Last year during one of our trips to the Dart Airport Flea Market, I came upon a bowed front dresser. The lines of the piece drew me in and those darn crystal door pulls. I am aware that I can pick up the handles at any Home Depot but shiny things on antiques can’t ignore. I hmmd and hahhed about it. I finally gave my wad of money to my husband, Bruce and said I’ll take it if we get it for under $60.00. This is a classic flea market maneuver putting the purchase in the hands of fate. If it’s meant to be then it will find it’s way into the trunk of the car. Alas, it came home with us. As I remember, my husband paid the price by being super squished in the back of the car.

Of course the keys didn’t come with the dresser. Another flea market hunt for those.

We lived with the piece for a year. Although it’s solid wood the finish on it was less than perfect. If you looked closely you could see someone had tried to refinish it. There were bits of a beige deep in the wood grain. The picture above does make it look so much better then it’s actual finish.


I’ve been playing with the idea of redoing our bedroom with a shabby chic lighter look. So a rainy, Sunday, it was time to take my flea market find and make her a beauty. I picked out a dusty rose pink paint color. Not too pink, because really I despise pink. So I’m calling it rose! The actual color is Georgia Clay a Martha Stewart Color.

TIP: First step clean off the piece and removed all the crystal knobs. I was lucky and the piece didn’t need sanding. Next grab a foam brush and worked your painting magic with the grain of the wood. I prefer foam brushes to keep brush stokes to a minimum. I only did two coats and the whole project took under an hour and a half. I did soap up the drawer tops to help them slide easier. Adding drawer liners keep my delicates safe from snags. Another good tip… When we first brought the piece home it was a bit musty. Try using dryer sheets to make your drawers smell fresh and clean.