Anticipating the delivery of Don’s birthday TV, and realizing that it would never fit into the old entertainment center, I knew that I had to find some kind of stand for the new Samsung – and fast!  Because I had spent plenty on the television itself, I was feeling kind of frugal (actually very cheap), but I knew that laminated pressed board from Wal-Mart was not going to go over well with my consultants (kids and spouses) even though it might fit my budget.

So with Don gone for the day on a Church youth activity, Emily and I set out for the thrift store, hoping the perfect piece would simply present itself.  Half price Saturdays at the local Arc are wildly popular with Greeleyites, because let’s face it – 50% off at the thrift store is frugal living at its finest.  The store was crowded with bargain hunters, and the checkout lines were long as patient customers waited to purchase jeans, dishes, school clothes – and even lingerie.

But we were two on a mission and (once Emily made peace with the thrift store smell), we made a beeline for the back of the store.  Because we weren’t sure what we wanted, we weren’t sure we’d recognize IT when we saw it.  Our first look around the furniture department identified a couple of possibilities – not ideal, but worth consideration.    But after Emily talked me out of a couple of false positives, and she had gone to check on the kids who were delightedly perusing the toy department, I spotted a piece that I thought had great potential.  I couldn’t go find her, because furniture is a hot item on half-price day, and I couldn’t risk somebody else staking a claim on what could be our piece of promise.

Shortly they all returned to check on my progress, and Jack proudly showed me their fabulous find – Don’t Break the Ice” game for $1.00.  Emily thoughtfully examined the old dresser I was hovering over, and agreed that it was a great find and would fix up well.  And for $25 how wrong could we go?

We decided to go for it, and quickly paid (watching closely that the helpful employee tagged my piece with a SOLD sign), made arrangements to pick it up later and hurried to the car.  Emily had just about reached her limit on the Arc ambiance and she passed disinfecting hand wipes all around.

A quick trip in and out of Home Depot yielded sandpaper, primer, black paint and polyurethane finish and we were ready to get to work.  Taking confidence from our success with the Great China Hutch Makeover of  2002, Emily and I set up shop in the garage.  We sanded, primed, painted and finished and then suggested Don spray paint the drawer pulls – tricky, huh!

About three days and several tall tales later (most of which Don probably didn’t believe, but was too polite to challenge) we finished in time for the paint to be dry before the television arrived.

Now I wonder if I can do a make over on a couch . . .