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BE BOLD: A Flag Dresser Transformation {with Country Chic Paint}

I am pretty excited to share my Be Bold Project with you today: a Flag Dresser Transformation using Country Chic Chalk Paint.

A few weeks ago I shared with you about the Be Bold Challenge that I am taking part in with an amazing group of bloggers. The philosophy of the challenge is for us to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and do something that we may normally not try because of the fear of failure or of making a mistake. It doesn’t have to mean a BOLD design – just confronting our fears, being bold, and pushing past our safety net.

Each of us are sharing our DIY projects this week and then will get back together this coming Monday to share all the projects as well as to offer you the chance to share your projects during a Be Bold Challenge Link Up. I’ll share some more about that later. For now…

This dresser has a story to tell.

Be Bold Flag Dresser Transformation with Country Chic Paint.

 Imagine the scene.

A cool, drizzly, Saturday morning late last spring.

Dear hubby and the boys take me to an eye Dr. appointment at which I am given eye drops that render me unable to drive. Yet upon leaving I spot a rogue ‘garage sale’ sign at the end of the road. Call it a magic sight, if you will.

I beg and beg until hubby stops.

It isn’t much of a garage sale but through my bleary vision I spot this diamond-in-the-rough that the seller has used as a makeshift table to display his wares. I inquire about it. How much? I ask. Ten bucks.

I said 10. Bucks.

Dressers don’t generally fit into the trunk of a car so we have ourselves a moderate issue.

I call my Dad to bring his truck to immediately pick it up. Panic sets in as I imagine a scene where the seller discovers that he has just sold me the equivalent of the Mona Lisa for $1. My heart is pounding; sweat covers my palms.

Alas, my Dad arrives and all is well; we sweep the dresser away before the seller can discover what he has lost. How thrilled am I? It is dresser love.

Okay, so honestly… it needed some serious work. But I loved the lines of it. A classic waterfall. So pretty.

A worn old brown dresser before the makeover.

When Country Chic Paint offered me a test run of their fabulous new paint line I knew  I had the perfect paint project.

The dresser. For our boys’ room redo.

And I knew I wanted to try out a fun design.

I was hankering after all the Union Jack dressers I have seen on Pinterest but my Father-in-law suggested something a little more personal; a little closer to home. Iceland. My Dad’s whole family is of Icelandic heritage. Our oldest son’s name is Leif. So what a perfect tribute to the boys’ heritage. Iceland it was.

For this project I used Country Chic Paint in Midnight Sky, Devotion, and Simplicity. I finished it off with some clear wax.

Country chic chalk paint for dresser laid out on the table.

I started with a good sanding to remove some of the old original finish and then used a damp cloth to thoroughly clean all the dust.

This was followed by two coats of Country Chic Chalk Paint in Midnight Sky. It looked quite bright purple in the can but turned into a stunning dark blue (think: Midnight Sky) when it dried.

 Flag Dresser with Country Chic Chalk Paint in Midnight Sky.

Beauty. I can’t describe how nice the Country Chic Paint is to use. So smooth. It paints on like butta.

 Two coats of Midnight Sky chalk paint on the dresser.

 After the blue base coats were dry I measured and used a pencil and ruler to trace the thick white lines of the flag cross. I taped these lines out and used Frog Tape to tape out the shape. I chose the yellow frog tape for delicate and newly painted surfaces. Three coats of Simplicity (the white). I let it dry overnight. Then I measured and used the same Frog Tape to tape the inside part of the cross. Three coats of Devotion (the red). Let dry overnight.

Measuring lines to tape for the dresser.

I was thrilled with how it came out. I didn’t choose to do any distressing on this piece but I can’t wait to try the wet-distressing that I have read about on the Country Chic site. For this piece I was thrilled with the bold solid colors of the flag. And the chalky finish works perfectly with the vintage shape and feel of the dresser.

After letting it dry overnight I used clear wax. Next time I would love to try using a real wax brush. I bought some ‘lint free’ cloths from the paint store. They lied to me. They left little linty bits when I used them to apply the wax. Luckily the little bits seemed to rub off when I buffed. Ugh. I hate when cloths lie.

 Wax cloths on top of the painted dresser.

Waxing is something I want to learn more about. As I said above, I just spread the wax on with my (supposedly) lint-free cloth, let it dry as per the instructions, and then buffed it off. Next time I really want to give the wax brush and try and then I will have a better tutorial for y’all on how to apply wax best. Applying wax to the dresser with a cloth.

 I must say that the finish came out incredible despite my deceptive non-lint-free cloths – the sheen is amazing and I can’t believe how well it has held up already after a few weeks of use by a little boy.

Be Bold Challenge a Flag Dresser with Country Chic Chalk Paint at the happy housie

So I think this dresser project turned out pretty amazing. Beautiful and bold and perfect for our boys’ room. What do you think? Do you like my Icelandic flag choice??

The dresser in a child's room with a stuffed animal on top.

 Flag Dresser Transformation with Country Chic Paint before and after graphic.

So don’t forget to come by on Monday for the rest of the Be Bold Projects by this fabulous group of bloggers:

52 Mantels

Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body

House by Hoff

Just a Girl and Her Blog

Lovely etc.

May Richer Fuller Be

Naptime DIY

Primitive and Proper

The Wood Grain Cottage

The Happy Housie (me- you are here!)

AND!!!

Do you want to give Country Chic Paint a try?

Coming soon I’m hosting a giveaway sponsored by Country Chic Paint – so you can win the chance to try out Country Chic Paint for yourself! Maybe you can even do a BOLD transformation?!?

Do you have any painting projects planned? Have you worked with chalk paints before? Waxed furniture? Questions, hints or tips??

Thanks for reading. And remember my housie friends, HOME isn’t built in a day. Enjoy the journey.

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This is not a sponsored post but I did receive some Country Chic paint products to try out in exchange for my 100% honest opinion. I really enjoyed working with it and hope to do some more projects with Country Chic in the future.

 

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I may link up at some of these fabulous places below, for more info check out housie parties:

Make the Scene Monday , Monday Funday , Give Me the Goods Monday , Inspiration Monday, Craft-o-Maniac Monday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Project Inspire{d} , Inspire Me Tuesday, The Scoop, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Wow Me Wednesday Whimsy Wednesday , Fall Into Fall , From Dream to Reality, The Inspiration Exchange, Live Laugh Rowe Live Laugh Linky, Thursdays Are Your Days, The Weekly Creative , The Creative Connection, Inspire Me Please, Catch as Catch Can, Fabulously Creative Friday, Party Junk, Pinworthy Projects , Link Party Palooza,, Weekend Bloggy Reading, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Spotlight Saturday, Get Schooled Saturday, Overflowing With Creativity , , Suburbs Mama , That DIY Party

 

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44 Comments

    1. Thank you! It is perfect for our boys’ shared bedroom… reveal coming soon!! So thrilled you came by:)

  1. What an Amazing idea :))
    you just inspired me with great ideas to make over the drawer dresser that I bought for my son’s room…. it has been taking me quite sometime to figure out what to do to change that boring brown colour. Thank you 😀

    1. Awesome Sarah! I am thrilled that you found some inspiration. I know that I often stew on my ideas for quite a while before finally settling on one, too!

  2. I love your dresser! I grew up in Iceland and recognized the flag immediately. How great to have a personal piece of furniture as a focal point in your home.

  3. Krista…Oh my goodness….This hits home. I am born and raised in Iceland so naturally I love this! I also have a DIY blog and a FB page where I intend to share this fantastic project!
    Thanks for sharing
    Bryn

  4. Gorgeous, Krista! I am so far behind on my email, but my new computer is up and running, so I’m going to hang out here a while and catch up on what I’ve missed. This was an unbelievable score for $10! Love it!!

  5. How fun is that dresser! It turned out great! I have a boy’s bedroom to be done over soon. I’ve used milk paint before but it sounds like this paint is great to use too. Love the colours!

  6. I agree with the above comment from Cindy, it is fabulous! I love that you incorporated your family’s heritage into the design as well! I picked up a very helpful tip from ‘Sophia’s’ a while ago. Using ‘shop cloths’ are a great alternative to the lying lint free cloths… I’ve had that experience myself, as well as with the t-shirts that are suppose to be lint free…. not my old ones anyways! You can find them in almost every hardware store in Canada, as well as Costco if you have one near by. Beautiful, Krista job!

  7. Wow, this looks great! I have always had a thing for flags – I remember doing a huge project just on flags in middle school. I think I liked the graphic design aspect. And I absolutely love that this flag has meaning to your family. This room is really coming together!

  8. That looks TOO COOL Krista!! Great score on the dresser, it’s like it was meant to be! That “midnight sky” looks great on it, what a rich colour and it goes so well with the “devotion” and “simplicity”.

  9. Krista, I think this is my favorite of all the projects you’ve done. It looks absolutely fabulous. And absolutely perfect for a room specially geared to two little boys. (Especially 2 little boys with Icelandic blood) Grandma Bjornson would be so proud!!!!!

  10. This is GORGEOUS Krista! And you were right– we totally went a similar route with our bold projects! I love how yours turned out! Pinning! Have a great weekend!

    ~Abby =)

  11. Maybe I will have a chance soon to do this for my first great grand son. It is so nice. If it turns out to be a girl I can change the design.

  12. It looks wonderful, Krista! I love that you included part of your heritage. I need to check out this paint. I have a buffet project I need to get on!

  13. I love it Krista! The flag looks great ! I have a waterfall almost exactly like that that I picked up for about 30 at the thrift store. . And that felt like a steal. .. def got a great deal! 🙂
    Nancy

  14. Krista – amazing is an understatement! This is a fabulous transformation and it just looks fabulous! Wow! I really need to get over my fear and try to re-do something – I certainly have enough pieces right in my house that are screaming for a makeover! 🙂 This is so great, I love it! Pinning! Hope you have a fabulous Friday!

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