I couldn’t resist, y’all are getting 2 furniture makeovers in 1 week! ๐
A little over a month ago, I was brainstorming a dresser makeover. I wanted to do something hand-painted, like the popular Blue Bird Dresser I have done or the Coral Bird and Branch Dresser I did this spring. However, I wanted something more distinctly ‘fall’. So I went outside late one night and picked a couple ferns. I wasn’t sure it would turn out the way I had imagined in my head, but I figured I didn’t have much to lose. So I just started painting what I saw…
ย This type of painting is therapeutic for me. It requires much less concentration than the Union Jack dressers that I have done time and time again.
It took me a couple hours, but I finally came up with something I loved and which sold quickly at St Louis Vintage Market Days:
To give you an idea, here is what I started with:
I had to completely re-glue that entire drawer, replace ALL of the drawer bottoms, and several other drawers needed to be glued and clamped. I also lined the drawer insides with a pretty gray and white fabric that had a wood grain pattern.
The body is painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen. I did not distress this one, but sealed it with clear wax. This particular type of oak finish had some texture to the wood, so the paint absorbed really well. I only took a extra fine grit sanding block and smoothed out the bumps of the hand-painting, added some clear glass knobs and called it good!
It was quite the crowd pleaser at VMDย but lots of people thought it was a stencil. Really?! haha So I finally had to write a little sign saying, “Not a Stencil: Hand-Painted Perfection”
Here it is again, side by side:
In other news, this week we went apple picking for the first time since we moved to the midwest! Kids had a half-day, so we drove out to Eckert’s in Millstadt. It was a day all the entertainment was closed, so entry was free! All we had to pay for was the apples we picked (which was a lot) and the pumpkins we picked! It was a perfectly warm autumn afternoon… 70 degrees with a slight breeze.
My kids have never eaten fresh apples! Can you believe that? What kind of mother am I? ๐ This will definitely be a new tradition. So I decided to take some pictures to document this new tradition, and told them to stand in the shade of one of those heavy-laden trees while I snapped away. The shade made for some beautiful lighting and it didn’t take long to get some keepers:
The funny thing was the kids couldn’t even finish an apple because the bees were EVERYWHERE and would hang on to the juicy- sweet, bitten apple, andย would not let go! Alex (my middle child) is a little terrified of bees, so they ended up throwing away the half-eaten fruits.
The pumpkin patch was a couple minutes away on the tractor ride,ย and it was so fun to walk and walk and pick our own sizes and shapes! We’d get a little tired and sit a little on nature-made stools. ๐
I kinda love those scrunched-up faces!
What are your fall traditions? Do you have apple orchards close by? What is your favorite apple recipe?
With all the apples, I know I’ll be using lots to make apples pies this weekend and several of these desserts from earlier this week:
I LOVE this dresser! You are my hero ๐ Also, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this images of your kids!!! x
That dresser is just gorgeous and so unique! What a fabulous makeover!
Beautiful. Your fern fronds are killer!!
I just love fern pattern! A little piece of forest in your home ๐
Beautiful family pics ๐
Inviting you to share your fern dresser with my fall themed party Big Autumn Bash:
http://milaslittlethings.com/2014/10/big-autumn-bash-the-link-party.html
xx
Mila
milaslittlethings.com
milawayable@gmail.com
No surprise this dresser sold quickly – stunning! Love the French Linen with the dark stain. Of course your “hand painted” fern leaves are gorgeous. Don’t you just hate it when people assume graphics are stenciled.
Beautiful dresser! What a cool idea!
Love, love, love!! This dresser is absolutely amazing, Rachel!
Thank you Alli! You are the sweetest!
gorgeous redo! love ferns, i would love to feature it, if that would be ok please let me know,
lauren
Sure! Thanks for the love!
So obsessed with this dresser!!! I seriously can’t stop looking at it. Featuring it on the blog tonight. Hope your week is going great. xx
I love the ferns! What patience you must have! Did you also do the blue dresser next to it in one of the pictures? More about it??
Thanks,
Jo Ann
Plain ole’ fabulous! I love painting designs on my dressers . . . but just realized it’s been awhile since the last time I did it. You’ve inspired me to get on it!