Rescued Painted Toy Shelf

Our town like many others has Amnesty Day once a year (or two depending on garbage company) where residents leave large debris, garbage and just stuff they don't want anymore on their curbs. This turns into a free for all for pickers, scrap metal collectors and anyone interested in some free furniture. I saved this ottoman from the dumpster already and also found this scrappy little shelf. It's a simple structure and looks like it was slapped together quickly.

I had asked Mike to build something similar to house our sons trucks. While this wasn't exactly what I had in mind, it was sturdy and required zero effort on my husbands part. Which meant it was perfect. Obviously it had been well cared for - um not. Look at this detail, how could I pass it up?

This was a perfect opportunity to take advantage of some free labor so my son started wiping off the grass, dirt and general grossness that had accumulated on the shelf.

A power sander was used to smooth down the rough edges followed by a quick wipedown with an old damp t-shirt. I opted to skip primer and use paints already on hand. Some SW light grey, a sample pot of Valspar green and turqoise craft paint were mixed together. After the first coat there wasn't much paint left so I applied a second coat to just the top and sides.

In person the color looks similar to the kids jewelry dresser I painted except the shelf color is a little softer due to the added grey paint. While it would have been nice if it was a little longer and deeper, more importantly it is short enough to fit under the roll arm of the couch. It also provides a spot to set something down while sitting on the couch. And it was free. I love free.