Weekend DIY Project

When one thing falls apart, EVERYTHING falls apart. Okay, so not everything, but this weekend, my husband and I were talking about stuff we wanted to do this fall, and all of a sudden, things start breaking. Translation: money goes towards fixing things and buying new ones and not towards fun stuff for us. Not that we don't get to do a TON of fun things. We do. With both of us working, we make sure and put aside some money and time for us to try new things around the area or go on trips or see a sporting event. We love to travel and be active. But, this weekend, the priority was our apartment. On Friday night, we had  been talking about going on a short day trip or overnight camping trip to Bear Lake, which is about two hours away from where we live. Almost as soon as we had decided, I walked into my room to get something out of the dresser, and the top drawer fell out onto the floor and cracked (on top of my foot, no less). It's pretty old since I received it from my parents who had used it for my brother since he was a little kid (and now almost 24), so it was time. I don't even know how we would have began to repair it, and it just so happens that back in the spring when we moved here, my husband's dresser cracked in several places in the transition from the moving truck to our bedroom. So, we definitely needed to upgrade the dressers, and since we both use our dressers to the max with clothes, we wanted to get a set of them (one taller, one wider). So, we made the trip to IKEA. That place is soooo much fun. I had never had one close before, and now that I do, I can't wait to buy a house and go there to find stuff to fix it up with. I love our place currently, but when we have more room, it will mean more chances to decorate, and I'm excited for that. :) We ended up finding two dressers that were made of pine wood for a FANTASTIC price, and we decided we wanted to stain them ourselves. First time for us, and we didn't have a good place to do it, so we went to Lowe's and found the type that the saleswoman recommended; plus, she said it wouldn't leave the house toxic-smelling, so we could do it indoors, just making sure to put garbage bags under anywhere we would be possibly dripping the stain.

Sorry about the blurriness--phone camera and unsteady hand. :)

We had fun with it, but Honey wasn't too thrilled that we weren't outdoors doing something with her.

And Mickey just enjoyed the fact that there was a drawer missing out of the old one...

In progress!

Contrary to what these pictures make it seem like, I did actually help... The husband was just too focused to take pictures, while I, of course, understand that breaks for pictures are mandatory. ;)

Finished products!

We're so proud of the finished product and very pleased with the job! We are definitely beginners, so there are some spots we (ahem, my husband) wish we could do over (I, on the other hand, am just so excited that they look so good when I had a hand in doing it!)... but we did it ourselves, which means the most. My dad is an amazing carpenter/builder/painter/stainer/hands-on person in general, so I'm sure he would have made them look perfect, but as they are, I think he would be proud.

Now, on to compiling lists of ideas for future home projects while the boy rolls his eyes.... Just wait until we buy a house, babe. :)

Happy Monday!!