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Shabby Little Makeover ~ Upcycled Nightstand

Thrift stores, the most veritable potpourri of possibilities there are.  I love them! Sure, one could easily walk in and say it’s a bunch of junk, but it takes a more creative eye to see the potential just oozing everywhere. Enter my $3 shabby, thrifty find.  A small stack of drawers labeled by the employees as a nightstand.  I knew better.  This was half of an antique vanity that still had purpose even without the rest of it.  (see that routed edge in the upper side where the table piece would have rested)

A $3 thrifted side of a vanity becomes a sweet shabby chic piece with wallpaper and The Graphics Fairy by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

All this little shabby lovely needed was some dressing up!

DIY TIME

I filled that ridge with wood filler and sanded it smooth with my sander.  I also add a piece of wood corner round to recreate the surface edge. Originally, it is a cut-out meant to receive the mirror. Last, I use my favorite Dremel tool to rebuild it.

You can also see the veneer was lifting at the bottom of the side. An easy repair by taking a utility knife making a straight slit.  Gently lift and add some wood glue, clamp, and let dry.

Now, I could have just painted and been done, but I wanted to add a touch of pizazz. Have you seen the textured paintable wallpaper that looks like pressed tin?

Texture Wallpaper | prodigalpieces.com

I love that stuff and have used it to do our ceilings, our kitchen, and even in this tea cart makeover.  It is so versatile and can be painted copper, zinc, any metallic finish or leave as is.
Another one of my favorite things to do is hand paint. I wanted to give it a try on a smaller piece of furniture with a pretty detailed graphic.
Patisserie French Graphic from The Graphics Fairy via Prodigal Pieces

THE REVEAL

Here she is…my shabby little makeover.
A $3 thrifted side of a vanity becomes a sweet shabby chic piece with wallpaper and The Graphics Fairy by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces
I first tried using a decoupage method with a homemade version and it worked, but wasn’t quite dark enough, so I used the same method I used in my pallet clock and repurposed painted sign tutorial.
My go-to method is oil pastels for the varied colors, but you can also use chalk. You could even use graphite paper or transfer paper too.  I just used what I had on hand. I have used the pastels for very large graphics as well as small and I use Photoshop to enlarge it.
For extra durability, I used a layer of wallpaper paste and placed two pieces of scrap wallpaper on the sides.
A $3 thrifted side of a vanity becomes a sweet shabby chic piece with wallpaper and The Graphics Fairy by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces
 A couple coats of white homemade chalk paint, some distressing, and a couple coats of wax.
A $3 thrifted side of a vanity becomes a sweet shabby chic piece with wallpaper and The Graphics Fairy by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces
 Once this little beauty was listed in my online store, it sold within 3 hours. Yippee!!
Shop Prodigal Pieces Furniture, Vintage Finds, Handmade Goods, & Supplies for your home | shop.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces
A $3 thrifted side of a vanity becomes a sweet shabby chic piece with wallpaper and The Graphics Fairy by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces
One more look…
A $3 thrifted side of a vanity becomes a sweet shabby chic piece with wallpaper and The Graphics Fairy by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces
So next time you’re in a thrift store or garage sale, even, don’t do a quick look, but take your time and have fun reinventing items in your head.  What could that certain item be in another form?  Have fun!
Do pin and share to see past the shabby and see the potential that lies. ♥
A $3 thrifted side of a vanity becomes a sweet shabby chic piece with wallpaper and The Graphics Fairy by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

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More makeover fun like this shabby chic makeover:

Antique Stereo Repurposed Into Sewing Cabinet by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpiecesOutdated Upholstered Chair gets Linen & Rose French Makeover by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com

Comments

  1. kellyorr says

    Beautiful job!

    I’ve been wanting to do something with that patterned wallpaper, too. They come in such pretty designs.

    Good job!

  2. Jeanette@Creating A Life says

    What an awesome transformation! I love the patterned wallpaper, and I’ve been a fan of The Graphics Fairy for a long time : )
    The whole thing is totally darling, I can see why it sold so quickly!

  3. Marie Blackburn says

    Wow Larissa – talk about attention to detail! Just love what you did with this piece – everything from the beautiful graphic, to the numbers down the drawer fronts, to the unexpected paintable wallpaper on the sides, to the beautifully lined drawers. You took this little baby up several notches! I found this over at the Give Me The Goods Party.
    Marie@InteriorFrugalista

  4. Marie Blackburn says

    Wow Larissa you did an amazing job with this transformation – talk about attention to detail! I love everything about it from the graphic on top, to the numbers down the drawer fronts, to the unexpected paintable wallpaper, to the pretty lined drawers. You took this baby up several notches! I found this over at the Give Me The Goods party.
    Marie@InteriorFrugalista

  5. Victoria says

    Popping in from Grey Dey…wow, that’s amazing! I love the idea of the wallpaper, I might have to try that!

  6. julie marsteller says

    hi, the “night stand” is wonderful. I have been trying to work some furniture magic as well, I was hoping you could help. I have love the graphics fairy’s images and have been trying to do some transfers. I have done actual hand painting and am now trying to use the transfer medium. I was curious to know what transfer method you used and if your image you were sing a medium, was the image printed onto multiple pages? Did you cover the entire surface with the medium? How did you get the paper off so well without disturbing the image? Obviously I need some help???!!! Thanks Julie

  7. Barb King says

    I love this, that little cutie has a great shape! Thanks for the directions. It’s an incredible transformation.

  8. Kimberly says

    My goodness! That is really beautiful!

  9. Dell says

    Again, you are a magician! Great job!

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Reader Love

I love it! Larissa is amazing. She listened to what I wanted and then she took care of the rest! This is my second piece I've bought from her and I'm in love! I highly recommend her.

~ Laurel

Prodigal Pieces
2020-03-21T21:34:13-04:00

~ Laurel

I love it! Larissa is amazing. She listened to what I wanted and then she took care of the rest! This is my second piece I've bought from her and I'm in love! I highly recommend her.

I found my voice! Thank you so much, as I have experienced some of what you speak of. You helped me find my voice. Love to you, Larissa. You are loved.

~ Karen

Prodigal Pieces
2020-03-21T21:45:37-04:00

~ Karen

I found my voice! Thank you so much, as I have experienced some of what you speak of. You helped me find my voice. Love to you, Larissa. You are loved.

I love this cart, it's exquisite. The item was received in extremely secure packaging, no damage to the item. The delivery person was very professional and courteous. Larissa of Prodigal Pieces is so very amazing. A rating of 10 is deserved. Thank you, Larissa.

~ Stephanie

Prodigal Pieces
2020-03-21T21:39:34-04:00

~ Stephanie

I love this cart, it's exquisite. The item was received in extremely secure packaging, no damage to the item. The delivery person was very professional and courteous. Larissa of Prodigal Pieces is so very amazing. A rating of 10 is deserved. Thank you, Larissa.

Larissa looks at things with fresh eyes, she problem solves creatively, and I love how she uses her "stash" of valuable "junk" in the process.

~ Trudy

Prodigal Pieces
2020-03-21T21:43:16-04:00

~ Trudy

Larissa looks at things with fresh eyes, she problem solves creatively, and I love how she uses her "stash" of valuable "junk" in the process.

What attracted me to Prodigal Pieces at first was the business name. What kept me interested is her opening up to share her life with her readers. She shares her beautiful creativity, has tutorials in her blog and takes what was old and makes it new again. I have several of her beautiful pieces decorating my home.

~ Deborah

Prodigal Pieces
2020-03-21T21:52:00-04:00

~ Deborah

What attracted me to Prodigal Pieces at first was the business name. What kept me interested is her opening up to share her life with her readers. She shares her beautiful creativity, has tutorials in her blog and takes what was old and makes it new again. I have several of her beautiful pieces decorating my home.
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Prodigal Pieces