Junk Store Makeover

I absolutely adore seeing kids in lemonade stands. I also absolutely adore the ones in the PB catalog each year, but at $150 a pop, a kid has to sell A LOT of lemonade to make it worth their while! This year's variation is incredibly cute, just not cute enough for me to call up PB and hand over my credit card info. I've been tempted, but thankfully I've always restrained myself.

Recently, M forced me into a junk shop. I wasn't excited. It was the kind of shop that is so dirty, it makes Goodwill look like Saks! I literally felt like I needed to shower about 60 seconds upon entrance. We didn't stay long, but on the way out, I saw this:




An old kindergarten drama center in need of TLC, but it had lemonade stand potential written all over it. I took it home for a song and began to scrub it down. (But not before I'd had a good shower myself!) I painted the peg board and chalkboard sections a nice, glossy black and sanded and stained the wood. It was my first attempt at staining and I was glad I gave it a try. I had the stain on hand for an upcoming cedar chest project, and I'm glad I got to test try it on the cheaper stand. It definitely takes a bit of patience, but the results are to die for! I sealed it with a coat of poly (best invention ever!) and it was good to go.



I love it! LOVE it! And for under $30 for the project, my girls only have to sell...hmmm...well, our cups of lemonade may be just a teensy bit pricey! ;)




But how could you pass up a cup from these two cutie pies?



See other before & after stories at: