Another Wildflower Dresser
I just couldn't help myself...
I created a second Wildflower Dresser!
Can you blame me?
I've had this sturdy pine dresser for a little over a month in the workshop. I purchased it out of a barn and it needed quite the cleaning before a paint brush could ever touch it. Using warm water and Dawn dish detergent, I scrubbed the dresser inside and out. It took several rounds of changing out black water until the mildew, dust, dirt and dead spiders were gone.
This dresser has seen a lot of life over the years. I'm not exactly sure how old it is, but I think that late 1800's to early 1900's is a good guess given the joinery and the construction.
Check out those drawers! Hand cut dovetails give me all the feels. Can you see how they're slightly different sizes and a bit unevenly spaced? That's a sure sign that they were cut by hand. I gave these drawers a solid cleaning and a dose of Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil to get the luster back in the wood.
There were several pairs of holes drilled into the dresser when I got it. I decided not to plug them all up and drill fresh holes. I didn't want this dresser to be perfect because it's just not that kind of piece. Now don't get me wrong, it's solid and gorgeous, but it has a lot of character that lend it to the perfectly imperfect category.
I bought a fresh set of glass handles from my friends over at D.Lawless Hardware and they just about fit perfectly.
I know you can see a bit of the hole from the side, but from straight on, it's not noticeable.
Can you see all of the dings and nicks on the surface?
Like I said, this dresser has seen some life, and I didn't want to cover all of that up and make it look perfect. This piece has a rustic quality to it, so I played on that and went a bit heavy with my distressing.
I like seeing more of the wood peeking through the edges where I rubbed the paint away. I think this piece wears the look well.
Speaking of paint, this color is a crazy mixture of General Finishes colors. I basically dumped what I had left from 4 or 5 cans of color and made a lighter version of the cornflower blue that I used on my first Wildflower Dresser.
I didn't glaze the second dresser like I did the first. I think the glass handles and the Wildflower Botanical decor transfer from Iron Orchid Designs are just enough.
This piece was a lot of fun to do, and I took my time with it. I've been out of the workshop so much this month and my pieces have been taking much longer to complete. Any chance I had some time on my hands, I popped downstairs and took this dresser one step further. It was finished at a slow pace and it has actually been finished for almost a week now. I simply needed a free day to stage, photograph, edit and blog.
Giving myself more time to create is at the top of my list for 2019. I've been over-committing myself and over-scheduling like a champ these last few months and I'm feeling the strain. I'm very much looking forward to having more empty days on the calendar to create pretty pieces like this one.
This dresser will most likely be making its way to Morgantown Market. I already have a Wildflower Dresser at Homestead Studios, so I'll spread the love and park it in my booth on the second floor. Feel free to email me for price and measurements!
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