The Ugly Duckling

For some reason these old armoire-like dressers have been in high demand. I can see the convenience of something looking like an armoire but having drawers inside. I guess I'm just not a huge fan of the very blocky shape, but despite that, I have had several people who wanted me to find one for them. I scoured Craigslist constantly and found a few. I will be showing you just one of them today.
This beast of a dresser reminds me of the ugly duckling. It was hideous. I am so grateful for my client being able to see past the ugly picture of the dresser I sent her in an e mail, and see the potential it could have. I thought for sure I'd scare her away and she'd think I was crazy for even suggested this particular dresser.

It had some crazy huge flower knobs that just weren't doing it for me. It was also the heaviest piece of furniture I have yet to come across. Just one drawer had to be like 30 lbs. It clearly had been left in the sun in someone's yard for awhile because the wood was so dry. The old poly was peeling and I had to sand down the peeling top.

I outlined the piece in Old White and was planning on doing the rest in Aubusson Blue chalk paint, but I was running low on that particular color at the moment. I thought I'd call up my stockist and have it shipped since we don't have any stockists here in Vegas. While I was waiting for it to ship I was just going to do all the white painting first. I ran into a BIG problem though- everyone at the paint shop was out of town for an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint convention and wouldn't be able to get it to me in time. AHH! It seems that things never go the way I plan so I always plan for change :) I ran to lowes and had my Aubusson Blue color-matched perfectly. My plan B was DIY chalk paint. I have tried this once before, it works well enough. I just add a little bit of plaster of paris powder and water to my latex paint. Then it becomes like chalk paint in that it will stick to any surface without sanding and priming beforehand. I don't think it has the same luxurious feel as real chalk paint and it is much harder to distress. But hey, it gets the job done.

I had first painted the white and then when it dried I taped off the white to paint the blue. When I ripped the tape off it pulled some of the paint off with it. Normally, I would have been opposed to this and painted over it again, but since the wood was so dry it peeled the white paint off it just the right way. It looked awesome, like it had aged and ripened to the perfect amount of "peeling chippiness."

I also found all the deep grooves from being so rough were just accentuated beautifully by the dark wax.

It turned out pretty cool and unique. It's not my usual style but it's fun to think out of the box at times. Oh and be sure to check back in on Monday because I will be posting a tutorial for a beautiful French Provincial nightstand that I silver-leafed today. See you then!


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romantichome.blogspot.com
missmustardseed.com
classyclutter.blogspot.com
funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com
staceyembracingchange.blogspot.com
www.iheartnaptime.net
www.bystephanielynn.com
linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com
www.serendipityandspice.com
www.skiptomylou.org
kammyskorner.blogspot.com
www.domestically-speaking.com
www.bluecricketdesign.net
savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
southernlovely.blogspot.com
www.theshabbycreekcottage.com

Matching ASCP Aubusson Nightstand

I sold my Nautical themed roll top desk to a nice local couple here in Vegas. I can happily report it found a great home in their boy's room. Luckily for me, they were in need of a matching nightstand. I got onto my favorite website, craigslist, to find something perfect for his room.

I found this. Doesn't it look so handsome and sophisticated? I just love the nailhead trim. The nightstand was seriously filthy with this thick gray matter stuck in every cranny. I got my TSP out and and old toothbrush and went to town. Not even the tooth brush was going to cut it. I seriously would have used one of those pine tree shaped, tiny brushes that you used to clean in between your braces. Since I wore braces 7 yrs ago I didn't have one, bummer. I settled for q-tips. The inside of the drawer had a velvet like lining that was also disgusting with a lot of water damage. I pulled that out and lined it with some wallpaper that I bought at a thrift store.

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Nautical Themed Roll Top Desk

In case you haven't noticed I love to do very feminine pieces. I felt like I needed to show myself and my husband that I was capable of something different. This is my idea of whimsy for boys or men?

I got this roll top desk on craiglist, and I've had this chair in my garage forever from a dining room set I bought and didn't use just one chair. For the desk, I used Aubusson Blue Chalk Paint with a mocha glaze, then polyurethaned the whole piece. I used a spray can poly for most of the desk but on the writing surfaces and top I did a paint-on poly. I just felt like wax wasn't going to be strong enough for what might happen on a desk. Last, but not least, I distressed with a medium grit hand sanding block.

The hardware features a compass and were purchased at hobby lobby. I printed off an old map and lined the drawers using Mod Podge to stick and seal.

The chair was originally black. I used Old Fashioned Milk Paint in barn red. Milk paint is really wonderful, it has a great matte look and distresses in its own unique way. Old Fashioned milk paint is sold in a powder that you mix with water. I found it online, but some local home improvement stores sell it in cans premixed. It is cheaper than the chalk paint and goes a long way. It doesn't have a long shelf life once you have mixed it in water, so just mix a little at a time. It is non-toxic and works really well on porous surfaces or bare wood. It has something in common with chalk paint too- it can stick to any surface if you purchase a bonding agent called Ultra Bond to mix in. Well, I was out of this bonding agent, but I remember thinking it looked and smelled a lot like glue, so what did I do? I added a little (you guessed it) MOD-PODGE! It did the trick and stuck amazingly. I did notice that it distressed a little differently than with the ultra bond and it was even more matte than usual.

I put a new cushion on the chair and had a rough time finding a way to fit the chairs odd shape. Not my best easy reupholstering job. To get the ship design on the fabric, I printed a picture off of the internet on regular paper and Mod Podged it on to some canvas material. Then I sprayed water on it, ironed it, and let it sit for a couple of hours. I gently rinsed off the paper, then let the fabric dry and stapled it on the chair. Lastly, I put a very thin layer of Mod Podge over the ship for protection. The desk and chair will be available for purchase in my shop.