I love the look of both modern and vintage design, so I’ve come up with a thrifty way to get both in my home! A good friend of mine was doing some rearranging with her furniture and was getting rid of a dresser, so I scooped it up! It’s a narrow dresser and a perfect fit in my house. I just wanted to liven it up a bit, so I decided to paint it a bright color and gather some new knobs to finish the design. All in all, I got a great new piece for my house and with a little elbow grease and $30 in supplies, this is an original that I can look lovingly on—being made by moi!

What you’ll need:

  • An old (or new) piece of furniture that you would like to make your own
  • A hand sander
  • Primer
  • Paint (I chose to paint-match a gloss paint to a spray paint color that I loved.)
  • Replacement knobs for drawers, if applicable
  • Mod Podge (I chose glossy.)
  • Lining paper for drawers

I broke this up into a several-day process to allow ample time for drying and work. Feel free to work out your own time schedule.

Day 1

First, ladies, I’m asking you to put some elbow grease in it and sand down the existing finish or paint on your piece of furniture. Then brush off all the dust and the loose pieces of paint and put a good coat of primer on.

Day 2

Now break out your fun paint color and get to it! I used the gloss paint for the body of my dresser and the spray paint for the drawers because of the design of the wood. I felt this would give me better coverage, but the choice is yours. This is better done in two, even three, coats depending on the shade of paint you chose. Once your desired shade is met, let your furniture dry completely!

Day 3

Time to line those drawers! I chose an old Bible that was literally coming apart at the seams, and felt a great way to preserve it would be in the lining of my little girls’ dresser. Now every time they look in their drawers they can look at God’s Word! Choose your own paper—handwritten notes or postcards would be unique. Any pretty paper can line these drawers. The beauty of Mod Podge is it turns any paper into a watertight sealed liner. So paint a thin layer of Mod Podge in your drawers, then line with paper. The paper can overlap and, once dry, you wont even notice. Then paint a top layer of Mod Podge. Press out any air bubbles and let dry thoroughly!

Day 4

Replace old worn knobs with new pretty knobs and put your drawers back in place! Move your new piece of furniture to your desired spot and enjoy your new look!