One of my earliest thrift store purchases was an old dresser. It was painted white but I could detect that it was oak. At that time oak furniture was at it's peak circa country and victorian decorating in the 70's and early 8o's... I don't believe I paid very much for it at all. I forced it into my car trunk and dragged it home,promptly embarking on one of my stripping jobs. I had many of them at that time of my life,stripping in the sense of taking paint off perfectly beautiful wood.My grandfather who was another avid collector often would exclaim,"I don't know why they painted over that beautiful wood"my sentiments exactly.Though on occasion if I begin stripping and the wood really isn't beautiful ,I have resorted to the paint bush.
That dresser was a beautiful find for me and served us well in my daughter's room for many years until a more perfect thrift store find took it's place when it was given respite in the garage.It certainly wouldn't be lonely there.
Then along came recycling.I don't know if we are unusual but it seemed we were making ions of trips with paper goods to the recycling container. My husband, in desperation took to piling it all in a laundry basket and piling it full until it was overflowing,over flowing and sitting in my kitchen! What a source of exasperation it was!
One day as I was contemplating my predicament, that old oak dresser came to my mind. I made an excursion into neverland ,my garage(it would be a hit on the tv program"Hoarders").There sitting in abject rejection stood my old oak dresser. With hacksaw in hand,I sawed off the bottom drawer which created the perfect slot to slide that laundry basket into and out of site...well not quite.
The mess was still very visible...so I found a couple of hand embroidered pillow covers and slipped them over a tension curtain rod and slipped it into the opening created by the absent drawer and being desecrated by the ugly recyclables. I had an old marble top that found it's way to the top of the dresser(one of my favorite things is to find old marble tops). This serves as a great coffee station during parties and at other times displays my collection of old kitchen utensils and yellow ware bowls filled with fruit.
Thanks to my old oak dresser my kitchen ,once a source of consternation and aggravation is a place of "organized tranquility", at least relatively so.
That dresser was a beautiful find for me and served us well in my daughter's room for many years until a more perfect thrift store find took it's place when it was given respite in the garage.It certainly wouldn't be lonely there.
Then along came recycling.I don't know if we are unusual but it seemed we were making ions of trips with paper goods to the recycling container. My husband, in desperation took to piling it all in a laundry basket and piling it full until it was overflowing,over flowing and sitting in my kitchen! What a source of exasperation it was!
One day as I was contemplating my predicament, that old oak dresser came to my mind. I made an excursion into neverland ,my garage(it would be a hit on the tv program"Hoarders").There sitting in abject rejection stood my old oak dresser. With hacksaw in hand,I sawed off the bottom drawer which created the perfect slot to slide that laundry basket into and out of site...well not quite.
The mess was still very visible...so I found a couple of hand embroidered pillow covers and slipped them over a tension curtain rod and slipped it into the opening created by the absent drawer and being desecrated by the ugly recyclables. I had an old marble top that found it's way to the top of the dresser(one of my favorite things is to find old marble tops). This serves as a great coffee station during parties and at other times displays my collection of old kitchen utensils and yellow ware bowls filled with fruit.
Thanks to my old oak dresser my kitchen ,once a source of consternation and aggravation is a place of "organized tranquility", at least relatively so.
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