Updated Harlequin Dresser

This dresser has been done once and didn't sell at the Silver Drawer before it closed. It has been sitting in my garage for a while under a blanket because the top's paint had bubbled. I hadn't gotten around to redoing the top until now but, knew that I didn't want to do it black again. The top-front of the dresser has some really great curve detail and that got lost with the black on black of the dresser. I used the same cream paint and then stained it the same to mimic the front of the dresser in color.

The top of the dresser needed a little detail so I took the idea from the drawer pulls and hand painted a fleur de leis on the top. I used a ebony (black) stain to hand paint the design in and then went back with some black paint for added interest and shading.

The curve detail of the top of the dresser was lost when the top was originally black. I am glad I was able to redo the top of this dresser and add the right color so that the curve detail could really show on such a great antique peice of furniture.

You can see the drawer pulls that are fleur de leis' and that is the inspiration for the design on the top of the dresser.

The front of the dresser was hand painted using a crackling technique. I love the harlequin design of the front of the dresser and gives it so much personality.

Here is the dresser finished with the faux keyghole and the key on a ribbon hanging from the drawer pull. I love the color of the top and makes the dresser look even better. So, this dresser is on sale at the General Store in Layton. Go check out this cute consignment store...it's a really fun store with tons of unique items.

Antique Magnetic/Message Door Center

This is an antique door that I am changing to be my message/magnetic board area. I have a problem area in my kitchen and the current magnetic board just isn't large enough and there is no where for the kids backpacks to go and they tend to sit on the floor just under the magnetic board. This is me sanding the door so that I could get ready to paint the door. This is my new sander from Christmas. Most women wouldn't like this gift but, I was thrilled!!

This has been a problem area and I knew I needed a larger magnetic board to help organize the kitchen/garage entry area. As you can see...it's a little full. I'm letting you all see it how it really was and I hadn't edited it for a while with the holidays and I'm sure you all have a spot that is a little unorganized. I started by painting the door a white color to match all the mouldings and cupboards of the kitchen. Then on to the fun accessorizing. I wanted to add clips and custom magnetic boards to each of the doors panels.

It was cold outside, so after the door was painted, I moved the door inside to the kitchen island. I laid down some towels so that it didn't hurt the island's countertops and went to work in the comfort of a warm home.

The antique door was great but, was missing the original hardware. So, I made my own door plate by making a template out of some scrap paper,the same relative size as the original and added some half circles at the top and bottom to add some character. I used chipboard to trace my pattern onto and used about four layers to make it the thickness of the original antique door plate. I added some paper that accents the adjoining kitchen. I used antique hardware to add the doorknob I found at an antique store.

The antique doorknob was a steal (only $7.20)because it wasn't a matching set and was missing the other half. That was perfect for me because I only wanted one side of the door knob because it was going to be against a wall. I bought the little antique mounting black peices for only $1.80. This was a really great deal for an antique peice that had silver in the middle of the glass knob that matched my existing color pallette. I added two black upholstery nailheads to the curved ends to add some character. They look like the screw usually used to mount the plate to the door and also helped nail down the door knob plate to the wood door. Such a cool detail! I then added some custom magnetic board with some liquid nail to secure it. My husband was kind enough to hold the last panel while I took a picture. I found a great metal fabricator shop that cut me custom peices out of scraps for a bargain. I love a great deal! I will definetely use them again for any more metal work I need done. Antique doors are all different and I couldn't find anyone that had metal peices that fit the door. So I was happy I found this metal shop!

All of the colors I used matched the kitchen. This is that chair I did to match the kitchen...I love how it's so custom. I did the door white because the wall behind it was already candy apple green.

I added hooks for the kids to hang their book bags on!! There is a laundry room around the corner with hooks but, the back packs never seemed to make it there. So, during the grind of the week it will be great with the backpacks here but, when the kids are off track or the weekend...the backpacks can go around the corner and be out of site.

These tiny clips were made to match this custom door. I added the black and white to add some fun and they are a great way to hang invitations and events or even pictures.

The larger clips are for schedules and homework. They are heavy duty and can hold lots. I added the green polka dot to bring in the candy apple color of the walls.

This is the door hung and ready to be put to good use. It's looks really bare...guess I should personalize it!!

This is the door ready to be fully functional. I can't believe that everything we had on the other board could look this good. I did recycle the paper work that was outdated and edited some pictures to only my favorites.

The magnetic board behind the backpacks is where the kids can hang their work. The middle magnetic board is holding a new smaller calendar. I use it to write down schedules and it's the perfect size to let us know what's going on without being too big.

This project has been in mind for a while and I'm glad I finally got it done!! It looks so great and it helps keep the family organized.