The Red Dresser

This dresser started off bright red.  It wasn't a bad color.  Just not my thing.  I bought it for $25.  I brought it home and put a coat of Citristrip on it and let that sit for a few hours.  When I started scraping, I realized that it was a mahogany dresser!!!!  So, that made the project even harder.  Because I knew that I would have to get all of the red paint off because I wasn't going to paint over solid mahogany!  I wanted to stain it.  I stripped the entire thing down to bare wood and then pretreated the wood.  I stained it with Minwax Dark Walnut and sealed it with clear poly.  The drawers had a veneer on them, and the wood underneath was not good.  So, I decided to paint them in ASCP Duck Egg Blue.  I then used a mixture of clear and dark AS waxes and distressed with my sanding sponge.  Sometime down the road, I may decide to purchase some wood veneer to do the drawers so they match the rest of the dresser.  But for now, I am happy with the way it turned out.

***  If you haven't had a chance, make sure you enter the Ramsign giveaway!  1 lucky Imperfect Patina reader will win a beautiful enamel sign!!  Enter here!!***

Before:

During:

After:

Sunday:
Newbie Party @ Debbiedoo's
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
The Sunday Showcase Party @ Under The Table And Dreaming
Simply Klassic Sunday @ Simply Klassic Home

Monday:
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
More The Merrier @ DIY Home Sweet Home
Making The World Cuter Monday @ Making The World Cuter
Show Me What You Got Monday @ Our Delightful Home
Mop It Up Mondays @ I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Just A Party With My Peeps @ How To Nest For Less

Tuesday:
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just A Housewife
Power Of Paint Party @ Domestically Speaking
Turquoise Lovin' @ Sweet Little Gals
Be Inspired @ Elizabeth & Co.
Trash To Treasure Tuesday @ Kammy's Korner
Tell It To Me Tuesday @ Creatively Living Outside The Box
Tuesday's Treasures  @ My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia

Wednesday:
Piece Of Work Wednesday @ Primitive And Proper
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ {Primp}
Chalk Paint Linky Party @ Shades Of Amber
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Thursday:
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Tickled Pink @ 504 Main
Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Catch As Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life
Creative Inspirations @ Embracing Change

Friday:
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints On The Fridge
Feature Friday Free For All @ Five Days Five Ways
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic
Frugalicious Fridays @ Finding Fabulous
Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tater Tots And Jello
Repurpose-Remodel-Reveal @ The Rooster And The Hen

Saturday:
Spotlight Saturday @ Classy Clutter

Sat. Night Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Ramsign Give Away!!!!

The generous folks at Ramsign contacted me about doing a give away to one of my lucky readers!!


Ramsign creates classic, beautiful customized enamel signs.  Their signs are hand stenciled and finished with thick and glossy enamel.  These signs are beautiful and are made to last.  There is a 30 year warranty on them!


The winner can choose any house number sign with 1-5 digits of any size and design.  Ramsign will then produce and deliver the sign directly to the lucky winner!!

Rules To Entering The Giveaway:

Mandatory:

Check out the Ramsign website by clicking here.

and

Follow Imperfect Patina via GFC or Linky

(Leave me ONE comment letting me know you did BOTH)

Four Extra Entry Options:

Like Imperfect Patina on Facebook

Follow Imperfect Patina on Twitter

Like Ramsign on Facebook

Follow Ramsign on Twitter

***Leave 1 comment for each  - Up to FIVE comments***




Giveaway starts today and ends May 2nd .  Winner will be chosen using random.org.  
Good Luck!!

Exterior Lights Revamp

Before we get the keys to our house next week, I decided to tackle some of the outside projects.  Lots of weeding, spraying and mulch.  The weeds are out of control.  There has been no mulch put down in 3 years.  It was pretty ugly.  Our exterior lights were also looking pretty sad.  They started out a dark brown, and over the years had faded to an ugly orange.  I decided that instead of buying new lights, I would break out the oil rubbed bronze spray paint!


I carefully taped off the area around all of the light fixtures so I wouldn't get over spray on the house.  I wiped off the fixtures with a damp paper towel and then rubbed them dry.  Then I sprayed them lightly with Rustoleum "Oil Rubbed Bronze".  I repeated the process until the lights had a nice even coat.  I think they turned out pretty great.  I will let you know how they hold up.  But, for now, they are considered done : )... Don't mind the filthy house... that is another project on the to-do list!!

Wedgewood Gray Dresser

This is a great dresser that I found on Craigslist.  I LOVE this style of dresser and this one had NO veneer on it : ).  It made refinishing it so much easier!!  I would have loved to strip and stain the entire piece, but it was just too far gone.  Lots of wood filler was needed.  I used Citristrip on the top, and my orbital sander on the rest of it.  I used Minwax Dark Walnut on the top and then painted the rest of the dresser with some leftover Benjamin Moore "Wedgewood Gray".  The entire piece was sealed with a clear poly.


Before:

After:

Linking up @ 


Sunday:
Newbie Party @ Debbiedoo's
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
The Sunday Showcase Party @ Under The Table And Dreaming

Monday:
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
More The Merrier @ DIY Home Sweet Home
Making The World Cuter Monday @ Making The World Cuter
Show Me What You Got Monday @ Our Delightful Home
Mop It Up Mondays @ I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Just A Party With My Peeps @ How To Nest For Less

Tuesday:
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just A Housewife
Power Of Paint Party @ Domestically Speaking
Turquoise Lovin' @ Sweet Little Gals
Be Inspired @ Elizabeth & Co.
Trash To Treasure Tuesday @ Kammy's Korner
Tell It To Me Tuesday @ Creatively Living Outside The Box
Tuesday's Treasures  @ My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia

Wednesday:
Piece Of Work Wednesday @ Primitive And Proper
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ {Primp}
Chalk Paint Linky Party @ Shades Of Amber
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Thursday:
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Tickled Pink @ 504 Main
Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Catch As Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life
Creative Inspirations @ Embracing Change

Friday:
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints On The Fridge
Feature Friday Free For All @ Five Days Five Ways
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic
Frugalicious Fridays @ Finding Fabulous
Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tater Tots And Jello
Repurpose-Remodel-Reveal @ The Rooster And The Hen

Saturday:
Spotlight Saturday @ Classy Clutter

Sat. Night Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

A Quick Project, A Long Story.... And An Apology

My dad had a bunch of antique and some newer cabinet doors that he said I could have.  I decided to turn them into chalkboards. For the doors with a grid, I simply stapled some burlap onto the back.  All of the doors were painted and distressed in an assortment of colors I already had on hand.  I also added picture hangers to the back of each door.   A quick, easy project.  

And now, a long story....


In 2005, my husband and I built our "forever" house.  It was in a fantastic neighborhood with amazing neighbors, and great schools.  We LOVED it!  Fast forward to 2009, and my husband's job became a victim of the horrible economy.  We were shocked.  You see, he had been recruited to this job just 4 months prior to being laid off!!!  Luckily, he was able to find a job within a few months  But, there was a catch.  The job was in Virginia Beach, VA.  NOT MN!  


We had a lot to think about.  My husband and I were both born and raised in MN.  Our families were there.  Do we sell our home and uproot our whole family?  Selling meant bringing a huge amount of money to closing.  We had built our home at the height of the market.  Our home was not worth what we owed on it.  After meeting with several different realtors, we decided our best option was to rent it out.


This made leaving our home much easier.  I knew that if we hated it on the east coast, that we still had a home to come back to.  So, we rented our home out, and headed east.  We rented a very nice home in Virginia Beach and met some amazing friends.  We loved the weather and living at the beach.  We were able to take some amazing trips (we could drive everywhere): New York City, Washington D.C., Disney World (2x).  We really enjoyed living there.  But, it just wasn't home.  Would I have felt different had we sold our home and bought a home out there?  Maybe.


After two year out east, we missed our families.  My husband went to his boss and told him he loved his job and loved working for the company, but we were ready to move home.  His boss thought about it for awhile, and then said YES!!  We were ecstatic.


So, in December (2011), we moved back to MN.  Since December, we have been living in my parent's basement while we wait for our renters to move out of our house.


Our renter's lease is up next week and we are so excited to get back into our home.  That being said, we are planning to make many changes to make it our own again.  


That means that this blog will be short on furniture redos for awhile, and heavy on before and afters of our new/old home!  So, I apologize that there won't be many furniture posts, but hope you will stick with me while we transition back into our home.  I promise to start posting about furniture again ASAP!!  (I do have a few entries already ready to go)  Here are a few pictures of our journey:

These are pictures of my daughter (then 5) saying goodbye to her room : (

This is a picture of our rental home in Virginia Beach, VA.

Here are Hallie and Hunter at our favorite beach: Sandbridge.

We lived 5 minutes from an amazing water park : )

And, these are pictures of our MN home.

Linking up @:

Sunday:
Newbie Party @ Debbiedoo's
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
The Sunday Showcase Party @ Under The Table And Dreaming
Simply Klassic Sunday @ Simply Klassic Home

Monday:
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
More The Merrier @ DIY Home Sweet Home
Making The World Cuter Monday @ Making The World Cuter
Show Me What You Got Monday @ Our Delightful Home
Mop It Up Mondays @ I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Just A Party With My Peeps @ How To Nest For Less

Tuesday:
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just A Housewife
Power Of Paint Party @ Domestically Speaking
Turquoise Lovin' @ Sweet Little Gals
Be Inspired @ Elizabeth & Co.
Trash To Treasure Tuesday @ Kammy's Korner
Tell It To Me Tuesday @ Creatively Living Outside The Box
Tuesday's Treasures  @ My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia
Party Time  @ Northern Cottage

Wednesday:
Piece Of Work Wednesday @ Primitive And Proper
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ {Primp}
Chalk Paint Linky Party @ Shades Of Amber
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Thursday:
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Tickled Pink @ 504 Main
Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Catch As Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life

Friday:
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints On The Fridge
Feature Friday Free For All @ Five Days Five Ways
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic
Frugalicious Fridays @ Finding Fabulous
Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tater Tots And Jello
Repurpose-Remodel-Reveal @ The Rooster And The Hen

Saturday:
Spotlight Saturday @ Classy Clutter