It wasn't so pretty when it started but I was drawn to the uniqueness of this piece. I haven't done one before, it has great hardware, and the mirror is a great detail. The bottom drawer needed a new drawer bottom cut, my husband wanted to put it out to the curb, no way!! This size is pretty petite, has a feminine feel. My first instinct on this was pink, but I didn't listen to my gut, tried to do something feminine, but not as traditional, and I went with green. I had just gotten a great shipment of fusion mineral paint that I was overdue to dive into.
Fusion mineral paint is my go to for smooth, refined finishes. It is a water based acrylic, self leveling, with a built in top coat. It just does sophisticated looks better than any other. It is not a chalky style paint like Dixie Belle. With these two in my tool box, I just about cover all of my needs.
The one thing I hadn't tried fusion for is blended and more distressed finishes so I wanted to give it a shot. I initially dug into this with Fusion mineral paint in Brooke, park bench, and homestead blue, an epic combination even though they didn't end up on my final piece.
I'm trying to adapt to doing Facebook live videos, they are intimidating, waaayyy out if my comfort zone. For some odd reason, sometimes people just like to watch me paint, lol. I know there are techniques that are easier seen and sometimes techniques are hard to describe in words. I set up my camera and started on this.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1198185093659475&id=921567237987930 You can tell I am questioning myself and that is a sure fire sign that I am missing the right direction. My standard for creating pieces is "would I put it in my own home", and this didn't meet that standard. I can't sell something I wouldn't see in a room in my own house. My brain demands symmetry. I try to do the messy, drippy, distressed, boho type looks made popular by "The Turquoise Iris", I love her work, but when I do it, it just looks messy. Even my messy finishes need to have balance and symmetry. I prefer a softer, more blended, and less abstract look.
After doing this live, I ended up back in my garage at 2:00 a.m. repainting it pink, but a single color isn't enough, it needed more. Pink and gray are a popular, yet still feminine combination. I used Fusion mineral paint in English rose and Little lamb.
I did the top in English rose and the bottom in little lamb. Choosing a point roughly half of the base I brushed the colors into each other using vertical brush strokes, letting the line appear random. I used my Staalmeister angled sash brush to get into the crevices of the top.
This piece is chippy, it had a life before this. Sometimes the piece determines if it should be distressed or left "clean". I sanded the edges back with a power sander. This is where the green undercoat started to peek through. My mistake turned out to be a happy accident! There is nothing that can't be fixed in painting. Being an expert doesn't mean not making mistakes, just learning to recover from them!
After a coat of clear wax over all, I added a dark glaze to the english rose portion, just to "dirty" up the pink a bit. It got into the corners and nicks on the dresser top. I then used Fusions silver wax to add some shimmer to the gray portion. I used fusion espresso and black waxes along the drawer edges to create a shading effect.
The hardware on this had great old patina. I let it soak overnight in vinegar and just wiped them clean, but not enough to remove the patina. It worked with the worn look of the piece. I have a gold mine, a box of old vintage wallpaper, a lot of pinks and florals, and one petite floral print was perfect for this. I cleaned the drawers well, and then used a heavy duty spray adhesive to lay the paper. Once in, I trimmed the edges with a razor blade.
My neighbor popped in and mentioned that the mirror would be great as a chalkboard. Hmmm, the back of it was a flat piece of wood and the mirror lifted out and could be used backwards. I sanded the back of the mirror smooth and gave it 3 coats with a can of spray on chalk board paint.
In the end, despite reworking, I'm thrilled with the simple beauty of this piece. It's soft and elegant as it was meant to be! But you didn't think the story of this piece ends in a pretty pink package with a bow on top, right? Nope. This was incredibly popular and a customer bought up this beauty, to be delivered along with another piece she'd ordered. My husband loaded them up, we removed the drawers and mirror, he left it standing and strapped it in.
The piece was fairly light without drawers, and left standing, it fell out of the truck bed on our way to deliver 😭😭😭. Devastating!! Thankfully it fell into dirt and the dresser top got most of the damage. It cracked the top, but the mirror holder stayed in tact. A new top will be cut and this piece will be better than before, with a little bit of attention!
