Category: furniture.

You gotta love a two for one.  In this case, two dressers, one trip.  I saw the first dresser on craigslist and when Mr. Q and I went to pick it up, the buyer just happened to say “you know, I do have another dresser that I want to get rid of.”  I love when people say that.  Usually it’s a good thing … and in this case it definitely was.

I honestly liked the 2nd dresser even better than the one I drove out for.  But I purchased both of them, naturally.

I started with dresser no. 1.  Mr. Q prepped it for me by removing the hardware, sanding it down and cleaning it.  Then I painted it with a custom mix of MMSMP 2 parts Trophy to 1 part Grain Sack.  Now, I could fib here and say I planned this color, but in reality this was the last bit of Trophy I had on hand with a little Grain Sack mixed in to make it stretch for the entire dresser.  In the end, I think it worked well for me.  The grey is gorgeous.

As I was digging through my stencils the other day, I came across this damask stencil.  I had forgotten all about it!  I just knew it would be perfect for an overall stencil on the drawer fronts of this dresser.  The pattern of the stencil almost mirrors the design on the backboard perfectly.

I used Martha Stewart craft paint in Lake Fog to do the stenciling.  It might just be my own opinion, but I think this sort of stencil looks best as an overall pattern filling in all of the space on the drawer fronts from edge to edge rather than just a centered pattern down the middle.  I feel the same way about the french poem stencil that I have.  In fact … I might just be bringing that one out of semi-retirement soon.

Once the stencil was complete and dry, I sanded everything lightly and finished with hemp oil.

I had planned to keep the original hardware, which is actually quite lovely.  But once I saw the results of the stenciling I knew that I needed some hardware that didn’t visually compete.  These clear knobs do the job perfectly.  They are nearly invisible in fact.  I’ll save the other hardware for another dresser.

 In some of these close up photos, you can see that this was another crackled milk paint finish.  I am starting think my theory about humidity might be right.  It was quite humid when I painted this one.  Have any of you had any experience with MMSMP giving you more of a crackled finish when you paint in humid conditions?

This dresser is more petite than it looks in pictures by itself.  I paired it up with my cane back chair to give you an idea of the size.

This dresser would work well next to a tall bed as an alternative to a traditional nightstand.  Or wouldn’t it be lovely in a baby’s room?  There are so many options for a versatile dresser like this one.

So how about it?  Anyone out there need a lovely little stenciled dresser?  This one is for sale, if interested email me for the particulars.

Meanwhile, stay tuned to find out what I did with dresser no. 2!

It’s official.  I’m addicted to vintage wallpaper.  There is just something about it.  The colors.  The texture.  The very vintage-ness of it.

As soon as I saw this dresser on craigslist, I knew it would be perfect for wallpapering.  I had a bit of this Lily of the Valley wallpaper left, so I painted the dresser using MMSMP in Eulalie’s Sky, which I knew would work well with the background color of the wallpaper.

This dresser has the most charming hardware.

And some fab detail on the mirror base.

I staged the dresser with a vase full of Vanilla Strawberry hydrangea, an old family wedding photo, and my fab new clock.

I don’t know who the wedding couple is in this photo, but the farmhouse behind them belonged to my great grandparents in Arlington, South Dakota.

Anyway, this lovely dresser has already gone up to the Round Barn in Andover.  Pricetag:  $298.  Stop in and see it in person, and take some time to look around at all of the other fabulous things that Lori has in her shop.  I swear, every time I go in there I find some fun little thing to bring home with me.  This time it was Maple Pumpkin Butter.  Yum!  I also stocked up on Miss Mustard Seed milk paint in Trophy, Grain Sack, Apron Strings and Linen.  Stay tuned to see what I paint next!

Mr. Q picked up this fabulous little dresser just north of the Twin Cities the other day.  The gentleman that was selling it couldn’t believe he wanted to drive all the way up there for this ‘old thing’.  It was probably about a 50 minute drive.  Not that terrible.  Mr Q had to keep reassuring him that his wife likes ‘old’ things, ‘old’ is what we are looking for.

And this ‘old thing’ is gorgeous.  I loved the big fan detail on the drawer, the curlicue bits on the top drawers, and the hardware is fantastic.

When I first saw it on Craigslist, I wasn’t too sure about that mirror piece at the back.  I also thought I would paint it either yellow or aqua.  Wrong on both counts.  In person, I loved the vintage mirror at the back and I immediately knew I wanted to paint the dresser black and leave the decorative parts wood.  I had seen a similar treatment on pinterest, and I wanted to give it a try on this piece.  Plus, I had been checking out Miss Mustard Seed’s color focus pin boards on pinterest, and her Typewriter board had me sold.  If you haven’t seen these, you should check them out.

Every time I break out the MMSMP in Typewriter, I am reminded of how much I love it.  If you finish it with the hemp oil, you get the most fabulous deep, rich, black.  And it goes on so very easily.  This dresser was an absolute breeze to paint.  I did one coat on Thursday evening, and a 2nd quick coat on Friday evening.  Once dry I gave it a quick sand and finished with the hemp oil.  Easy peasy.

Well, I did do a bit of prep work first.  I filled some areas where the veneer had chipped using wood filler.  I also had to replace some drawer stops.  Little fixes that are a part of the process.  Then I thoroughly sanded and cleaned it before painting.  I did not want a lot of chipping.  As you can see, I ended up not getting any chipping.  I just got some nice distressed edges when I sanded again after painting.

As for the mirror, I had a little fun with that.  When I took it apart to paint the back I realized that some of the silvering was chipping off.  It reminded me of a fabulous mirror that I saw at the Round Barn that had a bunch of silvering missing and you could see some vintage newspaper behind those spots.  Gorgeous.  So, I decided to try to copy that look.

I used my trusty old Swedish bible and added it behind the mirror using a little spray adhesive to keep it in place.  It’s a small detail that makes all the difference on this dresser.  Adding that little touch of something unique that no one else has.

I love the idea of a pop of deep black in an otherwise mostly white room, don’t you?

I wish I could keep every dresser that I fall in love with, but that would classify me as a hoarder and we can’t have that.

So this gorgeous bit of black magic is for sale.  If you are interested in the particulars, leave me a comment and I will get back to you via email. Ooops, you missed it, this one is SOLD.

One final B & A.

I purchased a dresser from someone via craigslist a couple of weeks ago, and when I picked it up she said “oh, I also have the bed that goes with it, you can just have it if you want it.”

Um, yeah, OK.  I hate to turn down free furniture.

Not too many people use a full size bed in the master bedroom anymore, but they are great for a small guest room.  Or for a child’s bedroom.  Or maybe you only have enough room for a double bed at the cabin?

This would be perfect for all of the above.

I painted the bed with Annie Sloan chalk paint, Old White and Coco.  Then I added some vintage wallpaper border that I got from my friend Michelle to the foot board.

This bed has some charming details, but it’s not overly frilly.  More tailored.

The bed retains its original label, which is kind of cool.

For those of you who are local, perhaps you have heard of the Golden Rule?  It was a department store in St. Paul that opened in 1886.  Eventually it became Donaldson’s, which may spark memories for some locals who go back that far.  The Golden Rule building still stands in St. Paul, although it has been turned into offices.

It really is somewhat challenging to get interesting photos of a bed frame without a box spring, mattress and linens.  While painting this bed, I thought about how it would look fully made.  With pillows in front of the headboard, a good bit of the Coco will be covered up.  I think this bed would be gorgeous with crisp white vintage linens and then a pop of the Coco color with this throw from H & M.

But since I don’t have a spare box spring and mattress handy for a photo shoot, you’ll just have to use your imagination.

So, what do you think?

Going back and re-visiting some of my furniture rehabs from my pre-blog days has an added bonus.  I can correct the photos.  Such is the case with this one, a gorgeous dresser that I painted with MMSMP in Grain Sack last fall.

Those of you who are familiar with MMSMP know that Grain Sack is a white with grey undertones, some might even call it a very pale grey.  In my original photos the white balance was way off.  See …

Wow … looking back I can’t believe I was happy with these photos.  Yikes!

In the new and improved photos, you can see that the color is much more grey than cream.

This dresser has the most beautiful detail.  Is there an official term for that kind of swagged curtain?  Does anyone know?

The hardware was quite pretty as well.

This one ended up with just the right amount of chipping to look genuinely aged.

This dresser sold up at the Round Barn.  I think to the owner’s mom, if memory serves.  I hope she loves it and it is serving her well.

I picked up this petite server at the Highland Park garage sales.  It wasn’t in terrible shape aside from being a bit dinged up.  It really just needed a cosmetic makeover.  An updated look.

I went with Annie Sloan chalk paint in French Linen again.

I felt like the little detail below the drawers needed to be drawn out with some white paint.

 I freshened up the inside of the cupboard area with some dark charcoal grey ‘oops’ paint that I had on hand.

Although I have staged this piece as a server for the dining room, I think it would be perfect in a foyer as a place to drop the keys and mail.

You could put shoes or purses in the bottom cupboard, gloves and scarves in the drawer.

So, there you have it, a fun little makeover.

Don’t you just love a good mystery?  Here is a furniture mystery for you.

I picked up this cabinet at a lunchtime garage sale a few weeks back.  It was being sold by a darling little old lady (don’t tell her I called her old).  She said that she had bought it years ago and attempted to strip it, and just never finished the job.  Unfortunately, I have been a bad blogger again and neglected to take a ‘before’ shot.

But here is the ‘after’.

I’m calling it a mystery cabinet because I simply can’t fathom what its original purpose was.  It doesn’t seem to have much of a bottom, which makes me think it originally sat on top of something else.  Or perhaps it hung on the wall like a cabinet?  Or maybe it had legs.  And the back splash trim at the top is asymmetrical.  Why?  Was this part of a pair?  Does anyone out there have a clue what this might be?

In one of the world’s strangest coincidences, someone has a very similar piece listed on craigslist at the moment.  Here is the picture from their ad.

The ‘before’ condition of my mystery cabinet was very similar to this one.  A sort of mostly stripped off paint look.  Obviously this is not an exact match to mine, but the similarity is striking, don’t you think?  And FYI, the seller is asking $175!  Wowza.  According to their ad, their cupboard is about an inch larger than mine in every direction.  They speculate that it was part of a larger run of cabinets.  You can see that they don’t have the same trim piece at the top that mine has.

Well, despite not knowing what it is, I decided it would be fabulous with a Quandie style makeover.

So I painted it with Sweetie Jane milk paint.  I was inspired by what appeared to be the original paint color that you can still see in spots.

Next I wallpapered the drawers using the same fab vintage wallpaper that I used inside my photo cottage cupboard drawers.  Do you guys love this stuff as much as I do?  It’s just so darn sweet.  I still have a bit left for another project coming soon.

Quick sidebar about the wallpaper because I’ve gotten questions on it before.  I adhered it with wallpaper paste that Mr. Q picked up at Home Depot for me.  I put the paste on the paper, book it for a couple of minutes (booking = folding pasted sides together lightly), apply it to the drawer, smooth it out with a squeegee, wipe off excess paste, let it dry.  I came back the following day and sanded the edges gently.  The paper seems to adhere quite securely.

I added new glass knobs because the piece came without any hardware.  Just between you and me, I like these a lot better than the deep blue anthropologie knobs on its $175 cousin, how about you?

A previous owner had painted the inside in a dark grey.  I left that as is, but also added some wallpaper to the inside of the door.

I staged the little cupboard with some glass jars and clothes pins.  I think it would be fabulous in a laundry room to hold your supplies.  Dryer sheets in the drawers, your laundry soap in a glass canister behind the door.

But then again, I could also see it in a bathroom holding the extra t.p. and other sundries.

Or maybe in your craft room?

The possibilities are endless if you use a little imagination.

Here’s one last picture of it so you can get a better feel for the size.

I’ll likely sell this one at the October Carriage House Sale, unless one of you wants to snatch it up first?

P.S.  my price will be no where near $175!

I have been struggling a bit with the milk paint lately.  I know it’s unpredictable, and it’s hard to control the chippy factor.  I know all about the color variations.  But this summer I seem to be getting one unexpected result after another.  This dresser is a case in point.

Let’s start at the beginning.

This one has lots of potential, right?  It has a little bit of veneer damage, and a chunk of the trim is missing at the bottom.  It’s the perfect candidate for a paint job.

I decided to go with my absolute fave MMSMP color, Kitchen Scale.  I hadn’t used this color for a while.  My own mirrored buffet is painted this color and I absolutely love it.

 It works fantastically with grey, the neutral of the moment.

So I decided it was time for a Kitchen Scale dresser.  I sanded this one quite vigorously because it was in rough shape, and I didn’t want a ton of chipping, just a subtle chippyness.  I have to note here that I did mix the paint a little bit thicker than usual.  I ignored the little voice in my head that was telling me to thin it down a bit more, which may have been a mistake.  I painted my first coat and closed up shop for the evening.  When I went back out the next day, I found a massive amount of crackling.  On every surface except for the sides of the dresser.  The sides didn’t crackle at all, go figure.  Massive, bad, over the top, too much crackling everywhere else.  I should have taken a picture for you, but I didn’t.  When I have issues like this, it generally puts me in a bad mood and photography doesn’t happen.

I will note here that I did not apply heat to the dresser, and it was not all that warm outside and I did not paint under the full sun.  Why the giant crackles?  Was it just the thickness of the paint?  No idea.

I decided to sand the heck out of it again, and try adding another coat of thinner paint.  It had the desired result.  It toned down the crackle.  Oh, it’s still there, for sure, but now it’s at an acceptable level.

Am I the only one who considers this an acceptable level?

Often people wonder if milk paint will continue to chip away down the road, and the answer is no, it shouldn’t.  As long as all of the loose chips were removed as part of the finishing process.  In this case, I sanded the dresser pretty thoroughly and then vacuumed it to remove any loose chips.  I put a final coat of hemp oil on it which also helps the paint remain adhered.  I can run my hand across this dresser pretty vigorously and no paint chips off.

Alternatively, some people choose to leave the chipping paint in place and seal it with a poly finish.  I’ve never tried this approach, but I can see where it would be a fabulous look in some cases.  Maybe down the road, if I get a good chipper, I’ll give this a try.

In the end, I think the dresser is quite lovely.  It has some fantastic details like the angled sides and the carved bits that really pop now.  I kept the original hardware because it is quite charming.  This dresser is definitely distressed and has an aged appearance, but there are plenty of us out there who love that look, right?

Please say yes.

The moral to my story, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.  You can always sand something down and add a little more paint.

After all, ending up with something that looks like this is not an altogether bad thing.

Anyone out there in the market for a gorgeous distressed dresser in my favorite shade of milk paint?

 If so, leave me a comment and I will get back to you.  Ooops!  Sorry, this one is SOLD.

I painted this gorgeous hutch last summer.  I wish I had a ‘before’ pic for you!  I knew the moment I saw the craigslist ad that this would be gorgeous painted.  It wasn’t horrible, but it was rather outdated looking in its original state with a rather orange-y stain.

I loved the Gothic arches in the glass door and the detail at the top of the cabinet.  I have to admit, this is still one that I look at and think “why didn’t I keep that?”

You can see that I lined the inside with pages from an old Swedish bible.  I hand painted the ‘1863.’ at the top.  It’s not a stencil, I just printed the image off my computer, traced it onto the cabinet using tracing paper, and then painted it in with a small brush.

Yep, she was a beauty.  I sent this one up to the Round Barn and it is long gone.  Sniff, sniff.