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Thursday, April 24, 2014

French Quarter Secretary

I found this secretary desk at my favorite flea.  It was in pretty rough shape.  In fact, my husband asked me which landfill I found it in.  He's so charming and witty, sometimes I can hardly stand it!
I'm sure this desk came out of a teenage girl's room.  It had been painted lavender, yellow, pink, green, blue and silver and not all at the same time.  So lots of drips and caked on paint.  There was nothing to do but give it a funky, worn look.  I started with a coat of Old White, and sanded it down quite a bit to bring out the aged look this desk already had.
Most of the knobs were missing so I went with simple wooden knobs and I added an old finial I had in my stash of whatnots.
I added my French Quarter image that I found on Pinterest.  I added the image to the inside of the desk and the outside using my reverse mod podge technique.
I rummaged through my stencil collection and using the addresses and some of the phrasing on different ones, I mixed and matched to come up with different text for my drawers and the inside of the cabinet.

I love the end result.  I hope this desk finds a wonderful new home very quickly.  Just a little paint can go a long way to revive something that is destined for the landfill.

Thanks for visiting.  

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Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
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Wednesdays      Ivy and Elephants

24 comments:

NanaDiana said...

THAT looks GREAT, Maggie. I absolutely ADORE it! Where did you find that decal/print that is in the center of the drop down door? I just love that! Wonderful piece, Maggie- xo Diana

Mary@mydogsmygardenandmary said...

What a lovely piece of furniture you have now. Great job on restoring it. Love all the sayings.
Have a great weekend.
Mary

Amy Chalmers said...

Fabulous! I love it!

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Gorgeous piece, Maggie! I've got one of these on my bucket list! : ) Just love the size and what you did with it. The way you did the drawers was a great idea. One day . . .

Susie said...

Maggie, What a wonderful piece of furniture. I would love to have enough room for that. xoxo, Susie

Curtains in My Tree said...

I would love it in my kitchen.
I don't know you are however I am in central Missouri LOL

Lynda Bergman Decorative Artisan said...

I love it!! You always do such a great job!

Donna said...

It's just gorgeous, Maggie! You have worked your magic yet again!

Mimi said...

Maggie, that is beautiful! I love the French Quarter image and it's killing me that I live half a world away and can't snap up some of your pretty pieces...Mimi...xxx

Dee ⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️ said...

It’s a beauty Maggie.

The Polka Dot Closet said...

Wow, hubby was way off on this one...Bet he changed his mind when he saw the gorgeous transformation....Great job!

Carol

Deneen@dreaming-n-color said...

Wow this is a beauty. Funny sometimes the worst pieces look the best when transformed. Great job.

The Speckled Hen Cottage said...

Fantastic job Maggie!!! Love all the graphics you added. You just never know when a beautiful swan will emerge~~~

A Bit of Colour said...

Oh my ! Absolutely adorable! Fantastic job!

rkramadh said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rkramadh said...

G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S!!!! Is it listed online? or Is it local pick up only?

Ivy and Elephants said...

Wow! It turned out amazingly! I can't believe this was going to anyone's landfill. You've done an awesome job!
Hugs,
Patti

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

How could I miss this one? Wow, it's stunning and I'm sure it won't last long. Another awesome transformation!

Art and Sand said...

Your husband must not have the vision you do.

The piece is fabulous!

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

GORGEOUS!!

karen@somewhatquirky said...

Very nice! I've got one of these in my garage waiting to be primped. Love the graphics.

Stephanie@New Again said...

If only the former owners could see it now! It is gorgeous!!

Unknown said...

Oh Maggie - you're incredible - what a fabulous job ( you ace transfers )
I'd love to have that piece in my home !
Beautiful restoration ( as always )
xoxo

Unknown said...

What a cool restoration, perfect scale on embellishments - ready for just about any room in the house. I also work in legal field 9-5, but love to repurpose old items. Presently I am just finishing a similar desk and cannot wait for it to be finished and inside my apartment in RI.