wooden whale toy makeover

I've mentioned it before, but we live across the street from a thrift store. It tends to be entirely hit or miss, but whenever we're looking for something, we start there. The other day we were on the hunt for an industrial stool {no luck yet}, so we took the crosswalk hand in hand. While I was rummaging somewhere between a walker and a fuzzy pink folding chair, Matthew was having much better finds. 

Presenting the wooden whale. Affectionately called Fredrick. 

A couple of things before we get into it. His name is courtesy of a little Andrew Pearson randomness. In the midst of one of the Nowak Family Productions, Andrew picked up the whale pillow on the couch and called it Fredrick, as though that had always been its name. Every whale since has shared the name. Also, when we were in line to buy Fredrick, a woman asked if there were any able bodied men willing to help carry a t.v. to a truck. Matthew's random act of kindness prompted the thrift store to let us take Fredrick home for free. You shouldn't need incentive to do something kind, but hey, sometimes people give you free wooden whales! Ok, moving on.

I love him. He's all wood and adorable whether you think he's a child's toy or a back massager. He was just so... scratched up. His {once googily} eyes were nothing but sticky ovals. He needed a hug... from sandpaper and a paintbrush. Enter me.

He's all finished. Waiting to be rolled around by a couple dozen little Nowak babies {not a pregnancy announcement}. We were perfectly content to leave the wheels alone, mostly because they were already perfect. I love giving new life to something old.