Vintage Night Stands

I just finished this gorgeous, pair of night stands for a client.  They are family pieces and she had them in her room when she was growing up. They were painted with a glossy, cream, oil-based paint when she brought them in.

I added some pure white to lighten the French Linen Chalk Paint for these night stands.  Because Chalk Paint adheres to oil-based paint, I did not need to primer them first.  I just sanded down the places where the paint was peeling and then applied the first coat of paint.

The transformation is complete!  I used a petite brush to add white accents to all the carved details of the night stands.  When they were one solid color, you hardly noticed all the pretty detailing on the drawers.

The drawer pulls started out a dark brass color and they needed a makeover.  I started out by whitewashing all the hardware, but when I put the knobs on they looked too bright and out of place on the gray drawers.  I toned them down by applying Annie Sloan's dark wax over the whitewash.

The dark wax over the white created an almost champagne color.  I love the subtle contrast of the hardware against the painted background now.

Of course I love anything on caster wheels!  Aren't they adorable? 

This post is linked to parties on my sidebar.

French Linen Night Stand

Over the holidays, while I was going to yard sales with my two sisters in San Diego, I found the perfect night stand for my bedroom.  We just moved and I finally have a bedroom with tall ceilings again, so I pulled my antique, iron bed out of storage.  In our new room, we only have a narrow space between the bed and the wall next to it, so I needed a night stand that would not take up too much space. 

I love the shape of this vintage night stand and it only cost me $10.  The glazed mustard paint was chipped and dirty, but that was an easy fix.

I used one of the newer colors of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint called french linen.  It is a gorgeous gray with brown undertones. 

The drawer pulls had been painted over a couple of times and even Mr. Rubbish could not remove them.  I originally wanted to spray paint the hardware black or oil-rubbed bronze.  Considering I could not remove them from the drawers, I just painted over them again.  I brushed them with dark wax, so they would stand out a little.  Then, I accented the trim on the night stand with bright white to match the bedding.  I used my wax brush to apply a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax over the entire piece for a beautiful, subtle sheen.

I just brought this becrystaled candelabra light home from a barn sale and I am looking forward to re-wiring and fixing it up.

This post is linked to the parties on my sidebar.

Python Piano Bench

My mechanic, who happens to be more obsessive about yard saling than me, if that is possible, gave me this lovely, vintage piano bench, free of charge.  It had an outdated finish, but the bench is nice and sturdy with a hinged top for storage.

I am naturally drawn to earthy colors and I tend to paint most of my pieces of furniture with a neutral color pallette. With this bench, however, I decided to take a risk with some bold colors and patterns.   

I have been hearing that orange is the new "IT" color of 2012, so I picked out a pretty shade of orange for the legs.  Annie Sloan Chalk Paint just came out with a similar shade, called Barcelona Orange, that I hope to try on some future projects.

I padded the seat with a thick layer of foam and found this fabulous, turquoise and flax, linen fabric to cover the new seat cushion.  I waxed the entire surface with Annie Sloan clear wax and then added some dark wax to tone down the orange just a bit. 

This post is linked to the parties on my sidebar.

Country Gray Dresser Redux

My landlord picked up this adorable dresser from the dump, if you can believe it.  He had taken it to the flea market a couple of times, but it did not sell.  I told him that if I painted it, I could sell it right away at Loot and give him some of the profit.

I love the size of this dresser and the long, turned legs. One of the wooden knobs was missing, but I realized that I had exactly eight, glass knobs (the same ones I used on this, similar dresser), so I upgraded all the knobs.

I painted the dresser with my old favorite combination: Country Gray Chalk Paint with white trim.  I really like the neutral, putty color of the Country Gray and I think it pairs splendidly with items brought in from nature.  Besides being one of my personal favorite Chalk Paint colors, all of the pieces of furniture I have painted with Country Gray have sold right away.

I applied Annie Sloan's clear wax over the entire dresser for a beautiful sheen.

It was a success; the dresser sold this past weekend at Loot!   

This post is linked to the parties on my sidebar.

Happy New Year and My Favorite Projects from 2011

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year!  I love the beginning of a new year because I feel so fresh, like I can accomplish anything.  I have taken a long holiday vacation in sunny San Diego and I am sure that helps too.  I know 2012 will be a busy year starting right when I return home, but for now I am still enjoying the last day or two of my escape from real life.

When I look at all the projects I finished last year, it gives me motivation for the coming year, especially when I feel like I can't possibly squeeze everything I need to get done into one year.  I enjoy looking back at everything I accomplished last year and picking out my favorite projects, starting with this old world chandelier that I finished last March.

My next favorite project from 2011 is the full set of cane back dining chairs. I am starting to see a pattern here...both the chandelier and these chairs were extremely labor intensive.  I guess they were labors of love!  When I put so much elbow grease into a piece, I can't help but love it when it is done.  I used a lot of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint last year and this set of chairs was one of my first Chalk Paint projects.

If the amount of energy I put in influences my choices for my favorites, then these parson chair slipcovers are no exception.  I had never made slipcovers for chairs before, so these were quite the feat for me. 

My next favorite is this Country Gray and Old White Chalk Paint armoire.  I loved this piece at first sight and it was not hard to make it beautiful.  I also really like the complex, yet neutral, shade of Chalk Paint.

My last, favorite of 2011 is this two-toned, vintage hutch. I painted it with Pure White and Duck Egg Blue Chalk Paint and it made quite a transformation for this, once outdated, dining hutch.

Thanks for joining me for my highlights of 2011.  I hope that I can accomplish this much and more in 2012. I wish you all the best for a happy, fulfilled and productive new year!