Saturday, September 28, 2013

Cherry Blossoms on a MCM

I've had quite a few people inquire if I was going to be doing anymore cherry blossoms
on a dresser. The last one I did was awhile back:
This one was done on a vintage tallboy.....see the process HERE
 And the second time was for a customer request on a vintage maple chest.....

So I decided to switch it up a bit and try the stenciling on this mid-century dresser. 
I thought this would make a great changing table in a nursery. 
I had planned on redoing the wood. However, upon closer inspection (which you cannot
see in the photos) the veneer on this piece was not in the best shape. It had a very
high-gloss top coat. While I was attempting to strip that off, it became apparent the existing
wood veneer had a lot of chips and divots.  I filled them in with filler and did quite a bit
of sanding to make the top and drawer fronts smooth and filled in. 

Lining up the stencils and trying to make the branches flow.....

I used my own mixture for the yellow chalk paint.
Even tho this was a stencil, I spent a lot of time going over each individual blossom, painting and shading, to give it a little more realistic look. 




Many, Many hours later..........fineto! 


Linking up at my fave parties!! :
Kammys Korner - Trash to Treasure Tuesdays
Domestically Speaking - The Power of Paint Party
The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday
Miss Mustardseed - Furniture Feature Friday
Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Night Special
Knick of Time Interiors - Knick of Time Tuesday
My RePurposed Life                                        

Friday, September 13, 2013

Retro in Black and White

Lately it seems all my work is being done on mid-century pieces. I went up a few decades and 
wandered into the '70's.  Ah yes, the wonderful '70's.  Great times. 
But dreadful clothing and furniture! Behold the common dresser:
                   At least it's wood and not laminate. Veneer is just barely one step up.

But these do clean up nicely!!!
I would like to give a shout out to Dionne over at The Turquoise Iris for this inspiration. 
I saw one she did in black and white that was just beautiful! She always does such unique work.

                                 The body got primered in gray and the front white.
I used a semi-gloss in both the white and the black.  But I had the hardest time getting the top
to smooth out. I used a Sherwin Williams acrylic and painted at least 3-4 coats. Was not happy.
I sanded between coats but just could not get his smooth. So I completely sanded it off and started over.
This time I used a BM black. Much better. 
The handles were sprayed with carbon mist and highlighted w/gold gilding wax.

          And of course there always has to be a little surprise detail when you look behind the door.




Viola'


Linking up at my fave parties!! :
Kammys Korner - Trash to Treasure Tuesdays
Domestically Speaking - The Power of Paint Party
The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday
Miss Mustardseed - Furniture Feature Friday
Homespun Happenings - Rustic Restorations Weekend
Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Night Special
1929 Charmer - Sunday's Best Party
Knick of Time Interiors - Knick of Time Tuesday
                                                   The Dedicated House,-Mon
                                         Redoux




Monday, September 9, 2013

Just another MCM

Trying to do a gray thing with this new piece. Only the drawers are finished.


My little feral friend, The Shop Cat, is always there to keep me company.
She was completely enthralled with the sanding process:
I used a homemade chalkpaint to which I added some silver glittery paint additive things.
From Lowes. It makes it look like a quartz countertop in the right lighting.


A pop of pink on the drawers for fun!
Even tho this was chalk paint, for some reason the wax just didn't buff out well. I used
tung oil on the sides and applied 2 coats of acrylic top coat on top for protection. 






Linking up at my fave parties!! :
Kammys Korner - Trash to Treasure Tuesdays
Domestically Speaking - The Power of Paint Party
The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday
Miss Mustardseed - Furniture Feature Friday
Homespun Happenings - Rustic Restorations Weekend
Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Night Special
1929 Charmer - Sunday's Best Party
Knick of Time Interiors - Knick of Time Tuesday
                                                   The Dedicated House,-Mon
                                         Redoux