Not all she was cracked up to be

This piece was posted at a good price, so I raced the Mazda three towns over to be the first to pick her up.  Caught up in my haste, enthusiasm and hunger, I didn't really take a good look at her before I loaded her into the Mazda, a rookie mistake, I know. 
 

 
No, it wasn't until I got her home that I realized she was going to need some cosmetic surgery to make her stage worthy.
 

 
I slowly set to work in between coats of painting our house and gradually she was ready to be painted.  I sanded the entire piece down and opted for a soft romantic feel using 'Cottage Paint' clay and chalk paint.  I added some green and gray tint to my beige paint and this beautiful soft colour was the result.

 
I think the original hardware is adorable, all I did was kiss it with a bit of paint to soften it up.

 
A close up shot which shows some of the paint strokes, I used wax as a top coat on this piece because I was happy for that smudgy 'aged' imperfect look.  Just clear, no dark.

 
I added the distressed gray and white chevron pattern for a touch of whimsy, and kissed the knobs with the same green as the body.

 

 
I made sure all the veneer was glued down firmly with wood glue and clamps, you know how old veneer can bubble and ripple.  But I wasn't overly concerned about making sure the veneer was perfectly smooth.  Its an old piece, she's bound to have a few wrinkles.

 

The flowers are real, peonies.  We got them at Easter, lord knows where they were grown, it certainly wasn't anywhere near this freezing cold wasteland.  Spring is sure taking its time this year.

 



 

 
The before.  I removed the top piece for a more contemporary feel.

Little bit o'mint

This is the third piece from the French Baronet set.  I really loved the way my previous mint and white dresser (here) turned out, so I decided to go for the same combination again.

I primed the dresser first with primer tinted a mint colour. I then painted on my dulux satin sheen in mint (two coats).  I distressed back revealing some of the original white finish and some of the wood beneath. 

I also painted the recessed trim with white to add some visual interest, and I painted out the hardware white on this one as well.

I topped it all with an oil based poly, and voila!  A cute little piece of French goodness!

I think she would look great as a little entry-hall catch all, or in a nursery too.

The shot below captures the colour really well.  It is a lovely soft mint with just a touch of vibrancy.

Stay tuned for my next piece..Im trying my hand at something red for the first time!

Very Whitewashed Grey Dresser

This dresser was a long and drawn out affair (think Victor and Nikky from Y&R)  I began by painting it a light blue, but the finished effect looked ill suited to anything but a nursery.  The plan was to have it in our bedroom, so nursery was definitely out of the question.

Phase two was to paint over the blue with grey.  It looked better.  A little.  But it still didn't have any pazzaz and it just didn't quite get me excited.

Phase three was to whitewash over the grey, ok I started to like it a little more, but it needed some extra contrast in my mind, bring on Phase four..

Phase four was to stain the top a very very dark chocolate (almost black) to amp up the contrast a bit.

It is a great addition to the muted tones of our bedroom and provides ample storage for Mr. Chuckles' unmentionables.

The cute vintage pictures are framed advertisements from old 1950s 'Life' magazines passed down to us from Mr. Chuckle's grandfather. I love the one of Santa holding a typewriter.

A close up of the whitewash technique.  I painted over the knobs as well, and then did some light distressing to show the brass through.  

I haven't decided if I will distress the dresser.  What do you think?