Turning This Into That....Re-Do Children's Hutch

I'm gonna two-part this sucker because of the number of pictures.

Don't want you falling asleep on me. It's a boring hutch to Shabby Chic Sweetness!

We were given this cute little hutch for a birthday a couple years ago in this condition...

Yes. I know I should have re-done it before now....

My four year-old loves this grody thing and asks me to make it pretty all-of-the-time. My negligent decorating hasn't stopped her from playing with it and storing her most valued possessions in it{lip gloss, mostly}.

So it begins...now. I took it apart; hardware, drawers, doors. Trying hard not to be grossed out by the dried-on food and whatever else was now cemented to every part of this {cute, right?} hutch.

I commenced sanding. I am sanding in my family room. I was too tired to drag it outside and the carpet is on it's way out, anyway. It seemed more fun to do it this way...kinda rebellious. I won't lie. This thing took like three different sanding sessions. Every painted layer seemed to be less thick than the one before it, but with more dried-on drips. To get it back to smooth was a chore.

I took all the parts outside and primed them with Valspar spray primer. Can I just say how much I love that primer now comes in spray paint form? A.TON. It took me about three layers of primer, too. A good deal of exposed fake wood was present after my sanding and we had to help it all take on some paint.

I primed the hutch itself and was so {ehem} pleased to find that the whole back of the cabinet was made of particle board. Not the best for painting or avoiding splinters and slivers.

I then began spray painting the hutch with Valspar's 'Ballet Slipper'. Kinda giddy that I'm STILL spray painting. It's soo much easier than painting with a brush- perhaps it's just the fumes I'm inhaling? Three sprayed on layers, as well.

So three seems to be my magic number with this little get-up. Three trips to the store for paint, too!  Here's the painted hutch...for now. Tomorrow I'll show you the cute backing and the darling hardware

{from MindyMaesMarket.com of course}!