Beautiful Storage

As a former California girl, I had a surprisingly large collection of scarves, hats and gloves when I moved to Colorado.  I have been storing them in my coat closet in a box like this:

 

Image:  The Container Store

These containers are wonderful for items that aren't needed frequently.  However, during the winter months, my nicely organized box became increasingly messy and ended up in a state of disarray.  

I have been looking for a while for a piece of furniture for my entry way to store my winter accessories in a way that would make them easily accessible.  After not finding anything to my liking I decided to go a different route.  A few weeks ago I purchased this dresser from Craig's List for $35.

It clearly needed some work, but had a nice shape to it and was the right size for my entry way.  I stripped the paint off of the top using Citristrip.  It works well and has a pleasant citrus odor. 

Then I sanded like crazy to get a nice smooth finish.

 

Initially, I tried to stain the top.  But unfortunately, there was a spot in the top right corner that wouldn't cooperate.  

So after another light sanding, I painted the top to match the rest of it.  I also filled the holes from the original hardware and used pretty Victorian glass knobs instead.  

I love my new dresser!  It's so pretty and functional.  It was quite satisfying to transform this ugly duckling into a beautiful piece for my home.  I am now on the hunt for a nice mirror to hang on the wall.  I am even hoping to find something that is in need of a little TLC from me!

Cheers!

Jenn