This Chest Was Great, but I Wanted SPECIAL!
by
Pamela Field
Celebrating the birth of my new granddaughter from afar, my coworker told me he and his wife are also expecting a baby girl. Could I watch for a dresser for the nursery? When I saw this great solid wood serpentine chest, I knew I'd found just the right piece. The new Mama wanted pink and white, and I was thrilled (and relieved) when given permission to play with the design. I wanted to make this one special, and feminine, not only for their new baby girl on the way, but also because I'm aching to meet my new baby girl too.
I started out with a pink base coat, but wanted to soften it and add some depth to the finish. Using white chalk paint and Floetrol, I made a glaze.
On top of the dried base coat, I painted a coat of the white glaze. Using the flat brush, dragging it straight across the glaze, wiping the excess off before moving to the next pass. Allowed it to dry, and did the same in the opposite direction. This gave it a subtle linen look finish. I wish the pictures could show it better.
To make framed panels on the sides, trim was cut at a 45 degree angle to fit.
I painted the trim (not indicated in this picture) before using wood glue and finishing nails to attach it to the sides.
Painted inside the panels.
Taped off the drawer fronts and painted the drawer panels white. I also painted the trim and allowed it to dry before attaching it to the drawer fronts with fabric glue.
I wanted to decoupage the insides of the drawers, but also needed to add the white glaze to the paper to soften the pink, and give it an aged look
Decoupaged paper to sides of drawers and added 3 coats of poly to secure.
Since I was dressing this one up, I wanted to add escutcheons. DLawless Hardware had these for next to nothing, so I painted them to match and added them to the drawers.
The deco paper on the drawer sides completed the soft finish of the exterior.
I was concerned adding poly over the drawer trim might yellow, so with the advice from my friend at Etsy-Brass Tacks, I used 3 coats of Polyvine Flat topcoat instead. It stayed white, and I breathed a big sigh of relief. *whew*
I'm very thrilled and honored to paint this chest for a baby girl who is already loved so much and will use it every day for years to come. It was made with loving thoughts for my own baby girl I've yet to meet.
Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 305 comments
-
Really adorable, OH! and so is the baby
-
thank you! she's grown so much, and I have plans for a visit in a couple weeks. :D
-
-
I also use polyvine on all my pieces. It is great!! Easy to apply.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?