Grain Sack Striped Barstools

Hey, hey friends!  Happy Monday!  The Texas weather has been completely bonkers as of late, with eighty degree temps one day and thirty degree temps the next… thanks a lot Polar Vortex.  I was able to take advantage of the warmer weather to get some projects completed, one of which I’m sharing today: my Grain Sack Striped Barstools.

I bought these barstools for our previous home about five years ago – time, moving, and my kiddos had slowly taken their toll on them.  The funny thing is, I originally took these out to my garage just to tighten the bolts on the seats which loosen from time to time.  Then I got a wild hair… and the rest, I guess, is history.  Here’s the before:

They look pretty good in this pic, but trust me about the scuffs and scratches.  If you’re wondering, these were purchased from WalMart, and they’ve held up okay for the price.

After tightening the bolts and cleaning them, I painted them with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Provence.  I loved the color, but felt like there needed to be something extra… Inspired by my French Grain Sack Dresser, I decided to add some stripes in ASCP Old White and I love the end result.

I distressed these lightly with some 220-grit sandpaper, in anticipation that some natural distressing would occur anyway once these were in use.  I applied ASCP wax to the entire stool, including a thick coat of wax on the seat to help protect it from the little bums around here.

The center stripe was made using one-inch painter’s tape.  The outer stripes I just sorta eyeballed and added another piece of tape to make a thin stripe.  This part took less than ten minutes.

I’m quite happy with this little makeover – because my Aqua and White Hutch is painted in the same colors, these coordinate nicely and bring a fun dose of color to my dining area.

I do think I need one more stool to fill the space better, so I’ll be ordering another soon and getting to work to make it match.  Slowly but surely, this little kitchen/dining area of mine is coming together.  The big project still remains… repainting the cabinets.  *groan*  Anyone up for a painting party?

Hope you’re having a great Monday!

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Turquoise Desk Makeover for Little Girl

My youngest daughter has longed for a desk in her room ever since I did the Green Desk Makeover for her older sister.  Many months and Craigslist searches later, I was finally able to find a desk that fit my daughter and her room perfectly.  A little bit of elbow grease and some Annie Sloan Provence chalk paint later… and we have a turquoise desk for my litte girl.

This desk was listed on Craigslist but was actually housed in a multi-vendor antique mall, buried under all sorts of other vintage treasures.  It’s a Bassett desk from the 1960s and was in great condition, save for some damage to the desktop and some scratches.

I’ll admit it… this desk had me at spindle legs.

Seriously, aren’t they incredible?

After sanding the top and cleaning it well, I painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Provence, a gorgeous turquoise blue color that I have used on multiple projects in my home.  My youngest really likes to help mama with projects, especially painting, so I gave her a brush and her own tray of paint and let her go to town.  Chalk paint is very forgiving because you can sand it, so it was the perfect medium for my little’s brush strokes – any imperfections were simply sanded away before the top coat.

The hardware is all original to the piece and was in perfect condition as well.  I liked the contrast of the bronze and blue so I just gave it all a good cleaning before I reinstalled it. 

The spindle legs are still my favorite feature – it’s unusual to find a piece such a traditional piece with this type of leg.  (Please excuse the focus on these photos… my eight year old Canon rebel is starting to act up on me.)

Here’s another view of the turquoise desk in its entirety.  Tell me those legs aren’t incredible!  Pair it with a pink chevron wall and I’m smitten ;).

The desk actually has a coordinating hutch (see below) that goes on top but it felt a little too serious (especially with the eagle medallion) so I haven’t yet painted it.  I do like the additional storage it offers so maybe one day I’ll add it, but for now I’m happy with the desk as is.

My youngest is very excited for this new homework space in her room.  We’re still working on adding little desk accessories, but she’s already enjoying it for reading, writing, drawing and creating.  I imagine it will see lots of this activity in the years to come.

If you have any questions about the turquoise desk makeover, let me know and I’ll be happy to answer your questions!

Have you tried chalk paint yet?  Would you be brave enough to let your child help you with it?  I’d love to hear your experience!

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Mission Style End Table Makeover

Happy Monday everyone!!  We had a busy weekend around here, filled with trick-or-treating, soccer, birthday parties, and a karate tournament.  I’m pooped!  In between all the madness fun, I was able to finish up a little project I’ve been working on for a while: making over this Mission Style end table gifted to me from my sister.

When she gave me this table, it was in good condition except for a little wear on the varnish.

I knew I wanted to stain the top, so I sanded it down and after applying MinWax Wood conditioner I stained it with one coat of MinWax dark walnut.  A coat of poly protects it from future wear and tear.

I painted this with Annie Sloan Aubusson Blue, and rather than distress it, I used my smooth chalk paint technique and then applied wax.  I used Miss Mustard Seed’s wax on this piece cause I’ve been dying to try it… It is very different from Annie Sloan wax.  It’s much softer and smells wonderful – it did take off a little more paint color with it, but since it wasn’t formulated to work with this paint I wasn’t surprised.

I love the contrast between the matte blue and the soft sheen of the dark walnut top.

If you remember my post about searching for a living room sofa, I’m giving you a peek here of my final choice.  I’m not quite ready for the full room reveal yet (still a few more projects to finish up), but here’s a little glimpse at the room redo.

This little table has found its new home on “my end” of the sofa, with a good book or magazine and a hot cup of coffee always nearby.  I sorta love it.  Huge thanks to my sister for sending this gem my way!

Did you guys get any projects finished this weekend or were you running around crazy like we were? Have you used MMS furniture wax?  What did you think of it?

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Antibes Green Side Table Makeover

In addition to nearly every other room in my home, I’m working on a room makeover for my youngest daughter, one that allows a bit more of her personality to be infused into the space.  (Which may or may not be a good thing…)  Since starting kinder this past fall, she’s been waking up like a big girl to an alarm in the morning – I thought it was high time she had a side table so she wouldn’t have to get out of bed to turn off her alarm (or annoy her older sister while she lay under her covers, ignoring the constant beeping).  Rather than go buy one, I shopped my home and found this:

I actually bought this for her nursery way  back when *sob* to hold toys and books but it made its way out of her room during one of our moves.  It’s not bad as is, but it was a little too cream for a room with white walls and a white bed – not anymore, however…

Say hello to Antibes Green, another fabulous color of the famous Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

The original finish was a distressed cream color.  I wanted to have some of that peeking through so I used a watered-down “wash” of the green on the side cutout panels and the top rim.  I used two full-strength coats on the rest of the piece to really make the green pop.

The blogger in me wanted to completely stage this table, but I decided instead to keep it exactly how my baby girl likes it.  She was quite excited to set up her “new” table with all of her necessities: lamp, alarm clock, handmade clay bowl from art class, special books, and of course, a bright orange Furby.  She’s really a fun age right now and makes my heart smile.

In case you’re wondering about said room makeover, it’s a work in progress as is every makeover in the home.made. home right now.  Little by little, I’m knocking out my project lists though so hang in there.  Here’s a sneak peek just because I love ya…

Hope you have a fantastic weekend… we’ll be celebrating my oldest turning 8! *weep*  Where does the time go?

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French Dresser Makeover

Part of my slowly-evolving bedroom makeover began with this dresser…

It’s the companion piece to the Chevron Side Table that I redid for my office area.  I actually stalked Craigslist for this type of dresser for a while and was so lucky to find both pieces for $75.  My sweet hubby made the trek to pick these up after working one day.  He’s a keeper ;).
Here she is now, all dressed up and in her new home…

I painted this dresser in Annie Sloan French Linen, a lovely color that is the perfect combination of beige and gray.  I love the way the color morphs between light and dark depending on the amount of light in the room

I liked the original hardware (and didn’t want to spend money on replacing nine handles), so I gave them a good cleaning and reinstalled.  This is a traditional French provincial piece, and I want it to look as such, so the flourish hardware remained.

I also did not distress this piece (at least not yet).  I used the same chalk paint technique that I used on the Curio Transformation and the Nautical Aubusson Blue Desk to achieve a smooth, even color.  I did run into some trouble with the laminate top.  My second coat of chalk paint started pulling up the first coat (pretty sure it was due to humidity), so I sanded the top to rough it up a bit and then had no problem after that. 

I’m still slowly finishing up the details of my bedroom makeover… it takes time when you’re on a budget, you know?  You can see some glimpses in these photos if you look closely: new wall and trim paint, new curtains… now I just need to commit to some wall art.  Anyone else have trouble with that part of decorating or is it just me?
I have a couple more projects in the works in addition to the bedroom makeover, so stay tuned.  Coming up later this week: a fun little spruce up to my front entry, inspired by the gorgeous weather we’ve been having in Texas lately.
Have a great week!

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Chalk Paint Dresser Redo!

I know you've all been patiently waiting, and the time has finally come for the reveal of my $25 garage sale dresser redo!!

In case you've forgotten, she started out looking like this:

And now, in all her glory...

I painted her (Yes, it's a her.  There's nothing masculine about this beauty!) with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Provence, followed by a coat of clear wax.  This was my first time using the famous ASCP and I am quite pleased with the results.  Yes, it's expensive, but it is so worth it.  (If anything, to not have to sand and prime...)
This was also my first experience with waxing a piece of furniture, and it wasn't quite as bad as I had originally feared.  I do wonder, however, if I'll ever be able to buff without channeling a little Karate Kid and repeating "Wax on... wax off".  *snort*

One of the original drawer pulls was broken, so I decided to replace them all with new hardware.  I found these brushed nickel pulls at Home Depot and I think they complement the blue nicely.  

I recruited my sister's help with a little furniture rearranging and moved my new dresser to her intended home - my front entryway.  She's fitting in quite nicely, don't you think?

Project breakdown:

Dresser: $25

Paint: $35

Hardware: $30

Grand Total: $90

I'd say I made out like a bandit on this one!  Just wait til you see the estate sale console I scored for $50!

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Painting Furniture: Tales from a Chalk Paint Virgin

A while back, a friend of mine was having a garage sale and posted a few things on facebook.  The first item I snagged from her was an antique metal bed that I repainted for my oldest daughter's room.  Then she happened to mention that she had a little dresser that needed a good home as well... and for only twenty five bucks.

SOLD!

I'd had an idea about what I wanted for my front entry, and this changing table turned entryway dresser fit the bill perfectly.

It's just the right size, has just the right amount of storage and it has some pretty details as well.  This piece is a mixture of wood with some wood veneer, so I knew it would need some prep work prior to painting.  *Groan*  Being the amateur furniture refinisher that I am, I had no idea if I could sand all of the surfaces so that option wasn't appealing and neither was the thought of priming after I just finished the monster of a paint job in my office.

Enter chalk paint... Annie Sloan chalk paint to be exact.

I was intrigued by the claim that, with this paint, there was no need for sanding OR priming.  Shut the front door!  Ever the skeptic, I researched it thoroughly via some great blogs and was pleasantly surprised with what I discovered:

Marion at Miss Mustard Seed has some fabulous information and tutorials.  She completes me.  Seriously.


Shaunna at Perfectly Imperfect also is a great resource for all things about painted furniture.  She even has an ebook you can purchase with all of her tips!



After reading their experiences and suggestions, I bit the bullet and ordered my very own ASCP (as those in the chalk paint biz refer to it ;)) and some of the AS soft wax for finishing.  This weekend, I finally took the cans out of the box and got to work.

This is where it gets interesting.

I read the instructions about shaking/stirring the paint prior to use and about letting it sit open to thicken the consistency, but since I had no hands-on experience with anything other than latex and oil-based paint, I starting painting away.  The first coat was definitely too watery in my opinion and I was not impressed with the initial coat.  Luckily, a trip twist of fate intervened:

That, my friends, is my gorgeous ASCP all over my dropcloth, knocked over accidentally by (I'm pretty sure) one of my lovely energetic daughters.  I know, you're sick to your stomach right now, right?  Ugh, I know the feeling.  I was not happy, and I was a little harder on my kids than I should have been about the spill (it was after all my fault for not sealing the lid...).  As I stared at my gorgeous blue paint (my precious) and wondered how on earth I'd clean up this mess, I decided to make lemonade from this lemon of a situation.

I used the dropcloth as my palette.  Yep.  I used the paint for a second coat.

And you know what?  The consistency was perfect!  It had been spilled for an hour or two (I think), so the paint had thickened just like the label said it would.  Imagine that.


Two coats later, my Provence blue ASCP dresser is looking pretty dang good.  I've added two coats of wax with a little distressing in between, and in a day or two I will get to buffing this baby to a gorgeous shine.  I can not wait for the final reveal!

So lessons learned from my first ASCP experience:
1.  Allow the paint to thicken a little before the first use (for better coverage).
2.  Don't be afraid of the wax - it really is easier than it seems!
3.  Embrace the idea of spilled paint on your garage floor as a makeshift chalkboard...
4.  And whatever you do... seal the lid before you walk away! (You've got to protect your precious ASCP!

Stay tuned for the final reveal!