Monday, June 13, 2011

Green Cottage Dresser

I just love cottage style dressers and this one is such a sweetheart!



She started out a little sad with just one pull, which of course made it very hard to get the drawers open.



She had some damage on the top and she was missing her mirror, but that turned into an opportunity for a cute detail.




A little wood filler and an old bed support board cut to size came to her rescue.









And this bright and happy green was just what she needed to shine again.






After just one coat, she's already looking so much better.







And here she is all ready for her photo shoot.


After the repair work, she got two coats of the chalk paint and a light distressing. I used the Annie Sloan clear and dark waxes again, but this time I tried a different technique. After covering the whole piece in the clear wax, I took a second small brush and just rubbed a little bit of dark wax in select areas. Then I used the brush with the clear wax to blend it in really well. Remember that it is recommended that you not put the dark wax directly on the paint as it will permanently stain the paint and then you can't work the darkness back out. This two brush technique worked much better for me, although the wax still took several days to set-up to a point that I could buff it smooth. But overall, I'm thrilled with the result!












I found a whole bunch of these knobs at Marshall's a few months back, so I stocked up. They are cute and go with everything!














Look how cute that little ledge looks on the back. Perfect touch for a cottage dresser!













I love everything about this dresser! It's my personal style and I think the color is really cool. Just imagine how this bright pop of color would brighten up a neutral room!





I had several questions after my last post about how far a can of chalk paint goes. This particular dresser really soaked up the paint. As you can see, it used a little more than half of the can. But of course with the chalk paint, you can skip the primer step. And as for the wax on the previous dresser, it took about a week to get to the point that I was really happy with the buffed out finish. If you paint a good bit of furniture, my recommendation is to enjoy the process and experiment with different products to find the ones that work best for you. Each of us here at Elizabeth & Co. is experimenting with the chalk paint and different waxes, so stay tuned.





And with that in mind, I wanted to share this sweet retro desk from Katie at Craptastic. When I first saw it, I thought this was a chalk paint project too. But in fact, Katie used Palm Leaf by Valspar. So you see that you can achieve very similar looks with different products. Now go out there and have fun painting!





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74 comments:

Suzanna said...

This green is my fav of the chalk paints so far. I posted a pic of your dresser on my pinterest to remember it! http://pinterest.com/suchsimplejoy/

Maggie Massey said...

I absolutely adore this dresser...I want one...;) beautiful work...

Unknown said...

love the green it turned out beautiful... im very partial to greens and teals right now so its right up my alley..

Cassie Bustamante said...

you know i love it!!!! i love that green and it is perfect on that dresser!

Unknown said...

Do yourself a HUGE favor and order some Fiddles and Sons wax. It works great with the chalk paint. I let the chalk paint cure for a day and then come back with the Fiddles and Sons. I buff it within an hour and it gives the chalk paint a wonderful finish.

Tote said...

It looks great! I am still dying to try Chalk paint. Little pricey though.

Susan

Kim @ A Brush of Whimsy said...

I love it! The color is so much fun, and that little key hole is so sweet! I really enjoy all your thoughts, tips and pointers on the chalkpaint, too! Have a great week!

Lakota [Faith Hope and Charity Shopping] said...

Beautiful - so nice to see a re-loved piece of furniture which doesn't end up white! The green is perfect.

Ann from On Sutton Place said...

One word. LOVE. The green is fantastic!

Andi said...

I really love the details on the drawers. Just those simple lines on the top on bottom really give it character. And the color is so pretty! Beautiful job!

Sunflowers With Smiles said...

I love the green chalk paint along with the knobs! It is adorable.

Katie said...

This little dresser is so sweet!! I love when they have little keyholes like that! I love that green color chalk paint too! Thanks so much for mentioning my desk!! It definately does look similar to the ASCP green! =)

molly susan strong said...

Love how this turned out. AND I ave just gotten tis color and am dying to try it...now even more!! Plse come to the sale. Would love to see you.

Stacey said...

That dresser is stinkin' cute! Love the color choice - so fun! I was instantly drawn to your post as I am a furniture junkie - love it!
Stacey of Embracing Change

Allison@FabRehab said...

Sharon, you must be trying to confuse me! LOL! I love the dresser and the one color I covet in the chalk paint collection is Antibes Green! Ugh..what's a girl to do? Either way, the dresser is fantastic!

NanaDiana said...

Sharon- That so reminds me of the green furniture pieces that you did see in old cottages in the 40's and 50's. What fun. It looks great and I can see how the wax really adds depth and character to the piece. Love it--xo Diana

Bohemian said...

Great transformation of this grand old piece... loving the bold Color!

Dawn... The Bohemian

Blessed Serendipity said...

Your dresser turned out so cute! Love the green.

Danielle

The Painted Parlor said...

What a sweet little thing! I l.o.v.e the color :)
Score on the knobs!!
Julie

Paige @ Lucky Me Studios said...

Great reviews and finished products with your chalk paint! I LOVE the green dresser!! And, your repair job is the ticket. I have one can of Paris Grey, it is a different animal. But with practice I see that it can be very handy on the right pieces. Great job, you keep me inspired :-)

outjunking said...

The green just makes me feel good.
Thanks!

Christine said...

I love the outcome--cheery beautiful color!

Sherry Hicks said...

What a beautiful dresser, love it, I am however worried about trying chalk paint now as the whole purpose I thought was to save time. I can get furniture done in one day using regular kilz and regular paint and my wax buffs as I put it on. I still probably have to take the step and try the chalk paint....Thanks for sharing all you experiments!
Sherry

knack said...

It's amazing what some hard work and a few coats of paint can do! This is fresh and beautiful.....and one of my very favorite shades of green!

Awesome job!

Crystal @ Ordinary Days said...

LOVE the bones of this dresser. The color turned out GREAT. I have a large piece of furniture I want to paint a nice white color but don't have time to wait on the chalk paint to come in. Do you know of a good white paint to use?

Thanks!
Crystal

Karen said...

That is a beautiful shade of green, the dresser turned out beautiful.

Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads said...

This is one of my favorite chalk paint projects, too. The shade of green is just beautiful. Thanks for sharing all your tips about the chalk paint. I'm going to order some soon.

hilary@oldhousetruelove said...

love it! isn't antibes the best?!!

Unknown said...

It looks great and that is one fun colour. Great repair job too.

The Decorating Diaries said...

What a great color. Just love it.

Janet

annies home said...

love the look it is awesome green is a stand out color and love those nobs as well come see me at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

sandy said...

This is amazing! And what a gorgeous color, green is becoming very popular now.

Yes the little keyhole is adorable. And the knobs are perfect!

I can't wait to try some of the green myself !

Christine @ sugarandtrash.com said...

Love that green! And lucky find with those cute knobs.

Denise said...

I found you on Simply Designing. Creative people like you inspire me so I decided to follow your blog. I love how this dresser turned out and I love that you painted it green. I hope you will follow me back http://talesfrommyjournal.blogspot.com I can be found in facebook too http://www.facebook.com/DeniseMartin.LillaRose and twitter @DeniseLillaRose If you like/follow me there I will do the same for you. When you stop by my blog, please check out my kind of fashion (hair jewelry).

Jeannies Bottle said...

I love the colour of that dresser....it's so cute. I'll have to check if Chalk Paint is available here...I must try it

KasiaJ said...

What a fabulous color! It looks lovely.

Unknown said...

I love the bold green color! I really want to try Annie Sloan's paint!

American in Bath said...

I had a dresser like her early self. I used a screwdriver to get in and out of her. Terrible for the furniture but a happy memory.

Julia @ 551Eastdesign said...

Um, fabulous! It's so chic, and can I just say yay for chalk paint! Love your blog.

I'm a new follower:)

Anonymous said...

I love the green! Great choice color! I've been thinking about doing something in a similar color because I love the pop it gives! I didn't know they made the chalk paint in green.

Connie @ Sensible-Redesign said...

Great project. I have a question, when you use the wax and the brush do you clean the brush afterwards and if so with what?

Joselyn said...

Wow,what a great transformation. You did a great job. Love the knobs too.

Jilly said...

Green one is very beautiful and really very stylish. I did a search on the issue and found most people will have the same opinion with your collection. buy my car

Rhonda said...

Great transformation. Love the green.
Thanks for linking to Treasure Hunt Thursday.

I love working with the chalk paints!
Rhonda

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

What a fabulous color! I have not tried chalk paint--might have to jump on the bandwagon. Thanks for sharing.

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal said...

It's such a cute dresser! The color fits it well. I had been thinking about trying a can of Old White on my hutch but now I'm not sure if one can would be enough. The back I was going to do in leftover wall paint. It's a 4 door hutch, what do you think?

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

Beautiful transformation. That color is so fresh.

Paige said...

very nice work. i havent tried chalk paint but it looks very beautiful-

Allison {A Glimpse Inside} said...

It turned out fabulously! Love all of your furniture redos. Thanks for linking up to this week's Catch a Glimpse party!

very merry vintage style said...

Elizabeth--this one is adorable. Are you keeping it or selling it? The color is really pretty and I love all the sweet curves. Thanks for linking up to Share the Love Wednesday!!
Mary

Unknown said...

Love the green! I wanted to order the green color but my daughter didn't like it. Silly girl! I just love the brighter color. We did just order the red though.

Ruth H. said...

That green is so fresh and fun! Can I have it? It would be so great for dressing up a too-neutral room of mine.

BailiwickStudio said...

The dresser is lovely! ::Jill

Jamie said...

This finish looks very professional. Thank you for telling us about dark wax staining paint. I did not know that and I was about to try it!!

The Lovelys said...

Hooray! Love it!

Sarah @ Modern Country Style said...

Wow, lovely. This is completely gorgeous - and looks so original. It stands out a mile - in a good way - from all the other things I've seen. I love it!

Sarahx

Rachel said...

Love the green! It turned out great! Found you on Feathered Nest Friday and am your newest follower. Don't you love chalk paint! I just refinished my dining room table with the graphite chalk paint. Come check it out some time~ Rachel (abslolutelylovingmylife.blogspot.com)

angie said...

absolutely gorgeous!!

Suzanne@Meridian Road said...

I think that green is the perfect color for that dresser! The white knobs really stand out. It's just adorable!

At The Picket Fence said...

She is just gorgeous in green and the white knobs were a perfect choice! Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Inspiration Friday this week Sharon! :-)
Vanessa

Restyled Vintage said...

Sharon I just love everything about that dresser, and thanks so much for sharing your tip on putting dark wax over clear to stop it staining the paint...I have learnt the hard way that dark wax sometimes 'grabs' the paint far more than you want it to, and have had to sand it off again, not fun!

Just love that green and cannot wait until we can get chalk paint in NZ (well technically I could order some from the UK but the freight cost is horrendous :(

xx Karen

Jane said...

It turned out so cute! I love it. The color is fantastic.

Handy Man, Crafty Woman said...

That color is just great! Thanks for linking this to Wicked Awesome Wednesday.

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

What a super charming little chest~ love the green~ thanks for sharing at FNF :)

Ava said...

That green is gorgeous, I,m certainly going to borrow your idea. You now have a new follower from Australia xx Ava

Linda S. said...

Hi Sharon, I can't say I am loving the green ASCP as much as some of your other posters,...but then, what do I know :) I do want to thank you for your open honesty regarding your opinion of this product. It is so easy to get sucked into the "hype". With so many of the people commenting on your blog, that a qt. of the paint is a little pricey, why can't one of the stockist in the USA come up with the sample pots that I have seen being used in Europe? They would let newcomers (all of us) sample more colors, and then buy quart cans of the colors we can't live without. Remember, if it happens, you heard it from me, first!! Linda S. in NE

Unknown said...

This is such an amazing transformation.. and I am love, love, loving that shade of green you chose! Hope you will share it with my Pink Hippo Party @ http://pinkapotamus.blogspot.com/2011/06/pink-hippo-party-34.html

Beverly {Flamingo Toes} said...

That is such a great redo!!! I love that green - it turned out so pretty!! Thanks for tips on the paint too. I've been wondering about the chalk paint - looks like I'll have to give it a try!
Thanks so much for linking up to Think Pink Sundays!! :)

Debbie's Garden said...

I have a very old dresser, hand carved handles and mirror that sits on top. 4 drawers, not huge. I've been tossing around painting it and looking at so many ideas in blogland before I do. This green is really pretty. I have to do more reading on chalk paint.

Jenn Erickson said...

Sharon, your furniture transformations are always exquisite and so inspiring! What a great find on that piece of furniture and those vintage looking knobs! I'm feeling so inspired that I'm heading out this afternoon to find my own diamond in the rough with which to transform using your chalk paint techniques!

Thank you so much for linking up to “A Little Birdie Told Me…” at Rook No. 17 last week! I apologize for the belated visit…this week has been a real beast disguised in fondant and frosting.

Best, Jenn

Carolyn@Sweet Chaos Home said...

Adorable! I love the color!! Just getting ready to clear wax a chalk painted bench for the first time... wish me luck :)

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

it's gorgeous! You did a great job girl!
glad you got the wax thing worked out!
gail

Kj said...

Hi, I'm coming over from Making the world cuter...I liked the buttermilk yellow milk paint dresser...but I'm in love with this green one! So what's the verdict? Which do you prefer? Milk or chalk paint? Also do you just sand down before chalk paint, or due you have to strip?

Unknown said...

Stunning color! Thank you for linking up a Throwback Thursday! ~Jeanette