goodwill finds

I'm amazed at some of the treasures people find at Goodwill stores and other "thrifty" places like that.  I've tried before but always walk out holding nothing but my fully loaded bottle of hand-santizer.  Why do those places feel so dirty?!?

But I refused to give up... I wanted my own "junk to treasure" testimony!!

So I finally stumbled upon a few goodies that needed some love.  And now I have a "junk to treasure" story to share...

Check out these beauties...

After I cleaned them, I gave them several light coats of this self etching primer...

After that dried completely, I gave those beauties 4-5 very thin coats of my color of choice.  When spray painting, less really is more!  If you glob the paint on, you're left with ugly drips that have to be sanded and cleaned up.  {Thanks Dad for all the life lessons you've taught me! }

The next day (to ensure the paint was absolutely dry), I gave the lamps 3 coats of this gloss sealer.  That gave the lamps a glossy, finished look.  It also protects them...

Add a shade and look what you've got...

Before & after...

Next up, another beauty...

I'm not going to bore you with the 10 step process of transforming this dresser...I just followed this tutorial.  Let me tell you though, it was a booger to do but definitely worth it!

it's a little hard to tell from the pictures, but the dresser is a "distressed black"

I have several more things I need for our house, so I'm going to keep exploring!  I'm told the secret is to go every single day.  But seriously, I don't think I'm going to make time for that...