Creating a Faux Card Catalog.

by Linda from q is for quandie

I was checking out my local thrift store the other day and I came across this rather unremarkable chest of drawers. Not only was it not that attractive, but there was a huge hunk of trim torn off the bottom corner.

creating a faux card catalog, painted furniture

Fortunately, I have a handy neighbor who can repair problems like this. If you're hoping that this post is going to tell you how to do this part, I'm going to have to disappoint you. I just sent it next door, and it came back looking like this.

However, I can tell you how to go from that to this ...

Start by removing the hardware, filling the holes with wood filler, sanding lightly and painting the piece with Miss Mustard Seed's "Typewriter" (although if you're not comfortable with milk paint you could easily achieve this same look with black chalk paint). Sand lightly to distress the edges, and then add a top coat of Miss Mustard Seed's hemp oil. Next, instead of putting the old hardware back on, switch it up for these fab label cup pulls from D Lawless Hardware.

I almost hate to give away my secret here, but these things only cost about 60 cents each. They are a little flimsy, you maybe wouldn't want to use just two of them on a large, heavy drawer, but they are perfect for this piece.

By the way, here is another little secret I'll give away, there are not four small drawers across. It's one drawer made to look like four. So much more functional I think!

In case you are wondering how I got all of those handles lined up so nicely, I used a combination square to measure for each one.

And voila, a faux card catalog!

If you'd like more details on how I made over this chest, including a link to the drawer pull source, check out my blog post!

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1 question

Kim on Mar 28, 2016
Will hemp oil protect a piece that will receive heavy use? Or would you recommend a different product in that case? Just wondering, as I am about to re-finish a dresser for the first time - also in MMS milk paint in Typewriter, using the bonding agent.

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