What do you do when your start date gets pushed back?

You make lemonade out the situation and take care of another project in the meantime!  I think I can get this next one completed and installed into the closet by Monday or Tuesday if the bureau was treated exactly the same as the drawers (one coat of paint). 

The finishing touches are going onto the cake pan cabinet so I decided to start on an old bureau that has been hanging around this house for years.  It wasn't original to Fred or myself, but when he purchased the house, it was one of two bureaus (one short with double drawers, the other tall with single drawers) left behind by the former owner.

I woke up with the idea that since it is in the bedroom I use when I'm up here (TX is home, but I float around for work and visit NJ to help Fred fix up his home), I needed to do something positive with it as there's already a large bureau in the room that was recently gifted to Fred.  The dang thing has been a tripping hazard in and doesn't allow me to get at the closet (sliding mirrored doors) without leaning over it.  God blessed me with the idea because it hit like a bolt of inspiration - "put the bureau in the closet".   

So my current plan is to strip down this old bureau, reinsert it into the closet, and remake the closet so it looks like it's supposed to be there - a built in for out of season clothes, maybe spare linens, a place to put your accessories, or just junk you don't want cluttering your main bureau.  The top of the closet has those adjustable white metal racks that you see in closets and pantries all over this country - the Home Depot or Lowes "quick closet metal bracket organizing systems".  I'll create something that will add value to the house so when Fred eventually decides to sell, he will have bidders fighting over this property!

The drawers are crappy looking with these awful plastic handles, which I removed.  I remember a few years ago at Lowes I tried to find new handles, but they didn't have anything that fit, so I'll have to try again to see what they have in stock that will fit the bill.  In the meantime, I didn't toss them out in case I come up dry.  If I get to the finish line before I find new handles, I'll have to make new ones out of something...don't ask me yet as I'm having trouble visualizing that option.

I also have to come up with a new door setup for the spot as you can't pull out the drawers with the sliding mirrored doors as they open only half way.  I think I'll have to go with shutter style bi-fold doors and see if I can reclaim the mirrors from the existing doors.  

I stripped all the drawers down to the bare wood, which wasn't bad at all since it was only one layer of paint over polyurethane and stain.  Tomorrow's supposed to be a really nice weather day, which means these drawers should be nice and dry, making them perfect to sand.

Although it must be done, I'm not looking forward to carrying that bureau down a flight of stairs tomorrow and then hauling it back up in a few days.  I will confess to looking forward to the completed results and an efficient closet.

The first task I'll tackle will be the last major piece of work on the cake cabinet - polyurethaning the top to protect the hard work I put into it.  The rest of the piece will remain natural.  As soon as that's done (we're still struggling as to how to mount specialty handles on the doors as it's proving to be a challenge), I'll post some pictures.  My friend said the other day she didn't have room for the piece and told me to enjoy it, but I think she's got a serious pang of curiosity about it and may still take it back since God told me to give it back to her.  I bet once she sees it, she'll come and get it!  LOL