Do you name your painted furniture pieces?
I love this little milk painted dresser and how she turned out.
I know some bloggers or painters who do name their pieces. I’m not usually the naming kind, but I feel like this ‘lil gal needs a name. Maybe if I tell you her story, you could help me choose a name for her.
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Her Story
She first came to my home after I purchased another cabinet which now holds all my Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint product on display. The owner was moving house and had been trying to sell this dresser as well as the cabinet I had just purchased. I wasn’t looking for a dresser, and the price she was wanting was not in my budget, so I politely said, “No, thank you,” and went on my way with the original cabinet I bought from her. I later received a phone call from the lady saying, “You know, I really like what you are doing, with the furniture you’re restoring, and this piece was special to me, but I have no room for it in my new home. I want you to have it.”
WHAT?! I know, right?! I was so grateful for her kindness, and returned to pick it up on her moving day. I must admit it has sat in my workshop for probably over a year. It had been varnished and it is made from some kind of oak, so I had the hardest time deciding whether to paint it all or just the frame and leave the drawers, or just the base and not the top – argh! Decisions. Even though this piece is old, I could tell by its craftsmanship that it wasn’t the most valuable piece of furniture. It is structurally sound, and has aged well, but I finally plucked up the courage to show her some Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint love!
She did come with a mirror fixed to the top with a back board trim, but the mirror had some age spots so I’ve taken it off for a neater look.
Farmhouse White & a Stencil Named Nancy:
We sanded her back to raw wood on top and simply used Miss Mustard Seed’s Antiquing Wax to finish it. Just rub it on with a wax brush, wipe off any excess and then buff to a lovely sheen!
Then I mixed up some Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in one of my favourite neutrals: Farmhouse White. You can get some tips on mixing Milk Paint here. I painted the entire base of the dresser and the drawers in this colour.
I wanted to dress the drawers up a little, so I used one of Miss Mustard Seed’s brand new hand painted stencils, “Nancy”, to add some dimension to the drawers. I used this month’s Colour of the Month, Trophy, for the stencil. Learn some key tips for stencilling in my blog post HERE, so you don’t mess up those edges!
What would you call her?
And here she is all pretty, but without a name … don’t you think she needs one? I’m open to suggestions. What would you call her? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.
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More awesome news from Miss Mustard Seed:
Look what I just found out! Did you know that Marian Parsons – aka Miss Mustard Seed – has just released her brand new inspirational adult colouring book?!
Marian says, “I had such a fun time designing the quilt squares, trying to be inventive, but rooted in traditional designs as well. Some of the designs are intricate, others are moderate, and a few are very simple. The idea is that you can pick the page depending on your mood or the amount of time you have for that coloring session! We also talked about the idea of kids wanting to color in “mom’s book”. Some of the simple pages would be perfect to “share” with your budding artists.”
How cool is that?! You can find it on Amazon here.
BUT WAIT, there’s more – I also saw this … and I want one:
Here’s the back:
This would be so awesome to collect and paste in inspirational pics, journal, sketch and get creative about my own home decorating ideas! I’m not sure where else they may be available, but I saw that they are listed as the #1 New Release in Amazon’s Interior Painting & Wallpapering section. You’re welcome! 😉 Here’s the link for more info:
The Home Design Doodle Book – with Marian Parsons
We are authorised retailers for Fusion Mineral Paint and Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Australia. This blog post may contain affiliate links.
20 Comments
I love it ! It’s perfect ! Call her Nancy just like the stencil 💞
IRestoreStuff
March 6, 2017 at 8:51 pmNice idea Ashley!
Brenda Hellmuth
March 4, 2017 at 8:17 pmHer name is ‘Estelle’ – she’s a real star!
IRestoreStuff
March 6, 2017 at 8:51 pmSweet name for an antique dresser!
Inetia
March 6, 2017 at 6:52 pmLove the chest of drawers. You do beautiful work. It’s all very new to me but I want to learn. I have furniture I’d like to paint in the future. White and gold french provincial that I got for my little girl when she was about five or six.
I was an animal control officer and saw it sitting on the curb in a neighborhood I where I was on duty, so I stopped and asked if they would save it for me till I got off work. It was quiet the adventure because my transmission started going out when I left work. The people were nice enough to move it off the street in my absence and when I returned they helped me shove the three piece set into the back of my caravan. I drove slowly and prayed all the way home and the transmission died in the driveway. God is good and my husband was very pleased with our daughter’s new bed room set. It’s still in excellent condition but the style no longer fits the family. She’s now a software engineer and a Krav Maga orange belt so it needs a makeover. Something rich in a darker not so girly color I’m thinking.
IRestoreStuff
March 6, 2017 at 8:52 pmThanks Inetia. Wow, you scored a nice find by the sound of it.
Lorri R
March 6, 2017 at 8:35 pmI’d call her Tess. The name just rolled off my tongue when I saw her. Lovely, slightly bruised and imperfect little girl.
IRestoreStuff
March 6, 2017 at 8:52 pmA pretty name …
Alice
March 6, 2017 at 8:41 pmHi Sharon
It’s gorgeous. Do you know the name of the lady who gave it to you?
It would be nice to name it after her otherwise I agree with Ashley and name her after the stencil.
IRestoreStuff
March 6, 2017 at 8:53 pmAlice, I wish I could remember her name, but I don’t. It was a Gumtree sale. That would’ve been a nice idea.
Laura
March 6, 2017 at 9:13 pmMy vote goes to Nancy as well! She sure is cute!
IRestoreStuff
March 6, 2017 at 9:15 pmThanks Laura. She is looking more like a Nancy every time I look at her … hmmm.
Mona Erickson
May 2, 2017 at 10:35 amFancy Nancy, you dolled her up.
Donna W. Turner
March 6, 2017 at 11:23 pmLacey……….(the whole piece reminds me of antique LACE.
IRestoreStuff
March 7, 2017 at 7:11 amOh I like that too.
Paula D Fennelle
March 7, 2017 at 4:29 amFelicity or Felicia!
IRestoreStuff
March 7, 2017 at 7:12 amPretty names!
Emilia: painting furniture with intuition - Dala Muses
April 11, 2017 at 9:57 pm[…] I paint it. I’m definitely not the first one who’s naming their furniture. Furniture painter I Restore Stuff comes to mind immediately, and there are probably more people doing this (maybe secretly […]
Carole C
May 1, 2017 at 10:48 pmYou did a beautiful job on a dresser cherished by the original owner who gave it to you. I think you should name it after the first name of that kind lady.
Joette Tavernise
May 2, 2017 at 1:08 amI think it has to be Nancy also. And she is beautiful. Love all you did!