Toy Chest Transformation

Yesterday I posted this nursery project I completed this summer. My best buy in regards to budget was hands down, this toy chest.

Life: Designed

I came across this lovely piece at a local thrift store and was stopped dead in my tracks. It was exactly what I was looking for! Price wise, it was really reasonable at $30. Solid Wood. PERFECT condition. Even the key was taped to the bottom of the chest. I couldn't believe it. I was all ready to buy it when I saw a sign. "50% off everything in store". The sign was for tomorrow only.

Dilemma. 

Do I risk it? 

It was a couple hours until closing. What were the chances this would sell by tomorrow?

So with a bit of anxiety I left empty handed. 

The next morning, first thing I headed to the store. I enlisted the help of my dad because this thing was heavy. Besides, I needed him to claim it while I shopped around for more goodies. 

The store was supposed to open at 9am. I got there right at 9 and the doors were already open! I panicked and ran inside leaving my dad behind in the parking lot. 

Thankfully the chest was still there- just waiting for me to arrive.

My dad finally found me and stood guard while I hunted for other deals. He said while I was gone, he got multiple offers on it. One even offered to pay him double the price. No thank you! This baby's mine.

When I took it home, my mom was horrified that I wanted to paint it. I was a bit apprehensive too because it was just in such great condition. But I got over it pretty quickly. 

I bought a quart of paint and primer in one at Home Depot. I'm a little too lazy to prime, wait for it to dry and then paint. This seemed like a reasonable time saver. It worked out just fine.

Home Depot

I didn't even sand the chest first (tsk tsk.. I know). Here it is after one coat of paint and a coat of spray paint. I found the paint brush was creating unsightly brush strokes. I hear it's important to use a high end brush to avoid these strokes. One day when I invest in an expensive brush, I'll let you know how it goes.

Life: Designed

I wasn't too worried about the panels because I had plans for those areas that didn't require good coverage.

I got some foam from a local foam shop for about $17. Fabric was purchased from Fabric.com which was used to cover the foam as well as some foam core for the panels.

Life: Designed

It bothers me that the circles on the panels don't line up with each other... I actually did make an attempt to make them line up. I'm not sure what happened there... Maybe one day I'll fix it.

Side Note: I love that duck pillow. It's amazingly soft! I want one just to snuggle up with it. I found it by chance at Winner's for $20. The baby's going to love drooling all over that thing!


I also love the birdcage fabric (also from Fabric.com, pillow inserts from Ikea).

So to total it all up:

Chest: $15

Foam: $17

Fabric: $8    

Total:   $40

That's pretty amazing if you ask me!