Sewing Desk Makeover - Round Two!

Remember how the sewing desk went from this...

To this?

Well, it has had another transformation! Last summer with the gray paint chipping a bit (I didn't coat it in clear coat or anything) we decided to do some tweaking to the design and then sand it down and refinish it with wood stain. Notice how the desk opens up (presumably to let out the sewing machine, but the sewing machine is long gone)? Well, we removed the top two pieces that opened up, then we removed the board below that, and then we reattached the top two "opening" pieces. Except we made it so that they won't open up anymore. The effect is that now the desktop is at a more reasonable height to sit at. 

You can see what I mean in the picture below:

Now there's only one layer of desktop. Here's a closeup of the little drawer, which I left painted Cornbread yellow:

I used a Miniwax stain with a built-in poly coating so that I only had to use one product instead of two. 

Here's the top of the desk from above:

And inside the drawer (I didn't cut the bolt, whoops):

The most difficult part of this project was definitely sanding in the little nooks and crannies of the desk to make sure that the gray paint and the leftover finish from the desk's past life were removed so that they new stain would sink in. Another thing you might want to keep in mind if you're tackling a refinishing project is that it takes a loooong time for the stain/poly coating to dry to the point where it does not smell anymore. I recommend leaving the furniture outside for as long as possible.

Now we're finally getting some use out of this guy (it has been in storage) at my boyfriend's new apartment.