Trash to Treasure (literally)

                                 The nightstand

 We are a bedroom divided. I remember when we moved into our current

home and I looked at John and said that I wanted a nightstand, he looked at me as if I had

asked for a monkey. And if we are being honest here I had, plenty of times and it's the

same look. Trust me. But before I could start searching for my perfect nightstand I found

a project right in front of my eyes, on my mom's curb,  that is. Mom's neighbors were

throwing away a perfectly good table that was the perfect size for a nightstand. it

was a darker wood on top and a lighter wood on the bottom. "I'm taking it" I said!

"You should" John's mom who was with us encouraged. "It's garbage" John sneered.

But I could see the potential, I knew it would be beautiful and exactly what I had wanted

all along and FREE!!! We couldn't fit it in the car, so I left my dumpster treasure in mom's

hallway and came back later that night for it. It sat in our hallway for 4 months or so, it

held mail, bags, cleats, backpacks and leashes until one day I worked up the courage to

start my sanding. I sanded while watching tv and I sanded and sanded (This was in my

"pre owning of a sander days", so it was a lot of elbow grease and sandpaper)


Then finally the day came to take my little table outside and prime it. The two tone

wood, suddenly became an all grey wonder. I contemplated leaving it like that for all of

five minutes before I slapped on some white paint.  Then more sanding. Four months later

 I decided it wasn't shabby chic ENOUGH and decided to distress it a little more during a

law and order SVU marathon. Now it was just right!


But alas, I learned a valuable lesson, nightstands are meant to be beat up. Especially in

the dark, when one of you is a night owl and one of you is not. There will be drinks

spilled. My paint and primer started to wear off in the same place, and it started to wear

 on my nerves. My next project began; Fix the little spots that bother me and apply a coat

 of Minwax finishing paste to seal in the paint, primer and coat the furniture.  From Trash

 to Treasure, What do you think? Have you ever "taken" anything from the trash?

The only before pic I have of 1 of the shades of wood.

 

 

 

 

~Lauren

 

 

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