I've never been very good at dropping by the thrift stores to see if there's anything worth overhauling, but when Bre mentioned to me that she wanted a desk for her new apartment, we decided that Good Will was the first place we'd look.
In case you're wondering why I titled this post "Junk in the Trunk TWO," I actually did one post on re-doing something a long time ago: the hanging basket that I painted black and stuffed with autumn foliage. Remember that? If not, there's a "Junk in the Trunk" category in the sidebar that only has these two posts in it now. π
Bre spotted this old, beat up desk right away.. the legs aren't really bowed, but at my angle, my camera made it look a bit distorted…
Here's a chair we found. It had a dirty chair cushion that went with it, but we left that at the store.
Bre and her dad quickly got to work sanding (thank you for your hard work, Big Papa!)…
…And then she and I started the painting…
We decided to do something a little bit different and paint some wonky diamonds on the top of the desk…but first, it was break time. It was about 90 degrees in our little workspace…
The way it turned out was exactly how I had envisioned it in my mind, but I wasn't happy with it. Bre thought it was odd too, and neither of us could figure out if we should start over or not. She went ahead and added the glass knobs she'd chosen for it, and that instantly added some charm…
Finally, we decided to leave it as is until we could see what the "fixins" looked like on it… her one "splurge" item for her desk was the gorgeous lamp…
She also found these glass bottles at Good Will, and we chose these silks flowers from Hobby Lobby to go inside them (btw, Bre, it was fun looking at all the different combinations of flowers with you!)…
We ended up loving the desk after all was placed on top, and it looks so cute in her apartment room! The chair was painted red, but I forgot to take a picture of the "after" on that one.
Over all, not bad for $30 and a little elbow grease. And a Big Papa, of course!
P.S. When I visited Bre this past weekend, I took some pictures of her apartment. I'll post them soon, if you'd like to see them! And if not, then fair warning! π
22 Comments
Robin Hager
How adorable! I LOVE re-doing things like that! Much more fun than buying something new, and that extra money can be spent on clothes and coffee! I can’t wait to see pictures of her room.
Sharon
What a great desk! You are all so creative. Looking forward to seeing Bre’s apartment, I am sure it’s adorable!
Peggy Lee
How creative of you all. It is handy to have a big Papa around, isn’t it?
I love to go thrift shopping. Did you see the idea I posted from a fellow blogger on my side bar? Makes me want to go out and grab every old embroidery hoop I can find!
Kaisievic
You are both so talented. The desk looks great.
Katrina
Too cute!!! Love it and I can’t wait to see pictures of Bre’s apartment!
karren hubrich
THis is so awesome! Much better than some drab new thing. I like out of the ordinary, home crafted things. Wouldn’t it be cute now to find fabric with yellow diamonds for a chair cushion?
Margaret
You guys are so creative! I love Bre’s new desk and chair and their accoutrements! Very nice! Can’t wait for the apartment pics!
Lynn
This desk is amazing!! I love what you’ve done with it. The glass knobs are gorgeous and Bre’s choice for the lamp is just perfect! I wouldn’t mind a lamp like that myself. Now I can’t wait to see her apartment!
Cathryn
I love the desk and chair. What a great find. Looking forward to the pics of Bre’s apartment. π Cathryn
Julie McConnell
Looks great Paulette! You and your girls are very talented and creative. Oh, and lets not forget Big Papa, way to go dude!
I will look forward to apartment pics!
Laurie in Iowa
The desk looks great… you girls do nice work. Looking forward to the apartment pics.
Vonna
I think this is gorgeous! Lovely job to all π
Kristen from MA
Nice finds, and great work! Can’t wait to see the pics of Bre’s apartment.
Tanya
Looks fab!!!
Tanya
Sheryl
great job.
Dani
How creative and I’m sure it makes her apaprtment a brighter and nicer palce to be!
Terri - TerriBoog
So cute! I think it turned out great – fun and a bit funky – what could be better than that?
β₯ marylin β₯
magnifique travail !
amitiΓ©s
Leslie
What a fantastic job you guys did! Love that lamp too.
Ter'e Crow Lindsay
Simply darling!
Simply Bre!
Remember to check online – you can get special discount coupons for use at your local Goodwill.
I always print off a few and then give them out, randomly, to young mothers shopping there.
π
Tracey
Love it! What artistes you are! π I would love to see pics of her apt. too. Fun! π
Mike
I love how you take old things and make them beautiful.