When I first starting painting furniture as a business back in 2009.....there were very few people doing it at a business level.
Why is this relevant?
It means I had the cream of the crop options of used furniture pieces to choose from!
It means I kept TWO of the largest sized storage units available...packed to the brim with the coolest, curviest, gaudiest, chunkiest pieces of naked tossed to the side furniture that I could possibly house!
It was a never-ending supply of goodness!
Until one day.....like a crazy wildfire.....the furniture painting industry went balls-to-the-wall nuts!!!
Everyone that could hold a paintbrush jumped onto the train.....and slowly but surely the goodness was gone.
Poof! Sayonara! Gone!
So......when I came across this pair of beauties......I truthfully almost cried tears!!! And to make it even better.....they belong to an entire bedroom set! Yup......two nightstands, queen headboard, enormous nine drawer dresser and the biggest mirror I've ever seen!
I could not contain or restrain my joy! So I went with it!
I painted my heart......in full color......right onto these curvy girls!
I hope they portray my enthusiasm and excitement in just the right way!
To obtain this whimsical pink princess finish on a piece of your own...I will share with you my every step including all products used in a clickable shop section below.
I began by sanding off the old paint on the top surface only as it had obviously been exposed to water somewhere along the way and the paint was lifting, peeling and chipping...however the surface was NOT warped. I did not touch the top surfaces again until the very end.
From here....we are talking front and sides of the pieces only....top surface comes later.
I showered the entire piece with White Lightning by Dixie Belle to remove all oil, dirt and accumulated grime in the carvings. I then showered well with plain water.
After fully dry....I base coated them using my DB Mini brush with two coats of Dixie Belle Peony.....my all-time favorite color in the Dixie Belle line (ok....tough call between Peony and The Gulf)!
I then coated with one sloppy coat of Clear Top Coat in Satin.
Next, I covered all carvings and the entire skirt in Best Dang Wax in Black and wiped back....leaving only black wax in the crevices (or lows as we call it) of the carvings.
You can watch this take place below by watching this video here where I hope to alleviate your fears of using dark waxes.
I chose Dixie Belle Soft Pink and used it as the deep inset color around the main front and side panels and let that dry. I realize it looks white...but it's actually Soft Pink.
At this point...it's a very free art form...which may be difficult to understand in typed word. You can see this process in the video below...
It's a mixing of colors as I go and using those blended color creations on the pieces in various spots.
The most difficult part of the process for me was making them fairly similar. I highly recommend working on matching pieces....side by side....at the same time. What you do to one piece...move over and do to the other...right then. Because I use my furniture to teach...I worked on one piece until completion. Moving onto the next piece using it as a teaching tool as well at a later date. This adds struggle that you want to avoid.
I began with the feet/legs of the pieces. Tipping the ends in the beautiful Dixie Belle Cobalt Blue....topping them in Blueberry.....and a little fresh wet Peony in between....then using the FREAKING amazing new French Tip brush.....I began blending the three colors to create an ombre effect of cobalt blue to light purple to periwinkle....which I carried the periwinkle across the skirt.
I then used the vibrant periwinkle color that was created from the blending and used it to highlight some of the corners and carvings.
I now began both high and low lighting with DB Flamingo.....a gorgeous soft coral. I love using the bold pink and the soft coral together. On these pieces.....the soft coral serves as a shadow or hint of an under color......and it extremely subtle. I add this with a small brush around edges and then blend it into the pink finish using the french tip brush.
French Tip Brush
***side note on the french tip -- I have never been sold on a specific blending brush. I usually use a brush per color and just sort of grab what brushes I have available....relying on my mister bottle as my most important tool. Well.....let me tell you.....I am IN LOVE with the ability of this brush....and plan to do an entire blog on JUST the blending ability of it. It blends instantly without muddying your colors....into a velvet-like finish....just smooth and simple....and needs very little water to make this happen...which means faster drying time and a quicker project completion!
I also used a touch of Soft Pink to brighten the outer edges of a few of the carvings...just running a fine line with a tiny brush....then softening out with the french tip.
And finally.....the jeweled highlights with the metallic gold paste wax Eternal by Redesign with Prima.....which set off the entire finish!
Now for the top....which took me several finish experiments to finally settle on my go-to......bold black and white stripes. This came after attempts at a white stain......a black and white stain combo.....to the stripes! And I am VERY VERY happy with the addition.
This led me to revisit the legs.....and finish off the whimsical pink princess nightstands completely....with the addition of my tiny black and white checks! Watch a mesmerizing video of me painting teeny tiny checks on another piece. I used Caviar and Fluff...as always...for both of these classic patterns.
Both pieces were sealed for durability and protection with Clear Top Coat in Gloss using my favorite DB Applicator Pads.
I am just thrilled to have been given the opportunity to redress this gorgeous vintage bedroom set! I look forward to the remaining pieces coming down the pipeline!
I hope to keep the headboard WITH these whimsical pink princess nightstands. I plan to restyle the dresser and mirror as a buffet/mirror set for a glamorous over the top dining room! Subscribe to my newsletter to get weekly updates.
Until then...check out some of my other bright bold pink whimsical furniture pieces below. (click on any photo below for more details...)
Looking for a more subtle pink? Take a closer look at my soft pink and gold nursery design for my granddaughter Harlow.
See you next week!
XOXO,
Tracey
