Blue Nebula Desk Makeover & Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #757
There’s an old proverb that says one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. I have lived by this proverb for basically my entire life and my wonderful neighbors next door know it. Whenever they have trash that they think I might treasure, they always offer it to me!
A few weeks ago, my neighbor texted me this photo of an old desk and asked if I wanted it before she put it out for garbage. Ummm…yes, of course, I wanted it! But I think she already knew that which is why she asked me first. The timing was perfect as I had been waiting for yard sale season to start looking for a desk for Ralph’s room. This desk is the perfect size for the space and for his gaming system. It just needed a little makeover to better coordinate with the blue nebula photowall in his bedroom.
With some black paint and the same blue and purple paints that I used for the bedroom walls, I made my own chalk paint and painted the desk to look like a blue nebula. Then I very lightly distressed it with my new hand sander and applied a coat of furniture wax. I was really pleased with how it turned out. But it still needed new drawer pulls. I just wasn’t digging the clear crystal knobs.
Before I went shopping for new drawer pulls, I moved the desk into Ralph’s room and it looked amazing on the purple wall.
The blue nebula room was originally the kids’ game room and the boys shared the attached bedroom. Last fall, my niece came to stay with us for a few months so we converted the game room to her bedroom. When she left, the boys decided they no longer wanted to share a room so Ralph took over the blue nebula room and we have slowly been trying to decorate it to satisfy his needs and specifications. It has been three years since I painted that room and you can see a lot of the paint has been chipped from the wear and tear that happens in a kids’ room. Maybe I will touch it up one day, but probably not. Because it’s just going to get all dinged up again.
I wasn’t sure what type of knobs I would get for the desk until I went shopping. When I spotted these bronze hand symbols, I could not resist. Although they are in no way related to the blue nebula theme, they cracked me up. The color, finish, and price were just right. And Ralph really got a kick out of them, too. Aren’t they silly and fun?
The entire project took me one day to complete and cost under $30, which was the price of the drawer pulls. The desk was free and I had all the paint and painting supplies already on hand. And now Ralph has a one of a kind desk that matches his blue nebula photowall.
See, it is true…one person’s junk truly is another person’s treasure. Thanks, neighbors! You guys are awesome and we are so blessed to have you right next door.
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Do you like old junk as much as I do?
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
24 Comments
Di
Shelbee, you are so crafty! I love how you used your creativity to recycled this unwanted desk. It looks great , and it seems like it will suit Ralph’s needs perfectly. Thanks for sharing and hosting the link up, and I hope you and your family have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Di, thanks so much, my friend! I really enjoy the whole process of making over old furniture. I plan on painting every piece of old beat up wooden furniture in my house so stay tuned for more makeover posts in the future!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
Wow, the refurbished desk looks amazing in that room! The knobs are hilarious. You did a *stellar* job!
This reminds me of when my mom and I repainted an old vanity desk and bench white for my childhood bedroom. I fell in love with a set of white knobs painted with pink flowers that were a bit out of our price range but my mom bought them anyway. Man, I loved that vanity set. And then it passed on to my sister for several years, so we got very good out of it. It’s amazing what imagination, vision, and a bit of DIY skill can get you! We could never have afforded to buy something like that new, and the final product was personalized. And it just feels good to save something from the landfill. This was in the 80s, and since the furniture was older, it was also high quality wood and workmanship.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hehehe, thanks so much, Sally! I really enjoy painting furniture and have lots more to share in the coming months. I love that you had a refurbished desk back in the 1980s. My parents were always pretty crafty when it came to rescuing old things as well. I guess my fascination with old junk came from my parents and my grandparents. I didn’t know my paternal grandparents but my maternal grandparents were junk collectors as well! Honestly, I don’t think I will ever buy brand new furniture again because I do like the personalization from making over old furniture. I do need a new couch soon, that might be the only thing I would purchase new. Although the three couches currently in my living room were all secondhand (from sources we know!).
xoxo
Shelbee
Anne M Bray
They have those drawer pulls at Sony Hall (NYC)!
I scoured my various socials (do you know how hard it is to go back 3 years on IG?) so I could post a link, to no avail. Maybe I’ll make a post about the Sony Hall experience on SpyGirl and backdate it…
Super great refurbishing job! It looks so spooooooky now!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you very much, my friend! Oh my gosh, scrolling through IG is a complete nightmare. It takes forever every time you hit the “load more” button! But I definitely want to see the hand pulls at Sony Hall. Hopefully, you can find some photos!
xoxo
Shelbee
Anne M Bray
It was a sad day when the auto “upload to Tumblr” from IG went away. I can go to my Tumblr Archives for anything before 2021. Sigh.
I DID find the photos and discovered that there’s a matching door handle! A hand-le!
Making a post, just for you…
#35 in the linkup.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Gahhhhh! You are the best! Going to check it out now…
xoxo
Shelbee
Your True Self
Hi, Shelbee – I absolutely love the hand drawer pull; they are so cool/dope! I have seen hand belt buckles and want a belt like that but can’t find any anymore. Thanks for this creative inspiration – Angie, http://www.yourtrueselfblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Angie, thanks so much! I really enjoy making over old furniture! I have some more to share in the coming weeks. The hand gesture belt buckle sounds amazing! I hope you are able to find it again.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
You dit a wonderful job, what a magnificent colours! It’s fantastic how you can turn a dull piece of furniture into a unique piece!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, my friend! Ralph loves it but he is really hesitant to let me know that he loves it. LOL
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail
Wow, what a great job! I love the colour. Perfect that it turned up just when you needed it.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Gail! It really was perfect timing!
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
What a fantastic transformation! I love the hand knobs (I don’t know why that sounds rude to me, probably just my filthy mind!).
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hahahahaha, hand knobs does sound a bit rude, doesn’t it?! I guess great minds think filthy thoughts sometimes! So funny!
xoxo
Shelbee
Laura Bambrick
Very cool! I love the drawer pulls!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Laura! I really enjoy these painting projects!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
You did a super cool job there. Really nice. I am glad that you got it. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Patrick! I am really enjoying repainting furniture. It has become a bit of an obsession!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
OMG! The desk is fabulous! And it looks amazing against the purple wall. I have never seen any knobs / pulls remotely similar to these. So much fun!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Michelle! I love browsing all the different drawer pulls in Hobby Lobby. They have so many really interesting and fun ones!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Shelbee, I love a good DIY! I helped our daughter lug a dresser out of a dumpster across from our house several years ago. She repurposed it into a tv stand. I think this desk is just so much fun. I wonder if those hands are doing American Sign Language. They almost seem to be. Thanks so much for the feature. I’m very late getting to blogs and commenting. Thanks for the link up, too!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Marsha! I am picturing you dragging a dresser out of a dumpster and it just made me giggle! I want to repurpose a dresser into a bathroom vanity and sink…when I get around to redoing my bathrooms. Aren’t the hand pulls so cute? There were only 3 gestures but I turned some upside down and sideways to create variety!
xoxo
Shelbee