I got a call a few days ago from Lucketts  It’s a great call, but an “oh crap” kind of call, too.  Both of my large furniture pieces had sold, so I needed to get some furniture into my space ASAP.  I decided to sell a little wash stand I’ve had for a few years and I finally started working on the empire dresser I had in my basement for a while.  Here’s how it turned out…  Here’s the before…   The wood on the front was really beautiful, but the sides had been painted, so I didn’t feel a lot of remorse about painting this piece.  (Do I ever?)  I layered French Enamel over Flow Blue and used a bit of trickery between to get some clear definition between the coats.                   Can you tell I’m a little in love with

Here it is…   This is the piece I’ve been walking you through as I paint and finish it.  You can check out the first post about painting it HERE and the second post about distressing and waxing it HERE.  I purchased this wardrobe from an antique furniture store and it was beautiful to begin with, but it felt very dark and heavy.  The wood was also not in the greatest condition, so I didn’t feel too bad about painting it.  This one is an oldie.  It was originally a wardrobe that would easily break down into flat parts, so it could be moved in the days before we had U-Hauls at the ready.  Someone glued/screwed it all together at some point, though.   This is the fireplace surround that was my inspiration for the finish… Mary and her husband painted it in Tricycle, followed by Typewriter and lastly Shutter

It’s now time to introduce the 12th and final color in my line of milk paint.  Say hello to “Boxwood.”     Here’s what the piece looked like before…     My inspiration for the color was a boxwood bush (obviously.) I love the rich, green color of the leaves…     …and it looks striking on a piece of furniture.  It’s a bold color, but very classic as well.     …and, I’m sure you noticed, the paint isn’t chipped or distressed at all.  I used the bonding agent on this piece for a super smooth finish.  I’ll post a video on how/when to use the bonding agent tomorrow. Until then, here’s a sneak peek of the 1840’s hutch I couldn’t resist…  

It’s time to introduce another one of my Milk Paint colors.  Whew!  Painting twelve dressers in all twelve of my colors has taken longer than I thought it would.  I want all of my pieces to be special, but especially these pieces that will act as the “online swatch” for each color.  After this piece, I only have one more left to do – “Boxwood.”  So, without further delay, here’s “Linen”…   Linen is a beautiful cream that’s not too yellow, but not bright white. My husband found this piece at a yard sale and bought it for me.  Awww….I know.  I picked a good guy.  The hardware was ill-fitting and all wrong for this piece.  I disliked the flimsy metal covers for the keyholes as well, so I plucked those off.  Other than the cosmetic issues, this piece was in nice condition.     The insides of the drawers