Before and After: Campaign Dresser

I FINALLY got around to addressing my campaign dresser.  It has been sitting in it's "natural state" for almost a year now, holding down the fort in our formal living room.  Truthfully, it didn't look terrible in there, but I've always had different plans in mind for it. 

Using my trusty furniture sliders, I shimmied it into place and got to work.  Do you own furniture sliders?  They are an impatient girl's best friend.  It's amazing what you can move by yourself with these things.

Here is the requisite "before" shot.  You can see the before before here when I first picked it up from a Craig's List seller.

Of course, my adorable partner in crime was on the scene to "help". (ie. crawl away with my screwdriver about 100 times).

First things first - I had to remove all the brass bits.  And there are A LOT of them.  You can see in these images that the top of the dresser really wasn't in great condition.  Lots of scratches, dings and general wear.  Not unusual for a Craig's List purchase of vintage furniture so I wasn't scared. 

It's funny...without the hardware, there's really nothing all that special about this piece.  The brass details are like the jewelery that make it sparkle.  

I got out my favorite wood filler and got to work.  There is little you can't fix using a tube of this stuff. 

Elmer's Carpenter Wood Filler in Natural

There were two major areas of damage - this is one.  The edge of one of the drawers had a pretty significant chip. 

Nothing I can't fix with wood filler! Don't be afraid to use this stuff liberally.  Once it dries, you can sand it to a smooth finish.

All "repaired".  I filled in all the chips and also went over any deep scratches on the top with wood filler and a putty knife.  

Then the party moved to the garage for sanding and priming.

This is my "go to" primer for project like this.  If you have a dark wood stained piece of furniture that you want to paint a light color, this is your best bet. 

Zinnser Cover Stain Primer

It is, however, oil based which makes it a bit of a pain to clean up.  I avoid all that paint thinner brush cleaning business by using these $2 sponge brunches.  When I'm done, I can just dispose of it at my local recycling center.  PLEASE don't throw your oil based paint brushes in the trash!  Besides being flammable, it's horrible for the environment. 

I was totally conflicted as to what color to paint this beauty.  I've had paint chips for both of these colors up on my office inspiration board for months now, just dying to use them.  I knew the teal would look amazing with the brass details but I also loved the light robin's egg blue. 

I put the call out on Facebook for help and the lighter blue won out (which means I have to find somewhere else to get my teal fix!)

I have to say, after painting really detailed pieces like this and this, this campaign dresser was a breeze!  All those flat surfaces!  I literally rolled on the first coat in 10 minutes flat. 

I did 3 coats of paint, 2 coats of water based polyurethane and then a high gloss layer.  More on this in a future post.

The last step was polishing up all that brass hardware to a shiny finish using my trusty Brasso. 

 

And here it is in its new home - the finishing piece in our guest room! 

The dresser that was there before was just a placeholder (albeit one that had been there for 6 years!)  Doesn't it look SO much better than what was there before?

 

Remember the vintage faux bamboo mirror I snagged at the Raleigh Flea for $20?  It's been sitting in a corner waiting for just the right spot and I think I finally found one.  I love how the gilded wood of the frame picks up on the brass bits on the campaign dresser. 

I accessorized with more flea market finds.  I have a slight problem with vintage loving cup trophies.  This is like 1/8 of my collection.

 

Another flea market find - this blanc-de-chine lamp.  I love the big scale of it.

And the delicate ceramic flowers on it are gorgeous.
 

Remember it looking like a jewel in the middle of a hot mess in our spare bedroom?

It looks so much better now and adds great light to the corner of the guest room.

Later this week I'll be sharing my secret formula for getting a lacquer like glossy finish on pieces like this.  

But for now I'll leave you with one final side-by-side of this transformation.  

  

Linking up at:

Recap of Liberty Antiques Festival

A few weeks ago I spent the day at the Liberty Antiques Festival, a twice annual antiques fair held on a 100 acre farm in Liberty, NC.

It turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous, sunny day. Perfect for hunting for vintage finds. The festival is quite literally in the middle of nowhere - a dirt road turn off onto a farm where at 7:30 am I was already sitting in a line of cars!

And waiting 200 people deep in line to get in!

While I waiting, I observed my fellow shoppers. Note to self - serious shoppers bring their own rolly cart things!

Overall I would say I was impressed with the variety of stuff offered and the sheer knowledge of the dealers and shoppers alike. This is not your average flea market crowd. These are serious antiques dealers with encyclopedic knowledge of their wares. Prices weren't exactly what I'd call cheap, especially for some of the more spectacular pieces. But there were definitely still bargains to be had. I think a festival like this is the perfect place to head if you are decorating a home and still in need of those few perfect pieces to finish it off.

This incredible vintage wood file cabinet was easily 8 feet tall and would have made for some killer craft storage. It was $800. Not cheap but for such a substantial and unique piece, I still consider that really great.

Some of the other interesting vintage furniture pieces I saw:

All I could think when I saw this piece (a vintage display case from a bakery!) was how amazing it would be as mudroom/shoe storage. Can you imagine?!

Love this Jenny Lind bed! There was also an incredible selection of quilts at the festival (see them there in the background?) Virtually every booth had am amazing quilt on display.

Of course in addition to these bigger furniture pieces, there was also the expected assortment of glassware - every color under the rainbow!

Antique ironstone. Love! + another fab quilt in the background.

Loved this booth of vintage sports paraphernalia. Great merchandising too.

Remember a few seasons back when Restoration Hardware was selling these factory carts turned coffee tables for like $1,000? These were $250.

Never saw so many vintage linens in one place!

Also in abundance at the festival - some great vintage lighting fixtures.

Don't these look familiar?

Are antlers still in?

Now stuff I loved but didn't buy:

I was so in love with this double sink/washtub. It would look amazing in a laundry room but I would love it in a garden shed too. When I suggested it to Mr. H+F he said "it would look great in a laundry room in 1915". UGH!!!

Loved these fiberglass outdoor chairs. They had a very Kelly Wearstler vibe. Similar to these from Pieces for $695 a chair...err...except these were $200...for all four!

This etagere would have looked great holding towels and toiletries in my guest bath.

I loved this vintage seed packet display piece. 3 of them would make for a great escort card display at a lovely summer wedding right?

Completely adorable vintage art for a nursery. Imagine them framed up in a series?!

This doesn't really belong under the category of "stuff I almost bought" because it was $2,800 but it was GORGEOUS! A 5 foot + tall framed, vintage Lotti poster. This would look so incredible on a big wall. Very Novogratz-esque.

Of course it wouldn't be an antiques festival without the normal array of bric-a-brac and totally random stuff.

Like an Osmonds lunchbox?

Or a completely random sculpture using rusty bottle caps?

A moonshine still?

Am I the only one totally terrified by old dolls?

Mr. H+F was actually upset that I didn't bring home this Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robot set. Seriously...

I kept seeing these charming tin toys all over the festival. I didn't go with the intention of buying any but they really started to grow on me.

Before I knew it, I was buying some! Like this cute top.

And these carnival swings.

Other stuff that I picked up - this pedestal base wicker planter for $15.

It's looking much better on my porch now that I've spray painted it gray. {Note the ladder in the background? Yup, this is happening.}

These iron silhouette pieces of Presidents Lincoln and Washington for $10. I love how graphic they are and I think they'll look great on a gallery wall.

And this rhinestone bracelet (at the top) for $20.

So as you can see, I spent way more time browsing than actually buying but I still loved every second. I think I'll definitely go back in September now that I have a better sense for what kinds of items they carry there.