plates.  Helloooo, I have a cabinet full of paper plates,

and it's endless how you could decorate them.

CreativelyLiving took us for a walk around her yard.  Not only does she have an adorable little play house, she has this huge pergola to sit and sip a beverage of choice.  When you have a park at home to enjoy why go anywhere else?

Mason Jars are popular and versatile.  Is there anything they don't look cute with?

Kristy at 4theLoveofWood (Hi George!) shared these painted beauties in the color of summer.

 

I gotta mention these jars too from TheSimpleCraftDiaries

I am so gonna give both these jar ideas a try.

This armoire below didn't start out looking all pretty to hold towels.

SimplyVintageous made it over.

A bud vase garland as a new way to display all your fresh cut summer flowers?  This simple idea from Angie at KnickOfTime sparked some other ideas for me.  

Too bad I don't have any flowers though!

Shannon from FoxHollowCottage made a pool noodle wreath with flip flops.
Yeah, I'm copying this one, but I have to get to the dollar store first.

Stacey at EmbracingChange took this dresser and made it all stylish.  

I may try my hand at this style.

And last but not least I'm giving you a sneak peek at my next copy cat.  Yup, you heard it right here, I am copying this idea.  Might not be for a few weeks, but this will be the next furniture piece I do.  If you have not seen this dresser - so sorry - because it is Awesome with a capital A and it's right up my alley, with a lower case a.

From Becky at GenerationToGeneration

Grab your button everyone and come back every Friday in July.

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And now, because I can.........
if you don't know Kirby from KirbAppeal go meet her.  She freaking cracks me up.  Are you brave enough to post a dance video as you get ready to paint your living room?

The Girls of Summer

Who are these bikini babes behind the Hot Fun in the Summertime link party?  Well there is me of course and I'm not a bikini babe unless you want to lose your lunch.  But in my mind the co-hosts are and they are taking a sun tan by the surf, little umbrella drink in hand.

If you haven't been over to Miss Flibbertigibbet's place do so.  In fact stop over at DebbieDoos first and take a tour of Mrs. F.'s awesome house.  You'll want it, but it comes full of kids, or the Mongolian Horde as she calls 'em.

Miss F. makes summery stuff like this.........

Beach Door Deco

And this.......

Shutter Candle Holders

Then there is Little Miss Maggie.  She is a creating machine.  She painted this huge sign on an old door......

Jules Belin Sign

She also made a rag tied table cloth.  I almost think I could make that.  Almost.

Rag Tied table cloth

Holly at BellaNest is cute as a bug, and might just be the only 

Hot Fun in the Summertime hostess you really find in a bikini. 

She took a collage frame and turned it into a cool piece of summer wall art.

Seashell art

She can make a chalkboard, attach fabric flowers and draw flip flops with the best of 'em....

Chalkboard Frame

Rounding out the Girls of Summer is Karen from SomewhatQuirky. 

Look what she does with old dressers no one wants.  

And I'm not even gonna show you how she fixed up this chair, you have to click over to her blog to see the after.  She created a weaved fabric back. Admit it, you wouldn't of given that chair a second glance.

There 'ya have it, the link party hostesses.  I hope you will stop over and say hi, tell them Bliss sent you.  Stop in every Friday in July to link up on one of the host blogs and your link will show up on all five.  I'll be posting the features from this weeks party on Thursday.

Hot Cars in The Summertime

One of the things my family enjoys in the summer is looking at vintage cars.
They're. Just. Cool.  Period. 

So this morning Brawn and I got up early, went out to breakfast with friends
and headed to a car show to check out some vintage-ness before the day heated up.

News Flash!  I even did something unusual.  I took my camera along.  I don't like looking like a tourist, don't like lugging a heavy camera around, and I don't like to stand out taking photos.
But for the sake of the Hot fun in the Summertime link party every Friday in July - I did.

Secretly I like looking at old cars because the hot fun doesn't involve swim suits.
These oldies are in better shape for their age then I am for mine!

I decided a lot of my blogging friends should be decorating with these old cars.
For example, wouldn't this car fit in nice with all of you decorating with aqua?
This was a hot color at this particular car show. 

Or how about the love affair we have with old wheels?  

I would hang this in my house.

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.

Admit it.  You would love to get your hands on this tail gate.   

What would you use it for?  The back rest for a garden bench?

How about this art deco door handle?  A towel holder perhaps?

An old drive-in movie speaker 

could be made into any number of things for your decorating pleasure.  

The people watched me as I took a picture of it probably wondering why!  

Maybe I looked young enough they didn't think I knew what it was?  

Probably not.

Getta load of those double barrel beauties.  

They don't make 'em like they used too.  

Can you imagine backing into a car of today with a set of those taillights?

Car seats for kids have come a long way.  That's me when I was a baby.  

About the same car and my mom liked to dress me in plaid.  

Pretty sure she didn't have a whole back seat of tin ware to match my outfits though.  

Tell me there aren't a few of you who wouldn't like to get your hands on that plaid!

I have a thing for the dashboards on vintage cars.  And the wheels.  The emblems.  

The outside mirrors.  The front grill.  The rear lights.  The hood ornaments.  All the details.

For this former California beach bunny, nothing takes me for a walk down memory lane like a Chevy Malibu.  Make that a ride down memory lane.

Come back Friday for week #2 of the Hot Fun in the Summertime Link Party.
Be there or be square daddy-o.