This holiday season we’re kicking things off with a furniture thrift flip for a sewing enthusiast on our gift list.

Some people browse Marketplace for random finds. My husband? He went in with a mission: track down a vintage sewing notion cabinet — identical to the one he already owns — and transform it into the perfect wedding/holiday gift for our sewing-loving friend. Mission accomplished… sort of.

When he brought it home, I had to take a moment. There it was: bold burgundy paint, gold legs, and gold shell-inspired handles that looked like they came straight from an undersea lounge. Quirky? Absolutely. Full of potential? You bet!

Beneath the flashy exterior, though, was a sturdy little cabinet with tons of potential. So we teamed up, rolled up our sleeves, grabbed some tools, and got to work turning this Marketplace treasure into a handcrafted gift; perfect for storing bobbins, buttons, and all the little treasures a dedicated sewist collects.

Here’s how this colourful character went from “mermaid chic” to a beautifully refreshed cabinet worthy of any sewing room — or any holiday gift list.

Just removing the handles was an improvement.

But this little gem needed a makeover from the inside to the out!

Do It Over Designers

This month’s theme is of course the holidays! The Do It Over Designers blog Hop is hosted by Ann at The Apple Street Cottage. We’re a group of bloggers who take something old and/or unused and ‘do it over’ into something new. These items can be found in closets, barns, garages, yard sales, thrift stores, you name it! Be sure to check out the projects at the very end of this post!

Materials

[If you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered (disclosure): The blue links in this post may be affiliate links. We earn a commission from qualifying purchases which we proudly donate to Alzheimer’s research. But don’t worry, you don’t pay a cent more! Thanks for helping to support our fundraiser!]

• Minwax High Performance Wood Filler
• Saman interior Waterbased Varnish
• 15 gallon California Air Tools Quiet Air Compressor 15020c
• Minwax Stain
• DeVillbis Spray Gun
• Sand paper
• FrogTape Painters tape
• Masking Tape
• Digital scale (if mixing your own Shellac)
• Benjamin Moore Fresh Start K046 Primer
• Benjamin Moore Command Cabinet Paint
• Stencil
• Vintage Duck Egg Chalk Paint (for stencilling)
• Ardex Unwaxed Shellac or Pre-made Zinsser Sealcoat Dewaxed Shellac

Thrift Flip Prep

Hubs initially just wanted to give the whole thing a scuff sand, paint it and call it a day. However, I REALLY wanted to stain the top and give it a special treatment, so Hubs gave in and kindly stripped the top back to bare wood.

After stripping the top, Hubs removed it so he could spray prime the drawers and body.

There were a few places that needed wood filler. Our go-to is this two part epoxy filler by Minwax.

It sets up fast so Hubs can move on with taping the drawers with a combination of masking tape and FrogTape…

… and giving them a coat of white primer.

Then I could go ahead and stain the raw wood using an old rag dipped in stain.

Much better! You can see the primed the table and drawers drying in the background.

The stain looked as bright as the original burgundy when it was still wet — which wasn’t what I was after! But luckily it settled down after soaking in and drying.

The remaining pieces got their final coat of paint.

Protecting the Thrift Flip

To protect the wood surfaces — the inside of the drawers and newly stained top — Hubs prepares his own shellac using unwaxed flakes that he hydrates with a special shellac thinner.  Shellac is a natural resin that’s harvested from a tiny insect called the Lac. It’s surprisingly versatile; it can leave wood with a beautiful glossy finish, and even provide the shiny coating found on citrus fruit and treats such as jelly beans and Junior Mints (my favourite treat when I was still eating sugar)! The process of making Shellace in India is fascinating!

However, it’s important for this project that the Shellac is dewaxed. Waxed vs. dewaxed shellac comes down to one key ingredient: the natural wax found in shellac flakes.

Waxed Shellac

• Contains the natural wax that’s present when shellac is harvested.
• Produces a warm, rich finish that many traditional woodworkers love.
• Works beautifully as a standalone finish.
• BUT: It can cause adhesion problems with some modern topcoats (like water-based polyurethane), which may peel or not cure properly over waxed shellac.

Since I’m stencilling over a stained surface and sealing with a water-based clear coat, dewaxed shellac is a must; it’s the only option that guarantees proper adhesion:

Dewaxed Shellac

• Has the natural wax removed.
• Offers a clearer, slightly harder finish.
• Much more versatile because nearly all finishes—water-based, oil-based, lacquer, and poly—adhere reliably on top of it.
• Ideal as a universal sealer/primer, especially under paint or other topcoats.

Quick Rule of Thumb

• Use dewaxed shellac when you plan to paint or apply another finish over it.
• Use waxed shellac when you want a classic, traditional shellac-only finish.

Hubs has his own tried and true method for mixing shellac, which I’m hoping to share when he has more time to walk me through it :).

Here’s one part of his process I can share: since the flakes are on the larger side, Hubs gives them a quick spin in a spice grinder to help them dissolve faster. It substantially shortens the time it takes to hydrate the dewaxed Shellac with the ethyl alcohol.

He then leaves the mixture overnight and the next day he can spray it on to protect the wood. Of course, if you can find pre-made dewaxed Shellac, like this Zinsser Sealcoat Dewaxed Shellac, you can skip mixing the flakes altogether!

Right in the middle of all this, our pancake compressor gave out (you’ll see it in this post on how to spray paint using a spray gun). Marketplace to the rescue again! We found this 15 gallon California Air Tools Quiet Air Compressor  for a steal! We’ve been wanting a larger unit that can keep up with spray painting and this baby does not disappoint!

Back to the task at hand! Here’s the hydrated Shellac ready to spray the inside of the drawers.

Can you tell that Hubs is NOT the gift wrapper in the family?

A coat of shellac gives the drawers a clean, well-sealed finish.

Hubs also sprays shellac on the stained top as an undercoat. Shellac is ideal for sealing things like knotholes and sap streaks to prevent bleed through for to the next step in the process: stencilling with chalk paint!

Stencil the Top

Unfortunately there are no in-progress pictures of stencilling the top because I was on a tight timeline to get things done for our Alzheimer’s fundraiser.

I was so happy with how our CANvergence artwork looked during the holiday market at the art gallery! Although we didn’t reach our fundraising goal last weekend, our new Alzheimer’s donation page is directly linked to the Alzheimer Society and available year-round to support Alzheimer’s research. Please visit to make a donation if you are feeling charitable this holiday season.

See this post on how to stencil without bleed for the lowdown on how to get a perfect result using a stencil! I used a pretty Vintage Duck Egg Chalk Paint for stencilling. It couldn’t have turned out better!

For a final topcoat, we’re using this Saman interior waterbased varnish.

It’s a favourite finish of ours because it twice a durable as a traditional waterbased varnish. It’s typically used for floors, but is tough as nails on furniture too!

Replacement Pulls

I originally put these oversized pulls on our vintage sewing notions table makeover. But Hubs disliked them SO much that he found an alternative.

Thrift Flip Reveal

One day I came home to find these on our thrift flip. I had to admit that they are sleek and a much better scale for this little upcycled sewing cabinet.

Here’s a closer look at that fabulous stencilled top.

There’s always a bit of give and take when you partner up to complete a small furniture makeover like this. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Hubs and I make a great team — both in furniture makeovers and in life :). 

Pin Thrift Flip

If you found this project inspiring or helpful, why not share the love? Pinning is a great way to support our charitable work and helps others discover creative ideas too! Just click the Pin button and save it to your favourite board; you’ll be able to find it later when you’re ready to try it yourself. Every pin makes a big difference and keeps the creativity flowing!

Do It Over Designers

Now, our talented blogger friends have some amazing and inspiring DIYs for you! Don’t forget to visit these posts for more upcycled do-it-over transformations!

• The Apple Street Cottage
• Birdz of a Feather (that’s us!)
• Exquisitely Unremarkable
• Modern on Monticello
• Pandora’s Box
• Purple Hues & Me
• Sum of Their Stories
• Vintage Style Gal