French Post Card Dresser

I bought this two drawer dresser type piece at a garage sale last summer for 2.00.  Even though it is small it weighs a ton.  My poor husband and son had to load it for me.  We just happened to be out walking after a parade and I stumbled upon it just sitting there calling to me.  I even told my husband I would make his favorite dinner if he would load it up for me and even ride in the back seat with it in my Rendezvous.  I had the car packed that day because it was my Mother's birthday and I always try to take a meal and a cake up to her, she is about an hour and half away from me and just had knee surgery so I was the hostess and it takes a lot of stuff to be the hostess where I come from!  So needless to say I had to wedge the dresser in and I was determined to do it and I did!

 I ended up painting it white with two tones of gray.  I wanted to paint a piece with a postcard image on it for so long but every time I would think I about it I would chicken out, I just didn't think I could do it.   Well the day came and I decided to face my fear head on and went over to The Graphics Fairy and found a nice postcard image to use.  I enlarged it by about 200% and traced it on the top of the dresser using newspaper for tracing paper.  I had seen that method used on Pinterest and thought I give it a try since this was such a large design.   It worked well, the only thing I took note of that you need a paper that has a lot on  printing or pictures for it to leave a tracing line.  Other than that the line was adequate and as you can see I was able to hand paint the design fairly well.

             I made up an fictitious address and wrote a small love note that I had translated into French. 

 I added legs to this dresser. I just happened to have a set of unpainted legs in a box waiting to be called to duty.  They mounted very nicely inside the box frame on the bottom I just had to buy some screw and attach them.  I painted the bottom edge and legs with a black stain from MinWax and then sanded them to make them appear worn. I glazed the entire piece to finish it off.

I decided to include this old tote box in this post just because it was sitting on the postcard dresser.  It was just an old box I stained black and I also made the wooden sides to hold the handle which is a lightly painted pink chair spindle.  I love vintage and love taking it and re-purposing it even more!   All in a day's work I faced my fears and came out alright.