HOW TO MAKE SUBWAY ART - reverse stencil


There are a few tutorials available around blog land showing how
to achieve a subway art look, so why am I offering another?


I wanted a certain finished look that I was not able to find
and I wanted to share some of the unique qualities that AS Chalk Paint offer in the process.


I used vinyl letters creating a reverse stencil on top of white chalk paint,

The letters were made with commercial adhesive vinyl
left over from my contractor days. (drawer liner or mac tac should work)
I used a computer program to get the size and shape I wanted
then printed them out and cut them by hand.

I only wanted the white for the letters so I washed the rest off with water.
I did not want all that extra white coming through areas that were going to be distressed.



The remaining steps I took are:

1) painted over everything with AS Graphite
2) once dry, remove the vinyl letters
3) waxed the drawer face
4) distress with sand paper
5) wax and buff to a shine


The finished project is pictured below.
You can see some of the drawers have the extra white underneath.
I found it was messy that is why I removed it but maybe you'll like it that way for your project.


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Have you stopped into firstfinds hardware store lately?
Here are just some of the switch plates available for your home.

 




 




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ART DECO TURNED SHAKER - vancouver subway art dresser


How to take an Art Deco Dresser and give it a Shaker Style.


One thing that dates art deco furniture is the flush and rounded tops.


So I removed the original top and replaced it with a nice fresh pine board cut to size.


With some walnut stain, wax, and my new gloves we were off to the races.




Having a curvy kick at the bottom is common in a lot of furniture
but I removed this one to get straighter lines and offer a masculine feel.


Two final steps to help achieve the look was to add the vintage metal wheels
and simple metal knobs down both sides of the drawers.



And that's how you get a shaker look from an Art Deco Dresser.

More beauty pics can be seen on yesterday's post


Next time I'll share how I did my lettering and finish on the drawers.



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VANCOUVER ART - subway art tall dresser


I've been wanting to do a true tall boy subway dresser for some time.

 

And recently a couple of my fellow blog ladies have inspired me to get moving on that project.


First up is Bliss @ Bliss Ranch with her Kodak Dresser.


  
And secondly is Suzan @ Simply Vintageous



My main inspiration started with this fabulous shaker style tallboy @ Lindauer Designs



But I had to do it in the VANCOUVER style,
and add what I'm calling my signature typo.


Only those who know Vancouver should be able to find the spelling mix-up,
but for the most part you read it the way you are suppose to. 



  

Next time I'll share how I transformed this mid century look into a shaker style,
in a few steps.


Let me know if you see the typo ...

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Here are some unique hardware pieces available at

 
 
 
 
 


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LION'S FEET LITTLE CABINET - salvaging some history




She is painted in ASCP Old White and finished with  clear wax. She is short but the perfect height for a grand bedside table.

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HOW TO GAIN 3 INCHES - ornate night stands



We all love the miss matched styling of shabby chic decor but most like to have a matched set of tables for our bedside.

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THINGS I FIND INSIDE FUNITURE - ladies french kneehole desk


Every now and then something unusual shows up inside my furniture projects.
Like these curtain rods below. Now when I say inside I don't mean in a drawer,
I mean behind the drawers inside the cabinet somewhere.


Really ... how do curtain rods get inside a dresser?
If you know don't tell me it was a retorical question.


I've found a few Aussie coins and recently a 1965 German Schilling.
I don't assume they will make me rich but they do add interest to the projects.


Another interesting find was the post card dated 1919


but more often then not it's just someones missing puzzle pieces,


their discarded matches, a forgotten key, and quite often old receipts.
This one is dated 1976 and it's from England.


They seem to be quite polite when
dealing with overdue accounts, it actually says
"Fearing your account has escaped your
notice, we venture to ask the favor of
a remittance within the course of a
few days"


That was awfully nice of them!


Well now back to the project of the day ...


I know a few of you might be getting excited with these sneaky partial pictures,
but please don't get overwhelmed there is bad news coming.


A drawer that has dove tails on the back as well as the front.
Amazing what several hundreds of dollars can buy you huh?

Yes I spent a great deal more than I am use to on this one, but it's worth every penny in the end.


She even had a couple of surprises inside for me to find.


2 Golden Key Furniture Keys
I'm delighted with that little find, but now the trick will be to find a lock they will open. 


Now for the bad news ...


This magnificent, over the top, gorgeous french desk (deep breath)
is already spoken for, but you can see a side by side before and after pic here.
I know that doesn't make up for it, I'm a bad bad person for teasing you.

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