Doll Dresser

 You may remember the Estate Sale that I went to 4 times...yes, I need help - but that's a story for another story...I finally got around to working on one of the doll dressers that I picked up on my first visit.  Do you remember?  Here they are as I found them:
I decided to start with the one on the right since I wasn't really sure where I was going with this project.  The first thing I did was remove the screws holding the decorative molding on the top.  
I wasn't a fan of those big screws.
Much better! Remember looking at the holes in the top.  They will be reused.
The painted surface wasn't smooth at all:
A little Citristrip took care of that!
The knobs on the drawers were pounded into the drawer fronts.  This was a first for me.
They got the Citristrip treatment too!
The original plan was to stain the top but when I got a good look at the wood, I decided against it.
Not the prettiest grain I've ever seen.
So a plan finally came together.  The body of the dresser would be paint and the drawers and that decorative piece would be stained.  
After 2 coats of chalk paint.  
I painted the knobs with antique gold.
The drawers and decorative piece were stained in Dark Walnut.
The screw holes were partially filled with wood filler and those ends were painted black.  No matter what they say, I've never been able to get wood filler to take stain well.  
My apologies for not taking pictures of how I reattached this piece, but let me tell you what I did.  I cut two small pieces from a wooden skewer and glued them into the holes left in the top of the dresser.  If you refer back to the picture where I removed it, you'll see what I mean.  After running a bead of wood glue on the bottom of the decorative piece, I put some glue in the screw holes that were still left in the bottom of it.  The top of the skewers slid into those holes and I used painter's tape to hold the piece in place on top of the dresser while the glue dried.  I hope that makes sense!
The entire dresser was given two coats of polycrylic to seal and protect it.  
Do you see that dark dot above the knob of the bottom drawer? I tried to get rid of it and nothing worked, so, as you've heard me say before, "These are the things that give old furniture character!"
It needed a purpose and if you're wondering what's inside, remember all that costume jewelry I found at another Estate Sale?
Perfect storage! Although I still have some sitting in the glass vase.

One dresser done, but there's still the other one with the mirror.  I can't decide if it should be a match or if it needs to be redone with bright colors....or decoupage...or a painted design....any thoughts?  Help a gal out - I'd love to hear your suggestions!  


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Comments

  1. Your dresser came out great! No suggestions for how to do the other, but whatever you do, it will probably turn out nice, too!

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    1. Hi Fonda! It's so nice to hear from you! Thank you so much for your kind words - I'll figure something out, it's just a matter of how long it will take. LOL

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  2. Replies
    1. Aww, thanks! The ideas are swirling for the next one.

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  3. Replies
    1. Thank you, Zenda. I hope all is well with you!

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  4. What a fabulous find! It looks just like a gorgeous life size dresser! Looks like you found some wonderful jewelry pieces too. Such a cute idea for storing them.

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    1. Thank you, Marie. I really didn't have a purpose for this little dresser, but when I found all of the jewelry, it all came together!

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  5. That is super cute, and contemporary!

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    1. Thank you, Rita. I always like to save wood if I can!

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  6. Ann this is perfect for storage. For some reason I don't think I would have thought it.

    Beautiful job, love it!

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    1. Thank you Cindy. It's perfect for storing all of that craft jewelry - I need to get the other one done to store the rest of it though!

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  7. I love how you've saved something that could so easily have been thrown away.
    I'd go bright with the next one, just for fun. Maybe a stencil or paper napkin decoupage maybe. Or not! It's up to you! Whatever you fancy doing will be lovely :-)

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    1. I was thinking along the same lines, Julie - bright and cheerful! It may be a Fall/Winter project so stay tuned!

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  8. Ann,
    Just darling!! What a great transformation!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  9. So very cute. A perfect little storage dresser. Looks like the jewelry was quite the find. I am happy to feature your doll dresser at Love Your Creativity,

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  10. Thanks for sharing on Traffic Jam Weekend! Your little dresser turned out great! For the other one, I guess what you should do with it depend on what you're going to do with it, ha. If you're going to use it near the this one it should match. If you're placing it somewhere else, maybe decoupage in a pretty pattern. I love a good decoupage!

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    1. Where will it be? That IS the question! I may have to ponder this one for a bit longer... Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. How cute is this? Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm! xo Kathleen

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    1. Thank you, Kathleen. They don't make doll furniture like that anymore!

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  12. So adorable. These would not be something I would have picked up at a estate sale in the past, but now that I have a granddaughter I would be snatching those up and remaking them too. Thanks for sharing the inspiration. #HomeMattersParty

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    1. Happy to share, Donna. There are so many ways to use these pieces. I may need more!

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