Antique Silhouette and Chalkboard Dresser

When my inlaws moved a month ago they gave us an antique dresser that had been stashed in their attic.  It needed quite a bit of love but we decided it would be perfect for our daughter's room once it was fixed up! 

Take a look at the dresser before it got a makeover.

It had beautiful veneer but a lot of it was in terrible condition.  We decided to leave most of it and work with the ripples by distressing but I had to rip the veneer of of the 2 little drawers.  Some of the edges had a run with with some wood filler but they didn't mind!

Before I go into all the details I'd like to introduce you to Elise's "new" silhouette dresser!

I can't get over how much I LOVE how it turned out!  And, I think it is safe to say the little lady was equally excited especially since it is her silhouette adorning the front!

Now for the details. 

As you can see the veneer on the small drawers was replaced with vintage sheets fabric.  It's a pretty simple process which if you have been following along for a while you've seen me do before.  Measure, cut, Mod Podge the furniture face, lay your fabric, Mod Podge on top!  I did the same for the frame around the silhouette but since it was a difficult shape I layed tissue paper over top to trace and make a pattern.

To create the silhouette I first took a side profile picture of my daughter, printed it out as is and cut out the shape.  Then I colored around the edge (on the back) with pencil.

I used a wad of gum tack to stick the silhouette onto the correct part of the dresser, then I laid the sheet of paper in the background over top so I could do a pencil transfer without falling over the edge. 

Here you can see the silhouette paper under the cover paper.  I scribbled all over the outline of the silhouette to transfer the pencil I had drawn around the edge.  What's left when you remove both pieces of paper is a nice pencil outline of your silhouette.

I used a sharpie to outline and then a black paint pen to fill it in.

The entire piece was painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Pure White.  I distressed the places the veneer was wavy, the edges, and in all the beautiful details on the dresser drawers.  We left the beautiful antique hardware as is.

The last item to tackle was the mirror.  It was a foggy mess.  Not a nice, old, antiqued looking mirror just a foggy mess.

So my husband removed it from the frame, sprayed it with Zinsser BIN Shellac-Base Primer, and then 3 coats of Valspar chalkboard paint!  It will be a great place for Elise (and us) to leave messages!

Love the little built in storage cubbies too!

One last peek!

Come back next week to see my son's antique dresser redo!  My husband says it is his favorite piece that I've done to date!

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