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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Table With A Surprise

 I found this cute little table on a recent family trip to the mountains of North Carolina and just had to bring him home with me.  I love how the legs aren't straight but angle out a little.

 

 

The table was painted with two coats of Old Ochre Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and the sides and inside of the drawer were painted with Graphite.  I used clear wax only and lightly distressed the table.

I decided to keep the original hardware and applied a little wax to the knobs also to brighten them up .

The little surpise is inside the drawer.  One of my favorite thrift shops was giving away (yes, free!) old sheet music.  Of course, I took it all off of their hands!   I applied one of the pages to the bottom of the drawer with Mod Podge then applied several coats to the top to seal it.  I like how the music sheet matches the Old Ochre and Graphite colors.  Whether you're a music lover or not, using sheet music to line drawers or to cover drawer fronts is a great way to add a little extra surprise to your furniture piece.