"Junk to Gems" - A thoughtful gift from a true love!

Hello everyone! I wanted to post this for Met Monday but I am a little late. I talked my Parents into staying one more day so Monday was all about visiting, shopping and spending time together but I am finally posting the promised "Junk to Gems" featuring a thoughtful gift from my hubby. We try to give gifts to each other that are meaningful or practical and carry sentimental value. This past Valentine's Day, Mr. Right came through with shining colors! In the photo below you see a black 4-drawer chest. This chest was actually inherited from my Great Grandmother, Sarah on my Mom's side of the family. It began its life as a small bedside chest where she would keep lingerie. It is made of cedar but over the many years it has lost a lot of it's aroma. When it first came to me, I used it for odds and ends but the color never really suited me so eventually it was placed in a closet. A couple of years ago we moved to NC and it was placed in storage, unforgotten and sadly unloved. Well, Mr. Right decided to breath new life in to this little chest and present it to me as my Valentine's gift. Needless to say I was so excited to have it "re-invented". It has now found a new home front and center in the entry. Let's take a look. The black glossy paint that my hubby used to paint the chest suited me perfectly. It looks fabulous against my newly painted red entry hall. Of course my much loved animal-print, Cheetah French Memo board, was the perfect accent. A gold, antique pedestal clock, gold letter "A" and a couple of heavy leather-bound volumes completed the tabletop display.

This is the original color of the chest. It was badly scarred, scratched and stained.

A little Handi-Strip was applied to dissolve the finish and prep the surface for sanding.

A coat of primer was added to the chest and fronts of the drawers.

Once the primer was completely dry, Mr. Right applied two coats of glossy black paint.

Once the paint was set, he came back and lined each drawer with a pretty light green and white print paper.

He considered painting the original hardware but opted to leave the old antiqued pewter drawer-pulls. I was happy about that because the original pulls reminds me that this was my Great Grandmother's chest.

A small vase of white peonies add a fresh touch of the approaching spring season and an urn filled with white cherry blossoms add great contrast against the red walls and black chest.

I added two red, gold and black tassels made of silky threads to the top drawer pulls. That, too, reminded me of my GGM and played off the fact that this little chest was once used to keep dainty garments made of luxurious materials.

I hope you have enjoyed this "Junk to Gems" post. It was very special to me for several reasons. I love having things around me that were once part of the lives of my ancestors. I also love it when we can re-purpose something old and tired and once again create a cherished keepsake that can one day be past on to the next generation.

This week is going to be a fun-filled week as I hunt down accessories to add a breath of spring-fresh air to my NC home. We are officially 1 month away from Spring and it is time to lighten up and make way for the warmer days ahead. By this weekend we should see temperatures in the upper 60's here in my corner of NC. Tomorrow is Outdoor Wednesday, I still have a Mexican flavored Simple Supper to share and Thursday is our Tablescape party. I have found an old wooden plate rack that is going to get a make over for use in my breakfast room and a Shabby Chic "ready to assemble" towel tower purchased on clearance is going to find a different purpose. I hope you will "tune-in" this week. Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa