Cherry Blossom Bureau

I am tooooooo excited about this piece of furniture! I might pee my pants, which actually isn't that difficult to imagine given I have had three babies. Okay sorry to gross you out but I am sure a lot of you can identify with me! You get super excited about a project that you have thought up and if it even turns out half as good as you imagine, it's a home run.

I feel like I won the home run derby at the All star game, so don't burst my bubble if you hate it. Just be a good friend and lie through your teeth.

Here she is in my foyer where she has sat for, oh, about 2 months.

She is very solid and has amazing drawers behind those doors. I originally wanted to do a "sewing" technique on her but then I was in a craft store and I knew what she needed to become. 

Now I am going to tease you a little with the transformation:

                      I must still be feelin' the botanical vibe from our trip to Canada =0)

Are you sufficiently pumped?

Okay, Okay, here she is. 

I am smitten.

I masked off the cherry blossom design first and the painted over it so it would look like inlaid wood.

I made my own chalk paint using Sharon's recipe from Elizabeth & Co. and some turquoise and cream paint I had left over from older projects. NOW I understand the appeal! Amazing stuff and the coverage is out of this world. Not only would I have had to sand and prime this piece first but it would have taken about 3 coats of regular latex to get the coverage I got with just two coats of the chalk paint, no sanding and priming required. 

I carved a few details into the wood to make it more like inlaid wood. A little sanding took the edges off and I think it adds appeal.

See what I mean about those drawers. I thought about stenciling some sayings like "holsters and hosiery"  or "foundational garments" on the drawers but then I thought she might think that made her look cheap. Add to the fact that this new generation probably would not understand what foundational garments are. And tracing the word "thongs" is definitely out of the question.

I used Minwax Paste in their light color to finish it. I had to soften it quite a bit by letting it stand in hot water and then working it in with an old brush. It was okay but I think I am going to invest in Fiddes and Sons wax. 

It naturally crackled in places which made it even more lovely. 

I didn't want the knobs to compete with the wood design so I painted the knobs to match. The gold glaze serves to further highlight the details of the piece without taking away from the flowers. The gold also goes so well with the turquoise color.

The color changes depending on the light that is playing off of it. Sometimes it is more blue and sometimes more green. 

So, Home Run or Strike out?

Doesn't matter really, still smitten. 

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!