OLD THINGS NEW

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Vintage Dresser & Mirror Update

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So here she is, my latest furniture transformation at long last complete!  I started this vintage dresser several months ago when I was in the process of testing three homemade chalkpaint recipes. You can read my review here to find out the one I rated as the BEST!
(Hmmm . . . I’m beginning to think I need to get a “staging” place for taking pictures of my furniture)
Anyway . . . this is how she looked before.
                                           

The dresser came with a marble top but I’ve left it off for now as I have other plans for it.
The marble was covering up some damage to the wood veneer top so I scraped away loose wood, sanded and filled with Wood Filler, sanded again and started painting.  The top isn’t perfect, it has some little dings and divets (just like me!) to give it the character that comes with age, but it looks pretty good with a few coats of paint . . .
 . . . and a little Annie Sloan Soft Wax buffed to a soft shine.
I added stripes to the sides for visual interest and to modernize this piece a bit.
I held onto the original wood knobs for a future project and purchased glass knobs from World Market. 
 I also purchased this floral applique from an Etsy shop online, then painted and antiqued it.

Here are some close-ups of a light distressing I gave the piece. I will be selling this and I’ve found that some people don’t like much distressing.  I can always add to the effect later for anyone who prefers more.
Next is the special surprise when the drawers are opened!  The wood in the bottoms of the drawers was a bit rippled, like there had been some water damage. They were still solid though so I decided to do a little decoupage to hide the roughness.  I got the graphics (old postcards, French script and vintage ladies) from The Graphics Fairy.  I then painted the insides of the drawers with a third paint color.
  Here’s a closer look at the lovely ladies.  That little tutu is my favorite color!
The three colors used on this dresser are: Behr Dream Catcher & Myth on the outside & Prelude for the insides of the drawers.
One last surprise is a peek at the back of the dresser. I painted it rather than leave it unfinished so it doesn’t necessarily have to stay up against a wall.  This little gal is a wallflower no longer!
I hope you enjoyed seeing another OLD THING made NEW. I sure enjoyed sharing it with you.  By the way, what do you think of stripes? I’m thinking of adding some to my walls. 
Blessings to you,

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Comments

    • Thank you Carol and bless you for your kind words! I don’t really think of myself as being at a very high “level” yet. Chalk paint is just so easy to work with. Big hugs to you.

      Reply

  6. This is gorgeous, admirable, wonderful. What a pity I can’t buy it.That makes me work even harder to finish my renovation. I hope I’ll be able to take some pictures soon.
    Magdalena

    Reply

  7. Oh my Goodness! This is one of the prettiest pieces I have ever seen, and it looks exactly like an Annie Sloan piece! You are good! I am in love with the colors! I love how you did the drawers and you even painted the back of it! Just simply beautiful! I will keep track of these colors, as I will do something similar!!

    Thank you for following me for the Grow Your Blog party! And so sorry it’s taken me this long to get back to you! I am now following you!

    hugggs
    Sandy
    @ french laundry 132

    Reply

    • I came over and I am following you back for sure (love your new his & her pillows)! I copied and pasted the link to your before vanity but it didn’t go anywhere when I pasted it into my browser 🙁 Maybe you could email me and add it as an attachment. I’d love to see your before and after.

      Reply

  30. Your dresser turned out beautiful! I love the stripes and the colors you chose. I like to decoupage or paint my drawers also to give everyone a little surprise when they open it up. It also helps if it is a really old piece that’s been stored somewhere to freshen it up and make it new again doesn’t it? LOve Love LOVE! You should share at Transformed Tuesday. My readers will love it. http://pjhdesignsoneofakind.blogspot.com/2013/01/transformed-tuesday-23-features.html Hugs, Peggy I’m a new follower. I think we have a lot in common. 🙂

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for the beautiful comments and the invitation to your link party. I went over, linked up and began following you back. What a wonderful blog. You’re right, I think we do have an awful lot in common indeed. Blessings to you 🙂

      Reply

  31. I’m so happy I found you while visiting another blog! I do love this dresser. I have been trying to decide what to do with a great dresser that I adore except the color. I’ve been told that it is a rare find and I should not paint it, but I have been looking for just this! Wow!!!! I’m gonna try. Hope you’ll visit and follow me. I will be catching up with you often!

    Reply

    • Bonnie – I’m so happy you found me too!!! I paid a visit to your blog & I’m a new follower back. I have some pieces that I choose not to paint because of their beauty, but it is such a personal choice. It it isn’t a priceless antique and you don’t like the color I’d encourage you to do it! Keep me posted with pics. Blessings to you 🙂

      Reply

  36. Love the way that you gave it such a fresh and modern feel! The colors and embellishments are spot on! Your blog is amazing! I’m following to see what you create next! You are welcome to link any time. We’d love to have you!
    Patti

    Reply

    • Hi Katie and thank you. I paid a visit to your blog and you do lovely furniture restorations. I especially love the cane chair. The fabric you used is great! I’ll be following you too!

      Reply

  40. OH MY!!! What a gorgeous piece! I’m not normally a ‘gray’ person, but this piece just took my breath away! I love the detail of the painting the back, the new handles and detail on the drawer as well as the Victorian prints in the painted drawers! The stripes certainly gave it a more modern feel! She’s a gorgeous girl! I’m visiting from Liz Marie’s blog and will be following you. I’m not a blogger, but I am new to painting furniture, so I’m looking to all you experienced girls for ideas and advice! Awesome job, Patricia!

    Reply

  41. Patti, you did a beautiful job on this! I love the stripes on the side. Thank you for sharing this at the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House! Hope to see your prettiness again on Monday. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

    Reply

  42. Patti, I wasn’t sure where to post this, so I’m doing it right here! 🙂 Thank you so much for featuring my blog as your favorite blog of the week! What an honor!! I think I will have to “copy” this look for a piece sometime in the near future–it is divine!!

    Reply

  43. Patricia, you will be one of the features today at the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Pop on in and grab a feature button for your blog! See you later at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

    Reply

  45. Patricia, it is a real beauty! I am interested in seeing which method you liked best. Going to check out your post. So far I have used the real A.S. and the homemade with plaster of Paris. I really couldn’t tell much difference between the two. Homemade definately cheaper. I love the decoupaged drawers. I am workin on an old desk. Painted it white and sanded about the same as you did. I will add wax tomorrow. What do you use to buff yours? Mine doesn’t shine quite that much. Must need to buff it more. I am decoupaging the inside of the drawers with old book pages. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    Reply

  46. Hi Jann – I just used the blue shop rags from the hardware store because they don’t leave lint imbedded in the wax. I also used a lot of elbow grease. If you’ve buffed really well and there still isn’t a shine you might try adding another coat of wax and buffing again. Thanks for your comments.

    Reply

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