{DIY refinished dresser and a salvaged window turned mirror}

long ago, i thrifted this old and beat up antique dresser -

it was dirt cheap and i fell instantly in love. 

i sanded it down to the original wood and painted it a grayish-blue color. 

i added glass knobs and called it a day.

this pretty little dresser has been the focal point of our guest bedroom for nearly two years now, but recently i just wasn't feeling the look.  i felt it needed something more than just a painted finish. 

enter miss mustard seed.

i want every single piece of furniture this girl finishes. 

really, she is amazing. 

so again, i was determined to refinish this refinished antique. 

i detached the mirror and decided not to use it again.  

i sanded all the polyurethane off, then hit it with the sander all over the edges and in all the nooks to expose the original wood. i also roughed up some random spots along the top and on the drawers. 

here is what the edging and one of the drawers looked like after sanding -

and for the magic - 

i used dark walnut stain (my go to color) and literally wiped it on, then wiped it off. all of those sanded areas were darkened, and the grayish blue painted areas were given a glazed aged look. 

(exactly what i was going for!!!)

i was instantly satisfied and ABSOLUTELY knew that this dresser would never be touched again! 

here is what the drawer looked like after the stain -

i coated my new dresser with minwax paste to give her a nice smooth finish.

this stuff rocks. i use it on every piece i refinish!

now that part was complete and i just needed to find myself a mirror.

i have had a project up my sleeve for quite sometime now about making my own mirror from an old window and this crazy genius invention of looking glass spray paint.

well low and behold, i scored by finding a seriously old and worn window!!!!

 lots of chippy paint (probably lead) to remove on both sides...

i took my hand sander to the frame of the window, removing all the paint and dirt and junk that had built up over the years on this ancient window.

then it looked like this - 

finally after removing all that grim, i used my sweeper attachment to clean all the dust off.

now we have this!

gave it a quick spray down with the water hose.

notice the glass pane falling out on the bottom... once everything is completely dry add clear caulking or super glue around your frame to hold the glass in.

what made this project complete was krylon looking glass spray paint. this little bottle was not easy to find. i searched at three different stores, and finally (luckily) scored a bottle. it's not your normal spray paint. it comes in a small container and is 12.99! 

it was well worth the money.

spread out your drop cloth outdoors and place your window over that with the back of the frame facing up. you want to spray the back side because this paint gives a mirrored effect on the reverse side. 

start spraying even coats over the glass.

you can re-coat quickly because the paint dries so fast. i believe i gave the glass five different coats.

this is what the window looked like after spraying. cloudy. i was worried for a bit.

but then i flipped her over....

and we had a mirror!

how it all fit perfectly together - 

i love the contrast of the colored dresser and the rustic wood mirror!

the dark walnut stain brought the original wood back to life, and when it pops through like in the picture above, it is nearly the same color as the window frame which has no stain. 

i think the new color makes the glass knobs stand out more, and i love that

and accessorizing this table could not be complete without a few blue mason jars. just adds that extra loveliness.

 i love my new dresser and mirror and feel REALLLLLLLLLY proud of this one!