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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

French Provincial Make-over

 So I found this beat up set off of, where else???  CL.  
These little numbers are pretty hot items around here now. I'm
always on the lookout for someone who just wants to get rid
of it and not hassle w/the selling process. 

Behold this awesome beauty.......

 
I know, right??? On the positive side, it was solid wood dove tailed drawers. 
Other than the grease, grime, filth, OMG contact paper and chipping paint, it was in good shape!

I wanted to try something different on this set.  



       Taking my inspiration from Beth over at SawdustandEmbryos, 
I decided to try her staining technique. 
I stripped the top using my Soy gel stripper and sanded with 80,150 and 220. 
                                   First, I drew out some flower petal designs using chalk.
                     Then, I gathered my tools and stain and spent the next 4-5 hours "staining".
I won't go into too much detail because I pretty much went by what Beth did.
Mine looks a lot more "blended" then hers.  It all depends on what final look you are going for.
I used a very small brush to outline the petals so I could keep the lines of the petals separate from
 the neighboring one.  It's not as difficult as it looks. Just a little time consuming.
But I love doing stuff like this. 

      I used Varathane's "Kona" and "Weathered Gray" and some "Red mahogany" thrown in there too.

I love the way the stain turns out when you use it like paint!  This was kind of an experiment. I figured
if it didn't turn out well, I could just paint over the top.  The wood on top of this dresser wasn't exactly

top quality. It was OK, but I would love to do this on a pristine piece of wood. I think something
like a nice maple (like my maple chest I did the cherry blossom stencil on) would come out FAB!

                                             I applied 2 coats of  Deft semi-gloss acrylic top-coat.

Now, I had done the nightstand first before I even caught wind of this staining trick.  
     I like that stencil with the french script, but I didn't like the price tag! I was going to use
individual letters on a cursive stencil, but then just thought I could try doing it with a paint pen
and my own handwriting.  After finding something to write in French, I measured off the top and wrote!





The inside of the drawers were painted a soft blue and inside of the stand itself was painted in a 
light silver-gray. I used the same homemade chalk paint as the dresser.  The handles were cleaned up, 
painted with CeCe's Vermont Slate and then highlighted w/Rub n' Buff Silver Leaf. 
Thanks to Shelly at Shizzle Design for the idea on painting them with CeCe's! I like it better than
using spray paint.  Love how the paint transforms the hardware! 

 I only painted this one drawer!  The others have remnants of some hideous flowered contact paper.
         I always seem to lose steam over the final 5% of the small detail stuff! 


One final shot.......


Linking up at these great parties:

                                                   The Dedicated House, Redoux





25 comments:

  1. This turned out fabulous!!!
    Love the different colors of stains - and how it looks like inlay - great job :)

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  2. Okay, seeing your "before" photos of the side tables makes me feel better. I have 2 that are visually in dreadful shape that I have been putting off doing. But I must say, your's take the prize! :) You did an amazing transformation. Guess there are no excuses for me now. ;) Love the script too! Thanks for the inspiration! x Julie

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  3. Congrats! You did a great job on the top! The piece looks awesome

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  4. Those are gorgeous!! You are way more patient than I would be!!! Great job!

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  5. Wow, that stained top is over the top fabulous. You are very artistic. I could not begin to draw like that. Thanks for sharing at Wow.

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  6. wow! what a truly amazing transformation, i've never seen anything like that!

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  7. Beth, this turned out SO great! I'm glad that you were inspired by our staining project enough to try it for yourself! And thank you for emailing and sharing it with us. Nothing makes us happier than knowing that we inspire people! :)

    Beth
    www.sawdustandembryos.com

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  8. Thanks for the shout out on painting the hardware! I LOVE how you did the top. I'll definitely try this idea when the right piece comes along, very cool!!

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  9. I seen one done like this somewhere, but this one is gorgeous! I also love the way your hand written French journaling turned out on the small ones! What a great set now!

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  10. This is really cool. Nice job on all of them.

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  11. Love the stain stencil idea! It looks so beautiful : o )

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  12. That top is amazing!! I've never seen that before, what a great piece!

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  13. I'm a first time visitor who found you on MMM Friday night link event. What a feminine and lovely application for the surface of this French provincial dresser. WELL DONE! I also enjoyed perusing through your other furniture on the site as well. Thanks for sharing!

    Donna Allgaier-Lamberti / White Oak Studio Designs / SW Michigan
    Hand-Painted Vintage Furniture Transformations
    Blog: http://smallhouseunderabigsky.wordpress.com
    Facebook: donnaallgaierlamberti@facebook.com (To see a portfolio of painted pieces for sale)

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  14. These turned out beautifully! I especially love the French script on the nightstands!

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  15. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Impressive. Fantastic work. :)

    Julie

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  16. Love your cute creative design, doesn't it feel wonderful when you can just enjoy creating, the dresser and tables are sooo cute, love the dresser with square drawers in the middle...thanks for sharing, come on over for a visit, I will go over and follow you..

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  17. WOW! Just beautiful!! Thanx for sharing at THT.

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  18. This is really great! I have never tried this technique but I will now. thanks for the inspiration!

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  19. Good morning...I was blog hopping and came across your lovely dresser....I LOVE it...nightstands too!!...I actually have transformed almost the exact same 2 pieces....You did a great job!...I'm now following...please come over and visit...check out my older posts to see those pieces...nice to meet you, Mariaelena

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  20. Wow!!! I am visiting from My Front Porch. I have never seen this done with stain before, and I am so impressed. I absolutely love how it turned out. I love the French Script top to your nightstands too. This style of furniture is by far my favorite, and always sells fast too. I have a linky party that starts tomorrow at 2 PST, I would LOVE it if you could link up. I would love to share this with my readers. Thanks again. -K

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  21. I love how you stained a pattern on the top. Gotta try this when I have the time and the energy. I made over a dresser with line very similar to this.

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  22. The famous Henry Link furniture from the 70's. You are right, it is everywhere but you made it into something spectacular and one of a kind. Beautiful! I will definitely need to try this soon! Thanks for the inspiration.

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  23. So pretty! LOVE the top of that dresser. I'm featuring it in the PoPP Spotlight this week. Thanks for linking up.

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