Slowly Getting Back Into The Swing of Things

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.  I know I did but it's so hard to get back into a more normal routine without the shopping, decorating, planning and cooking.  It's seems like forever since I've done any painting so I'm proud I've at least completed a few new small projects.  I've got to get busy and restock my space at Old South!

You know how I'm always encouraging you to keep your eyes open for things that might not work in their present condition but with a little paint and/or attention can be turned into something unique?  Well, that's what the object in today's post is. 

I love painting candlesticks/candle holders but unique ones can be hard to find.  They are some of the things I always look for in thrift stores, yard sales, etc.  So, I was really happy when I found this large one.

It's unglazed ceramic or plaster but the gold color needed updating and it just wasn't working for me.  So I pulled out some paint that's a favorite of mine that I haven't used lately - Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Provence.  I brushed on one light to medium coat, allowing some of the gold color to show through.

I didn't want a lot of distressing but I did want some, so I lightly rubbed a damp cloth in the areas I wanted distressed.

I finished by brushing on clear wax, wiping off the excess and then buffing to a shine.  I love the way it turned out and I will be taking it to my space at Old South real soon.

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:

 

 

 



Linking to:



 

From Ugly Duckling to Beautiful Swan

 

These are the kind of projects I just love from beginning to end!  I spotted this little spindly legged table and thought it might have great potential, but it was looking a little like an ugly duckling!  The legs were good but someone had nailed a painted wooden circle onto the top.  I took a chance and hauled it home with me.

 

 

After I pulled off the added on top, I found it was actually a piece of old panelling that had been added for who knows what reason!  I was excited to see the original top underneath was in pretty good shape except for little nail holes where the panelling had been nailed. 

 

 

 

I filled in the nail holes with wood filler and lightly sanded the top.  After two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Gray, I felt the table still looked a little plain and wasn't living up to its full potential (sorry, but in my enthusiasm I forgot to get a photo after the coats of paint).  I remembered I had picked up an inexpensive stencil on impulse awhile back and thought it would work perfectly.  I decided to just stencil across the center instead of over the entire top to keep the pattern from looking too "busy".  The stencil I used is the Jacobean Floral pattern made by DecoArt and I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White.

 



 

After the stencil paint dried, I very lightly sanded the design to smooth out any texture created by the stencil paint.  I applied a coat of clear wax and then used fine sand paper to slightly distress around the edges.

 



 

 

 After applying more clear wax over the distressed areas and buffing to a soft sheen, the ugly duckling was turned into a beautiful swan!

 

 

 I'm going to have a hard time letting this one go!

 

Ethan & Allen

A couple of weeks ago I spotted two cute little tables in the back of one of my regular furniture hunting spots.  I loved the drawers with all the little knobs on front.  As I got closer, I saw they had received a lot of wear but other than the original finish being worn off on the tops, they were in good condition.  I opened one of the drawers and saw that they were old Ethan Allen tables probably from the 1960's, if not earlier.  Yep, I knew I had to have them!

For just a few seconds, I thought I might refinish instead of painting.  But I knew my impatience would get to me with the sanding, staining and varnishing of TWO tables!  So, I just kept it simple and applied two coats of no-prep Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen. 

 

The original wood was already distressed so I applied clear wax and slightly distressed the paint around the edges and drawers with sand paper. Buffing and re-applying the original drawer knobs were the last steps and they were done. Ethan & Allen!

 

A Budget Fall Mantel

This is my simple Fall mantel which was put together without spending a lot of money.

I already owned the clock face, candlesticks, jug and mirror.  To accessorize, I added a ready-made mini wreath purchased from Target that was hung over the mirror with a small piece of twin.  Twigs from my backyard were placed in the jug.  I had purchased the paper mache' pears from Michael's months ago knowing I'd use them one day.  They were a dull, unfinished brown that looked like grocery bag paper.  I brushed on varnish to seal them and give them a nice, warm color and then placed them on a little tray I found at a thrift store.  The Autumn plaque was made from an old board I had.  I painted it with Coco Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and then stencilled the letters with Old White.  I sanded lightly to give it an older, distressed look.  The candlesticks were made ready for fall by removing the candles and adding pumpkins from the Dollar Tree.  I first used wood putty to fill in a crease that ran all around the pumpkins, then painted them with Old White before brushing on clear wax and lightly distressing and buffing them.

These were the pumpkins before.  I love Chalk Paint!

I spent less than $10 creating this mantel.  Look around your own home and yard and see what you have that can be used to create your own personal mantel.

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.

 

    

Painted Plaster Plaques

I stumbled across these little plaster plaques this past weekend and fell in love with them, although I knew they would have to be painted to update their gold color.

I applied two coats of Duck Egg Blue Chalk Paint before using the wet distress method, instead of sanding, to reveal some of the gold underneath.

After applying clear wax, dark wax and buffing, the plaques are ready to show off their new style.

And the Adventure Begins!

About two weeks ago I began a new adventure and opened a booth at Old South Antique Mall in Dothan, Alabama.  It's a wonderful place with great managers and fellow vendors.  I love finding old furniture and other items and repainting, reviving and repurposing them.  I believe you can have a beautiful home without spending a lot of money!  I have big plans and lots of ideas and hope you will follow my journey!

 

It's a long way from being the spot of my dreams but I think my space is off to a great start.  This photo was taken the night before I opened and before I had everything in place.  The response has been great and I have already had to restock a couple of times!
 

 



 Stay tuned for updates of my projects and adventures!