Several months ago my daughter found this Vintage Waterfall Dresser on Kijiji (Canadian Buy & Sell Site). You could tell it had been stored in a garage or shed for quite some time judging by the cobwebs. Never refusing to rescue a waterfall dresser I brought it home and stored it in our shed for several months.

Decoupaged Pink Vintage Waterfall Dresser

You might want to grab your favorite beverage before reading further because this post is picture heavy and includes a stencil and decoupage tutorial.

This is what the dresser looked like before...

Cleaning and prepping the dresser

The first thing I did before bringing the dresser indoors was give it a good vacuum. Once inside I thoroughly scrubbed it inside and out with soap and water. Wherever it was stored something decided this dresser would make a great lunch, nothing a mouse sander (how fitting) and some filler couldn't repair. Two of the drawers took Herculean strength to open so a little sanding in the tight spots got rid of that problem as well.

Painting the dresser

The dresser and drawer fronts were chalk painted in the color Vintage Cupcake by Country Chic Paint. The top trim and recessed sides were chalk painted in the color Simplicity White, also by Country Chic Paint. I applied dark wax over the pink to give it some depth and an aged appearance. White Pearl Wax was applied over the white paint to give it an iridescent patina - so pretty.

Stenciling the sides of the dresser

I started with each side of the dresser using the darling Sew Fun Dress Form Stencil and Patina Green Stencil Creme by Royal Design Studios. The color is absolutely gorgeous and has soft translucent effects that shimmer when the light casts on it.

Stencil Tip

If you've never stenciled before it really is quite easy. Some people prefer using repositionable spray adhesive to hold the stencil onto their piece but I prefer good old fashion painters tape. The trick to avoid the paint bleeding under the stencil is to have very little paint on the brush. Dip only the tips of the stencil brush into the creme or paint and remove the excess by dabbing onto a paper towel. Stencil in circular motions (as pictured above).


You may be wondering why I didn't stencil the dress part of the stencil.

Decoupaging with fabric

Instead I decoupaged the dress using fabric rather than paint as pictured below.


First I brushed fabric stiffener onto the back side of the fabric to ensure it doesn't fray.


Once dry (a matter of a few hours) I placed my stencil onto the fabric and traced the dress portion and cut it out. I brushed Mod Podge onto the back and attached it to the dresser. So easy!

Stenciling the front of the dresser

On the front of the dresser I wanted to switch it up a bit by using a different fabric. Unfortunately the stencil didn't line up on the drawer fronts perfectly so I had to adjust the stencil accordingly. See how the cage part of the dress form lines up between two drawers in the picture below...

To remedy that I stenciled the dress form up to the end of the dress on the top two drawers (see photo above). I then lowered and readjusted the stencil to elongate the dress on the third drawer, adjusting the stencil so the wheels also lined up on the third drawer (see photo below).

To paint the spaces in between each drawer, I used a stick of chalk to draw the outline of the stencil and then removed the drawers. I lined up the stencil to the chalk marks and stenciled the lines onto the dresser. I repeated this step for the next space between the drawers.

Altering Pattern for decoupaged dress

Unlike the stencils on the sides I couldn't simply trace the dress form onto my fabric. I had to make a pattern for the elongated dress. First, I put the drawers back into the dresser and using tracing paper traced the dress - it took three sheets.


I taped my pattern pieces together. Before cutting the pattern I held it up to the stencil on the dresser to make sure it all lined up properly. Measure twice cut once.



I placed the pattern onto my fabric and traced it out with a pencil and cut it out (as pictured below).

Decoupaging fabric onto the front dress form

This next part was a little tricky and it took more patience than skill. I placed the first drawer into the dresser and using the same Mod Podge technique I attached the dress starting at the top. When I got to the bottom of the first drawer I carefully cut the fabric with a sharp pair of scissors along the bottom edge of the drawer.

I'm thrilled that this dresser sold very quickly and I hope the little girl who now has it in her room will enjoy it throughout her childhood.


I don't know how I lived without this handy Paint Brush Scrubber by Royal Design Studios. The fact that it's in the shape of a heart is very fitting because I ♥ this tool.

More Waterfall Furniture Ideas

Black Painted Waterfall Hutch
Repurposed Waterfall Headboard Upholstered Bench
Pink Ombre Waterfall Dresser
Decoupaged Burlap Waterfall Dresser
Vintage Waterfall Vanity Goes Hollywood Glam


You will find this project shared at these fabulous LINK PARTIES.