I didn’t mention it earlier, but the washstand that I painted in Grain Sack a couple of weeks ago was part of an entire bedroom set. There it is in the front.
I purchased this entire set for the bed. I have plans for that bed. You’ll just have to wait for that. But in the meantime, I’ve given the dresser (just behind the washstand in that photo) a makeover.
Here’s a better look at just the dresser ‘before’.
Although it came with a mirror, the two will be parting ways.
I knew I wanted to use milk paint on this one, and I also wanted to use an Iron Orchid Designs transfer. I’ve mentioned before that you have to be a little careful with this combo. If your milk paint is too chippy, it’s hard to get the transfer to stick to the paint rather than the paint sticking to the transfer. So I gave this one an extra good scuff sanding and then cleaned it with TSP substitute to help control the chipping.
I also decided to go with a wood top on this dresser, so I stripped the original finish off the top which was pretty scratched up.
Next I mixed a custom milk paint color, mainly to use up a few partial packets of paint I had on hand. I started by mixing equal parts Miss Mustard Seed’s Eulalie’s Sky and Shutter Gray. The resulting color was just a bit too blue for me, so I then added another equal part MMS Grain Sack to both lighten it up and add a little more grey.
I love this color! I’m going to keep track of this color recipe for future use.
After the paint was good and dry, I added the Iron Orchids Design’s Seeds transfer.
I had to ‘cut and paste’ it a bit to fit the dimensions of this dresser, and also to avoid the rectangular drawer pulls. Your hardware probably won’t be in place when you are adding a transfer, so don’t forget to take it into account. In this case I had to move “Autumn Catalogue” up a bit to avoid the pulls. The entire transfer didn’t fit on this dresser, but this is most of it.
I mentioned in my last post about the furniture transfer fail on the Bayberry dresser that Sally at IOD recommends distressing the transfer lightly with fine grit sandpaper to reduce the ‘halo’ effect. I gave that a try with this transfer and it definitely minimizes it. That ‘halo’ is most apparent when looking at it from an angle, so here’s a good angle shot so you can see what I’m talking about …
It’s practically invisible looking at it straight on.
I decided to go a little old school on finishing the wood top. After stripping and sanding, I stained it with Varythane Dark Walnut gel stain and then added a couple coats of Minwax Wipe on Poly in a satin finish. By the way, I used Homestead House Beeswax finish over the milk paint and the furniture transfer.
I focused on the ‘seed catalogue’ garden theme of the transfer when choosing my props for these photos.
I really love how this piece turned out.
What do you think of it?
If you are local and interesting in purchasing this one, be sure to check out my ‘available for local sale’ tab for more details.
q is for quandie 
Gobsmacked! Amazing color and love the hardware but the transfers slay me. Well done!
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Thanks Victoria! And I love that word … gobsmacked …
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That color is beautiful. I can only imagine that you were a little nervous about the transfer but it is perfect. And the drawer handles are gorgeous. Like the outdoor setting – the dresser seems to blend with the outdoors in a good way.
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Thanks Laura! The theme of this one worked perfectly for an outdoor photo session 😉
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The color is beautiful and I’m starting to love these transfer pieces you do. I think this would be so pretty in an entryway or beside a front door.
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Thanks Becky, and great idea! This one would be fab in an entryway!
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Love everything about this beautiful piece!
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Thanks Teresa! This is another case where I won’t feel bad if it doesn’t sell 😉 I’m sure I could find a spot for it in my own home if nobody else wants it!
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Just beautiful! The color of the paint and those handles! Great job, can’t wait to see what you do with the bed,
Paula
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I hope the bed turns out as nicely as the other two pieces!
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I just love what you create! I look forward to your post each day! I love everything about this piece!
Smiles,
Alice
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Thank you so much for saying so Alice!
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It looks amazing. I’m probably lucky I’m not in your area. My house would be packed with your furniture!! 😍
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I wish you did live in my area 😉
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I especially love how you seem to have no fear. You just mix up old, leftover paint & it turns out so beautifully!
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There is a method to my madness. I usually mix up colors in a small amount (a couple of teaspoons) and paint them on an old board first. You really need to see how they look once dry to get a true feel for the color. Sometimes I will test out different topcoats over them as well to see how much they change the color. This way I’m only wasting a little bit of paint if I end up not loving the color.
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L💙️️ve this piece & everything about it! I think this would make a great kitchen buffet or put casters on it make it an Island!
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I love this piece & everything about it! I think this would make a great kitchen buffet or put casters on it make it an Island!
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I love the idea of an island, but at only 31″ high you’d have to add another 5″ to be at the right height. Maybe really big casters?!
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