Blood, Sweat and Tears



Well I don't mean the band...

...but what I put into stripping this cedar chest. My grandfather gave this to my grandmother (both deceased) on her 18th birthday. She painted it white over varnish I am pretty sure by the way it all came off. Lots of scraping, sanding, and steel wool-ing.


Whew - I got it all off. I started stripping this a year ago (before I started blogging, so no real "before" picture), got busy with other things and it sat in the garage for months until my husband got tired of seeing it there and moved it to the basement. You know the old saying, "out of sight, out of mind", it was certainly true here. So about 3 weeks ago, I hauled it back upstairs (more blood sweat and tears) and finished up.

I painted it my favorite colour...

...and it now sits in one of my guest rooms.

I temporarily hung some art that one of my sons did until I find just the right mirror. I think every guest room needs a long mirror. I have a silver starburst in mind for over the pillows between the posts. I don't always like a bed skirt, so I covered the boxed spring with a fitted bottom sheet in the blue that is in the pillows. To see how I like to put my beds together go here.
Why does everything take so long to pull together? For me part of the reason is I really don't like shopping.


What little projects are you doing or just completed? Stop by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see what others are doing this Metamorphosis Monday!

Blood Sweat and Tears image from Wikipedia
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27 comments:

  1. OMGoodnes it is stunning!
    Your grandma would be so proud, what a way to honor her!

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  2. So beautiful and I bet your Grandma and Grandpa is smiling down from heaven ! Wonderful job and looks great in your bedroom !
    Hugs ~ Kammy

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  3. Always fun to see transformations like that! Love the after photo, thanks for sharing it with us!

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  4. Renae, your Blood Sweat and Tears paid off - Well worth the effort, and what a wonderul piece to have and keep in the family..

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  5. Love the results of your blood, sweat and tears! The trunk is such a treasure to start with being your grandmothers. You've done a marvelous job of refinishing it. It looks fantastic black!
    be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  6. It looks awesome and how special to have something that your grandfather gave your grandmother!

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  7. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree--even your grandmother was revamping furniture! I love the new look and that you are able to keep this treasure and use it.

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  8. Renae...what a great job you did...it turned out beautifully! And it looks great in your guest room! I know you must feel really good about having it done...what a feeling of accomplishment! :-) susan

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  9. What a GREAT piece of furniture and FAB redo!
    BTW... I too was thrilled to hear from Petunia... you know how she seems to disappear... she is always off on an adventure!

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  10. Beautiful transformation! And I love your idea to put a fitted sheet over the box spring whe a bed skirt isn't being used! Thanks for that great idea! Stop by my blog for my 100th post giveaway if you get a chance!
    Have a great week!
    ~Really Rainey~

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  11. Renae,
    The ches came out beautifully! So sorry to miss you in Atlanta. Next time we will plan something!
    xx-Gina

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  12. A beautiful renovation! Your Grandmother is smiling.

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  13. Renae - The chest is beautiful and isn't it gratifying to finally complete something like that! I have way too may "out of sight, out of mind" projects, so I know you must be thrilled with your progress and the end result!

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  14. well...YOU know how i feel about black.
    i love it.
    you did a great job. it is a beautiful piece.

    xx

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  15. What a fabulous heirloom. It is so lovely and I really like it painted black. Hugs, Marty

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  16. This is a complete transformation! At first it was plain and looked like it was ready for the trash heap. And now it's painted and just gorgeous. Looks like something from Pottery Barn, just more antique-ish! (Better!)
    Brenda

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  17. What a beautiful transformation! It looks great in your bedroom.

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  18. Thanks for coming by and I love that fabric , wish I could see the room that you did.

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  19. Wow! What a change! I love that you preserved your family heritage by rescuing that piece!

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  20. Nice work, Renae! What a precious treasure and such an unusual and pretty design. Thank you for your sweet comment - your support means a lot! XO

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  21. Oh, it's really lovely. And what a nice story to go with it!

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  22. Thanks for your sweet comment! I still think what you did here is so amazing, appropriate name for a post (I have done the same thing, but it took me an entire weekend)
    xo
    Maria

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  23. Wow, that looks stunning. What a beautiful and sentimental piece.

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  24. that looks great!

    hey - don't join blogrankings if you feel funny about it. it' no big deal = just for fun.
    Joni

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  25. What a lovely piece! You did a great job refinishing it, and it looks fantastic in your guest room!

    Jane

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Thanks for coming by! I will always respond to your questions when you provide me with your email address.