Vanity into DIY Station

I have finally finished my much needed desk makeover. I  can't believe the difference. Now I have a cute spot to do all my projects! 

Originally this desk almost looked like someone had made it into a cute vanity for their room. It was painted with some white chalk paint, and had silver and pink knobs. Inside the drawer was a shiny silver peel and stick paper.  

When it came to redoing this desk/ vanity, I wanted it to have a very Bohemian feel and to be used as a desk in my apartment rather than a vanity. 

Originally I had a neat idea to try with this makeover, but later on had to go a different direction, as I was trying to be budget friendly.

Here are the supplies I bought:

1) One container Oatmeal colored chalk paint

2) Black spray paint

3) Mini paint roller frame

4) Mini paint roller covers

Supplies I used but already had on hand:

1) Cream colored craft paint

2) E6000 glue

The Process:

I first started by taking out all the drawers from the desk, and sanding spots on the desk and drawers that were very rough looking. I focused on the top specifically because I did not want bumps on the surface I would potentially be working on. 

After I was happy with the results, I started to paint away. Normally I paint my big furniture projects with a brush, but this time I really wanted to try rolling the paint.

Let me tell you this... after rolling the paint, I don't know if I would ever go back to brushing. Rolling paint is SO satisfying. This technique also uses less paint, and it is very even layering on the surface. The roller smoothly and evenly covers the surface. I did however have to use my hand dandy brush to get into the cracks and little nooks. I also LOVE how quickly this paint dries. I had one layer done and by the time I got back to were I had started, I could add a second layer. 

After 2 layers of paint on the desk, I moved onto the drawers. I started by taking all the hardware off and tearing out the shiny peel and stick that was inside. For the hardware, I spray painted them with a regular can of black spray paint. 

On each drawer, I decided to get a bit "artsy fartsy". This is when I used my cream paint and hand painted some art on both sides of the drawers, so when you opened them, they looked really cute. 

Originally for the drawer fronts, I planned to cut wooden dowels down to size to cover the fronts. However, after using my hand saw to cut a few down, this idea wasn't working out. I think because I was using such a big hand saw compared to the small dowels, it was cutting them very rough and not straight through. I thought about ordering some more dowels that were the correct size I needed and already pre-cut, but I was already over what I wanted to spend. I had to think of something else, or utilize what I had around already. 

I had this big roll of burlap fabric in my collection that I hadn't used yet. I thought I would cut this down to size and glue them to the fronts instead. I measured out the needed size to cover them, and then used my E6000 glue to glue the pieces on. 

After the glue dried, I trimmed off the excess and added the hardware back on. I think the hardest part of this project was trimming down the burlap. Burlap is pieces woven together so you have to make sure parts don't unwind. 

Here is the final look!

Unfortunately I didn't get to go with my original idea, but for the time being, I think this still turned out pretty cute. I do think it turned out to be a mix between Boho and Farm Style because of the Burlap, but it's better than before and I still really like it. I may later on decided to go back to my original idea, but it works for now!

Thanks for reading another project!

Stay tuned for more to come!

Till next time! 

Stay Thrifty! :)