Crafty Me!

I don't know what exactly got into me, but when I started rearranging Natalie's room I decided to take the dresser that was currently in my closet and put it in her room. (This would give both of us the luxury to not have our hanging clothes laying on top of it!) This dresser was a hand me down from my mom, I believe, and has gone back and forth between Natalie's and my use. My first thought was to just lightly sand it and paint it white. It would go with her room and be somewhat easy to do. Then I started sanding. And I gained an appreciation for the wood underneath the blond, glossy, varnish. Real, thick, wood. Not some wood here, particle board there, pressed wood on the sides.

I didn't think of taking a picture before I started, believe it or not, but here it is with the top sanded...with a little dust on the front. (I made a huge mess...but it forced me to dust and clean everything after!!!)

The top.
The front board was starting to crack off, so I bought some wood repair stuff and filled the crack. I was surprised at how easy it was and how well did the job!

The difference of the original color and the wood underneath.

The drawers all done.

Ethan wanted to take pictures of it...he took this one before I could get all the way out of the way (don't mind my bright "work" sweats!).

This was the first time I've done something like this, and wasn't sure what to choose for the stain. It took me quite a while of standing in the isle going back and forth between a light one and the "Red Oak" color I chose.

Testing the color in an "inconspicuous place."

He was still taking lots of pictures!
I was told, after the fact, that using our dremel for the corners and curved areas would have saved me loads of time!!! At least now I know!

After the first coat.

You can definitely tell that an amateur did this; there are areas where I didn't get it sanded all the way through the clear, darker areas than others, etc.

The drawers.

I was thinking about buying different knobs to give it an updated look...but even with extra sanding, where the wood handles were before...its still much lighter.

Letting the first coat dry.

The second coat made it look much more like the color I was thinking it would be. I think putting the clear coat on will really help too!

The second coat also helped the wood handle area...but its still so much lighter.
It makes me reconsider the new knob thing...any ideas???

I did the sanding Friday, the staining Saturday, and took this last picture Sunday.
This is without the flash.
Its much darker than it looks in person...a lot darker.

In the process of taking the drawers out and sanding, I found a sticker from the manufacturer. It was built by "Edison's Little Folks Furniture." This intrigued me greatly. I spent about an hour looking up information on the internet. Most things I found were people finding a similar sticker and trying to figure out its history/value. I finally came upon an actual history. And here is what I found (from here):

In 1917, Thomas Alva Edison purchased Wisconsin Panel and Cabinet Company, a maker of opera seats which had been incorporated a year or so earlier. Edison converted the factory to the production of cabinets for his newly patented line of phonographs. Edison Wood Products made phonograph cabinets until 1927. Demand for phonographs waned during the Depression, so in order to preserve the employment of several hundred employees, Edison decided that the company should make juvenile furniture under the trade name "Edison Little Folks Furniture". That line has survived to this day as a part of Simmons Juvenile Products. Several major Grand Rapids factories also made cabinets for the phonograph industry but you will almost never find their label on one.