Another opportunity to say thank you to Goodwill! I found this dainty little french provincial vanity while on a LIVE video inside Goodwill. I like to take people thrifting with me every once in a while.... and what better way to do that than LIVE video! It was more than I usually spend on something this size but I love any and all french provincial and it was in great shape.... so I splurged!
And do you blame me? Look at this beauty now!!! She is full of color and light...... and just makes me happy looking at her!
I cleaned her really well with White Lightning after a good vacuuming..... she was full of dust! Rinsed and dried, and she was ready to paint! This vanity required sanding and I LOATHE sanding! But the person that owned it before Goodwill had painted it and left behind the worst brush strokes I've ever seen. Painting over brushstrokes will NOT hide them. They must be removed. You can see the drawer with brush strokes and the drawer after I sanded smooth. I did need to seal/prime the areas where I sanded through the veneer..... you can see that in the drawer photo. That exposed wood will accept paint differently than the veneer covered wood and show through your paint as a dark spot. Once those areas were primed...... I was ready to paint!
I painted the body of the piece in two coats of Mermaid Tail. Dixie Belle Paint is highly pigmented but when painting a dark color over a light color you often need two full coats. You can see the difference in this photo. One coat vs. two coats.
I then painted the right and left drawer fronts and side panels in Peony. I actually ended up covering the side panels in gold leaf so it didn't really need the paint.... but my project plans often change as I move along! I also blended the drawer fronts with Tea Rose and Plum Crazy. I used Plum Crazy on the outer edges and Tea Rose in the middle..... which gave this beautiful sheen down the middle of the curved drawers!
The middle panel I chose to stripe in Mint Julep and Antebellum Blue! I love this color combo and used it to shade and shadow the entire piece! I shaded the base of each leg with antebellum blue and blended upward into Mermaid Tail and topped it with Mint Julep! AHHHHH!!!! Prettiest combo ever! So I continued to shadow with Antebellum and highlight with Mint Julep..... until I felt it was complete!
Now it's time to bring on the whimsy!!! Black and white checks and stripes for the win every single time! I painted the little inset trim white.... and brought in the checks by painting tiny black squares even spaced! I just eye-ball this..... there is no measuring for me! If I have to measure it makes me nuts!
And then..... I decided I needed more black and white.... because there is never enough! So I added black and white stripes to the leg hole opening..... and inside the back legs! Its subtle and hidden.... and a nice detail surprise for those that notice! I do tape my long stripes and use the stripe making technique using painters tape.... burnishing my edges.... painting the stripes and removing the tape immediately while the tape is still wet.
At this point it was time to tackle the side panels and I'd had a change of heart! I really wanted to bring in some strong gold glam so I chose to use gold leafing sheets! I LOVE gold leaf.... and it is so much fun to apply!
But it wasn't enough! It needed something more! I contemplated adding molds but chose to go with a basic (but beautiful) transfer by Dixie Belle called Vintage Floral! It is a transfer set that includes many beautiful floral blooms but it also includes a few black outlined clear flowers and I LOVE that!!! So It is just a subtle nod to florals without competing with everything else I have going on the vanity! Boom! It was done!!!! Now I could carry on my plan for the top surface and wrap this beauty up!
I chose to use the harlequin stencil on top again.... with the two tone blue Antebellum and Mermaid Tail. If you didn't already know..... applying the paint through the stencil with the large Best Dang Wax brush is the BEST way to do it!!!!! It leaves a flawless stencil and covers a large space really well!!!
And last but never least..... I applied Gilding Wax in GOLD everywhere I could possibly get away with it!!! I used a chip brush to brush the tiny edges..... I used my finger to apply to larger curves and florals. Its difficult to stop myself once I start adding the gold goodness!!!
The little stool is a blog in itself..... isn't she adorable!?! I painted that fabric just like I do my chairs!
Isn't she just lovely??? I don't mind at all that I paid more for her than I should have. She deserved to be dressed up!
She will now be a part of someone's everyday and that makes me so happy! Don't overlook pieces of furniture that seem outdated or dingy. One man's junk is another man's treasure!!! I make a living from other people's junk!! How is this even possible???
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdbUPLp4izRmlbUOwIyu_ef2HVmeLDlDv