Lily's Luau

The dresser before....

What a neat experience for N's Whims and Craft to Give Back! Several months ago, one of our Craft to Give Back volunteers donated a wooden dresser to Craft to Give Back. We have been tossing around the idea of gussying up some used furniture with good bones and either selling them to raise money for charity or donating them to DAIS for families starting out with nothing after fleeing abusive relationships. So, Jill O'Toole dropped off this awesome sized wooden dresser that was a bit blah. It sat for several months in the garage, taunting me. I wanted to work on the first one alone before we tackled any projects as a group. In the meantime, Patti Hottmann, another Craft to Give Back volunteer mentioned that Lily's Luau was coming up. Lily's Luau is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Lily's fund, which raises money for epilepsy research. Patti's oldest daughter, has epilepsy and she was serving as one of the hosts for this years event. This seemed like the perfect venue for our first dresser re-do! Now, there was a deadline (which is often what finally gets me to move from dreaming to doing)! 

The drawers before....

Inside of drawers painted!

Nicole Mihalas, another Craft to Give Back regular, happened to have a can of Laguna Blue paint leftover from painting Zoe's room. She dropped it off and I got to work cleaning, sanding and removing hardware. Next, I painted the inside of the drawers and the drawer pulls espresso brown. What a difference that alone made!

First coat on and drying....

Of course, when I purchased the spray paint, I only purchased one can and ran out right on my last drawer. I searched my stash of spray paint and found another half-finished can of the same color--can you believe it?! That NEVER happens to me! Once the drawers were drying, it was time for the first coat of blue--why was I so nervous? It turned out to be the perfect blue for a luau inspired dresser! I added a coat of blue to the outside of the drawers and day one was finished. The next morning began with sanding again--so glad that Mike and I bought a power sander for our anniversary last year :). Next up, wipe it all down again and then added a second coat. Such a pretty color in real life! I found a beautiful hibiscus flower picture, which is the symbol for Lily's Luau, and sent it to my parents, the owners of Vintage Caroline. They made and donated the hot pink vinyl hibiscus flowers for the top of the dresser.

Ta-Da!

Now, all that was left was to get dressed up, join a few Craft to Give Back ladies, and enjoy the coconut shrimp, island drinks and festive music--all for an excellent cause! We managed to have a great night, lots of giggles, met some fabulous young ladies living courageously with epilepsy--and, I walked away winning a basket of aveda products and pedicures for the four of us! I cannot tell you the thrill of seeing that our humble little dresser (along with a $25 gift card to Matilda Jane donated by Nicole Mihalas) went for $310 in the silent auction! Love the generosity we witnessed for a great cause last night. I learned that Lily's fund actually pays for research fellows focused entirely on finding a cure for epilepsy. Awesome job, Lily and family! Super duper fun and exciting night! Just goes to show how a community of women looking to bring a positive touch can make a difference! Can't wait to hear what the overall amount raised was. If you are looking for a great cause and a fun gala, you will need to make sure you get your tickets to Lily's Luau early next year--they sold out this year! And, if you have paint, furniture or painting supplies to donate, please keep Craft to Give Back in mind! We would love to take your donation, add a bit of love and make it grow into something even bigger....