Turquoise Painted Dresser

So are you dying of curiosity from the preview I posted on Monday?  

Did you come back for the full story?  If so, I'm glad you did!

So, as a refresher, here's the original.

Here's the teaser, and you'll have to scroll on down to see the full finished product.

I bought this dresser at a garage sale about three years ago, I'm pretty sure I paid $20.00 for it.  I was pregnant with Addie at the time and thought the dresser would be the perfect size for sleepers, diapers and blankets.  I also put a little change pad on top and used it as a change table for awhile.  The dresser has been here and there throughout our house ever since, and I've always intended to paint it.  Last week I finally got around to it, hauled it up out my laundry room and into the backyard for a makeover.  

I started by removing the drawers and their hardware, and sanding all the finished surfaces of the dresser.

Next up came a coat of primer.

Then I had to decide on a paint color.  I knew I wanted to go with a shade of turquoise, but I just couldn't quite find what I was looking for.  I ended up buying two tubes of turquoise acrylic craft paint,  and adding a bit of white to tone it down just a little bit.  I think my tube of paint was a little old, too, it was super thick, so I added just a little bit of water to loosen it up.  Worked like a charm.

After two coats of my custom turquoise, it was time for my inspiration to come into play.  I've had this picture in mind for awhile now, knowing I wanted to incorporate something similar somewhere along the line.  This staircase is just so lovely, the branches are gorgeous, so I decided to emulate the same idea on my dresser.

Sorry for the teeny tiny picture, it got horribly fuzzy as soon as I tried to make it bigger.  Check the link out if you're interested in seeing the full version of this gorgeous room.

I started by sketching out my dresser and the branch layout I was planning.

Once I was satisfied with my sketch, I lightly drew out the same plan directly onto my dresser drawers.  I tweaked my sketch in a few places, but pretty much stuck to my original plan.

With a chick flick playing, the kids in bed, and Zach working late, I began to paint in the branches.  I used some brown paint I had on hand.  I poured a little bit in a cup and watered it down just a little bit to thin the paint out.  Though that's totally my own personal preference.  By the time the final credits were rolling from my movie, I was just finishing up the last drawer, perfect timing.

Apparently I forgot to take a picture at this point...oopsie.

After letting my freshly painted branches dry I put all the drawers back in the dresser to see how it all looked together.  The result?  Amazing!  The only thing I wasn't thrilled with was how absolutely electric my turquoise was.  It was SO bright.  So I decided to tone it down a bit by washing the whole dresser down with some really watered down brown paint.

I took the same paint I painted the branches with and watered it down even more.  My paint was really thin.  Then, using an old brush I brushed paint across the top of my dresser, and immediately wiped it off with a rag.  This lets the thin paint get into all the character dings, scratches, nooks, and crannies of the dresser, giving it an aged and worn look.  I did the same thing over the rest of the dresser, working in small sections at a time.

If I wiped too much paint off, I'd do another light layer of the brown paint and wipe it off again, adding layers of age and character.  Lastly, I did the same to the drawer fronts.  Can I just say, I nearly wet myself?  It was so hard to paint over the branches I'd slaved over...but with a deep breath I dragged by paint brush across the first drawer and swiped it off with my well worn rag.

 

Sorry for the AWFUL lighting here, daylight was fading and I wanted to get my painting done!

 

And the result was good.  I don't mean to brag, but I'm so pleased with how my fake glazing worked.  I love the way my little dresser turned out!

After all the paint dried and I calmed down from the "crafter's high" I was on, I sprayed a few coats of clear coat over the dresser and drawer fronts to protect my hard work, reattached the drawer pulls, and sipped a tall glass of iced tea.  Done.  

 

Well, was it worth the wait?  Thanks for stopping by today, come on back Friday for some more crafty action!

Be blessed,

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