DIY or "Do It Myself, wtf am I thinking?"

I have 3 pieces of furniture (a chest of drawers, an old metal desk, and a dresser that I want to turn into a buffet) that are in desperate need of a makeover. And I want to do it all by myself. Well kinda, but not really. Actually, what I really want is someone that is experienced in doing things like this to just come hold my hand and guide me thru the process step-by-step. You would even get to come to Lowe's with me!  You would also get to come over and spend hours upon hours helping me sand it, fill the holes with wood filler (I'm wanting to add new hardware), prime it (if needed), paint it, add a sealant (or whatever its called), and then put it back together so I can finally USE it!  I do have some ideas. Okay they are very vague ideas and could change if your idea is better. Which I'm sure it more than likey will be better.

This is the order that I want to get them done:

#1 - Chest of Drawers

We are in desperate need for more drawers in our bedroom. Recently, we bought new furniture. But we only got one dresser and one night stand. The night stand has 2 drawers that Alan uses for his undies and socks. The dresser is MINE. I can't share it! But it only has 3 small drawers on top and then 4 big drawers below. So in comes this chest of 4 drawers that a friend sold to me for $10! My idea is to paint it a darker gray (but not too dark) and then just paint the top of it a bright yellow. And then I want to give it a "distressed" look. Our bedding is actually called "sky blue" but honestly it looks gray. So I am going with that. And I like the look of grays and yellows together. Eventually I want to paint my room Sherwin Williams Kimono (it is a dark, but bright, purple) and I think hope it will flow.

#2 - Desk

We have an office that is dying for a new paint color. Right now I will call the color that is in there "barf green". Seriously, it is hideous. So honestly, I don't know what I want to do to the desk yet. Must find paint color for office first. Anyways, the desk is metal and to me it reminds me of an old school desk that a teacher would use. I bought it from a friend for $40. I have no idea what to do with metal because you can't really sand it, can you? I think I want to paint it white (or maybe cream-ish) and then find some fun wallpaper and put that on the very top and then add a piece of glass to the top of it. The main idea is to make it kid-friendly so the kids will have a semi-quiet place to do homework, etc.

#3 - Buffet

I want to take this old dresser I have and remove the 4 drawers on the bottom and make open shelves (you know to be able to put cute baskets in) so I can store things like snacks for the kids, etc, and they will be out of plain sight. I plan on leaving the 3 small drawers on top to use for storage also (aka junk drawers). This will be a lot cheaper then going to buy the buffet/hutch that matches our table. We really want it, like a lot. But this dresser is already mine and it is FREE. Unlike that $800+ buffet/hutch. My plans for the buffet (aka old dresser) is to just sand it and stain it. I would like to get the stain to be the same color as the table, at least close enough that you can't tell it is not the same. Haha!


Some other DIY ideas that I hope to complete in the near future:

My oldest sons room. He likes OSU and football. And he has black furnitre. I would like to paint three of the walls OSU Orange and one wall White (the wall his bed will be). I also want to paint the bookshelf he has white and then I plan on adding fun football things from Hobby Lobby and OSU decor to the room. 

My babies room (who probably will be a 4 year old by the time I get around to doing his room). I want to do something "rustic-y" for his room. Not so much cowboys, etc, but just a rustic feel. I really like this that the Clean Slate team did. I like the nook area and want to do the wood on the wall like in the picture. Ashley Ann (from Under the Sycamore) took all the pictures.

I would also like to do a "hall of frames" (photos) on the wall going up the staircase. I am going to demand ask my mother (since she is better at sewing) to make me a slipcover for the couch in the office. And I would like to buy new living room furniture. I can just do that once I win the lottery. Oh you have to actually play it to win, then nevermind. I guess she will just get to help me figure out something to do with what I previously own.

So those are just a few of my DIY ideas that have been bouncing around up in this ol' noggin of mine!

P.S.  Just in case you are thinking that my daughter was left out...this can help you rest knowing that her room was the first to get painted and made-over. That is what she wanted for Christmas, so that is what she got :-)  She now has 3 turquoise-aqua colored walls and one fuschia accent wall. She got brand new purple curtains and a really cool curtain rod. Peace sign bookends, peace sign wall art, new picture frames, a duct-taped lime green mirror, etc.  A tween room all the way!!