The poor little Vanity that could!

This poor little vanity has been sitting in my shed waiting for me to muster up the courage and energy to tackle this project.  I bought a waterfall desk from Craigslist about 2 months ago from a lady that used to refinish furniture.  She'd had this one for a couple years and hadn't done anything with her, and when I told her what I did...she offered it to me for free in addition to the waterfall desk.

This Dewalt Sander was my best friend!

I was very hesitant to take it.  I am trying to make a living out of refinishing furniture...but it's very hard to get your labor back out of a piece that needs this much work, you see.  Not to mention my back has been out for months.  But i saw the detail in this piece and thought...i can do something, even if i only use the drawers and then use the rest of the wood for other projects...So, my son and husband loaded them both up and off we went.

Well that little vanity just sat there!  I was feeling inspired last week...so I asked my hubby to help me deconstruct it and attempt to make a nightstand out of one of the good sides (the other has a broken leg, which i will fix and do the same to).  He hesitantly joined me and we started taking her apart, cleaning her...omg.  I think this thing was burried in dirt at some point!  All the details were covered in dirt!  The veneer was beyond repair, so we did our best to take it off, with very little success.

That glue was not budging.  So...I gave the new DAP Plastic Wood (I am not affiliated in any way) a shot!  That stuff is like gold!  If you have not tried it yet, you must get some.  I got mine at Home Depot with the wood stains.  You can sand it just like wood.  It is perfect for filling in veneer...and gaping sections where my husband went all "Tim the Tool Man Taylor" on my little dainty Vanity!  lol...I call him my little bull in a china cabinet.

Here are the pic's I took along the way, I wish I would have gotten more close ups...but hopefully this inspires you to not pass up a dirty piece of furniture...you never know what you can do with it.  I for one am really glad that I was able to keep this one out of our landfills and turn it into such a beauty.

I did a little "peek a boo" in the drawers with some old sheet music I bought at an estate sale a couple weeks ago.  I used Modge Podge...just brushed a layer on the bottom, arranged my sheets of music (however they would fit) and then put a coat of mod podge on the top.  I tried to get all the bubbles out...but there were a few...but it still looks so adorable.

Here is the Nightstand.  I'll be making another one with the other side as well as a shelf with the middle section.  :) I'll be sure to update this post with those pics in the coming weeks.

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