An Impromptu Makeover

An alternate title could just have well been, "With a Lot of Help from My Friends" because that is how this little makeover was accomplished. The joy of willing friends is one of life's true treasures, isn't it?

Well, let's get started, shall we?

Sunday night, following Hill's Happy Hour, I received a message from my friend Mary Whited, a queen amongst the garage sale/estate sale/auction, crowd. This note was a follow up to a recent visit she made here with boxes of fabric she'd accumulated from the above sales. During our conversation I mentioned I was looking for a little dresser for the guest room. She said she'd keep an eye out for me, however, as my last post detailed, I was fortunate to find one myself. Unaware of my purchase, she and Sam, while attending an auction Saturday, purchased not one, but two dressers, AND a matching corner desk for $65, about half what I paid.

Show me what you've got Mary!

Her email with photographs showed up early Monday morning, and I was smitten. Now what? How can I make them work, because it was just too good a deal to pass up? Thinking to myself, I will find a way to make them work. Calling her immediately about when I could pick up the goodies, she replied, "we are home now." On my way....

Sam and Mary have lived in a modest home in Winter Park for more than thirty years; what they affectionately called, a house in the woods. Well, not having been over for a few years, I was STUNNED by what their street looks like now. Oh my goodness! Winter Park is filled with tear- downs, and their street, after finally being paved, is no exception. In fact, there are now only two other hold outs amongst the large new homes. Before, looking from their front yard there were loads of trees with very modest homes nestled amongst them. Now it looks like this from their driveway.

Looking down the street, the new homes dominate the landscape where once it looked like a mini forest.

So, I guess this qualifies as a giant makeover, right?

Inside their lovely home it is warm and cozy; I dare say, more so than the new places! Creativity runs wild in their family of four daughters, but it didn't just come from nowhere. Sam is a crazy talented woodworker who is now on a table building run. Taking down a Golden Rain Tree, a nuisance tree for most of the year I might add, he told me once the bark dried, it stripped off like magic.

There is a pretty good chance the Mission chairs were purchased for a song, as were these beautiful tools Sam cleaned up.

Everywhere you look there is a story attached as to how and where each item was procured. I am in heaven in that kind of environment! Another table by Sam, loaded with garage sale finds.

I know my son Matthew will surely recognize this look on Sam's face as he was showing me around his workshop.

While I'm thinking about men with beards, I convinced B to let me photograph him on Sunday evening, and doesn't he look as cute as can be?

Plus, he got rave reviews from everyone! However, yesterday morning he shaved off the sides of the beard, instead going for that front patch look! I'm keeping my mouth shut this time around.

So, back to the find. The three of us loaded the back of the Pilot with the pieces, and I could not get home fast enough to see what I could do with them. Realizing the larger dresser was more than I could handle alone, I called Pam asking for a hand. "Sure, I'll be right over." In the meantime I carried the smaller dresser in, finding an ideal spot immediately. Arriving she expressed her approval at Mary's find, and we carried the second drawer in, finding another ideal spot! Curious are you?

Unreal, right? These pieces have had a long life judging by all the previous paint colors, including yellow, white, green, and now this very soft blue. I never mind furniture with a history! Actually the photo above is after all the tidying up which included Pam sorting all of my fabric pieces into color groups! This is what the table looked like during the sorting process:

Check out this miracle!!

I got rid of my printer and the little table it sat on, moved the file thing, as well as a tall bookcase, and things are looking mighty spiffy around here. The dust I referenced in my last post is a thing of the past in this room after Pam insisted on dusting everything! Here's dresser number two:

Isn't it amazing? Chairs had to be re-arranged, working out beautifully as well.

Please note the pile of fabric on the ironing board because there is a story connected to that as well. Remember earlier I mentioned Mary brought me some fabric? A good deal of it was far too fancy for what I do, however, I nearly gasped when I came across some striped fabric. I bet you want to know why, don't you? A few weeks ago I'd committed to being a part of the Quilts for Pulse movement, organized by the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild. The theme is hearts and rainbow colors. Well, here you go for some perfect striped binding fabric.

Furthermore, in the earlier photograph showing my table covered in fabric, the red fabric, courtesy of Mary is covered in little white hearts!! Using that instead of the red pin dots pictured above, the top is now pieced in a very simple design, and after purchasing some batting today, I will put it together. I don't even need to buy backing fabric as that was part of the stash Mary brought over!

Don't you just know I'll show it off when it is finished?


I could not do a thing without my friends and family,

Gail

p.s. The darling corner desk is still in the back of the Pilot, looking for a good home.