Passion for Purple

I love using color for my pieces but more often than not the more understated pieces are the ones that sell easier. That being said, I was dying to try the new color from DIY called Cherry Picked. It's a deep rich plummy cherry color.

In this picture, I was practicing with the blending techniques and how it looks with each step.

Step one after cleaning the piece several times, the dirt and grime was pretty thick, was adding a coat of the Cherry Picked. Once completely dry, I started with the drawers one at a time. I spritzed with water, then went over the whole piece again with a light layer of Cherry Picked again then added french millinery to the middle and outlined the drawer in little black dress.

I decided to go with this look, knowing that after applying the waxes it would darken.

I used a new brush and started blending and working the three colors together until it had the blended look I wanted. I continued this process over the remainder of the dresser.

I finished up with clear wax, and for added depth, a light coating of black wax around the edges and blended them trying not to bring the black wax too far into the middle.

This picture makes it look blotchy and streaky, this is because the wax is still wet. They call it the freak out factor when applying the wax. The piece goes through many stages, dark when the paint is wet, light once it dries. Dark again when you put the waxes on and the lighter as it dries.

I purchased new hardware that was gold, but painted them in Little black dress also and followed with black wax.

The piece was a big hit and actually sold before I had it finished. Moral of the story I guess is to paint what you like, not what you think people will like.