My new love.

So, it's the new year. I decided to do something that I've never done before. No, I'm not talking about exercising. Believe it or not I HAVE exercised before (twice). I'm talking about refinishing furniture! I've always been intrigued by the idea of buying something for dirt cheap and making it look fab, but never thought I had the know-how let alone patience to do it. After reading blog after blog, and seeing these ugly pieces being turned into pure AWESOMENESS I just had to try. And try I did, my friends. I stalked the classifieds and D.I. like our old dog Bridger sniffed butts. (A lot). I was starting to get discouraged when one day I was browsing KSL's classifieds and found this poor creature:

 It was just begging for some TLC. And for $25, how could I turn her down? I couldn't. The next day she was in my garage... where she stayed for a week. After the kids were in bed I would sneak out to the garage and spend hours priming, painting, antiquing and finishing. The whole project took a week from start to finish. It could have been a lot faster if it wasn't NEGATIVE INFINITY in my garage. But the end result was so worth it! Are you ready?! ARE YOU READY?! Behold...

Before (again... is for fun):

And AFTER: *AAAAAA* <-- angels singing

I know, right? Pretty much the coolest thing you've ever seen. It was a lot of fun, I think I found a new hobby to add into the mix. The lighting is awful in the picture, but I couldn't wait until daytime tomorrow to show it off! There are a few things that I learned NOT to do the next time I refinish something, but overall I'm pleased with how it turned out. The mistakes I made aren't bad enough to make me want to redo.

And, just for kicks, here's the view where it'll be seen from most often.... coming in from the front door:

Ohhh I can't WAIT to spruce it up with some Valentine's Day decor! WOOHOO for a new place to decorate!