Freebie Dresser Progress and Ads from 1895

I'm taking my time working on my freebie dresser and I'm a little too lazy to work on another project at the same time, so instead of an exciting furniture reveal, you're getting Slacker Emily progress pics! By the way, I just realized I'm working on the most recent piece of furniture I acquired. Do you do that too? I think there are 4 other projects that should be ahead of this one, but I guess I like to take on the one that's fresh in my mind.

Here's what the pathetic dresser looked like when I got it off the curb.

And here's what it looked like at the end of last week after I removed the peeling veneer from the top and second drawer, and took out the last two drawers.

This past weekend I sanded the top and the second drawer with an electric sander, and today I removed the veneer from the first drawer and started painting the dresser with Behr Creamy White. Initially I wanted to keep the veneer on the first drawer because I didn't want to lose the little wood detail in the middle, but realized I was able to remove it and keep the detail intact! Hurrah!

After seeing the first coat of paint, which is also acting as primer, I can already tell I'm going to need at least 3 coats on the entire dresser. Considering I had to remove the veneer from the top and it was a little bumpy before I sanded it down, it looks better than I thought it would. And can I tell you that it was crazy hot in Houston today and I sweating like mad when I was working on this dresser in the garage? Ick. I took like 3 showers today.

And as promised awhile back, here are some ads from the New Zealand Herald from October 1895. I know, I know...they're awesome.

I LOVE the owl in the bacon trade ad. I'm thinking of framing it but am still mad at myself for accidentally tearing the company name off the top which was "MOREPORK." Best name ever! And I bet I can guess which ad Sue from Sullivan and Murphy likes best :).

Which one is your favorite???

Pick-up the Lovely Beasts Button!

Hooray! Lovely Beasts has an official button. It would be awesome if you linked up to it!

My mom helped me customize both this button and the banner using free images she found at http://vintagefeedsacks.blogspot.com/. I really love how they turned out. They represent Lovely Beasts perfectly. Thanks mom for your help! And for putting up with me :).



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Most Exciting Estate Sale Find: Vintage Faucet!

I was saving this for a special day, and today that day has come! This was the very first estate sale find that got my heart pumping and my palms sweating. I found it in the garage in a box full of rusty junk. I tried to keep calm when I heard the price, but inside I was pumping my fists and screaming happily.

Here she is!

A gorgeous vintage faucet with handles. The label reads the company 'Stylecraft' and it looks like it was sold locally in Houston. I don't know how old it is, but I have a feeling the copper stem/lift rod is older than the rest of the faucet set. Doesn't matter to me either way, I think it's amazing! Not sure if I'll be able to use this in my future home, but if not I know it would look lovely in someone else's. And ignore the plastic sticking out of the faucet in these pictures, I don't want to remove it because it's keeping some parts from getting scratched.

Isn't it great? I loooooove! And just for fun, here's a vintage chalkboard I bought for $1.50 a couple months ago at a resale shop. 

I actually bought two of them, but my husband broke one last week. Wah! But don't worry, he didn't get in too much trouble! I've destroyed a couple of his things since we've been together, so now we're about even. If you're wondering about the story behind the picture, I lent this to my father-in-law when he came to visit a few weeks ago. We had my in-laws stay in our room which didn't have a mirror in the bathroom at the time. To help them get ready in the morning, I gave them these chalkboards instead! This is what he saw when he woke up. "Grumpy" is the name we're trying to get my daughter to call her grandfather. So far, it hasn't stuck.

And of course, happy Memorial Day to everyone. Thank you to all of those who fought and continue to fight for our freedom.

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