re-defined design: #6, Surprise Ween!!!

I am breathing a sigh of relief today. My project from H-E-double-hockey-sticks is complete! Done! Finished! Termine! J'ai fini!
Now, let me clafiry. This is the project that I recently referred to as 'close to my heart'. I loove love love the recipient, but have had a hard time with this particular piece. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that this is the first thing I have made that has been a gift. Not just any gift, but a baby gift for my BFF. I made this for my best friend since the eighth grade, who I have always lovingly called WEEN. She calls me this too and our children actually call each of us "aunt ween". People who were around us in high school still call us that 10 years later. We don't even mean to say it, it has just kind of stuck.
Anyway, Ween is having her second child in October and has been telling me shes looking for a dresser for the new baby. Her and her hubby are waiting to find out the sex of this little bundle until the baby is born. I think its an awesome surprise for them, but it did pose some trouble as to colors for me:)
I found this dresser/changing table at a Hospice rummage sale and instantly saw potential. I would like to point out that this was months ago now and since then I have learned A LOT about what details to look at before purchasing:) The table was a sort of light lime green, with big wood painted knobs. Here is the long and treacherous road to a baby gift:
Here she is when I bought her: (Ive named her Helga because it just sounds like a troublesome lady:)

My first plan was to stain the whole thing a dark almost black ebony stain. Then paint the front of the drawers white and shabby them up. (the crib is white) That way it could easily work for a girl or a boy.

So, I sanded, and sanded, and sanded, and sanded..............

It was then that I realized that the sides of the dresser were fake, lame, horrible, no-way-in-heck-you-are-staining-me wood.(if you can even call it wood.) I was crushed. I felt like the dresser didn't have enough detail to it for the whole thing to be painted white, so I had to come up with another plan.

I decided I would try the opposite of my old plan. I would paint the whole thing white, and stain the drawers that beautiful ebony I had been dreaming about. The result? Not cool. Not cool at all:) Heres how it looked:

Not what I was thinking. Now, my husband, B works out of town, so with two little ones I have a hard time finding the time I want to do my furniture. My dad decided to clear out a spot in his shop for me where the girls could have a little area to craft while I work.

This is very helpful, but they still manage to find trouble. On this specific day while staining, and waiting and waiting, and staining again(it just never got to the ebony:) this is what my little Emma surprised me with....:)

Cute, isn't she? Blue? Blue! Thats it, I'll use my favorite blue. I decided that I'd paint the drawers blue. And paint the rest white, with blue underneath that I would shabby down to peak through.(like a mirror I had just finished). I think blue works for a boy or girl.
My dad had to cut a new piece for the bottom that was broken when I bought it..thanks dad!

I'm not totally in love with it, but I think its a little of the fear and pressure of it being a gift. And an important one at that. My bestie is horrible with surprises, I mean HORRIBLE. She can't keep them secret and she can't let you keep them a secret from her. I've been trying to plan this dresser with her husband, who I might add( I love ya Jake) but hes not the best advice giver on colors or themes (unless ween really has not told him any ideas for the new nursery) He was sweet and reassured me that whatever I do, she will love and they will plan the room around it. I think I got more nervous when she told me last week that if the baby is a girl, they will move their daughter Addison to the other bedroom and put the new baby in the already painted nursery. Already painted pink and brown! Oh, dear...I've either changed the plans for a room, or I'll be doing some more painting on Helga soon:) Anwyway, I'm convinced she knows. She was acting awfully suspicious last weekend as we lay on a raft at the bay. She was asking if I had seen any dressers on my garage saleing adventures. She gave me the i-know grin and then I started grinning and couldnt hide it....it was awkard:)
I found some great big chunky glass knobs at Anthropologie and think they work perfect on these oversized drawers. I also made a changing pad and a cover for it to match. Once baby Oliver is born I will make more covers accordingly:) Here she is again before and now finished and ready to be delivered.