Good morning everyone.
What a great weekend we just had, right? Saturday was a lovely day in the shop and I almost got my first thunderstorm while being there. We've been there at night with thunder but never while the shop is open. I like thunderstorms, not necessarily the wind part, in fact I hate medium to high winds but thunder and rain I love.
Sunday, the picking gods were with Trevor and I and we had a whole jeep full to the roof of vintage gold. Some days when we set out I get worried as finding good things is not only just fun anymore. It is fun yes, but laced with a bit of stress inducing as our livelihoods depend on it. People are very excited about the goodies we bring in the store and I love that but the expectation is much higher when we are there daily hoping to help you find that piece of "gold" for your house.
We got into organizing those goodies in our garage in the afternoon and into the night because that has gotten a bit run over as of late and become a thrifty dumping ground. More on that to come. The other side of retail.......
Today is for all of you green lovers out there. I am skipping over the blue people and hopping right on my favourite train to green-ville.
I started this dresser 2 months ago. I sold a piece in the store, had a giant hole came home, panicked and started working on this guy.
This dresser is a solid little number with cute casters but it came with loads of layers of paint. I knee jerk purchased it at a sale and when we got it home realized my hopes to strip this one and leave it natural unfinished wood wasn't going to happen.
In order to replace the hardware there needed to be some wood filling as there were big grooves from a previous old set of knobs.
My second vision for this piece was an antique white with neutral knobs. After heavy sanding and 3 coats of white paint later.
I HATED IT.
Plan C
There was a great base coat on this from the white paint and I knew the knobs I wanted to use. I haven't done a green in awhile and had a great time breaking out the chalk paint again with the not so black dresser. While waiting for other custom work to dry I broke out a clean brush.
Presenting Annie Sloan Chateau Grey coated in Miss Mustard Seed hemp oil for depth and added Annie Sloan dark wax and General Finishes liquid wax.
They're all represented here lol.
I used the hemp oil as I wanted the paint to appear darker and deeper. I use a rag to apply it around and let it dry for a day making sure to not leave any drips anywhere.
When using oil and wax make sure you do the oil step first.
I then used small amounts of dark wax offset with regular wax to add age.
I also watered plants prior to taking these photos so a little leaking on the ground makes it feel right at home lol.
The distressing allowed the wood and the white paint to come through. It gives the piece more of a comfortable cottage feel. When you are trying to keep seeing the layers of paint underneath and not just the wood you need to distress slow and steady.
The hardware is lovely flower type knobs in bone. The handles have a natural variation of white to off white and look great with the green colour. Bone knobs are made of natural by products of the food industry at least not going to waste.
The Vignette for all you lovers out there. Clear glass, white and green. I used Joe Pye weed, hydrangea leaves, queen anne's lace and an ironstone mug planted with haworthia albert. (this mug usually lives in our front hall on my buddha)
the layers.
the before
TERRIBLE before, makes the after look that much better.
This dresser is currently for sale as the first piece I have completed in quite some time that wasn't custom for someone else.
Size: 33"h x 34"w x 18"d
Email me if interested for anyone local only please. I will mark as sold once it has been.
Have a great day everyone,
Meg
