Ok, so this little number was a $5 yard sale score! It was pretty disgusting when I got it. It was hella-dirty, and there was quite a bit of water damage to the inlay top, but is was solid and sturdy, and the bones are what count! I think this one took the last of what was my 1st can of Old White, or close to it. I painted the entire piece with that and that's when I noticed a problem. Because of the water damage, there was staining coming through the paint. If this happens to you, and it will if you paint long enough, run to Lowe's or Home Depot and grab a can of Bull's Eye Shellac. Shellac is an all natural sealant! I like the spray variety, but you can buy the brush-on type if you prefer. It dries in minutes, so a coat or 2 of that will "stop the bleeding". Another nice thing about shellac that you'll notice is that the paint seems to glide over it, and you don't need quite as much, which is good when you're spending close to $40 for a little quart of paint! Now, because the inlay was lifting in spots because of it's past neglect, I figured the best way to hide it was to color in the lines! Chevron patterns are pretty hot right now and so are yellow and grey, so Arles and French Linen it is! I sealed the whole this in Clear Wax, and low-lighted the details in Old White with Dark Wax! 

So I sold one of my display hutches this week, and needed a new home for the array of painting sundries that had been displaced. I had this lovely little farmhouse style number hanging out in my arsenal, and decided it was just the piece I needed!! After stripping and sanding the top of base, I applied two coats of General Finishes Java Gel Stain, which I sealed with several coats of GF High Performance Satin Top Coat. I'd been dying to paint with Florence Chalk Paint® for weeks now, so it was a no-brainer as to how to address the exterior. After moderate distressing, I sealed the paint and antiqued the entire piece with dark wax. I painted the interior Cream Chalk Paint® and left it clean. I kinda like it!

May 21, 2014 · 

Color! Color! Color! Ombre seems to be everywhere these days doesn't it? This is another early piece that I failed to get a "before" of, but imagine if you will, an all white corner shelf... Haha! I wanted to try mixing paint. Another awesome thing about ASCP is that all the colors are formulated to be mixed! I started this piece with a brand spankin' new color called Old Violet which I mixed in doses with (still my 1st can) Old White. The limbs of the shelf were already white, and I firmly believe that "if it isn't broken, don't fix it!" That just left the shelves themselves! I made 4 well balanced and different shades and painted each shelf. A little Clear Wax to seal the paint, and there you have it! 

July 29 at 6:28pm · 

Check out this adorable little spindle legged table! My "before" pic is after I had stripped and sanded the table to prepare it for a couple coats of General Finishes Gray Gel Stain that I sealed with GF Satin High Performance Top Coat. I dry-brushed Duck Egg Blue, Paris Gray, Old Ochre, and Pure White Chalk Paint® in layers for that salt air kissed, coastal look!

From May, 2014 "This was my second break with single color pieces. I really love color!! This is Aubusson Blue. Now if you could hear me say this color out loud, you'd hear just how much I love this color in my tone. I LOOOOOVE it!!! Ok, after a couple coats, I was certain that a little dark wax was not enough to liven up this little bookshelf! I grabbed another new color called Old Ochre, (Which incidentally, is my absolute FAVE neutral thus far in the ASCP palette!!) and hit the cute little knobby things on the middle shelf. It wasn't enough!! No, this needed something more!! Some of you know that I have some experience in tailoring. For those that don't, I used to make corsets, skirts, and chemises that I sold all over the world to Renaissance faire goers. When the market tanked, there wasn't enough business, and I lost my enthusiasm for it. I still have quite a bit of fine fabrics in what used to be my studio, (basement...LOL) and so I found a complimentary design and using plain old mod podge, placed the fabric in the back of the bookcase, and VOILA!!! Totes Adorbs! ...as my daughter would say! "

This creature came to me with one foot completely broken off. (Left foot in the "before" shot) After making the repair and cleaning the piece thoroughly, I was delighted to find the top in really good shape. I touched up the small scratches with General Finishes Java Gel Stain, and a few coats of GF Satin High Performance Top Coat to protect the newly freshened surface. The edges of the top and base were not as well off as the top, so I went with a color I had yet to try! Paloma is a wonderful shade of grayish-lavender on the Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan palette!! I highlighted the details on the piecrust top and legs with Old White, which I sealed with clear wax, and antiqued with dark wax.

Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan is not just for furniture! As a matter of fact, there aren't many surfaces that this paint won't bond to! This project was an older dark brown metal lamp. With all the grooves and curves in this piece, it was begging for paint and dark wax to accentuate it's positives. I hate that I don't have a "before" of this lamp, but I think I may have mentioned previously (and will probably reiterate later) that I SUCK at the "before" pics. Would you believe that the color used was Old White? Crazy right? AND, it's still the 1st quart! O love this stuff. Anywho, 2 coats went on, and a coat of clear wax. I slathered the dark wax everywhere, and proceeded to wipe it all off except what stayed in those little niches! Isn't it lovely?

This cute little entry bench was slated to be an aqua blue, but as I looked at the photos of the interior of the clients home, which was tastefully decorated in taupes, creams, and aquas, it was the rusty orange accent pillows that caught my eye. After making the suggestion that the piece match those pillows, we headed to the studio and came up with this lovely warm hue! A fine example of the limitless color you can achieve with Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan! Colors used to achieve this rusty orange were Primer Red, Barcelona Orange, and Scandinavian Pink! 

I figured since the distressed little yellow table went so well, I'd take it a step further and not only age with distressing, I'd hit the piece with some dark wax! Scary undiscovered country! Once again, prep was a non-issue! Lather, rinse, repeat! Ok, not much lather to vinegar, but you catch my drift! So the table was a gorgeous little curvy antique made of mahogany that was assembled with standard screws. It got 2 coats of ASCP Old White that was distressed before applying a Clear Wax seal. (Just a little note... This is the same quart of paint I started with a tall table and 2 nightstands ago. (ASCP goes a LONG way! So when you think you're spending an awful lot of money on such a tiny can of paint just remember, you'll be getting a lot of bang for your buck!) So once the clear wax was wiped off sufficiently, I went straight into applying the dark wax! Dark wax was intimidating at first. I knew I wanted to put it in the nooks and crannies, but I also knew that I couldn't antique just parts of it. With the fresh coat of clear wax, you have a lot of control with just how much antiquing you'd like on your piece. I think this turned out just right! (From May, 2104)

The clean lines of this little vintage sewing cabinet were just begging for something new and exiting, and I was all about finding some new color! I mixed up a rich deep navy with Napoleonic Blue and Graphite Chalk Paint® by @Annie Sloan, and the bright coral was concocted with Barcelona Orange, Scandinavian Pink, Emperor's Silk, and Old White! I added Pure White into the chevron pattern on the top and also a bit on the front for a fresh modern look!!

This was the 4th piece I did! "OK! Time to broaden my horizon! I've never really been into distressed or "Shabby Chic" furniture or decor, but it was time to see how the other half live. I got this side table on the FB yard sale site. It was your typical stained wood table, but I love the curvy legs! I was definitely ready for color! After much contemplation, I picked up 2 new quarts! For this project, I chose ASCP Arles which is a wonderful golden yellow! I got 2 coats on and took the table and my trusty sanding block out front and started knocking paint off. Now, I have very strong feelings about distressing. I guess we all have our own opinion on what looks good. For me, if the distressed area does not get bumped or rubbed against on a day to day basis, it has no business losing paint in that area, does it? Not in my opinion! So I hit the areas I thought would take the most wear and tear over time! The chunky parts of her legs and feet, and the edges. I also marred a few strategic spots on top because you simply can't have distressing everywhere but the top! That just doesn't make sense! "
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The granddaughter of a client of mine took notice of my ratty little commissions binder when she and her grandmother came in to arrange for a very unique restyle on an armoire I had available in the shop. Today when my client arrived to finalize the design, she brought me a very special gift! Thank you Mykenzy SO much for this thoughtful gift!! Inside was a lovely card, and a copy of "The Butterfly Effect" by Andy Andrews which undoubtably will remain a part of the shop from here on out!! Stay tuned for this remarkable armoire!! grin emoticon

This was one tall cool table! I bought this on one of the local FB yard sale sites. When I got this piece, it had a different top. It was one of those tile tops, and it seemed too wide, and out of proportion for those lovely long legs! So I jumped online and found a nice piece of butcher block and screwed it in place. The 1.5" thickness and 11" length and width were perfect! I went for the ASCP Old White, and covered the entire table with it and sealed with clear wax. BORRRRRRING!!! I wasn't feeling it, so I opened the Graphite and painted the butcher block top. It's exactly what it needed! Except a little plant to doll it up! 

Last week was all about the small tables, and I really love this way this one came out! I was given this tiered pie crust by a friend. I did have to repair a small section of "crust" on the lower tier, but aside from that, it was in pretty good shape. The colors I chose for this project are Aubusson Blue and Country Grey. The legs, stem, and crusts are in Aubusson Blue, and the table tops and a few details are in Country Grey. I sealed the table with Annie Sloan Clear wax, and antiqued as well as did the stencil work on the top tier with Dark Wax.

Ok, You are probably wondering how that 1st nightstand turned out! It's only fair, and what better way to start then at the beginning, right? This was when I sought out my 1st quart!! Jodi (The proprietress at Grey Beginnings) was really great. She really made me feel confident and comfortable about taking on this project, and assured me it was going to be fun and easy! Oh my... was it ever!

This is it! I played it safe of course, and chose Old White as my 1st color. I think everyone plays it safe off jump street. White is clean and neutral! It goes with anything! Of course these days, I avoid white like the plague, I am a woman of color through and through, and Annie Sloan was key to that epiphany. I don't have any other shots at different on this piece, but as a stockist now myself, I did this all wrong. I painted all the flat surfaces "with the grain" so my brush strokes are SO obvious... It's all good though, they still look great! So clean and bright and ready for me to add a couple more colors and some dark wax! LOL