So this month, one of the Studio 5 producers challenged me to an Ikea make-over. This was actually a lot of fun, but it was also a bit of a challenge. The fun part was coming up with the idea. The challenging part was executing it lol. The reason Ikea furniture is so affordable is that it is made very frugally. Translation . . . It didn’t come with a back and the drawers weren’t very strong. So ended up having a neighbor cut out a back as well as two shelves. I purchased a huge sheet of plywood for $13.00 and only used half of it. The initial cost of the dresser was $39, so it still ended up being a great deal. So, here is what I did: First, I put together the dresser following the instructions.  However I left off the bottom two drawer runners.  Instead, I had my neighbor cut two shelves and a back. She attached them for me with a nail gun.  Then I painted it black.  I stenciled the top using a large stencil that I got from Michael’s crafts “Damask Tapestry” made by Plaid.  I used Stencil adhesive and the most important part was I used stencil paint.  This will prevent the paint from leaking under the stencil.  It takes about a day to dry completely but it is worth it. After everything was dry I brushed on a sealer.  Then I attached the glass knobs on the front drawer and the towel rack on the side.  Find various shaped bottles to fill with bath salts.  I found most of these bottles at Hobby Lobby.  I have attached a great recipe for some fun bath salts and bath bombs.  In the top drawer you can keep all of your favorite bath essetials such as brushes and loofas.  The baskets were purchased at Ikea as well.  I simply made little bookplates and tied them on with ribbon.  As always if you have any questions please let me know.

>