How to Use The IOD Bohemian Boarder Transfer and IOD Stamps on a Vintage Dresser

There has been a lot of growth in Bohemian styles of  furniture and decor recently. I have noticed several posts that have “stopped my scroll”  on Pinterest and Instagram.  Always willing to try something new,  I decided  to give Iron Orchid Designs and their transfers and stamps a try.  I have never used any of their products before and was amazed at the effects you could create by using them.

There aren’t any stockists in my area so I looked for some one on the web that would ship.  Fortunately I was able to find several. settled in on one and went straight for the Bohemian Boarder Transfer.  Going all in, I ordered two of them, they are 12″ by 33″.  I also ordered two stamps, “Kindest Regards” and “Painterly Roses” as well as the “Wildflower Botanicals” transfer.

I had a vintage “Gentleman’s Dresser” that has been sitting in my basement for about three years that I thought would be perfect for the Bohemian transfer.  After the dresser was cleaned, sanded and primed it was given a few coats of black chalk paint.  Once the paint was dry I went to work with the  “Kindest Regards” stamp.  The first thing I did with this stamp was give it a light sanding. This makes it easier for  the paint to adhere to the stamp.  It should then be cleaned with water and mild soap to get the dust off.  After it was dry I painted it with a thin coat of white chalk paint and randomly placed the stamp on the dresser.  I wanted a worn look so I wasn’t concerned with every word showing perfectly or everything being perfectly lined up.

After the paint was dry I was ready for the transfers. The Bohemian transfer comes rolled in a tube with a plastic stick to rub your transfer on with. The Bohemian transfer looks like this:

 

Notice that the backing has a grid on it which is great for lining your transfer up on your piece.  You simply line it up, tape it in place with painters tape and start rubbing your transfer on.  Start at one end and then gently lift the sheet up as you go to make sure everything is being transferred.  For my piece I also cut the transfer up so that I would be able to use different pieces at the top and bottom of my dresser.  The botanical transfers were also added in the same way.  You will find all the pictures  at the end of the post.

The next step was to use the “Painterly Roses” stamp.  These are especially fun because you layer them to give the appearance of hand painted flowers with vines and leaves. The smaller rose stamps layer like this:

It comes with several different sizes of roses, buds, leaves and vines that you layer until you have the look you want.  I gave it a few days to completely dry and then waxed and buffed it. To finish up I also used a bit of Wise Owl Lemon Verbena. it did deepen the black color a bit and it smells terrific.

This is what my Bohemian Dresser looks like now:

 

 

UPDATE:  This piece has been sold!

Let me know if you have any questions. This piece is currently for sale and is in my Etsy shop. https://www.etsy.com/listing/671471378/