Tuesday, January 28, 2014

A New Look for My Vintage Dresser


Thirteen years ago, my husband and I, newly married purchased our first home and set out to furnish it on a very limited budget.  I headed straight to the local antique store (before Camas Antiques was around!) and bought two dressers for $100.  The pretty one with the mirror would be mine, of course, only it wasn't very pretty when I first spotted it.  Old mustard yellow paint was flaking off in places to reveal a shiny black layer underneath.  Nevertheless, it had potential and I figured I was capable of making it over!  I didn't have much experience painting furniture, but I had seen every episode of Trading Spaces on TLC, so I felt pretty confident that I was ready to tackle a furniture makeover! 

Paint one coat of white latex paint on, wait several hours for it to dry, a second coat, next day, a third coat...still see mustard yellow in places, a fourth coat, replace plain wood knobs with clear glass ones, and done!  I had myself a shiny white dresser. 

And so it remained for many years.  I vowed to repaint the white beast when we moved to our new home three years later, but got busy hunting for more furniture, having babies, starting a business, etc...  Fast forward many years later,  I have this wonderful paint sitting in the garage that I know will make my dresser a gazillion times more beautiful than that first mediocre paint job so long ago!


I started dreaming up a plan for this dresser that had faithfully held my things for so long, yet been so terribly neglected and under appreciated.  It started with a complete coat of Paloma Chalk Paint® Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan.  Once that coat had dried (about 15 minutes later!), I applied a little Artisan Enhancements Crackle Tex here and there, and then waited for that to dry. 


The interior and drawer sides I painted Paloma were simply clear waxed.  It makes for a lovely surprise when the drawer is opened, and I am enjoying seeing the pretty color inside when I open it to grab a pair of leggings or a camisole.


After doing some strategic distressing to reveal that lovely lavender shade beneath the white, I stenciled a flourish pattern across the drawer fronts, also in Paloma.  Next, I heavily distressed my stenciling to make it look as though it had been there for ages.

Finally, I waxed the entire dresser first with Annie Sloan's clear wax, followed by dark wax and then the clear again where I wanted to lighten it up a bit.


Today, I had fun accessorizing and staging my old dresser with it's new look, in a new spot in our bedroom!  I purchased this violets print on Ebay for our bedroom years ago.  Today it was put in a new frame and I think it's perfect on top of the dresser as it breaks up the big square mirror.

 

This antique sterling hand mirror and brush set was a wonderful bargain at a garage sale a couple of summers ago.

 

My Eiffel tower statues frequently move around to different parts of the house and are often used in staging furniture for photos.  I think I will enjoy them here for while!


I'll let you in on a little secret of mine.  When I shop estate sales for treasures for my antique store booth space, I often come home with items that are flawed beyond repair and in my mind not suitable for resale.  Most of the time, it's simply oversight.  I get in a rush and forget to look over my purchases carefully before checking out.  I sometimes end up tossing these items or donating them to a local thrift store, as much as I hate to do so having just dished out my hard earned money for them.  But, whenever I can I find a place in our home to use these items, either in a repurposing project, or just to put on display.  This tea cup is one of those items...cracked all the way through and poorly glued back together but still much too beautiful to be thrown away.  It's unsuitable for tea, but it could sure hold a few pair of earrings!


I purchased some silk lavender at the craft store last week to use in my bedroom but when I put it out, it seemed too bright and new next to all of my vintage lovelies.  Last summer my husband and I celebrated our anniversary in Hood River and enjoyed a visit to a beautiful lavender farm.  The bunch of lavender that I picked that day has dried nicely and is the perfect shade of dusty purple to sit atop my lovely dresser...and it holds a special memory as well. 


I am still working on a few more updates to our bedroom but feel like I am fairly close to being ready to share photos of the whole room.  I have a small wish list, a few items that would really pull the room together and make it feel a bit more complete.  This weekend is the Funky Junk Sisters Vintage Flea Market in Hillsboro, Oregon where there is sure to be a plethora of vintage goodies for sale!  I am so looking forward to a shopping trip with a couple of my favorite vintage loving buddies!  Hopefully I will find those perfect accessories I've been in search of! 
Be sure to follow me on Facebook for photos from our Flea Market adventure!

Thank you so much for your sweet visit today!  Have a wonderful week!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda

 
 
 
Sharing with...
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours
What's it Wednesday at Elephants and Ivy
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground 
 Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Inspired to Create...a Girly Little Vignette!

 
As I waited in line to pay for my treasures at a recent estate sale, I looked over the items in my basket and suddenly had a very distinctive vision!  Vintage dresses for real babies and doll babies alike, a felt hat, tiny shoes, a curved handled baby spoon and a collection of old photos inspired a couple of small makeover projects and then ultimately this very girly little vignette for my booth space at Camas Antiques.  Often times when I go shopping for treasures, I don't have any idea of what I am looking for or what I might find.  I love it when I come home with a collection of things that ignite a flame within my creative soul and inspire me into action!
 
 
A rather simple but sturdy small chest of drawers had a romantic makeover with a couple of coats of Chalk Paint® Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan.  I started with a custom mix of Antoinette and Old White for a soft, pretty pink.  I added the scalloped design in Old White and a simple hand painted flower chain in the custom pink along the edges to give it the look of eyelet lace.

 
Vintage photos add such charm to a vignette.  A photo of a cheerful little girl is attached to a bare lampshade, layered with a tiny vintage slip dress alongside a skirt, shoes and pearls.

 
This gorgeous handmade baby doll dress was badly stained when I brought it home from the estate sale.  After an overnight soak in Oxy Clean, it is bright and beautiful again!
 
 
A dark, cast-off lamp base was full of potential but in need of a face-lift.  I brushed on two coats of Old White and followed up with a wash in French Linen.  After a coat of Clear Wax and the addition of a shabby floral shade, it has a soft, pretty new look! 
 
 
I quickly chose these older hardback books primarily based on each one's cover and it's subtle hue.  Once home with them, I flipped through the pages and was pleasantly surprised by the intriguing content as well!  Books are such treasures!

 
Old photographs are fun to use in vintage inspired crafts or when creating vignettes.  I pick them up whenever I find ones that speak to me.  When I was little I bought old photos at antique stores and then went home to write fictional stories about the people in them!  I have scanned my most recent photo finds to share here and invite you to print them for use in your projects, or to inspire you to write stories or create vignettes!  Enjoy!
 







 
Creative inspiration for me comes in many forms and from many different avenues.  It can't be forced and it's a shame to waste it!  So, get out there and be inspired, and when the spark ignites...create!
 
Thank you so much for your sweet visit today!  I can't tell you how much I enjoy hearing from you!  Your kind words encourage and inspire me further!    You are a blessing and a treasure!  Have a fabulous week!
 
Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda
 
 
 
 
 
Sharing with...
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
 Furniture & Paint Party at Start at Home
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours
What's it Wednesday at Elephants and Ivy
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground 
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
 Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Monogrammed Dresser, for my Honey with Love

 
Earlier this month I picked up a pair of dressers at the thrift store.  I had every intention of painting them for the shop and had just gotten started when I caught my husband giving this one the once over.  After a little discussion and consideration, I agreed to paint it for him and repaint his older, smaller, slightly less masculine dresser for the shop.
 
 
A few years ago we painted our master bedroom a pretty deep purple.  I got some lovely new bedding for Christmas that year and had always intended to repaint our dressers, but never seemed to get around to it.  The old dressers are vintage and sweet, but I had painted them bright white years ago and they were a little to stark against the deep purple walls.
 
 
I chose Country Grey in Chalk Paint® Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan for his dresser.  I would consider this color more of a taupe than a grey.  I have been so fond of the greys lately, that choosing this color was like stepping out of the box a little, for me.  I am really pleased with it and love how warm and rich it looks in our room!
 

I wanted to keep the design simple as our room already has a lot of pattern and clutter, but I couldn't help adding just a little bit of detail.  The trimmed out rectangle painted in Old White was the perfect place for a monogram!  I painted the letters on in French Linen and then lightly distressed over them with sand paper.  Clear wax sealed the whole piece, along with a little bit of dark wax here and there.
 
 
So, I think he likes it!  I told him it was an early Valentine's Day present!  I put my heart and soul into it, after all!  Now that we have a freshly painted new-to-us piece of furniture in our room, I am itching to do more!  Isn't that always how it goes?  It's the domino effect.  I've made a master bedroom décor to-do list and priority one is a makeover for my own dresser, followed by some new curtains!  Once it's all put together, I will share a post on the whole room!
 
Thank you so much for your visit!  I hope you're having a lovely week!
 
Many Blessings,
Amanda
 
 
 
Sharing with...
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
 Furniture & Paint Party at Start at Home
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours
What's it Wednesday at Elephants and Ivy
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground 
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
 Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
 

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Favorite Projects of 2013

Hello!  Thank you so much for stopping by!  I hope you had a blessed Holiday season and are as excited as I am to begin a fresh New Year! 

Believe it or not, I rang in the New Year with my paint brush in hand!  We had a nice quiet night at home (quiet, if you don't count the neighbors with the loud fireworks and canons!)  I enjoyed spending the time finishing up a few projects for the shop that I will be sharing here very soon!  But today I thought I would do a quick "year in review" post to look back on my favorite projects of 2013. 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
To those of you who are visiting for the first time, thank you so very much for stopping by!  I hope you will visit again soon, and I would be thrilled if you would also join me on Facebook
 
And to all of my blog buddies that have shared in the creative journey all year, thank you so much for your visits, your sweet comments and encouraging words and for inspiring me with your creativity and talents!  You are all so wonderful and very dear to me!  I feel so blessed to call you my friends! 
 
Cheers to the New Year!
 
Imagine, Create, Inspire!
 
Many blessings to you all!
 
Amanda
 
 
 
 

Sharing with...
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
What's it Wednesday at Elephants and Ivy
Be Inspired at Common Ground