A Dresser Redo - Part IV

It's finally over, I promise!  The dramatic conclusion to the dresser is here! 

I know left you on the edge of your seat wondering how I would fix the large missing chunk of wood.  Here you go . . . I covered it up.  

I went to Micheal's and bought a piece of 3" x 36" x 1/16" balsa wood.  The shelf in question was exactly 1", but unfortunately all the pieces of wood at Micheal's, Home Depot, Lowe's and Ace that were 1" wide were way too thick.  Luckily, balsa wood, especially that thin, is easy to cut using a knife.  I did just that, and  I cut it long enough to cover the entire length of the front.

Next, I painted it with a few coats of white and polyurethane to match.

Then, I glued it to the dresser using Krazy Glue.  (Well first, I dropped a hammer on it accidentally and had to start the whole process over.  Thank goodness for the extra wood!)  The wood is so thin, you can't tell that it's even there.  I made sure to line it up with the existing breaks.

In case you have forgotten, here's a before and after shot.

There were some unique challenges to this one, but I like to see them as learning experiences that will help me with my future projects.  :)  Besides, the transformation was worth it!

Top 10 - Things I Love About Fall

I LOVE FALL!  I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that it's my favorite time of year.  As we enter the wonderful season that is autumn I have somehow managed to condense all my loves down to ten.  Hopefully, you share at least one! 

1. The Weather - The days are finally not sweltering and the nights are cool.  The air seems crisper and easier to breathe somehow.  You can have the windows open both at home and in the car (sorry people who can now hear me singing at the top of my lungs).  The 100 degrees with 100% humidity days of July and August are quickly forgotten and finally, it's 63 and slightly cloudy and, in the words of Cheryl Frasier, ". . . all you need is a light jacket." (Or sweater, or hoodie, or scarf.  Which leads me perfectly to #2.)

2. The Clothes - Boots, Scarves, Hats, Sweaters, Tights, Mittens!  All the wonderful soft warm things that have been hiding all summer can come out to play.  Not to mention, as someone who LOVES layering, this is my season.  Added bonus, a sister who knits!

Thanks for the Captain's Hat Sara!

3. The Smells - Noses rejoice!  Maple, apple cinnamon and pumpkin are here!  They smell tasty and warm and make me want to curl up in a blanket while eating something made of them. 

4. The Seasonal Food - There are certain dishes that appear only once a year.  
J. Christopher's Caramel Apple French Toast, I'm talking to you.  Thankfully, Starbucks finally relented and put Caramel Apple Cider on the menu all year round, but it used to be a seasonal drink also.  Delish!

Looks yummy, huh?

 5. The Return of Football - It's finally here!  Grown men in tight pants pounding each other to move a silly shaped brown ball 100 yards.  Ah.  I like many sports, but for me, nothing beats football.  Defenders, please stop tackling like wussies and WRAP HIM UP!  Go Cowboys!

Witnessing the very first kickoff of the college football season, right here, at our little Vanderbilt.  Go Commodores!

6. The World Series - I'm going to add in all of the baseball playoffs.  7 months and 160ish games ago, baseball started and now it all matters.  You've seen my doormat, we watch plenty of baseball in this house, but this is the best part.  Wild card races and play-off runs all culminating in a final show down of the season's two best teams.  Plus, with that crisp air, the crack of the bat seems crackier, the grass seems greener and players of all ages and experience can do amazing things.    

Okay, so it's not at a playoff game, but it is still during fall at Petco Park during our trip to Coronado Island.

7. The Pumpkins - With the exception of pumpkin pie, (I don't like carrot cake either.  No vegetables in my desserts please.) I love everything about the pumpkin.  I love carving it.  I love sticking my hand in to pull out the wet disgusting guts and picking out the seeds to later bake and eat.  I love the smell of pumpkin spice candles.  I love that you can stick one on the front porch, unaltered in anyway, and it's considered decorating.  And, most of all, I love It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  

Last Halloween's Rapunzel Pumpkin.

8. The Leaves - The colors are magnificent!  The yellows, oranges and reds light up the trees as if nature is saying one last time that it's vibrant and bright and will back soon. Stanley Horowitz cleverly stated, "Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."  I spent last weekend Leaf Peeping in Vermont and New Hampshire with BF Olivia and it was incredible.  Who knew that driving around looking at leaves was a vacation, and an amazing one at that?  (A word of advice from Linus Van Pelt, "Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker.")

B-E-A-UTIFUL!  Courtesy of shutterbug Olivia.

9. The Holidays - Halloween.  Thanksgiving.  Dress up.  Stuff your face.  'Nuff said.  :)

Us three and the mom all dressed up for tricks-or-treats.

10. The Fires -  Call the chimney sweeps because it's time to light up the fireplace!  (Add this to the list of smells, too.)  Nothing beats the glow of a fire to warm me during a chilly evening.  Add a cup of apple cider and a snuggie with a Charlieface underneath and I will not be moving. 

Happy fall everyone!