Sweet Little Graphite Nightstand

I found this adorable little nightstand at a garage sale and immediately fell in love with it.  It's at least half the size of today's nightstands (I think this one is vintage 1940s or 1950s from days when bedrooms were a lot smaller).  

Although the wood was in good condition, the original varnished finish wasn't, as over the years it had become dry and cracked in some areas.

With chalk paint, sanding and other preparation usually isn't necessary.  But in this case, I knew I was going to have to sand a little to get the smooth finish I wanted.  So, I used my electric hand sander to smooth out the rough spots before applying two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite.

 I knew I wanted to do something to make this little nightstand special so I painted the drawer with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White.  After it dried completely, I stenciled a design on the drawer by stippling on paint in Graphite.

 Annie Sloan clear soft wax was brushed on and the excess was wiped off.  Buffing brought the finish to a nice sheen.

This night stand is now at my space at Old South.

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A Table Re-Do Using Beauty Tools

I was driving down the road one recent Saturday morning and noticed a yard sale going on next to the highway.  I was 40 miles from home and on my way to take care of some personal business but couldn't help but glance over to see what kind of things I could see from the road.  I spotted a few pieces of small furniture and after debating for a few quick seconds, I turned around.  This little table is one of the treasures I left with:



  

 

It was in good condition but was looking a little plain to me.  I love the trend of mixing stained wood with painted wood, so since the top was good, I decided to just paint the legs and the bottom shelf.  I applied two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White.

 

 

The cute little spindly legs have vertical grooves cut in them and while they filled up with paint, I knew I would want them to look slightly distressed and old. 

 

So, I pulled out my top secret distressing tools!  These are very rare and expensive tools so most of you probably don't have them readily available for your use.  Not !



 

That's right, a cotton swab and a bobby pin!  I chose the wet distress method since I was going to be using these two "tools".  I soaked one end of the swab in water and pushed it down the vertical grooves of the legs.  As the chalk paint got wet, it softened up and I was then able to use more pressure with the cotton swab to slightly remove some of the paint.  I repeated the process on all of the legs, around the edges of the bottom shelf and on the other areas of the legs where a little distressing was needed. And I did have to use several cotton swabs as they wear out pretty quickly! 

 

What I like about this method is that the paint is completely removed in some areas but the paint is only thinned in others, allowing the original finish to peak through.  I took a wet cloth and wiped over small areas where i wanted further distressing.  I then took the curved end of the bobby pin and gently scraped off paint on some areas of the legs and in some places on the vertical grooves.  See the bobby pin in the photo above with the pain gunked up in it?  That's some of the damp paint that was gently scraped off.  And this method is NOT messy.  I did the work on this little table inside my living room.

 

 This is how the legs looked after my wet distressing with the beauty "tools":

After applying a coat of clear wax, wiping it off and out of all the grooves, I let the table dry overnight before buffing and applying lemon oil to the top.  I just love the slight distressing and the way the long grooves look.

 

 

And here she is - ready for her new beautifully distressed life:

 

 

 



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Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint

I'm a huge fan of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and use it for most of the furniture and other items I repaint.  There are three stockists/retailers "near" me and they all are approximately an hour and a half away.  Slightly inconvenient but so worth it once I have the paint in my hands!  But I've been wanting to try Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint since it became available three or four months ago.  But again, the closest retailer is an hour and a half way. 

There is a shop that I'd been wanting to visit that is almost two (yep two!) hours away from me.  It sells both ASCP and MMS so I used that as an excuse for a short road trip.  And I'm wanting to try MMS paint so much that I will drive that far.  At least once.

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint generally gives a more "chippy" look and ASCP gives a more "European" finish.  There are some furniture pieces I paint that I just really want to have a shabbier look without having to sand and distress, so Miss Mustard Seed sounds perfect for those.

This is what I came home with:

Yes, the paint is in boxes!  MMS paints are powder and you only mix what you will use for each project.  I purchased three colors, the bonding agent, furniture wax and antiquing wax.  While I was out on my little road trip, I also stopped by a thrift store and picked up an old blender for mixing the paint and at another place I found a piece of furniture to try the paint out on.  I can't wait to get started.   I'll share the final project and how I like MMS paints very soon!