Awesome DIY Revamped Dresser

Hi everyone!  The weather here is hot, hot, hot so this is a perfect time for me to stay in the a/c and share a project with you.  When Mandy sent me pictures of the dresser revamp that she did for her daughter's bedroom, I just knew you would love it!

Mandy even put together a most excellent tutorial, so grab a glass of cold sweet tea (that's what you're supposed to drink in the summah in the Souuuth) and can sit back and enjoy Mandy's great explanation.  Take it away Mandy!

I had been inspired to paint a piece of furniture silver since seeing someone selling this Hooker chest on Craigslist. 

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I also fell in love with Bryonie Porter's wallpaper covered furniture.  Honestly, it's like she made it just for me.

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My original plan was to makeover my daughter's existing dresser using these 2 ideas.  But the more I looked at the curvy edges, the more I decided that, to save my sanity, I'd need to find something with straight lines.

Enter Craigslist.  Daily searches finally found me a simple white campaign dresser.  

(This dresser is similar to mine.)

It had several bumps & bruises.  It was missing 2 of the corner brass plates, but I assumed (mistakenly, it turns out) that those could be replaced.  Ignoring its cosmetic flaws, it was a very solid all wood piece of furniture, with straight lines!  Exactly what I was looking for.  So $40 & one squished finger later, I had it home.

I filled in the worst of the dings with some wood filler & a putty knife, then sanded the whole piece just enough to rough up the shiny finish & smooth out the puttied places.  

After 2 coats of Zinsser primer, I applied 3 coats of Martha Stewart Living Metallic Polished Silver paint.  It said to apply with a brush or sponge & I had read that you would see the brush strokes, so I decided to use a sponge.  It was a little tricky to paint without seeing stop & start marks.  

I had to work very quickly & paint narrow strips, very carefully running the sponge over the strip to make one continuous straight line before the paint dried too much.  I probably could have only done 2 coats, but my first coat was pretty thin.  I was a little nervous about how far that little bottle of paint would stretch, so I was going too easy.  I also painted the top & side edges of the drawers and still have half of the bottle leftover.

I picked out lots of scrapbook papers that I thought my daughter would like from Hobby Lobby & Michael's, on sale of course. 

I decided not to make each design the same width because it would drive me crazy if I couldn't get them all lined up perfectly.  So I made 2 templates out of some thin cardboard backing to measure the height by, picked out what patterns I wanted to go together & cut them at random widths on my paper cutter until each drawer was covered.

  I laid them all out as I went (and gave my husband strict instructions not to run by & create a wind) to make sure I wasn't repeating too much & to get an idea of the overall look. 

Once everything was cut, I used Mod Podge to attach the papers to the drawer fronts, using an old discount card to push out any air bubbles.  I tried to make sure each piece lined up straight with the top edge of the drawer, because try as I might, there were a few that were cut a little too long that I didn't notice until I was applying them.  After allowing ample drying time, I went back with an X-acto knife & trimmed the extra off the bottom edge. 

 Another benefit to using random widths for my papers was being able to correct a slight error in measuring, which left me with a gap in pages on one drawer.  I just cut a narrow piece & applied it over the gap. 

Because of the way the handles attach into a recessed area on the drawer fronts, I felt like I needed to "help" that area.  

(This is the back of one of the handles.)

If the handles were flush to the front like most drawers, I would have skipped this next step.  But I was very paranoid about the paper tearing if I forced the handles in, so before applying a top coat of Mod Podge, I made small cuts into the recessed area where the handles would be attached.

  Then I used one of the handles to press into the area & fold the paper into the correct shape. I was afraid if I did this step after applying Mod Podge to the top, the paper would be stiffer & may lift away from the dresser when pressed.  I have no logic to explain this other than my experience working with Mod Podge & paper.  I decided that was the safer choice.  

Because I have had experience with seeing brush strokes when using Mod Podge, I decided to use a roller to apply the top coat to the drawers.  The roller gave the glue an interesting textured finish which I liked much better than me having to make perfectly straight lines with a sponge.  

I have also had problems with Mod Podge remaining tacky even after long drying periods.  So I let them dry for a few days & then used Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel to apply 2 extra coats of protection over the papers. 

Attach the handles, wipe out the drawers with a damp cloth to remove any dust, and they're ready to go in the dresser!  My husband & I were finally able to attach the mirror we had bought months ago since we now had the final spot for the dresser, and my daughter has already started "accessorizing" the top. :)  She told me tonight as she was going to bed that she just can't stop staring at it because she loves it so much.  I consider that great success!!!

I say it's 99% done because I can't find replacements for the 2 corner pieces that were missing when I bought it. I've found the correct size at one place but apparently it is a factory & they won't sell them to me.  So for now, the corner pieces aren't attached & I will most likely have to buy all new ones.  Or we may leave them off for good.  We just love it!

Thanks Suzy for featuring my project!  It was a lot of fun to do (for a creative dork like me at least).  ;)

You're no creative dork - more like a creative genius!  BTW - I love the funky shape of the mirror that you paired with the dresser.  

Thank you so much, Mandy, for writing this wonderful tutorial and allowing me to share your project.

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I love to feature your projects!  Drop me a line if you have something that you'd like to share.

I'll be sharing Mandy's dresser at these fun parties:

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much

Your Cozy Home Party on Monday at Cozy Home Scenes

Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Motivated Monday at Be Colorful

Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie

Tutorials and Tips Tuesday at Home Stories A to Z
Restored It Wednesday at Restore Interiors

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design on Wednesday

Uncommonly Yours on Wednesday at Uncommon Designs

Show and Share on Wednesday at Southern Lovely

Tutorials Tips and Tidbits on Thursday at Stone Gable

Show Me Extroidinary on Thursday at The 36th Avenue

Grace at Home on Thursday at Imparting Grace

Open House Party Thursday at No Minimalist Here

Potpourri Friday at 2805

Share Your Creations on Thursday at Kristen's Creations

Tickled Pink Fridays at 504 Main

Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Feature Friday Free for All at Five Days...5 Ways

Feature Friday at Blissful and Domestic

DIY Link Party at AKADesign

Addicts (not so) Anonymous on Friday at Addicted 2 Decorating

Inspiration Friday at At the Picket Fence

Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Weekly Top Shot on Saturday at The View From Right Here

Overflowing with Creativity on Sunday at It's Overflowing

Sew Darn Crafty Sunday at Sew Many Ways

Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming

Simply Klassic Sunday at A Simply Klassic Home

Sundae Scoop Party at I Heart Naptime