This Ole Frou Frou

Admittedly, I'm not incredibly handy. I'm clumsy and impatient and I set really high expectations for every project and person that I come into contact with. With all of these glorious faults, though, I really enjoy the occasional home-improvement project.

I've been meaning to strip the top of this dresser for a while and finally I had the gumption to get the supplies and do it. I received this dresser from a really nice lady that I worked with when she was moving into a smaller house. I was so excited to receive a free piece of furniture...as this adds to my record of every piece of furniture that I own being given to me or coming from the thrift store or Ikea (I don't know if we're really counting the Ikea pieces, are we?).

I really love this kind of arts and crafts/shaker dresser, but I wasn't digging on the stenciled top that she had applied several years ago. I would've loved to have the original finish, but it was already painted.

The stripping goop smelled like fake oranges and acid (that's probably what it's made of, too). It went on really easily, but didn't work with the zest I had anticipated (there goes that inflated expectation of life and and its products again). I imagine that part of the problem with the first application of this product was that I didn't wait long enough (there goes that impatience again). Another part of the problem were the several layers of paint that hid underneath the green stenciled layer. White maybe or blue or perhaps all of the colors layered together and I'm just really bad at home improvement projects.

After the second and third applications, I had reached the original dresser top, with a serious amount of blue paint permanently sunk into the wood grain. I also managed to drip green paint and stripping good on the carpet and the cat ran through the pile of stained towels and tracked green paint through the house. Sweet. So now I was lucky enough to have two projects! At the end, I was kind of exhausted and I think I may have had some kind of contact high from the stripping fumes and the mineral spirits.

Looking at it, I actually really enjoy the way that it looked and I'm thinking of just putting some polyurethane over the top and calling it a day. Part of me, though, wants to try another layer of stripper and stain to match it's original lustre.

With all of my picture frames, fancy tschotskes and and kitsch, I feel as though its imperfection is right at home.