A Little Bit Of Monica In My Life...

Time to do the Mambo #5.  Not really, although I would Mambo if you would, too.  

Chicken, I didn't think you would.  

Okay, instead, I'll just introduce you to Monica.  Monica was a tired worn out dresser.  She had a long life behind her but the years had taken it's toll on her.  Her drawers were in dire need of repair and her finish was in bad shape.  One day Monica found herself sitting among other items in a garage sale.  She stood there resigned to the fact that her life was probably just about reaching it's end.  She stoically waited, sad and looking like this...

Then she saw her.  It was Pam from East Coast Vintage.
 Pam looked her over and saw something special.  She didn't see a worn out burn pile bound piece of furniture.  No, there was something really cool about the character of this piece.  Pam could see the years of use evident in her facade.  All of the little nicks, gouges and carvings from children over the years added to its charm and history.  Pam knew right then that she wanted to hold true to its character and celebrate all of the history this piece had in it.  With a nod to its past, she was going to combine rustic, shabby, whimsical and classical all in one piece.   And she accomplished it! 

Here's how...

She painted Monica with Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue and Olde White.  She then made a custom color for the stripes she added.  Pam let the wood show through in all of the grooves and outlines etched in the wood so that these features would be highlighted.  She distressed the piece mirroring the actual areas where the original finish was distressed from years of use.  Finally, she top coated it with Paint Couture top coat to give it a durable finish.

Once complete, Monica looked like this...

Pam said the makeover was so much fun and very enjoyable to do.  It remains one of her favorite furniture flips.  Knowing that the dresser had spent a bulk of it's lifetime as a child's dresser, she imagined that it would return to being a child's dresser and that's where all of the fun came into play on this piece.

You can visit with Pam of East Coast Vintage on her Facebook page.  There are more examples of her items there.  If you are in Florida, you can find her work at Wildwood Antique Mall.

Thanks Pam for sharing your rustic/shabby/whimsical/classical all wrapped up in one furniture flip!