an old dresser . . .

Today feels like it is going to be a productive, but restful day of work around the "homestead." We are finished with the garden and now the work of maintenance comes in. WEEDS! We will spend some time weeding the area and hopefully keep most of it under control.

In the big barn, there is a heap of junk that the owner has had there for years; old sofas, mattresses, glass cases, and some old dressers to name a few things. Since we have been here, the scrounging part of my personality has had a heyday looking through all the junk to find hidden treasures. I have used quite a bit of the old barn wood to make sculptural pieces for my Etsy online store, and have found little rusted odds and ends to work with to my delight. Currently I am working on a furniture piece that I am refinishing. I found an old dresser when we first arrived here and I moved it outside to have the children store their outside pots and pans in. Throughout the year, some of it has weathered nicely and some of the wood has warped a bit. Last week, I thought about refinishing it and making it an inside piece of furniture, so I called the owner to ask if I could keep it. I began by correcting the warped pieces and nailing and gluing some of the loose parts. I absolutely love fixing old things! When it dried, I filled the nails holes, sanded the wood a little, and began to stain it. Last week I bought some new hardware for it and now I am waiting for the stain to completely dry. It turned out to be a beautiful piece to add to my eclectic collection of furniture. I'll probably use it in the dining room or kitchen to act as a bureau to house some of our cast iron cookware.