something to make up for being trapped on a roof with rabid wasps!

The karma police felt totally bad for trapping me on the roof today. They must have. For they made it up to me this evening. While Steven and I were out with our boys on our nightly "family walk," we went by a house that was being geared up for a garage sale. The owner's hadn't lived there in ages and were trying to get all the stuff that had collected inside it ready for a sale tomorrow.

Cha-ching!

With our eagle eyes, we spotted an old dresser that was severely in need of some loving, and this dresser/desk thing. Now, the dresser/desk thing I will post on later. It is a future project that will go into my studio. It is a dresser with one of those cubbies on top with little cubby holes and the slant front that flips down to be a little desk area. It used to be a built-in, so it is nothing super special but is a treasure to me. Steven was eyeing the old dresser. The owner told us he'd sell us the pieces for $5 each. We told him we'd be right back with our truck and gave him a $20.
OK... now all about the dresser. It is missing the bottom doors. The middle drawer is so wonky it can't close. But the dresser itself is beautiful and sound. It has two curved drawers at top. Beautiful feet. And the flaws just make it that much more special.

Steven is fixing the bottom to be used as a storage area for my vases and what not. While we could fix that middle wonky drawer, I told Steven I'd be just as happy with a narrow shelf for my linens. The top drawers will get little frosted knobs and velvet liners.

This, I have decided, it the bestest base ever for my pie safe, which actually probably had a very similar base at one point. So after a little elbow grease and a lot of painting, I will have a massive pie safe hutch thing for my dining room. $20 pie safe + $5 dresser = Super Happy Me!

(Pie safe post here: http://cottageofstone.blogspot.com/2009/03/before-and-after-antique-pie-safe.html)

Look at that patina. It is a shame to paint it. But I will. Mwuahaha. That is just a bit too shabby for anyone, I think.

Fabulous feet! They will be so great in white paint. I think the detail will stand out even more.

I love old furniture. You just don't get details like this anymore.

Curved front drawers are yummy!

Lest you think I am some old fuddy duddy with a house full of antiques and cat figurines... really, I am not. But I have a huge appreciation for old, quality made furniture. I don't buy things that are valuable. I have 4 kids that would destroy them. And I have 4 kids so I can't afford them. I buy things that are well-made and speak to me. I have much more fun scouting out these things than just going into a store and buying everything "as is."