Fleur Cottage: May 2013

I like old globes. I like old books. I like old, wooden orphan drawers. Link them all together and one has a lovely vignette.

I found three orphan wooden desk drawers on a free pile at a yard sale. I took them home with me because I loved the hardware on them. They sat in in our utility shed for several years collecting more dust, waiting for me to be inspired. Some weeks ago I carried them into the house and the transformation began.

- The Before -

In all their ugly but lots of potential condition.

And the hardware? Oh my...caked with years of neglect and dirt!

Even a soak in water didn't budge the dirt.

Struck gold after a hard scrubbing...amazing!

The drawers were falling apart and one had lost its bottom...

and very dirty with spider nest in the crevices and key holes.

I took them completely apart, sanded the wood and the rusty track. Mr D made a new bottom for the bottom-less drawer. I sprayed the insides of the drawers with semi-gloss clear wood finish and what an amazing difference! By now, I was really loving this project, even though I had no idea what I was going to do with them.

Isn't this rustic glamour amazing?

I watered down the paint and without using any primer, I gave the outside of the drawers a quick slap-it-on coat because I wanted a weathered look. Doing that made these dates appear on the sides of each one...love the extra bonus!

- The Beautiful After! -

All the while, I had NO idea what I was going to do with them! As I was finishing them, inspiration came. My Christmas putz houses were still up (yes, from Christmas; I liked them so much!) and it was beyond time to store them again. The books were already there which led me to my small globe collection because reading takes one anywhere in the world one wants to go!

I am so pleased with the results! After scrubbing the hardware with a scrubby (the only to take off the grime) and giving them a shine with steel wool, it turned out it looked like this. I loved that surprise - I had no idea this loveliness was under the dirt! I sanded the paint lightly and put the scubby to use again around the cup handles that would naturally show wear. The globes were picked up over the years thrift-ing; the small one is a glass light shade.