DIY Distressed Dresser

For the past couple of weeks, I have been working on repainting and updating the look of an old dresser that was sitting in storage. If you ever had a chance to step foot in my room, you would see that I clearly need more storage space. My closet is filled with so many clothes, that most of them over flow into my room. I was currently using these plastic storage bins for under garments, socks, leggings, and bathing suits. Those compartments were also so over loaded that I had a separate hamper for anything that could not fit.
I bought paint about a year ago, and procrastinated up until this point. I don't know what I was thinking because the color I chose was purple. It looked awful! At first I didn't want to use it, but I had no choice. My Fiance helped me sand the drawer, and helped me take off the original knobs.

Before I started doing any painting, I used a damp cloth to clean the dressers. I also took all the drawers out and made sure to look for any damaged areas. I'm not very handy, so I asked my fiance to help fix any of the areas that needed work.

I saw on pinterest that many DIY'ers use wallpaper to help spruce up the drawers. I saw a really cool textured wallpaper and decided to add it. There were no directions on the packaging, so I had to wing putting the wall paper onto the dresser. What I ended up doing was taking a towel and soaking the sticky side of the wall paper. Then I took a damp cloth and wiped the area I wanted to add the wall paper. I applied the wall paper, and took the same damp cloth, and wiped over the wallpaper and dresser in order to get rid of any air bubbles.


I waited at least 3 days before painting the dresser because I wanted to make sure that the wallpaper was completely dry. I didn't want to risk the wallpaper coming off. When I started painting the dresser, I really couldn't get over how purple the shelf looked. I hated the shade. Again, I still don't know what I was thinking when I bought the shelf. It was so purple, like Barney purple. So what I decided to do was contrast the purple with another color. I managed to get extra gray paint from my sister, and decided to give the shelf a more distressed look.

How to get a distressed look:
I made sure that the pain was completely dry. In this case, the color that I wanted to show underneath was the purple. I then took VASELINE, and put in in the areas that I felt would become distressed or worn out over time. I put the gray pain on the side panels of the dresser, and put in on the borders of the dresser. I let the pain dry for 24 hours, then took a damp rag and wiped the areas I had put Vaseline. This was such a simple procedure, and it really made my drawer looked naturally distressed.
 
When the paint dried, I was still completely unhappy with how the paint looked. It was such an ugly purple, and such a light gray. I wanted a more antique look. So I went back to home depot. While I was in the paint isle, I found a nice stain that I thought would give the dresser a more antique look. I also decided I would buy some polyurethane because I wanted to protect the wood from any damage.


I really thought after I stained and sealed the dresser, I would be done with this project. But then, Teddy reminded me that I needed to get knobs for the dresser. Luckily Teddy had an old dresser he used, and he was able to give me the knobs.



I really was happy with the way the dresser turned out, and I am now finally able to get rid of all the extra hampers in my room!!

Real Simple Alfredo Fettuccine Recipe

This week I decided I would try to make Alfredo Sauce from scratch. I decided to do this meal because my fiance is a very picky eater. He does not like seafood or pork. He also does not like many Asian, Italian, or Indian dishes. I picked Alfredo sauce because he hates tomato sauce! Honesty, I really don't know why I'm even bothering to learn new meals because I really think he would be happy with chicken and veggies every single night.

I looked all week for different recipes online, and decided to go with this recipe. Click the link to see the actual measurements for the ingredients. The recipe called for butter, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and pepper. I seasoned the chicken with Italian seasoning, and mixed it in a pan with butter and garlic. Lastly, I put all the ingredients together with fettuccine!

Teddy seemed pretty happy with the meal!

Is it true what they say, the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach?

A week ago, a co-worker asked me if I knew how to cook. I replied that I only know how to cook mac and cheese and nacho dip. Everything else I make is out of a box... She then proceeded to say, "Well do you want your fiance to have someone else cook for him?"

So I decided I need to learn to cook. I only have 6 months left until I get married! So, I will learn to cook one new meal, at least once a week. Last week I chose to make two dishes for the Super Bowl Party that I was attending. The two dishes I chose to make were, Sliders and Pigs in a blanket. I know you are probably thinking, LAME. But I wanted to start small, and then gradually move to harder dishes.

Sliders recipe
3 lbs of ground turkey
Montreal Steak Seasoning (the one with less sodium)
Worcestershire Sauce
Spinach
Tomato
Battered red onion
Provolone and American Cheese

Pigs in a Blanket Recipe1 box of Puff pastry
2 Packs of Little tiny hot dogs