Paint Tute-ish and One Dresser's Journey: Part I

So this post is a little different and I will try to make it simple and easy to read although my brain's kinda all over the place here and on overload. 

I've been wanting to post a tutorial of sorts about the striped dresser that I did a few months ago that now has a new home in Houston, TX. I finished this piece in Annie Sloan's Cream and General Finish's Linen. Yes, I combined chalk and milk paints. And it turned out amazing. 

So, here's the dresser. In process. Without pulls, of course. And in Kennesha fashion, no BEFORE pics.
Sorry, not the best pic but I couldn't "locate" the pimped out ones. :)

Since this post has the possibility of going on for days...I am going to write it out in two parts. So, you'll have to come back for the second part! *insert evil laugh*

Back to "Lovely"...that's what I called her. She was so petite and cute and even though her stripes were horizontal, she didn't look fat at all. She was perfect. She was one of those pieces that I almost couldn't let go. But, I did.

I decided to take her down to the shop and show her off and also posted her in my Etsy shop. It was only a few days before I was contacted by a sweet lady from Texas who saw the dresser in my online shop and had fallen in love with "Lovely". I couldn't blame here. I loved her too.

Now, Etsy. I decided to give selling my furniture on Etsy a try and not just for LOCAL PICKUP ONLY. I wanted to give others the opportunity to buy from me so I opened it up to shipping nationwide. I was honestly a little uneasy about it but decided to go for it after researching the best options for both parties.

I finally decided on Greyhound. Yes, Greyhound. While the initial thought of it made me cringe, it was the cheapest option and honestly, the most reliable. Greyhound's been shipping longer than FedEx and UPS. I decided to trust them.

I will admit, getting the dresser from my house to the station wasn't exactly the most convenient but when I look back at the entire experience from beginning to end, it was great. For those of you considering shipping your furniture or just curious about the process, here are some Do's and Don't's you may want to consider.

DO:
1. Communicate with your buyer quickly and as often as possible to keep them in the loop with transporting of their new piece.

2. Become best buds with the manager at the Greyhound station. Not only will she give you free tape and boxes but you'll make a new friends. Everyone likes new friends.

3. Research the best shipping option for the furniture piece you are selling. Greyhound may or may not be for you.

4. Have your buyer's contact information on-hand when you arrive.

5. Be sure that, from the beginning, you know all of the dimensions and have the approximate weight for your piece so that you can appropriately charge shipping. This is important. This is important. (Yes, I said that twice. It's important.)

DON'T:

1. Try to go at this alone with kids in tow. It's no fun. Trust me. I enlisted the help of the hubby. He's awesome.

2. Bubble wrap and package your piece on site. It will save you time if you have it prepped before you drop it off at the station.

3. Neglect effective and frequent communication with your buyer. It will help your process go much more smoothly and you'll be all the better for it at the end.

And for me, this is the end.

Lovely arrived safely and, well, kind of in one piece, at her new home.


striped dresser
My client sent me this pic after receiving. It fits her guest room perfectly. 

 You'll have to come back for the Chalk vs. Milk paint tute-ish in a few days. I'll be linking up soon with some fabulous
 ladies to talk about the ups and downs of chalk paint and milk paint and how to get the most out of both!  

Hope you all are having a wonderful week! 

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