UpCycled Dictionary Dresser

One of my passions is upcycling (Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value.) I like to call it my therapy! I have completed several projects over the past year and now with homecoming behind us hopefully I can post a few!

I am not very good at creating "how to's" or "tutorials" but hopefully you can gain inspiration from some of my projects. I will be adding tips, tricks and information on products I love along the way. Last but not least I am NOT a photographer. (Just had to throw that out there in case you didn't notice!)

My latest project was a dresser I upcycled for my daughter who will be leaving for college in a few months and will be majoring in English. Being in need of extra storage at the time I inherited this dresser about eight years ago from a friend who had no need for it.  It is solid wood and very well built just not very attractive.

Dresser Before

UpCycle Dictionary Dresser I began by sanding and cleaning well.  (And removing those gorgeous drawer pulls!)  I then used two coats of flat black paint only on the base of the dresser. 

I have on old dictionary my dad used when he was in school so I tore the pages out and decoupaged them on the drawer fronts. Once everything was dry I used a product, on the entire piece, I came across at the home improvement store. Rust-oleum Ultimate Polyurethane in Matte Finish. LOVE IT!!! So I used two coats of that.

Then added black metal drawer pulls. Once completed I did not like how the bottom four drawers seemed to "run together" there is nothing dividing them like the top drawer.  So I glued on a piece of grosgrain ribbon at the bottom of the middle drawers.

Close up of one of the drawers

And the finished product!

Dictionary Dresser After

Up Cycle