Monday, March 25, 2013

Vintage Rail Travel Themed Dresser

A fictional railroad line departs at 5:30.
All aboard! Sorry about that, couldn't resist. :)
Both my father-in-law and my grandfather worked for the railroad and we have inherited many of their memento's, from pay stubs, Pullman wool blankets, to railroad lanterns. When I came across this Winter Resort poster I knew instantly our guest bedroom had its theme. I purchased two versions of Winter Resort from Cafe Press and couldn't be happier with their quality. In lieu of framing them, I plan to decoupage them to wood slats so they appear as old signage.


.


This guest bedroom will be fitted with Craiglist purchased twin iron beds, and a poster will be placed directly above each bed. I'll use our vintage Pullman navy blue wool blankets on each bed and I'm searching for other bedding to layer and add pattern and texture to the look. Candidates, coverlets in gray or white, some throw pillows with a graphic look...a deer silhouette? Striped rug with some red...

My current project for the room is a vintage waterfall dresser. The dresser was in hubby's parents basement and had a hole in the veneer-- the size of a closed fist--where the top of the dresser curved. I am beating myself up for not taking a before picture of its damaged condition. Using his woodworking magic, my hubby repaired the hole, matching the curve of the original veneer and primed the entire dresser. You would never guess there had been a hole, yep, pure woodworking magic. Now it's ready for paint and a little bling.

This cute little dresser needed some fun elements and I couldn't wait to use my new Silhouette Cameo to create some original stencils. I searched the internet for "Pullman signs," "vintage train signage," and "vintage advertisements railroad."
On E-bay I discovered this metal luggage tag and recreated a similar version in a larger scale for the top drawer.



pullman sleeping car - Google Search by PIWOW1
I hit the jackpot with this "Dollar $aver" Pullman Sleeper" ad, and I pulled several idea's from it for this project.












Primed and ready!


Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg Blue for the sides and drawers, ASCP in White for the rest.
I've created a Silhouette Cameo Board on Pinterest for tips and projects. For this stencil project I'm using shanty-2-chic's tutorial for using self adhesive contact paper. 

A safety pin works well for lifting the letters from my created stencil.

I used several shades of gray from light to charcoal to add interest to the separate stencils.

Remove the contact paper immediately after applying the paint.
I'm liking this, but it needs more.
Remember the vintage luggage tag, here it is. 



Oops, forgot to mention we painted the original drawer knobs with Rubbed Oiled Bronze spray paint. A cardboard box works great for this paint project, just poke a hole through the cardboard, secure the knobs and paint.



No. 1 in comfort, I hope our guest feel that way!

The Dollar $aver Pullman Sleeper came from the vintage ad above, and I created the no. 1 tag to go with "In Comfort." "Go Places" reminds me of Dr. Seuss, the fluid type adds a distinctive note against the chunky SLEEP type.



I had such fun with my first stencil project! We've saved the little dresser from the landfill--that's where his brothers insisted it should go--so I can't wait to show them how great it looks now that hubby repaired that 4 1/2 inch hole and its sporting a totally new look.

Still to come for the Pullman Themed Bedroom: Poster Ad Boards, Popcorn texture removal from the ceiling, paint, window treatment, new flooring, accessories.

Thanks for stopping by, come again to check on the rooms progress.

~di
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40 comments:

Victoria's Vintage Designs said...

Lovely... gorgeous piece! V Newest follower!!

Laurie @ Laurie's Little Bits of Creativity, etc. said...

I am totally in love with this dresser. The colors are beautiful. Love the vintage theme. I have a guest room that is need of a makeover too. Thanks for the inspiration. I'm visiting from PJH Designs Transformation Tuesday and am now following you.

mommyroo said...

I love what you did with that dresser and I think your family is going to be amazed when they see it!

Peggy~PJH Designs said...

Beautiful job! I love how it turned out! I keep saying I've got to get me one of those Silhouettes. Thanks so much for linking up this week t transformed Tuesday.

Hugs,
Peggy

Unknown said...

I love what you did with this dreser. How creative. The colors are perfect. Blessings to you, Patti

Junkchiccottage said...

Di
Thanks for finding my blog now I have found you. Wow I love the dresser that is so cute.
Kris

Mandy @HKCHIC said...

That's incredible! I love it! Your newest follower here!

<a href="http://hkchic.blogspot.com>HongKongChic</a>

Unknown said...

Wow, this is really creative :) Thanks for sharing!!!

xoxoxoxo
Jessica

Vickie @ Ranger 911 said...

I love how you've painted your dresser! The colors are so soft and pretty. I have a vintage vanity in the same style, but I just gave it a few coats of cream colored paint. Yours is much more creative!

Lucy said...

This is awesome! You should link it up to the http://www.eastcoastcreativeblog.com/2013/03/creating-with-stars-round-3-link-up.html

I like your project better than any that have been posted so far! And I will be pinning this to my "Painted Furniture" board on pinterest. http://pinterest.com/patinaparadise/

www.patinaparadise.blogspot.com

Beth said...

This is just fabulous!! My FIL worked for the Rock Island Line before moving to Indiana in the 60's. I never got to meet the man, but my husband loves RR memorabilia because of him. This is fascinating and I love the colors of your dresser. It's great that your hubby was able to fix the hole on the curve to save such a good dresser!

Ruth said...

This turned out beautiful! I love the colors you chose also. Thanks for linking up with LWSL this week - hope you see you back next week! (I pinned this to my Pinterest board here: http://pinterest.com/pin/28358672626206896/)

MaytagNMom said...

Ultra creative dresser- and the stenciling (and tricks you taught us) are superb!

I better "pack" because I'm getting on that "5:30 departure"-- off to "Creative Town USA"...lol

Happy Easter Coming soon and it's always great to see creative minds at work. :)

Visiting from Happy Hour Friday @ HappyHourProjects linky party
Smiles,
Suz @MaytagNMom
NW Illinois
CURRENT PROJECT OF MINE AT LINKY PARTIES

Good Time Charlie said...

What a fabulous project! Thanks so much for sharing. I am definitely checking out your Pinterest board. I need HELP with my Cameo. I love how you used just regular contact paper. How cool! I love all the personal touches on this piece. Great work!

Unknown said...

Hi Di, Thanks for sharing the dresser at the Rock N Share party! I shared it on my G+ page too! I tried to tag you but it didn't work for some reason.
Google+ post

Linda said...

I can't get over how wonderful this dresser turned out. It's simply amazing, and you did a fantastic job!

Anonymous said...

This is so cool! I have a dresser that needs to be redone and I love this idea! Visiting from Happy Hour Friday

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Great job, Di! I love how you did the wording. Great color combo, too. What a neat dresser to use in a guest room.

andi filante said...

This just may be the coolest thing I've ever seen! Congrats on a job very well done!!

-andi

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

You made me smile today! It looks so great! Stopping by from Serenity NOw.

TheMoonAndMe said...

This turned out so cute!
Love the different colors and the knobs. :)
Have a great weekend.
Kelly

Tina@WhatWeKeep said...

This is adorable! Duck egg is my favorite color and came out beautifully on this piece. Found you at MMS. :)

Maureen said...

It looks awesome! Good save!

Simply Stone Creek said...

Ohhhhh....I REALLY love this!! Couldn't be more perfect!

Unknown said...

Really like what you did with the dresser.

Unknown said...

love your dresser and i would love to feature it, if that would be ok please let me know,
lauren

TidyMom said...

I LOVE how this turned out!! Such a great idea!


Thanks for linking up, I featured your post in my wrap up http://tidymom.net/2013/8-creative-ideas-for-home/

Happy Easter!

Unknown said...

Love your dresser! Thanks for sharing it at my Twirl & Take a Bow party. Stop by House on the Way tomorrow to see it featured! Grab a "featured" button too. Have a great week.
Leslie
House on the Way

Susan Shull said...

These is just too cute! Can't wait to check out a little closer how you did the stenciling. Looks very interesting! Newest follower!

Craftivity Designs said...

I love the way you used the old advertisement. I have a question -- when you use ASCP, do you use the Annie Sloan brushes too?

A great makeover!!
- Lora

Unknown said...

@ Lora: No, and in fact I had issues with my first paint brush, it wasn't the best and left an uneven finish. I ended up using a sponge applicator for a smooth finish. For the wax I used an old sock.

Peggy~PJH Designs said...

Your our most clicked link this week on Transformed Tuesday. Congrats.

Peggy

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Great project and such a cute dresser! Thanks for linking to the Open House party and check out this weeks party to see your project featured.
xx,
Sherry

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your lovely dresser makeover at the Rock N Share! Understandably, it was a popular post and will be featured in the Rock 'N Share Pinterest Gallery tomorrow. Hope to see you again soon! Blessings, D

melissa @ DaisyMaeBelle said...

So creative! I LOVE it! Life to the full, Melissa

Unknown said...

Wow!! Very impressive! I'm not crazy about waterfall dressers, we had one when I was growing up.
You made this beautiful!

Unknown said...

Wow!! Very impressive! I'm not crazy about waterfall dressers, we had one when I was growing up.
You made this beautiful!

Unknown said...

I came over from No Minimalist. One of your newest followers. Also loved your boards on pinterest. Also following there.

Chelsea @ Married Filing Jointly said...

I LOVE what you did to this dresser! It looks awesome! I would love to have it in my house. :)

I would love if you would show this off at my Give Me the Goods link party.

~Chelsea @ Married Filing Jointly
http://www.marriedfiling-jointly.com

Bliss said...

Stopping in to pin - I love it!

Bliss