What to do, what to do...

Remember this?



I found it on the curb of my neighbor's house with a "free" sign taped to it, along with the filing cabinets I've been working on. I blogged about that night of free loot here.

Anyway, it all started with me thinking I could pick up the nightstand, turn it into something awesome, and sell it for a little profit.

However, I've still done nothing to it. As moving looms ever nearer, I feel the need to do something with this nightstand and get it out of my garage. Really, this is not a priority, but it's one of those things that feels like one, you know?

So, upon closer inspection of the piece, it really doesn't need a new coat of paint. It's in pretty good shape. However, the top is water damaged, so I'll need to sand that down and give it a fresh coat.

I've been thinking of alternatives to just painting it. I've considered something like this, without as loud of colors:



I've considered painting swirly designs on the side, over the drawers, etc. as a kind of mural. Similar to this, just stretched over a piece of furniture instead of a wall:



I even considered painting a design just on the top. Maybe something like this:



But I haven't decided. And, what's more, I've come up with even more ideas! I found this amazing tutorial on how to make faux mercury glass at the Shanty 2 Chic I Made it Without My Hubby party. What would you think about me making a piece of "mercury glass" to adhere to the top? I'm not sure if it would look as awesome, but it might. And, of course, if I do a piece on the top, what's to stop me from adding a piece to each side, to add some continuity? Wouldn't that be cool? Maybe with a little frame around it, to cover the edges?

I'm kind of leaning toward the last idea. What if I made a faux piece of mercury glass, adhered it to the top; painted the hardware on the piece in something (probably black) by Rust-Oleum; and distressed/glazed the edges a bit? Sounds pretty chic to me :)