Numbered Dresser for Any Room!

I used mostly American Paint Company's chalk paints on this dresser makeover.

Before

I began with a basic five drawer dresser that had seen better days cosmetic wise but had solid bones. 

I wiped clean and started in. First step was to get a good coat of base color on. For this, I chose a pale tone of silvery blue {APC's Liberty}. Then I covered it up with a custom darker shade of navy-ish grey. I was much happier with that tone. However, I knew that the first color wasn't a total waste of energy for it provided a great base to paint over as well as it would look great when it came time to distress.

It was now time to think about the agonizing step of painting the stripes on the drawers. I decided to use painters tape and tape off and get to it. Be sure to check and double check your lines to make sure they are straight. Measure, measure, measure!

First was the block of black {Lincoln's Hat} then came the deep brick red {Old Town Paints Red} and finally the mustard yellow {Amber Waves of Grain}. They all came out great much to my dismay. Then after plenty of drying time I carefully traced on the numbers and then painted them on with a white. Whew! That was stressful. 

I was very proud and pleased with how this dresser was coming along. It was perfect so far. However there was my prob the look I was after was a far from perfect look. I started in on my favorite step distress!! I took it outside and hit the whole dresser and all the drawers with the mouse sander. 

Then came the biggest decision what to finnish it. Since it was done in chalk paint I needed to decide on a seal. After doing some test boards with clear sealer, stain, dark wax, and half and half wax I had my decision made. I whipped up a container with a big scoop of each dark antiquing wax and clear wax mixed well. I waxed the dresser for my final step and I love the turnout.

What do you think? You need a numbered dresser in your house!

70's Hutch Updated for Today

Have you ever spotted a really ugly duckling at a flea market or garage sale and thought, good luck selling that thing!?! That's just what happened when I found this old, run down and flat-out ugly hutch at a garage sale last year. It wasn't the best quality and it certainly wasn't in the best shape. When I asked how much, the lady replied $5 - I knew I had to give it a try. It was to heavy to handle myself so I coaxed my husband to run over to the sale and help me with it. I will never forget the look on his face when he first spotted it. He said, "you bought that piece of crap?! WHY?" I guess he didn't have the vision, I did. He he.

I brought it home and got busy. First of all, it isn't a solid wood piece. It is one of those pressed board pieces. I knew once it was done it wouldn't be worth a fortune but after all it was just $5. Because of the somewhat shiny surface I had to prime this baby. I also knew I wanted to paint it an antique white color and priming would help me not use so much paint. 

Once primed, I painted the inside in a pretty Caribbean blue color from Old Town Paints. I love Old Town Paints chalk paint. It's the perfect consistency. Then I paired it with their Antique White on the outside of the hutch. It looked great but still fairly flat. It needed something to help bring out all of the details. I decided to try my hand at glazing, I got a nice mocha glaze at the local home improvement store and started it. 

The glaze really helped bring out the details and add life to the hutch. Once the glaze was dry I finished it with a clear matte sealer from Old Town Paints. {I love that stuff!!} Next, I needed to tackle the doors, when I found the hutch it only had 1 glass that wasn't broken. I didn't want to get new glass cut so I decided to try something different. I've used lots of chicken wire, but I really wanted something a little more upscale. I went to the farm supply store down the street and found "weld mesh." It's a square  wire pattern and adds a little sophistication! 

It was a fun project. Don't be afraid to tackle those ugly ducklings! You can certainly bring a piece from the 1970's up-to-date.