Re-vamped Hanging Letter Organizer

Another renewal!

Here’s my most recent “renew”.... a hanging letter organizer that i found broken at a garage sale and believe I bought for $1.

** Tip: When hunting at garage sales or thrift stores for items to restore, ignore the color or any finishes on them! look for pieces that come apart for easy painting and reassembling! Remember, youre gonna sand and repaint everything and all you really need is a good skeleton...

Before.....

After!!!!!

To Renew this letter organizer, i took the backing off (it was just staple gunned in, as backing usually are..) lightly sanded it, primed it, and spray painted it white. Then I used scrap fabric to wrap the backing, stapled it back on, and voila! a new crisp white letter organizer with a little lime-green, mod flair!!

(also-these letter organizers a EASY to find at any goodwill and re-finishing one is a fun, quick DIY decorating project!)

Organize drawers in a snap!

So i was cruzin the 99 cent sore and came across these chip/dip serving trays. They're the perfect shape and the different sized compartments are ideal for storing loose junk and tidying up that always-messy drawer.

the 99 cent store has a BUNCH of containers and other organizational aids that are (duh) only 99 cents and, if youd like, could easily be painted or decoupaged to suit your decorating desires!

my mother always said... "messy bed-messy head..." (before)...

The calming effect that an organized drawer has ones mind is nothing short of amazing....(after!)....

Before and After: Mid-Century Modern nightstand from the Goodwill!

Here's another one for you folks!

I found this Mid-century Modern (thats "Mad Men" style for the fans out there...)nightstand at the Goodwill and it was missing a tag! (my favorite!) The manager gave it to me for $11.00!! What a steal!

Of course... it was in horrible condition... chipping paint... no hardware... It needed some TLC...

But for $11 how could i resist!?

I stripped it and sanded it down then primed it-painted it extra glossy black then handpainted the inside a Caribbean blue/turquoise color.

BUT THATS NOT ALL FOLKS!

my favorite feature... (drum roll please.....)

The fabric lined drawers!!!

Cute huh!

Then i added the handle. It came from a dresser that I am also refinishing and wanted to give a more modern look to. (so no need for these vintage looking handles!!.. but perfect for our nightstand!)

and thats that! a "brand new" mid-century modern nightstand with a vintage twist...

and a great addition to my bedroom!

Before and After: Wall cabinet from the Goodwill

Being a thrifty gal- most of the items i find to redecorate/hack come from garage sales... but if its not a weekend, the goodwill (or other thrift store) is sometimes filled with potential projects! (but not one of those hoity toity $50 for a vintage t-shirt shops- im talkin' real 2nd hand shit- the browse for an hour and pick up about 5 different items that you swear used to be yours kinda thrift store... )

Just the other week i picked up this piece here for a whoppin' $4.99.....

I was super inspired by this photo here that i found on design*sponge in their before and after section (a GREAT place for inspiration..)

So I went to work....

• First I removed all the hardware and took the backing off.
• Then I sanded it down- a super important step in any refinishing project...
• Once sanded, I simply spray painted the whole thing- remembering to tape off the glass so it would stay nice while i painted

After about 3 coats it was all set.

While drying, I moved on to the back.

I knew I wanted a stencil look, but i wanted to keep the natural wood showing though- so a traditional stencil wouldnt work.

• Instead, I used stickers and tape to make the retro-style image i wanted on the back.**

**Learned it the hard way lesson** next time- CONTACT PAPER! (the stuff you line drawers with). the stickers didnt wanna say and the tape took FOREVER to cut into the shape i wanted!!

• After laying all my pieces just right and making sure everything was on there nice and smooth, i spray painted over the whole thing with a cheery buttercup yellow.**

**Learned the hard was lesson** ALWAYS prime first.... i literally went through an entire can of spraypaint on an area that was no more that 12x24 inches... and it didnt stick to the wood well- it was bad... thank god the lacquer sealer i finished it off with evened everything out!

• Once it was all dry (i know-its SOOO tempting to do it early... but wait!) i peeled off the stickers leaving the original wood showing through and sprayed the whole piece with a clear lacquer.
• After the back was completely dry, I staple gunned it back on the cabinet, re-attached the hardware and ...

voila! new cabinet!

I just love it.. and for about $8 (between materials and the cabinet itself) you just cant beat it!

of course now im thinking i want to make it white instead of black... oh the never ending color choice dilemma...

anyways.... hope this inspires you to visit your local 2nd hand store cause its like they say: one mans trash is another gals retro-revamped curio cabinet!

So to summarize: