Shades of Blue Interiors

  • Home
  • Explore My Home
  • Tutorials
  • About
    • Disclosures
    • Features & Press
    • FAQ
  • What I’m Wearing

The Fern Dresser and Apple Picking

October 10, 2014 Rachel 13 Comments

I couldn’t resist, y’all are getting 2 furniture makeovers in 1 week! ๐Ÿ™‚

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…

photo.PNG-2

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:

FernDresser-1

 

To give you an idea, here is what I started with:

FernDresser-4

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!

FernDresser-2

 

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”

FernDresser-3

Here it is again, side by side:

BeforeAfter

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? ๐Ÿ˜‰ 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:

Kids-1

Allthree

Kids-7

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. ๐Ÿ™‚

Kids-9

 

I kinda love those scrunched-up faces!

Kids-11

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:

TasteofSeasonCollage

ย 

Linking Up With:


 

The Inspiration Gallery
Liz Marie Blog
Furniture Feature Fridays

The Best Blog Recipes

Gallery, Photography and Staging, Vintage Market Days

Comments

  1. Danielle says

    October 14, 2014 at 9:08 am

    I LOVE this dresser! You are my hero ๐Ÿ™‚ Also, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this images of your kids!!! x

    Reply
  2. Erin @ Meadow Lake Road says

    October 16, 2014 at 7:07 pm

    That dresser is just gorgeous and so unique! What a fabulous makeover!

    Reply
  3. Beth says

    October 16, 2014 at 11:19 pm

    Beautiful. Your fern fronds are killer!!

    Reply
  4. Mila says

    October 17, 2014 at 9:10 am

    I just love fern pattern! A little piece of forest in your home ๐Ÿ™‚
    Beautiful family pics ๐Ÿ™‚
    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

    Reply
  5. Marie@The Interior Frugalista says

    October 17, 2014 at 12:06 pm

    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.

    Reply
  6. Deana says

    October 17, 2014 at 11:48 pm

    Beautiful dresser! What a cool idea!

    Reply
  7. Allison @ The Golden Sycamore says

    October 18, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    Love, love, love!! This dresser is absolutely amazing, Rachel!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      October 20, 2014 at 8:02 pm

      Thank you Alli! You are the sweetest!

      Reply
  8. west furniture revival says

    October 20, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    gorgeous redo! love ferns, i would love to feature it, if that would be ok please let me know,
    lauren

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      October 20, 2014 at 8:02 pm

      Sure! Thanks for the love!

      Reply
  9. Liz Marie @ Liz Marie Blog says

    October 23, 2014 at 11:47 am

    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

    Reply
  10. Jo Ann Bastanjoo says

    November 4, 2014 at 10:45 am

    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

    Reply
  11. Debbie Christianson says

    November 5, 2014 at 6:18 am

    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!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I’m Rachel.

Subscribe

Privacy Policy & Disclosures

Category

[footer_backtotop text="Top"]
Copyright © 2023 Shades of Blue Interiors · Customization By: Creative Kristi Designs