Hope for an Ugly Dresser

Sometimes I see an ugly dresser and I think, "No way!"  

"There's no hope for something as ugly as this."

And then I have a little compassion and bring the ugly thing home.

Lately, I've been experimenting with paint.  A little of this and a little of that.

And ta da!  

Here she is.

Linking up to:

41 things to be grateful for on my birthday

1. knowing I have a Father in Heaven who loves me
2. a perfect Savior
   
3. a fairy tale marriage with prince charming
   
4. loving hardworking healthy parents
   
5. 8 great talented brothers and sisters who inspire me
   
6. that I have the privilege of being a mother
   
   
7. 5 beautiful active children
   
8. tender sweet-spirited nieces and nephews
   
   
9. America; my country that provides me with so many freedoms and opportunities and the men and women who fought for my right to vote and have equal rights
10. the beautiful city of Mesa
    
    
11. the Mesa temple
    
12. purified filtered water
13. the spirit I feel when I go to church and Relief Society
    
14. the kid’s club at the gym where my kid's play while I'm working out 
15. designer clothes I find at the thrift store for $1.00
    
    
    
16. a mother who thinks the world of me
    
17. kisses every morning from my daughter’s baby-breath lips
    
18. shooting stars
19. writing
20. dreams
    
21. book titles
    
22. a great romance book
    
23. General Conference
    
24. piano music
25. air-conditioning and ceiling fans
26. wild flowers
27. best friends (and the gifts of their friendship and time they share on my birthday . . . thank you, thank you, thank you)
    
28. a body that can heal itself
29. chocolate chips
    
30. Disney princesses
31. healthy food (and since I'm sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free these days, here's to my peach cobbler made with Ezekial cereal, stevia and coconut butter)
    
32. diving boards
    
    
33. all missionaries, especially amazing Temple Square sister missionaries of missions past
    
    
    
34. seniors who still see the world with the joy and innocence of children
35. Halloween, well actually halloween candy
36. a teenage boy who still kisses my before he heads off the school
    
37. orange trees
38. childhood memories
    
39. strangers who smile
40. people who are inspired to make a difference in the world like The Invisible Girl Project
    
41. Inspiring artists; musicians, writers, etc. K-Love and Air-1.  Here's to my current favorite song by Plumb.

Gray; not so drab after all

For way too long, I avoided painting with the color gray, thinking, “Gray?  Really?  It’s so drab.  It has no personality.  It’s boring and too neutral.”  And why would you pick gray when there are so many other color choices that are bright and cheerful and make a bold statement?

I’ve seen all sorts of pieces painted gray on other websites and blogs and thought certain gray would be a quick fad; that it would come and go like the seasons.  I’ve seen gray at the Antique shops and re-sale stores, but I’ve never liked the color gray and certainly didn’t think it was a compliment when painted on old furniture.  I didn’t want to paint something beautiful gray, only to have it sit for months before selling.  

A friend of mine bought an old antique dresser and painted it gray.  She called me over to have me look at it. On and on she went, gushing on how beautifully it distressed and how authentic it looked.  Suddenly, I really liked it.  Gray started to grow on me, I decided it was time to give gray a go.  Would it sit forever?  Would somebody else like it?

Going, going, gone.

SOLD

Boy, was I wrong.  

SOLD

It turns out there are all sorts of gray tones.

Gray can compliment other colors, like black.

SOLD

and yellow.

Does silver count?

SOLD

SOLD

and now I can’t hold a gray piece down.  

Linking up to:

The Dresser That Won't Sell

Last spring when the weather was nice and the flowers were in bloom, the counselor took the little kids to the zoo.  I stayed home to work on some projects.  While he was there, I was spent a few minutes browsing craigslist and found this darling dresser.  

I called the owner and she told me I could pick it up anytime and by the way, she happened to live in Tempe by the zoo.

I called the counselor and asked if he could go by and pick up this beauty on his way home. 

The previous owner said it was her grandmother’s.  When her grandmother gave it to her, she decided to paint it black.  Once the counselor got home, I did a little touch up and ba-bang, it was ready to go to the shop. 

Not often do I have a dresser for sell for 6 months, but for some reason, this dresser didn’t want to go anywhere. It made me wonder, “Is it the color? The mirror? The size?”  Why won’t this thing sell!  Other vendors at Antique Plaza would stop me and ask “How long have you had that dresser?  Why won’t it sell?”  They all agreed I had priced it right, but seriously!

So, last week I finally gave in to the dresser!  I brought it home and stared at it for a few minutes.  It took some good time and elbow grease, but after completely stripping it, I painted it a lovely Tiffany blue. I took off the shiny sliver pull knobs and replaced them with glass. Because so many people use these dressers for their flat screens, I decided to leave the mirror off to use for another project.  Here she is now, down at Antique Plaza.  

Let’s see it she sells now.

Linking up to:

A letter to my husband on our 15th wedding anniversary

Dear Honey,

The world remembers September 11^th  because of what happened 12 years ago.  It is a day of contemplation, reverence and determination to prevent such tragedy from every happening again; however, today is also our wedding anniversary.

So, honey, I know we have to share this day with a memory that broke our hearts.  I remember our 3^rd anniversary; how we didn’t answer the phone that kept ringing all morning because we stayed in bed longer than normal.  We cuddled with our 1 year-old son Chandler and contemplated what we would name the new baby growing inside my belly.  All our dreams had come true.  We had love, babies, a swimming pool (ok, maybe that was just one of my dreams come true) and each other.  What more could two people ask for?  When my mom, who had been calling all morning, finally got through to us, we turned the television on and felt the world crashing around us.  I remember feeling foolish for bringing another child into the world.  Everything felt lost.  Would our nation; our world ever be safe?  You put your arms around me and we prayed.  All we could do was hope.

This day is still very solemn for both of us, but this morning I’ve been looking through our wedding album and daydreaming.  I can remember everything like it was yesterday; the way we laughed, 

the way I bossed around the photographer, 

or what about when we tried to set up my best friend with your best friend.  

What about how the children I nannied and loved became my beautiful flower girls, 

and how my little sisters wanted to stay right at my side.

and how right from the start we both insisted on equality in our relationship.  

I guess I had to show you how strong I was!  

Mostly, I remember every kiss.

 Never had I felt more safe.  Never had I felt more loved.  

Marrying you was the best decision I ever made.  You continually surprise me with your kindness and love.  Every day you build me into a better person and I’m so happy to share eternity with you.

All my love,

Laura