A Fun Way To Get The Chippy Look

I finally got around to trying an aging technique that I've wanted to try for awhile.  Don't you just love this aged, chippy look?  

 

 It started out as this plain, old wooden piece I found at a thrift store.  I decided it was perfect for trying out the new technique.

 

 



And it didn't take anything more than this to achieve the new look:

Gulf Wax is block paraffin wax and can be found in the canning section of grocery stores, Walmart, etc.  You simply start off by taking a block of wax and rubbing it onto the wood by applying slight pressure.  The areas with wax will resist the paint that will be applied over it and ultimately reveal the finish underneath the wax. 

 

 

The wax will flake and leave small loose pieces on the wood.  It's fine to leave them because they will add to the chippy look we've trying to achieve.  After the paraffin wax was rubbed on, I painted the first coat of paint in CeCe Caldwell's Virginia Chestnut.  At this point, you'll notice the paint isn't quite as smooth as when you don't apply the paraffin.

 

 

 

Let the coat of paint dry completely.  It may take a little longer to dry because of the wax underneath but CeCe Caldwell's Paints still dry very quickly.  When the first layer of paint was dry, I again rubbed the paraffin block over the surface of the wood.  Next, I painted a layer of Young Kansas Wheat.  The surface is now starting to look a little bumpy.  But that's a good thing in this case! Once again, let the paint dry completely.

 

 

 I then rubbed paraffin over the layer of Young Kansas Wheat. The paint will start to look rough in some areas.   Don't be surprised if you are already starting to see the paint flake off in a few places.  As a final layer, I painted on a coat of Destin Gulf Green.  You can continue this process of alternating paraffin and paint for a couple more colors if you'd like, but I decided to stop with three paint colors. 

 

 

After the Destin Gulf Green was dry, I confess I was so eager to move on to the final step that I forgot to take photos of the "tool" I used.  Because this piece was so small, I used an old credit card (I tried to find my plastic wallpaper tool but got impatient before finding it).  You can use any scraping type tool but I would avoid metal to keep from gouging the wood.  Using a little pressure, just scrape whatever tool you use back and forth over the wood and the layers start flaking off where the paraffin was applied. 

 

And you will end up with a look similar to this.  Isn't this just the neatest thing? 

 

 

 

 

My project already had a waxy feel so I chose not to apply any finish to it.  If you feel you need to seal the finish in areas where you may have chosen not to apply paraffin, you can apply a coat of CeCe Caldwell's Clear Wax or Waxing Cream to the entire piece before allowing to dry and buffing.

 

Don't hesitate to try this chippy technique for an aged look that's fun to create.  You can't mess it up!

 

Learn more about Shabby But Chic here.

 

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Painted Books



As a CeCe Caldwell's Paints retailer, I had the idea to demonstrate how almost anything can be painted with our paints.  So, when I stumbled across these old books from the 1940s and 1950s I knew what I wanted to do.    The books were only $.50 each and while I hesitated at first to paint the books, I knew I wouldn't be destroying them but perhaps actually keeping them from being destroyed.

 

 

 

The covers of these books were a type of fabric so I was anxious to see how they would turn out.  I placed a screwdriver under each end of one of the covers to hold it up off of the pages underneath while painting.  With a sponge brush I painted one cover and the spine with a coat of CeCe Caldwell's Vermont Slate.  When it dried, I turned it over and painted the back cover.  I did this for each of the three books. 

 

 

When the books dried completely, I played around a little with how I wanted to arrange the books.  Having a smaller one to put on the top would help make a more interesting display.  I stenciled the chosen designs on the books using CeCe Caldwell's Vintage White, keeping the arrangement of the books in mind so the stencil designs would show.  When the stenciled designs dried, I very lightly sanded them to give a more vintage appearance.

 

After binding them together with a little twine and adding an old skeleton key, the books were ready to be placed in my space at Old South Antique Mall.

 

I love how they turned out and can't wait to make some more - and hopefully make  a set for me to keep as well!

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