I came across this early 1900's washstand while purchasing an armoire from a nearby Bed & Breakfast. The owner offered it to me for an extremely fair price..... but I really had no need for it. I purchased it anyway and placed it in storage where it sat for 9 straight months. Until now!
I chose this piece to makeover for my monthly Posh & Fancy group project..... with the focus being "start to finish a piece in 2 hours"!
The old girl took many washes! I used White LIghtning and water over and over and over...... and old stain and bleed through persisted. I made the decision (based on time) to just brush with a single coat of shellac. I don't usually use shellac as it is quite toxic.... but I knew a single coat would block the bleed through. My go-to "clean and non-toxic" primer is Dixie Belle's BOSS (my fave is gray) for both color blocking and bleed through.... but it would have required two coats and I just didn't have the time.
I chose my color palette..... green/pink/black/white..... but I really wanted a specific shade of green. So I used Dixie Belle's NEW Color Lab to create exactly what I was after! I found a picture of the green that I wanted online.... plugged it into their Color Lab.... and it told me exactly what Dixie Belle colors to mix and how much of each to obtain that color. So instead of the over-the-top boldness of Tree Frog green..... I created a version that is just a bit more mature.... yet just playful enough. If you haven't tried the Color Lab.... I hope you will! I could play in it for hours! I used this gorgeous custom blend of green and painted two full coats on the entire piece. You can find the color lab HERE:
The front door insets are painted in a base coat of Fluff... however I still had a spot or two of bleed through. So I chose to second coat the white in Saltwater from the silk line since it contains a single coat of blocking primer. This did the trick. I taped off and painted the stripes in Anchor.... also from the silk line.
Adding a pop of bold pink was exciting to me. It seems unexpected yet very sassy. I used Peony and applied two coats to the bottom of each leg. I did choose to paint a coat with the new Prickly Pear (also from the Silk line with a blocking primer) to finally block the green from underneath from peeking through. *****side note: remember I was in a 2 hour rush..... and the chalk mineral paint line dries much faster...... so I chose to use that as much as I could to speed up the process.... and then using silk as my final coat.
Now for embellishments:
WoodUBend bow appliques were added to the door fronts to really play into the sassiness of this piece. I painted them in Peony and used Tite Bond glue and my heat gun to attach. My design transfer, Whimsical Wonderland, was added to the sides.... however I chose specific flowers.... cut them out individually.... and placed them where I wanted them.
I used Posh Chalk Pigments in Pale Gold and mixed with my Dixie Belle top coat in gloss to create a gold metallic paint. This was used to embellish the original beaded trim around the drawer fronts. I also used it to dry brush over the pink bows. And finally..... I used it to accent the wood supports that are attached to the marble.
My favorite embellishment is one that cannot be seen unless the doors are open! Remember.... I did this with my private group. Solly and I had asked that each member choose a "word" for the year and share it in the group. I collected those words...... and used them! I painted the inside of each little door with Silk Anchor. I then used a permanent paint pen in white.... and hand wrote each WORD. I wasn't sure where this piece would be going..... but I knew whoever received it would find the hidden words and hopefully be inspired by them.
The difference of the Before and After on this simple makeover is really impressive.... in my opinion! I liked the piece before.... it was charming and quaint. BUT NOW.... it is bold and sassy and makes me happy just looking at it!
I will top coat the piece in a satin finish before it heads off to its new home in Arkansas! Turns out..... one of the amazing ladies in our group claimed this little beauty as a gift to herself. I could not be happier!!!
Products used:
For your convenience, the products listed here are what I used for this blog! Dixie Belle Paint Company offers amazing products that will make all of your projects successful no matter what your skill level! Just click on the product's photo or the words underlined in the blog above. It will take you to the page for purchasing! You can also find my favorite products and tools in my Amazon influencer list HERE.
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