On my Facebook Page I like to post notes about what I am doing in my shop- today I started painting this adorable little dresser in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint: My color choices? Well…..I was a bit indecisive so I selected Paloma, Old White, Country Grey, Versailles, Emile & Old Ochre.

There are many reason why I really love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint…one of them is the ease of use of the paint. It is exactly like how Annie Sloan describes it – kind. First of all- it is super easy to apply. And – the process is super quick. All I did to “prep” this piece was wipe it down and I shop vac the drawers out. I started by painting the top in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Old White..which took a whole 5 minutes.

There was specs of dark “stain” on the top…and the Old White covered it all. Next I started to paint the body of it in Annie Sloan Emile- which is a beautiful warm soft aubergine color with pink red undertones giving it a rich complexity that makes a sophisticated lilac tone. I LOVE this color!!!!! I started the whole process at 11:03 am and finished painting the entire skeleton of the dresser within 15 minutes. (Now keep in mind- my store is open on Saturdays and I am doing this all the while I have visitors) I didn’t use anything fancy to paint the dresser – in fact- I used one of my handy old brushes that seems to be my “go to” brush.

Here are a few suggestions that may be helpful for you. First- I always put whatever I am painting, up on scrap blocks to elevate it off the floor. You can see my blocks in the photo above. It will make painting the tip of its legs easier, especially if you have a drop cloth on the floor. For some reason- drop cloths always bunch UP and get in the way of painting. Second- If you paint pieces to sell or if this is for your home…please don’t forget to paint the back of it. I like to use the analogy that when a woman goes to the hair dresser she still gets a cut & color on the back of her head…even though she cannot see it. The same applies to furniture. And this includes painting inside the drawers. By putting in this little extra effort – it gives the piece double duty in case you want to use it to divide a space in a room or, depending the size of the dresser, if it is small enough, place it at the foot of the bed. The back can be kept the same color, or use a surprise color! But definitely paint it. That whole surprise color idea- applies to inside the drawers too. Use a fun accent color for a bit of whimsy. Or- if this is for your teenage daughter who insisted she wanted her walls of her painted in bright neon orange, but you compromised on a different color- use the orange in the drawers! She will love it!!!

Now I know we are all in a hurry and time is of the essence- but go to the effort and take the knobs off the drawers as shown below. : ) It will make painting much easier- and besides- now you can decide to use the existing knobs or purchase new ones without the worry of having to match the shape and size. Seems elementary, but thought I should write it.

For the top of the dresser, I love whimsy. So, how about a little Harlequin design? I think….yes! To begin this step, first I determine what I personally think would look good for the size of the diamonds. I take a ruler and place it from the front to the back dresser and measure the depth. I decide that three full diamonds or close to it would look best. So- I take the measurement and divide it by 3. The rule of thumb for a Harlequin diamond (now that is a bit redundant isn’t it) is that the height of the diamond should be twice the width. This is just a guide- if you prefer more of a square shape- do that instead, this is your dresser. For me- I start by making a diamond shaped template.

I then find the center point on top of my dresser and using water color pencils (never use regular lead / graphite pencils since the lead smears and is difficult to cover) I make a grid to find the center point easily. I place my template centered on top of the dresser and begin my layout always using either a watercolor pencil or piece of chalk…never use your run of the mill lead or graphite pencil because depending on the paint you are using- it can be a bear to cover and the lead will smear in you paint and alter the color.

When I painted the diamonds in using about 6 different colors- to get more interest- I would thin out the paint- almost to a “wash” consistency just to get variation in hue and depth of color. It gives the piece more of a water color feel.

Since I was doing all of this while my shop was open- I had multiple paint sales and people coming in with questions about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. So- I did not finish the piece today- but I will soon. Below are some additional photos of how it looks right now. I painted out the front panel on the drawers in a cream because my next step after finishing the harlequin pattern I will add a pretty landscape of one of our beautiful NY Finger Lakes.  Stay tuned for the finished piece which I promise to take photos of with a real camera versus my cell phone. : )