Anthopologie Knock-Off Dresser

I have been searching for a small dresser for my front entryway for a few months now.  And, lucky for me, Mark found the perfect piece the other day on the side of the road.  I once saw this Anthropologie dresser that I absolutely adored so I decided to create my own version of it.

 

It wasn't very easy.  This piece is really old, and had the old tiger-wood finish on it.  As I was sanding it, the old stain would clump and gum up all over the sand paper and wood.  What a mess.  I finally pulled out some highly-chemicalized paint stripper, which worked quite well.  Here's the Anthro dresser:

 

And here is mine.

 

 

Cost: $0.  Hurray!

 

It's has a very rustic finish.  I stained it with a dark walnut stain, then with my oxidized vinegar solution to age it.  It's blotchy, streaky, and perfectly rugged.

 

 

The sides I painted coal black milk paint.

 

 

I don't think I've ever stained a whole piece before.  I much prefer the look of wood more than paint (believe it or not!)

(Lampshade = Target)

So that was one project this week.  Another was painting the exterior window frames on my house.  Currently they are a retro-styled dark brown.  It was a project I've been meaning to do for a while, I just haven't gotten around to it.  Here is a before and after of my front porch.  (thanks, Google maps!)

 

 

I have this underlying fear that the Google maping truck is going to come by on a day our driveway is full of scrap metal.  Usually this would only be Sunday night / Monday morning.  Mark is pretty good at keeping it tidy.  Thankfully in this picture, we only had a wetsuit hanging over the front railing.  Not too bad.

Noticed my new fall pillow cushions?  I sewed them myself.

 

 

I don't think our hands will ever be perfectly clean.  It's a beautiful thing.

 

Speaking of beautiful things, here's my little princess, Caroline, giving Mr. Hops a snuggle on the back deck the other morning.

 

She melts my heart!