influenced by them and I missed you comment about the messes not being so bad when it means you've lots of love and it reminded of a favorite poem of my Mom's... And though I like a tidy house, I have to agree with what it says as long as the house isn't dirty to the point of being unhealthy. Messy... okay. Dirty... not so much.

• 

back of the glass with Looking Glass spray paint to turning them into mirrors, add some sturdy legs and attach hooks to the inside back for dress up clothes. Oh and them paint it metallic gold and silver to look like it belongs in a princesses room.

Texas that he'd like to check out for possible retirement home. Ofcourse ours would not be quite this size. ;^) LOL

point of view.

I've known many that use the poly/stain combos that can go right over existing stains. Very few with acceptable results. As long as you are going darker, which is what you want, that is a possibility. In my opinion this method takes a skill set that not many have and you'll wind up with streaks.

Your best bet in my opinion would be to give everything a good sanding to remove the gloss (which you'd have to do a poly/stain combo too) and then use a gel stain in the desired color following the directions of the brand you choose. Finish with a polyurethan in your desired finish. I prefer satin for two reasons. One it doesn't readily show dings and just looks richer.

For a more professional opinion I'd wait to see what KMS Woodworks has to say.