Ever since I laid eyes on the le famous Union Jack Dresser by Miss Mustard Seed, I was smitten.  Over the years, I have seen amazing interpretations of the Union Jack, everything from extremely crisp and vibrant, to hand painted, and vintage.  I finally found the perfect dresser to try my hand at this Icon myself.

I wasn’t going to just use any paint…..For this long-awaited project, I decided it was thoroughly English in Icon, but completely American in paint and wax.

Update!  I only use Debi’s Design Diary DIY Paint since publishing this post.  DIY Paint is 100% Natural, Clay Based, which makes it different from every other chalk paint product.  It is perfectly smooth, the colors are beautiful and cover well, even their whites.   It paints like liquid Velvet.  You won’t believe how good a paint brush and a can of paint can feel.  It is ahmazing stuff.  Check my side bar if you want to know more.

I used CeCe Caldwell’s 100% natural paints for this union. Memphis Blue, Sedona Red, and Simply White.

Here is the prepped before, I missed the before, before, but you get the picture (ha ha)

I started by staining the top in a Dark Walnut to give the piece a distinguished look.  I then painted the entire body of the piece, and the drawers in “Memphis Blue”.

I measured, yes MEASURED!  I HATE measuring, but it was necessary for this project, or the Union Jack could end up looking like it was sliding down the right of my dresser, so measuring is important.  Starting at the center, I taped from the top to the bottom, the stripes going out, and the stripes going diagonally.

I then traced each piece of tape, and marked off what color was supposed to go where.  I purposely did not leave the tape on where I painted, because I wanted a “hand finished” look, and not perfectly crisp lines. I also marked each stripe with B,W, or R so I would remember what color went where. Yes, I needed a paint by numbers map here.

After I had all the stripes painted, I finished with a 320 Grit Sand Paper to thoroughly smooth the finish.  I used a 220 to slightly distress the edges.  This paint is so perfectly soft when it is sanded smooth, you just want to keep running your hands over it. I finished with a lovely coat of CeCe Caldwell’s Clear Wax.

I was so thrilled with the finished product, or “Jack” I should say.

This piece is heading down to my NEW space, (can’t wait to share!!!!) at Paris Flea Market.

I struggled to come up with silly names for this piece, so we are just going with the Union CeCe, unless you have some better ideas…..

Cheerio!