Looking to add a touch of elegance to your painted furniture with minimal effort? Denise from Salvaged Inspirations shows you how to use the Dixie Belle Gold Marker to create beautiful gold accents. This simple technique is perfect for adding subtle shine and charm to any project—whether you’re a beginner or experienced crafter.
(The following is an excerpt from Salvaged Inspirations. Read the full article here.)
Hello, creative friends! Today I’m sharing a salvaged thrift dresser I transformed with paint, a floral transfer and a gilding pen. I got right into using this gold marker and even tried a new technique to highlight florals on the transfer. If you can hold a pencil, you can gild! I can’t wait to share how easy and gorgeous this is.
Here’s the MCM laminate thrift dresser I started with.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Thrift Store Dresser – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Sanding Sponge
Bonding Boss Primer
Deep Sea Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint
Gold Gilding Marker Pen
Oval Paint Brush
My Favorite Bouquet Transfer
THRIFT DRESSER MAKEOVER
CLEAN & PREP
I started by removing the hardware, giving it a good cleaning with a heavy-duty furniture cleaner to clean it from top to bottom. I used Bondo to fill all the hardware holes and dings and scratches, sanded, and then primed with Bonding Boss Primer to stop any bleedthrough and give it a base for the paint to cling onto.
PAINTING
Once everything was repaired, patched, primed and dry, I picked my paint color. I painted this dresser in two coats of this beautiful deep blue called Deep Sea SILK All-In-One Mineral Paint. I used my brush and roll technique for a smooth brush-free finish. It’s about as close as you can get to a spray finish without using a sprayer.
For a smooth spray like finish on the rounded legs, I used my slap-it-on technique. It’s fun to do and works so well for any cylindrical furniture legs, arms, spindles etc.
APPLYING THE FURNITURE TRANSFER
This gorgeous, large floral transfer has been waiting for the perfect piece. This four drawer dresser had such a flat face I wanted to add something bold and colorful. Working with larger transfers designs with NO negative space can be a little challenging if you want to use them in pieces rather than the full design. I took my time cutting out the florals and then ‘played’ with the pieces and where I was going to adhere them.
Here are the steps I used to rub on these florals.
Applying Floral Transfer:
- Cut the design into pieces if you are not using the full design sheet.
- Lay the design down over your piece to select your placement.
- Remove the transfer backing, place it on the furniture and rub on with the applicator provided.
- Once adhered, remove the plastic top sheet.
DETAILS – GILDING PEN 101
I had so much fun playing around with this ‘new-to-me’ gilding marker/pen. It’s simple to use. I took it out of the package and gave it a good shake. To prime the gold to come out of the tip, I pressed it down a few times so the felt tip loaded. Then it’s EXACTLY like using a pencil, pen, or marker. The chisled tip creates thin lines and you can angle it for thicker lines. This gold marker is perfect for highlighting smaller details, hardware and edging. It works on painted furniture, glass, rocks, metal, paper, transfers and hardware.
I found these beautiful floral knobs that I had bought from Hobby Lobby years ago. To highlight all these lovely details, I ran the gilding marker over the high areas to create some bling. It totally transformed these knobs in under 2 minutes.
Once they were dry, I installed them onto the drawer using my cheap and cheerful hardware template.
I also tried this gilding pen on metal. The bottom of the legs had the finish half sanded off and was looking rough. The gilding marker to two coats (3 coats in certain areas where the finish was silver) but it did a really nice job.
For the final details, I took a creative chance and traced the floral design using this gilding pen. I’m not going to lie, I was NERVOUS doing this because I thought it might ruin the entire piece. But nothing gained from playing it safe all the time, right?
THE BIG REVEAL…
Here’s the finished look. I’m so happy I stepped out of my comfort zone to try something different!
Aren’t these florals beautiful?!
When the light catches the gilded highlights just right, these florals shimmer gold!
The knobs look so much more glam with all the details highlighted in gold!
Adding gold accents doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. With Denise’s helpful tips and the ease of the Dixie Belle Gold Marker, you can give your painted furniture a fresh, polished look in no time. Try this technique on your next project and enjoy the difference those small golden details make! For another great project by Salvaged Inspirations, check out our blog, Midcentury Dresser Makeover.
