dresser make-over:

i have been looking for a new dresser for a while now

my old one has never really been big enough. 

sure, it fit my socks and underthings, but that was pretty much it -
-well, not really -
- because even when all things are clean at the same time and i try to put it away
things still wont all fit without jamming things in.
(granted that does not happen very often) 

more space was needed for t-shirts, jammies, what have you.

looking at ikea, looking here and there, looking all around. 

finally finding this ol' gem at D&J's in Orange, VA.

its dovetail drawers, and other lovely details made me fall in love with it.

purchasing it then i did not do, nor the next time i saw it when i continued my search. 

this was a risk, because good things don't stay around long at D&J's.

so when the third and fourth time came around and it was still there... 

....i got it...

figured it was meant to me mine.

 sandy and i sanded it down a bit - thinking we would just rough it up so we could paint it,
cause it was all stained dark brown and looked lifeless

but we soon discovered that it was mahogany veneer. 

we sure liked the looks of that!

so sanding it more and more and more was the game.

by hand, so we would not sand through that fine veneer.

that extra elbow grease was totally worth it:

new knobs and some oil made this dresser very happy.

cannot wait to give it a proper cleaning and bring it on home.

thank you sandy and claudius for your help on this beaut!

in the end, it was probably the same price (but probably still cheaper)
as if i had bought a new dresser at ikea or somehting.
but i am absolutely positive that not even a new one would have had this much character
and dove-tailed drawers!