Category: furniture.

Back when my friend Annie gave me the toolbox that I shared back in May, she also had two dressers that she wanted to part with.  I really thought I would get to these sooner, but here it is the end of June!

I have to say, I thought time would slow down a bit once I was retired from the full time job.  But if anything, it just goes even faster!  I also thought I’d have plenty of time to get EVERYTHING done.  Ha!  Jokes on me.

But I finally have the first dresser finished.  Here’s how it looked when I brought it home way back in April, before there were leaves on the trees or plants coming up in the garden.

If you predicted that I would remove those carved details from the drawer fronts, you were right.  It’s funny, there was a time when I was adding details like that to plain pieces.  Now I’m taking them off.  Just goes to show how trends change.

They were easy to remove using a chisel to pry them away from the drawer.  They had been both nailed and glued, so once I had them off I sanded any remaining glue off the drawers.

I wanted to break out of my Drop Cloth/Midnight Sky (ie. warm white/black) comfort zone and try a new color, so I pulled out Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage.  They describe this color as a soft gray with green undertones, which is pretty darn accurate.

So, OK, maybe I didn’t take a really huge leap out of my comfort zone.  More like a baby step.

After my usual prep process of lightly sanding and cleaning this piece, I gave it two coats of Dried Sage.  Once it was fully dry, I added I.O.D.’s Petit Rosier transfer to the drawer fronts.

Once I had the transfer applied, I top coated the piece with Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat.

After the clear coat was on, I got busy with other things and the dresser sat for a few days.  That was when disaster struck.

Well, OK, ‘disaster’ might be a bit of an overstatement, but basically the water based topcoat drew the stain through the paint.

I’ve had this happen before, and quite honestly I should have known better with this piece.  Looking back at the reddish orange stain on the piece in the ‘before’ photo, I don’t know why I didn’t just head this problem off at the pass with a coat of Dixie Belle’s B.O.S.S. to block stain bleed through.  Often times you’ll see bleed through right away with the first coat of paint, but every once in a while the stain won’t bleed through the paint until you add that topcoat.  And even then, it can take a couple of days to show up.

Normally at this point I would just start over with a coat of B.O.S.S. followed by another coat of paint.  But in this case I’d already applied a slightly pricey transfer to those drawer fronts.

Fortunately, the drawer fronts didn’t look that bad.  So I added a coat of B.O.S.S. to the top and sides of the dresser and then headed off on my trip to my mom’s house.  When I returned a week later, I added another coat of Dried Sage to the shell of the dresser.

As I expected, the areas with the B.O.S.S. were a slightly lighter color than the drawer fronts.  So I decided to see what I could do with different top coats to darken them up.  I dug out a practice board, painted it in the Dried Sage and then tried four different top coats.

As you can see, the flat clear coat just barely darkened up the color of the paint.  Clear wax darkened it just a teeny bit more.  The DIY Dark & Decrepit was too much.  But I decided that I could work with the Dixie Belle brown wax over an initial coat of clear wax.

Today’s q tip:  if you start with an initial coat of clear wax, the dark wax you add over it will be easier to manipulate and blend.  It will also make it easy to remove any excess dark wax if you put too much on your piece.  You can go back with clear wax on a rag and use it like an eraser to remove some of the dark wax.

So, I clear waxed the shell of the dresser first, then added some dark wax here and there, especially around the drawers to blend the color of the drawer fronts with the color of the shell.

I think it worked out fairly well.  Obviously this is a case of do as I say, not as I do.  I’m reminded to hedge my bets by starting with a coat of B.O.S.S. whenever I encounter a stain that even remotely looks like it might bleed.

The sides of the dresser are much improved.

You may have already noticed that I did not put the original hardware back on this piece.  I planned to initially, but after seeing how nicely the black transfer contrasted with the Dried Sage, I decided to go with a simple black knob from Hobby Lobby instead.

Finally, I lined the drawers with some pretty paper.

And with that, Annie’s dresser has been made over.

What do you think?

This dresser is for sale, be sure to check my ‘available for local sale’ page for details.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for supplying their products used in this makeover.

First up, congrats to Mary from Glass Horse Studio.  I drew her name to win my patina paint giveaway!

I don’t know how many of you check out my ‘available for local sale’ page on a regular basis, but if you do, you may have noticed that my furniture is not exactly flying off the shelf these days.

I’m not sure what the hang up is.  Earlier this year I thought maybe it was just the cold weather, but I can’t blame it on that anymore.

Then I thought, maybe white just isn’t ‘in’ anymore.  Several of my pieces are white including this stenciled dresser …

Or maybe the problem is that ‘farmhouse style’ is on the way out.

I’ve sold so many of these washstands, they are perfect as nightstands or side tables.  I can’t imagine why this one isn’t going.

Desks are always a bit of a tough sell, most people simply don’t use desks in their homes anymore, so not being able to sell the desk isn’t a complete surprise.

Black has always been a quick seller for me, so I went with simple black on this next one.  No transfers, no stencils …

And I still have it.  What’s up with that?

This pretty shade of blue green has always been one of my personal favorites, but maybe it’s no longer so popular?

Or maybe it’s the french writing that’s holding this one back?

I have all of these pieces advertised on Craigslist and on Facebook Marketplace and I’m not getting even a nibble.  On any of them!

And that brings me to the bench.

This bench goes all the way back to December 2020 when Ken created it out of an old 3/4 bed frame.  I had painted it in DB’s Sawmill Gravy and added re.design with prima’s Cosmic Roses transfer.

I had it listed for about 9 months, and then in October 2021 Ken and I decided to revamp it a bit to see if we could get it to sell.

Ken cut down the posts at the front of the bench because he’d thought they looked weird from the start.  Then I repainted it in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth and added that french transfer to the back.  If you’ve been following me that long, you may remember that I wasn’t happy about the repetitiveness of the transfer (cakes and pastries, cakes and pastries, cakes and pastries).  I didn’t even notice it until I already had it half applied.

Anyway, another 7 months have gone by and I still have the bench.

So I decided to give it one more try.

I consulted with Ken and we decided to remove the circular do-dad from the bottom of the bench.  It kind of draws the eye and looks a little … well … kind of nipple-y really.  It popped off fairly easily, then I sanded that area a bit and touched up the paint.

Next up I sanded off the transfer and re-coated that area with more Drop Cloth.  Then I applied I.O.D.’s Gregory’s Catalogue paint inlay.

Go big or go home, right?

This paint inlay isn’t playing around.  It’s big and it’s in your face.  And I love it.

I actually purchased this particular paint inlay to create a sign for myself, something that would hang on my carriage house … or maybe on my front window box.  I still plan to pursue that project, but for now, the inlay was kind of perfect for this bench.

Several of you have commented that the paint inlay process seems putzy or complicated, but I have to say that applying this one to the bench was easier than applying a transfer of the same size would have been.  Or at least it took far less arm strength (all of that rubbing with transfers!) and less time (not including dry time, but less actual working time).

As long as you pay attention and follow the directions (see my tutorial here), these are quite easy to apply.

Before I let you go, we just have to talk about that gorgeous purple petunia for a minute.

That is the Proven Winners Supertunia Mini Vista^® Indigo.  The color on this thing is so gorgeous.  It’s probably going to entirely take over that pot and consume the topiary behind it, but I don’t care.  It makes me smile every time I see it.  I just had to share that with you guys.  I’ve seen lots of photos of this plant online and they seldom do justice to the actual color of it.

So the question remains, will this bench finally sell?

That remains to be seen, but I’m cautiously optimistic.  I think it turned out pretty fabulous and I really wish I had a spot for it myself.

If any of you locals are interested, be sure to check my ‘available for local sale‘ page for the details on this bench as well as the other pieces that are still in my inventory.

As always, thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for the paint and clear coat used on this piece.

Remember the desk I painted last July?

I painted it in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth and added a couple of the smaller version of IOD’s Petit Rosier transfers.

I never intended for the piano stool to go with it, and in fact the piano stool that was pictured with it sold separately right away.

But the desk is still with me.  I have to admit, I’m a bit bummed out that this piece hasn’t sold yet.  I absolutely love it, but don’t have a spot for it.  Usually I will re-do a piece that doesn’t sell, but in this case I just can’t bring myself to do that.  I would hate to cover those transfers back up again.

In an effort to try and get this desk sold, I thought, “maybe it needs a chair … and possibly a mirror” (depending on if you want a desk or a makeup table).  So on my last trip to the thrift store I picked up this chair …

I had a few basic requirements for the chair.  It needed to be sturdy, a similar style to the desk, and easy to recover.  This one filled the bill perfectly.

I started with a good cleaning, and then applied a coat of Dixie Belle’s B.O.S.S. in clear.  This type of finish tends to bleed.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so I just went ahead and started with the B.O.S.S.

Next up I gave it two coats of Drop Cloth.  As per usual, the Drop Cloth went over the B.O.S.S. beautifully only requiring two coats for full coverage over that dark stain.  Once dry, I sanded lightly to distress and gave the chair a coat of clear wax.

For the seat, I pulled off the old grungy fabric and replaced it with some pretty black and white toile that I had on hand.  I wanted something that would work with the black and white on the desk.

Using toile always feels like a risk to me, but I know there are a couple of other toile lovers out there, right?

Next I pulled out a mirror that I had taken off a dresser (this one), and painted the frame in Drop Cloth.

I added a hanger to the back of the mirror so it can be hung on the wall.

Finally, I restaged photos of this piece as both a desk and a makeup table/vanity.  Talk about flexibility!

First up, the desk.

There is plenty of space on the top of this desk for a laptop, or really any sort of computer set up you have, leaving lots of room on either side for paperwork, books, a desk lamp and so on.

And you could hide a lot of office-y stuff in those 7 drawers!

One of the drawers has this funky glass piece that slides forward and back …

I’m completely baffled as to what the purpose of that piece is.  Do any of you have an idea?

If I add the mirror hanging over the desk, it magically becomes a vanity or makeup table.

Since the piece is black and white, it can be paired with any accent color, such as a pretty coral or pink.

So whether you are a neutral lover, or prefer a bit of color, this piece could be worked in to an existing décor.

Desk?  or Makeup Table?  Neutral color scheme, or dressed up with a pop of color?

 

Talk about flexibility, this one could go either way.

And it’s still for sale, and now includes the mirror and the chair.  If any of you locals need a desk … or a makeup table … be sure to check my ‘available for local sale‘ page for the details.

Thanks to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the B.O.S.S. and the Drop Cloth paint used on this project.

Mr. Q nearly bit the dust picking up today’s piece of furniture.  Well, OK, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration …

I found this piece on Facebook Marketplace and the seller was in south Minneapolis.  We were able to schedule a noon pickup, so at least we didn’t have to find her place in the dark.  But when we got there, the street in front of her house was closed because work was being done.  No worries, she directed us to the alley instead.

I know my local readers will understand what I’m talking about, but I’m not sure if ‘alleys’ are the same throughout the world.  So for those of you not familiar, what we call an alley here in Minnesota is a narrow street that runs behind the houses in older neighborhoods.  The garages are all in the back off the alley (and not attached to the house).

I get the original appeal.  All of the unsightly stuff like garages, cars, trash cans and so forth are all hidden out back.  They don’t put in alleys anymore though, at least not that I’m aware of.  These days people want their garages attached to the house, and alleys are just added extra square footage to maintain.

Normally I love a good alley (especially when it’s full of garage sales).  But in the winter, they can be treacherous.  They don’t get plowed out on a regular basis like they should, resulting in big ruts and ice build up.  Which was totally the case in this particular alley a few weeks ago when we picked this up.  Neither one of us was prepared for carrying a big piece of furniture over really uneven ice (we should have worn our Yaktrax).  I managed to save myself, but Mr. Q went down.  Luckily he just bruised his elbow a bit, it certainly could have been worse.

But we got it loaded and made it back home in one piece.  It was actually a fairly warm day, and by warm I mean it was around 30 degrees, so only just under the freezing mark.  I decided to take advantage of that and sand down the top of this piece before even bringing it inside.

Hey, when you don’t have a heated workshop, sometimes you have to improvise.  I prefer to keep as much dust outside as possible.

Next up I gave the piece a good cleaning, and it totally needed it.  It was fairly gross.  I emptied 4 buckets of dirty water cleaning this baby inside and out.

The finish on this piece was fairly alligatored.  Alligatoring or crazing are fine, irregular cracks in the finish usually caused by excessive heat or long exposure to sunlight.  Personally, I think an alligatored finish provides the perfect canvas for some milk paint (here’s one of my all time favorite alligatored pieces).  I had recently ordered some Fusion milk paint in Little Black Dress to give it a try, so I pulled it out for this dresser.

If you are unfamiliar with using milk paint, you can get the basics from my how-to post by clicking on the image below:

Aside from the cleaning, I did not do any other prep on the body of this piece.  I did not sand it at all.  I knew the alligatored finish was fairly dried out (usually that means milk paint won’t chip overly much), plus I was OK with some chipping.  I wanted a worn look to my final finish.

So, I mixed up my milk paint and painted the sides and drawer fronts in just one coat of Little Black Dress.

I often find that I can get away with just one coat of dark milk paint over a dark stain like the one on this dresser.  Especially if I’m going to be heavily distressing the piece anyway.

Once the paint was dry, I sanded over it with 220 grit sandpaper.  I vacuumed away the dust and then added a topcoat of Dixie Belle’s Big Mama’s Butta.

This stuff is so perfect over dark milk paint.  If hemp oil and wax had a baby, it would be this product.  I apply mine with a wax brush, but you can use a lint-free cloth as well.  I brush it on, wait a few minutes and then wipe off any excess with a cloth.  I also buff it up a bit after 24 hours or so.

One quick note, the Big Mama’s Butta comes unscented or in three scented versions; Orange Grove, Suzanne’s Garden and Flannel.  Orange Grove smells like that orange scented model glue from the 70’s, does anyone else remember that glue?  I loved the smell of that stuff, and I also really like the Orange Grove scented Butta.  Flannel smells like men’s cologne, and I probably should have chosen that scent for this masculine color.  But I went with Suzanne’s Garden on this one instead.  Mr. Q said it smelled like a funeral home in our house after I applied it.  It reminds me of the rose scented soap that my grandmother had in her bathroom.  Although the floral scent might be a bit overpowering at first, it does mellow out quite a bit after a day or two.  So if you love a floral scent, Suzanne’s Garden might be right up your alley.

There were a few stains on the top of the dresser that didn’t sand out, so I decided to go ahead and stain the top in Varathane’s Special Walnut.  This is your basic old-fashioned penetrating wood stain, not a gel stain.  So you have to be sure that all of your old finish is removed in order for it to go on evenly.  But if you have a good, clean, raw wood finish, penetrating wood stain is super easy to apply, just brush it on and wipe away any excess with a lint free cloth.  I wear gloves for this process to avoid staining my hands.  You can add additional coats to dark up the color, but I loved how this one looked after just one coat.

I let the stain dry for a day and then added several coats of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat to protect the top.

One of the things that attracted me to this dresser was the hardware.  It’s really very pretty.  After cleaning the drawer pulls and keyhole escutcheons with some Dawn dish soap and hot water and letting them dry, I added just a little more shiny gold with re.design with prima’s Vintage Gold Metallique Wax.

Now, you have have noticed that I did not put the mirror back on this dresser.  And if you’ve followed me for long, you know that I rarely do.  I find that dressers tend to be more marketable without a mirror.  They certainly are more versatile that way, you can use them as a TV stand, in a foyer, in a dining room, etc. without them looking out of place.

Sometimes a mirror is attached in such a way that you can take it off and you’re good to go, the top is flush with the back and the mirror sits on top of the dresser top.  But other times the top of the dresser doesn’t go all the way back and butts up against the mirror instead, leaving a gap at the back that the mirror sits down into.  Like this …

It’s so much easier when you don’t have to deal with this, but that wasn’t the case this time.

Initially I thought it might be possible to use the mirror harp to fill in that space by cutting off the arms (I’d done something similar recently with this dresser).  So I sent it over to Ken’s workshop and he cut off the arms with a curve to match the style of the remaining piece.

Ken did a great job making it look intentional.  But once I had it painted and in place, I felt like it overpowered the rest of the dresser.

So we went back to the drawing board, or in this case, a simple 2.5″ board.

Ken helped me attach it with some dowel pins.

It’s just enough to fill in that gap, but not take away from the rest of the dresser.

I think most people would be placing items of some kind on the top of the dresser, thus hiding that back piece for the most part anyway.

What do you think?  Would you have gone with the tall, curvy back piece … or do you prefer the simpler look of the straight board?  I haven’t glued either one in place yet, so I could change my mind.  Feel free to weigh in with a comment.

Either way, this dresser is for sale, see my available for local sale page for more details!