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For those who have been asking for furniture makeovers, well, you’re getting them now!  And I have about 12 more pieces in the basement that still need to be hauled up for their chance at a picture.

This piece is actually a sort-of-custom dresser that’s already spoken for.  I received an e-mail a few weeks ago from a reader who was looking for a dresser in a specific style.  She sent some pictures along of other pieces I’ve painted and I just happened to be buying two dressers in the style she was looking for.  Jeff and my dad picked them up for me and I gave her first pick of which one she wanted.

She picked the one she liked the best and asked me to paint it in Boxwood, but gave me liberty to paint it however I wanted.  That was awesome, because I usually don’t do custom work for that reason.  I don’t like having to do something that doesn’t look right to me on the piece.

So, I ran with it and painted a base coat of MMS Milk Paint in Lucketts Green followed by some strategically applied Vaseline and a coat of Boxwood.  (You can see a tutorial for the Vaseline resist technique HERE.)  And this is the result…

Here’s how the dresser looked before…

It was pretty rough and needed a lot of gluing and fixing.  We got it cleaned up, glued any loose veneer, made the drawers operational and replaced a mis-matched wheel that was too large and made the entire piece sit at a wonky angle.

I stripped and refinished the top in a Dark Walnut stain and MMS Furniture Wax.  The body of the dresser is also finished in Furniture Wax.

The “tortoise” knobs are from Hobby Lobby.

Cindy’s cow paintings usually steal the show, so I thought I would mention the cow who is acting as an accessory for my photo shoot is Gwendolyn.  She was painted by the very talented Cindy Austin and you can purchase a giclee print of Gwendolyn in her Etsy shop.

 As a recap…

I finished upholstering three more chairs today and I think it’s safe to say I have French chairs coming out of my ears for Lucketts!

French chairs and ironstone.  I’m sure there are worse things to have in abundance, so I won’t complain!

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    34 Comments

    1. Mimi

      When you redo furniture do you do anything to “sanitize” the drawers and innards?
      Thanks.

    2. kristin

      Love this piece. What a lucky lady who spoke for/requested it–it is beautiful. My summer project is to paint a smaller pable for my bedroom in Boxwood. I hope it looks half as good!

    3. Lorraine Nolte

      Happy Mother’s Day……..I love the color.

    4. laurie

      excellent results! especially the color. do you know why there are wheels on old furniture? did they move things around a lot? or was it to make cleaning easier? or???

    5. martina

      She’s a beauty!!

    6. Kate

      How beautiful! I love the way you breath a new life into a cast away. Recycling at its best. This piece is lovely. How I wish Luckets was in my state! Wishing you a love filled mothers day. Thank you for sharing your creativity.

    7. Eliza

      Looks just beautiful!

    8. Mitzi Curi

      Love the color…..what a great looking piece!

      General question for you: do you have stairs in your home, and if so, what do you have on them? I have nice wood floors and I am in a quandary about what to put on my stairs…..I can’t leave them plain because my dogs wouldn’t have any traction. Right now I have stair treads that aren’t very attractive. I love Woodard & Greenstein’s woven runners but they are very pricey.

    9. Heather

      Absolutely gorgeous.

    10. Judi Siegienski

      I hope you are selling the cow with it because it looks amazing with the dresser!

    11. Patty

      How much was that green dresser? Also, does your paint work to paint over light oak stained woodwork and kitchen cabinets or do I have to sand them first. Thanx. Love your stuff.

    12. Amber

      Wow! This piece looks fantastic! It pairs so well with that painting too 😉

    13. ccr

      I would die for that dresser. Your skills are developing to new levels…..gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am “green” with envy…lol

    14. Kellie

      Hi! Love all your stuff!!! Thanks for sharing! Was just looking through your website and realized you have the same kitchen countertops as I’m planning in… Walnut butcher block. Can you tell me how you finished them?

      Thanks much!

    15. laurali

      marion,about how much does a piece like this go for ?sincerely,laurali

      • Miss Mustard Seed

        I sold it for $285. Most of my dressers range from $185-425 depending on size, age, condition, finish, etc.

    16. Jessica @ Dear Emmeline

      Man I wish Hobby Lobby was more convenient for me! Heart those knobs so much!

      • Cheapdiva

        You can shop online. I believe they have a flat shipping rate.

    17. Jelena

      Now, that’s my kind of color! 🙂
      The dresser turned out really nice, Marian. Sounds like it was a lot of work to get it to the point where it could be painted.

    18. Karen

      It’s beautiful Marian, a perfect authentic looking finish. Good luck at Lucketts and happy Mothers Day!

    19. Kathryn

      It sounds exhausting for all involved to keep hauling furniture up and down basement stairs for photo shoots. Have you thought about making a nice “backdrop” in the basement just for photo shoots of your transformations? Seems it would be easier to haul art and ironstone downstairs than dressers upstairs. Just a thought.
      Oh….the custom dresser is divine!

      • Miss Mustard Seed

        Yes, but the light down there is terrible. 🙁 I really need a different space that’s on ground level…

    20. Janelle

      Will u b selling your milk paint at Lucketts this year? I need to replenish some colors.

      • Miss Mustard Seed

        I won’t be selling it, but I know two of my retailers will be carrying it there. 🙂

    21. Talitha

      Beautiful!!! Would you mind sharing what kind of glue you used?

      • Miss Mustard Seed

        Titebond wood glue

    22. Quandie

      Love it! You have inspired me to get the Boxwood back out!

    23. Angie W

      Absolutely gorgeous!

    24. MARY EGUIA

      love it.one of your best.i hope this weekend goes well for you.i’m sure it will.you are FABULOUS!!!

    25. Frankie

      Beautiful transformation! Now I want to get some Boxwood and transform something for my house. Thanks so much for sharing this!

    26. Sharon Rexroad's Bringing Creativity 2 Life

      The subtle layering of colors is what makes this piece so special. That, and the knobs. Oh, and the wood top. Heck, just love the whole thing and I’m not even that much of a green girl.

    27. theresa a.

      hi there! i was wondering if you use the same method/product to strip wood stain as you do paint…i found your tutorial for removing paint, but i have a couple of pieces that are just stained and am wondering if the process is the same. thanks!

    28. Jennifer

      What color is the paint? I love the dresser!

    29. Chelsie Mosness

      Hi~
      Can you please tell me where i could purchase the Cow Painting?! I love it so much and it would look perfect in my living room!!!

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