Sometimes it’s a bit wild how things just come together. I believe some might call it serendipity. In this case, I painted a dresser last Friday in one of my new Little Billy Goat colors called Prize Winner.
It wasn’t until I started writing the blog post about it that I realized I would also be announcing the prize winner from my Thanksgiving giveaway in the same post! Now, I’d like to be able to say that I very cleverly planned this little play on words with my paint color choice, but no. It didn’t even occur to me until I started writing.
Well, with no further delay, the winner of the giveaway is Sarah M. I’ve already contacted Sarah and she’s super excited about winning!
And now for the prize winner dresser!
It started out looking like this when Mr. Q purchased it via craigslist.
I was particularly drawn to the little finials on the harp that holds the mirror in place, and also to the fact that the seller included a photo of the label in his ad.
That little detail in his ad really caught my eye. I love a good vintage label.
To me this dresser has a little yin and yang going on. A feminine mirror with a slightly curved top on a masculine tall dresser with straight lines and no fuss. I decided it would be lovely painted in a rich, dark blue. I debated using Miss Mustard Seed’s Artissimo or Annie Sloan’s Aubusson, but then I remembered my new Little Billy Goat paint in Prize Winner.
After doing as much furniture painting as I’ve done, I’ve learned to not fight against the existing color on a piece of furniture. The finish on this dresser was quite dark, so trying to paint it in a pale shade would have likely required several coats of paint. I got away with just one coat of Prize Winner, with just a quick 2nd coat on only the top to touch up a couple of spots. Yep, that is just one coat of paint on the fronts of those drawers. I finished with Miss Mustard Seed clear wax.
Mr. Q did all of the prep work on this one and he really struggled with the knobs. They all had some sort of glue holding them on in addition to the screw. I suspect people do this sort of thing because they want those knobs to be FIRMLY attached. They aren’t thinking ahead to some far flung future date when someone wants to take them off again. In the end we had to get Ken’s help drilling out one of the screws altogether because it just wouldn’t budge.
Once the knobs were all off, I really wasn’t planning to put them back on again. I was going to use some pretty clear glass knobs. But the holes for these knobs were really large. The glass knobs had too much wiggle room. I consulted with Ken on this and he suggested we glue dowel sticks in all the holes, and re-drill. A great idea, and it would have been the proper fix, but it would have been seriously putzy. I vetoed that idea and put the original wood knobs back on!
I have to say, this color is really gorgeous. I tend to have a hard time capturing these dark blues in photos, but these photos come fairly close. The color might be just a tad darker in person.
Isn’t this little cup I used to stage this dresser lovely?
I’m pretty sure I paid about a quarter or so for it at a garage sale. I just thought the design was so pretty. For a long time I used this little cup to measure out plaster of paris when making my own chalk paint. Now it’s filled with moss and I just keep it in a window sill.
Since so many of you mentioned how much you enjoy the ‘before and after’ pics, I’m going to try to be sure and include them from now on (promises, promises, but I’ll do my best).
This dresser is available. If you are local (Twin Cities) feel free to leave me a comment if you are interested.
q is for quandie 
So beautiful Quandie! Could think of a lot of places to use it. I think this might be my new fave color.
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Thanks Sheri! It is a gorgeous color! Much like denim, it’s almost a neutral that would pair with anything.
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Good choice Q – what a fabulous color! It really “knocks my socks off” – as Alexis, my friend likes to say. The knob style is one of my favorites. It looks original to the piece and the era it was made. Also love the simple lines of this chest you do find some handsome pieces in your neck of the woods.
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You are a fan of the wood knobs huh? I’ll admit, I usually take them off, and honestly it’s mainly because they are putzy to paint. Which is silly really, because it’s not that hard. My niece thought I should add some knobs with more ‘pizzazz’, but I prefer this more subtle look. I’m glad you like it too!
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Love the color and the mirror! I think you made the right choice with keeping the original knobs!
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LOL … I was just out on your blog reading the comment about the wood knobs on your latest dresser! I have to respectfully disagree with that comment, I think you made the right choice to keep the knobs as well 😉
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Love the color and, actually, I prefer these knobs on this piece. I am going to have to look into getting some of this paint for a dresser I have in the “waiting line.”
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This paint couldn’t have been easier to use, and as I mentioned the coverage was fantastic. If you can’t find the Little Billy Goat paint, I think Annie Sloan’s Aubusson is a close second. The Prize Winner is a bit darker, and a bit more navy-ish (if that makes sense!)
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I also love the color, and picked up some while doing the St. Croix Valley Crawl a couple weekends ago. I’m glad you didn’t change the knobs, which in themselves are pretty “plain Jane,” because they would have distracted the eye from going right to the mirror and the sweet finials that punctuate it. As I have been busily painting furniture with my daughter for the last three weeks I have come to realize (duh!) that painted furniture is either the center of attention or it is a lovely backdrop. Part of the learning curve, I guess. Thanks for getting me started!
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You’re going to love this color in person Kim. You touched on a good point about painted furniture. I think this piece could go either way; be the center of attention or more of a neutral piece. With some colors, like the Kitchen Scale on my own empire style buffet, the painted piece definitely becomes the center of attention.
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That color is really nice. You always do such a nice job staging your pictures. I need to work on a location with good lighting and props. Have a great week Master Q!!
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I had to carve out some spaces in my house for photo shoots. Especially for winter. In warmer weather I use the photo cottage and the driveway. In cooler weather I can use the front porch. But in really frigid weather I am reduced to one last spot, this one. It’s the only spot where I get good light and have a large blank wall. Normally this is the spot where my own empire style buffet sits, but I have it on those gliding furniture pad thingies, and I can just push it out of the way for photo shoots, and then slide it back in place when I’m done. It’s a little bit of a pain, but not overly cumbersome to do!
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Thanks so much for the tips! I have to go check out the photo cottage now. 🙂
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Okay, that photo cottage is amazing! Such a talented woman.
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I was just lucky enough to have a cool old building in my backyard that wasn’t being put to good use!
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Hello Q – I might be interested in this piece pending some specific dimensions and cost. Thank you!
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I’ll email you with the details Paula!
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Just beautiful! Not familiar with that paint, but the color is just great!
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I wasn’t familiar with this paint either until one of the shops that carries my furniture started selling it. I haven’t been able to find much info about it online. Even the Little Billy Goat website itself doesn’t really have much detail about the paint other than to call it the “next generation of chalk style restoration paint”. To me the paint itself feels like a cross between chalk paint and Fusion’s paint. It’s not as grainy as most chalk paints, but does dry to a more matte finish than the Fusion (thus requiring a top coat of some kind). Let me know how you like it if you try it out.
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Beautiful dresser, wonderful colour, nice wooden knobs = great result… And, as usual, great ‘after’ pictures with the cute little cup and books.
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Thanks Linda from the Netherlands 😉
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Grand Rapids, Michigan? Don’t you know someone who lives there 😉
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I noticed that right away and thought of you guys too! Do you know if that furniture manufacturer is still in business there?
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