Wake Up Little Dresser!

Someone left this at my house after a Man Who Came to Dinner  kind of situation. Long story. Let’s stick to the little dresser or side table or whatever it was.

This was a sturdy little piece that seamed hand-hewn. I didn’t need it and didn’t want it... an absolutely ideal situation to experiment with chalk paint, and a great excuse to buy a quart of Annie Sloan Cream. None of my three rules (Use what I have, Keep what I need, and Have Fun) would be broken. Onward!

The knobs were weird, similar to paper fasteners. 


I had used to use these little babies to hold together handwritten school reports on loose leaf paper. Nowadays I think they're used mostly for scrapbooking.

Anywho, off came the knobs and on went the paint, followed by clear wax. Fairly easy stuff.

 

Headed in the direction of shabby chic, I had the bright idea to apply waterslide decals and bought some pretty ones on Ebay.


You cut them out, soak them in water until the image slides off the backing and then smooth them on the surface you're decorating. First problem: they don't stick to a waxed surface. I removed the wax on the top with mineral spirits and applied a new decal. It stuck! I waxed the top. Second problem: you can't wax over a waterslide decal. It will slide right off. I gave myself a day to breath then used the back as a test space, and found the solution. Apply the waterslide decal to a bare chalk-painted surface. Let dry. Apply rub-on varnish. Let dry. Done.

I sanded the edges for more of the shabby chic look. I sanded the inside edges of the drawers to help them slide more easily.



Then I found the cutest knobs on Ebay. It's difficult for me to stay away from Ebay.



I had the hardest time pushing the screws into the holes for the knobs. I gave myself an imaginary smack in the head. The holes were smaller because they were made for those weird paper fastener pulls. Duh! I drilled holes big enough for the new knobs.

I already had the contact paper to line the drawers but I'd spent $10 for the decal and $30 for six knobs. This baby was going to someone I really really liked.

  

What I learned:

• You can apply waterslide decals to chalk paint, but not over or under waxed surfaces. 
• If the knob holes aren't big enough, use a drill to make them bigger.
• Don't let anyone stay in your house more than a month. After that, even if they don't pay rent, in New York State they have tenant rights and it's hard to kick them out.

Next week:

"Another Cup of Java Please"

The Orient Express

I had an old Pier 1 cabinet and my husband needed a new night stand. Here was the perfect opportunity to paint, refurbish and reuse.

The cabinet had an Asian look and a nice design but the color was boring and some of the paint was chipped.

My idea for it was ambitious. Not only would I paint it, I would add a custom design.

The color it called for was Emperor’s Silk, a beautiful deep red. Even the name sounded Asian. I made it darker, mixing two parts Emperor’s Silk and one part Graphite. 

 

After two coats, it was time to add the decoration. Because I’m not exactly a fine artist, I sat down with my computer and found just the right stock art to buy and copy.

It was more complicated than I wanted but I knew I could break it down. I may be middle-aged but I’m no stranger to computers. I’ve been working with them since we used card punches for computer programming. If you’re not familiar with these, click the link and have a laugh.

I broke down the image (an Adobe Illustrator file) to the piece I wanted to use and resized the design. I copied and flipped so that I would have two mirror images, one for the right side and one for the left. Because they were taller than the standard 11” paper size, I had to print each of them out on two pages and tape them together.

                      

Time to dig out my trusty graphite paper. I used painters tape to attach both the graphite paper and the image. I left a flap so that I could lift both and check my progress. I traced the image on the paper with a sharp pencil. In the image below, you can just about see the transferred outline on the left side.

 

Check your progress. If the graphite paper is upside down you’ll waste time transferring the image onto the back of the paper. Check once in awhile to make sure you didn’t miss a spot.

Once I had the outline transferred, I used paint pens to color in the lines. I was like Kindergarten, only a little more nerve wracking. Paint pens are good for smooth lines and color but, being oil-based, they are not as forgiving as crayons.

I wasn’t too worried about the details. A rough rendering of the flowers, for instance, would be pretty enough. 

When I was finished, the front seemed like it had too much blank space. 

I added, using the same print and trace method, the Chinese symbol for love, borrowed from Google images and checked by Google translate. Those of us who have dropped a pile of carefully ordered 1980’s card punches never take Google for granted.

With a sigh of happiness, I applied a coat of clear wax. The result was good but not great. It needed a coat of dark wax and I applied it hesitantly, hoping it wouldn’t take the pop out of the design. No worries. Not only did the dark wax create more depth, but it settled in the grooves of the faux bamboo edges and showed it off very nicely.

 

I didn’t have to do a thing to the knobs from the original piece (except not lose them). They were perfect.

Mission accomplished!

What I learned:

• If you can't draw, trace
• Go easy with the paint pens. Mistakes are hard to correct. Use a gentle touch with the side of the nib.
• Waxing over paint pens is not a problem.

Next week:

"Wake Up Little Dresser!"

The Tale of the Ugly Green Dresser

This project was one of my first and favorites.

I owned a small dresser that I could use, but it was the wrong color.

 

Fortunately an Annie Sloan stockist, Suite Pieces in Huntington, NY, wasn’t far away. Before perusing the paint samples, a display of knobs caught my eye. One set called out to me and I knew they were “it.” Only a select few understand the strange and mysterious summons of furniture hardware.

The blue and white knobs made picking the paint color easy. Annie Sloan Napoleonic Blue.

At this point, I had little experience with chalk paint and wax and I didn’t want to get too fancy. I removed the old knobs, kept them together in a baggie and added them to my box of knobs. This was a good sign that I could possibly stay organized.

I found a dresser in this color and a doable technique, on Pinterest and felt no shame as I tried to copy it… in my own style of course.

I covered the boring green with two coats of Napoleonic Blue. This is a color named for a man who wanted to conquer the world and failed. I wanted to conquer a dresser. Sometimes you have to ignore an omen.

I applied clear wax and gave it a day to dry. Then one coat of dark wax and a good buffing. The inside of the drawers aren't painted but I plan on Old Ochre for some contrast

Beautiful! But my dresser didn’t come to life until I added those knobs.

It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that bling!

Let's call it a literary project because I put books on top. Credit to my creative husband for the photo of our house over the dresser.

What I learned:

•  The perfect hardware is sometimes a good place to start
•  Imitation is the sincerest form of inspiration.

P.S. I spotted the same green dresser on an episode of Ray Donovan. You know you’re hooked when you’re watching a high-tension action flick and looking at the furniture.

Next week: "The Orient Express"

How About Some Chalk Paint?

Welcome to my brand new blog. Let me introduce myself. My name is Karen Rae Levine and I have a new love. Chalk paint. It's funny how a paint product helped me reshape two aspects of my life: writing and hoarding.

I'm not the kind of hoarder who has a living room piled three feet deep with garbage and a bathtub full of junk. I’m the less complicated hoarder who gets attached to things and has hard time giving them up. Which means my house is cluttered.

I don’t love clutter. After I visit someone’s house that’s perfect and pristine I go home, look around, and go to bed. I don't need "pristine" but I love having family and friends visit and clutter means I have to run around and clean up before they come. It makes me hesitate to invite them. Not good. 

My hoarding problem was compounded when I remarried and we had two households full of furniture. Together, we bought our dream house. An 1870’s Victorian is very dreamy until you have to renovate it. The major work took a couple of years. In the meantime I couldn’t decide what we would need and what we wouldn’t. I did manage to donate quite a bit, but still, a lot of it went into storage, “just in case.”

“Just in case” is a bad sign. I saved furniture for my kids “just in case” they needed it.” Of course they didn’t need it. When your youngest son graduates college and gets his own apartment, he will not want his twin bedroom set. For the amount of years we paid for storage space, I would have had enough money to buy all new furniture for both of us!

Another bad sign is a weakness for picking up perfectly good furniture from the side of the road. 

     

Or passing a Goodwill store with the feeling that you missed a ride at Disneyworld. But Goodwill for a good cause, right? Ugh!

Somewhat daunted by the fact that initials of Hoarders Anonymous is HA, I am determined to empty that storage garage and declutter the house. That's where chalk paint comes in. No stripping. No sanding. Clean up with water. It got those creaky wheels in my head spinning in a new direction.

I’m no stranger to faux painting and furniture refinishing. I’d been doing it since sponge painting was in vogue and people beat furniture with chains. HGTV was my go-to channel and I think I liked crafting with the Brownie troop more than my daughter did.

At the ripe old age of 55 I’ve had a career as an engineer, raised three children, got divorced and started a new career as an author. I only knew life at full speed. Now I’m married to my soul mate and learning to look around… trying to shift into neutral a little more often. Simplify. HA. Easier said than done. But I’m on my way.

Using my imagination and creating with paint, notwithstanding the occasional moments of frustration, is relaxing. It keeps me in the present. It feels useful. I enjoy it. Who knows where it will go?

I'm painting an unused bench for my brother and sister-in-law with their favorite theme.  



I brought a Pier 1 cabinet back to life. It has a place and it’s useful!



I revamped a storage caddy for myself so I can attempt to get more organized and stay inspired at the same time.

 My mission is to:

• Use only what I have.
• Keep only what I need,
• and HAVE FUN!

Every revamp is a story. And I love a good story. I’ll tell you some of mine.

Next week: The Tale of the Ugly Green Dresser.

 

Once upon a time…