A few projects here and there....

I don't always blog all of the projects I am working on.  Honestly, I would if I were smart enough to take before and after pics of everything.  But I ALWAYS forget to take pics. And when I do, I am usually just taking a quick shot with my phone.  Shame on me.

Anyway, here are a few random pieces I haven't shown and came across when downloading my pics to my computer....

This side table and vanity is for a wonderful client I met over kijiji.  She purchased a piece from me not too long ago, and ever since, she's been dropping pieces off at my house!! Love her furniture, love her taste and just love her.... hilarious lady :)

An outdated blanket box get a coat of duck egg.

For Christmas this year, I did this jewelry cabinet for my mom.  It matches the console table I did for her a few months ago.  It's an olive green with a dark wax finish.

I just finished this Ikea piece for a good friend of mine.

Ahhhhhh, you can see my horrible mess workshop....

This bad boy was going to be donated to my kid's school for a raffle, buuuut then James saw it.  Yea, it's not leaving my house now!!!

Graphite Accent Tables

Right now I am working on a HUGE project for a new client.  I'm painting his entire dining room set which includes a 2 piece hutch, 6 chairs and a massive harvest table.  It's a big job on a normal day, but especially big when I am painting in my dining room over the winter.  It's impossible to paint in my garage when it's -20c.  Bless my patient husband.  He's never complained once.

Anyway, the client wasn't sure of what colour he wanted.  He was pushing towards black, so I agreed to do some side tables I had laying around in Graphite, so he could get an idea of what Annie Sloan's black would look like.  Annie Sloan Graphite isn't a true black.  It's more of a dark, slate gray, so I was really worried he wouldn't go for it.  I was stressing over this for days.  His pieces are all that hideous forest green, so going with a lighter colour would be such a pain in the ass.  I was praying he'd go for black becasue it would make my job a lot easier... like 2-coats-per-piece easier.

Here's how the tables turned out.

I'm sure you are wondering is he liked the black??  Yes, my friends.  So much, not only did he agree to paint his dining room pieces black, he also bought these 2 tables on the spot...  woo hoo :)

Another Hall Tree!

I snagged this hall tree off kijiji months ago... Oh man, I can remember what a pain it was.  The guy and I were going back and forth on a price for at least 20 emails.  Finally we settled, and I got him to deliver it to my house.  When he arrived, it was pouring rain, the guy was a jerk, and the hall tree was in worse shape than he led me to believe.  Luckily, the bones of the piece were great and I had a vision....

Here is the sad hall tree before... 

And here it is after!

I did 2 coats of country grey (my favouirte neutral right now), distressed the edges and added bit of dark wax to highlight the edges.  This piece had to be done in a contrasting, light colour.  If I had done it in black, It would have looked like a dead, dark shadow.  Painting it in a light, neutral colour allowed me to sand down the edges and have the black pop through.  I saw one in Home Sense almost identical to this for $500 bucks.  Crazy.

P.S. This piece is available for purchase.  

White Washing with Chalk Paint

I picked up this coffee table at one of my favourite furniture markets last year.  It's a heavy, solid piece and I only paid $4 bucks!!!  Originally, I was going to turn it into a clock, but I've been searching high and low for a clock movement kit large enough, and can't find anything for a decent price.

When I'm not sure what to do with pieces, I let them sit in my workshop for a while until they 'speak' to me... sometimes, it hits me like a ton of bricks - that's what happened with this piece. It sat there for months, and then one day it clicked - WHITE WASH it!! It's the perfect colour wood, perfect grain... so I went for it!

Here is the piece Before & After... and you can scroll to the bottom for step by step instructions.

White washing with chalk paint is quite simple, but very messy.  You need lots of space, lots of rags, and no interruptions (which is hard in my house - have you met my husband??).

I used half paint, half water.  Brushed it on quite thick, then wiped it off.  Let it dry, then sand.  I did this about 3 times before I got the consistency I wanted.  Then waxed the sucker a million times.  

I had a customer wanting to purchase the piece, but last minute, my husband wanted to keep it.  That's a huge compliment in my books, so it's in my family room waiting to be destroyed with kraft dinner and hot wheels.  

A few more pics.... and step by step instructions:

How to White Wash your furniture:

1. Most Important!!!! Choose the right piece of furniture to white wash.  Choose a piece of furniture that has wood dark enough to show through the wash, but light enough to be able to see the grain.  My piece has very visible wood grain lines, and was a nice medium brown colour.

2. Give your piece a good clean.  You can't have any dirt, dust or grime.  It will show through.

3. Choose your colour - I used Annie Sloan Old White.  Pure white, or another light, neutral would work.

4. Dilute your paint.  Half paint, half water and give it a good stir.  Don't worry about bubbles.

5. Brush the paint on a small section, then using an old rag (I used an old towel cut up), wipe the paint off.  Don't wipe it all off.  Wipe enough off so you can kinda see the wood underneath,

6. Continue this process for the whole piece.

7. Let it dry for an hour or so.  Then give the piece a light sand.  I used 120 grit.  Just clean up the heavy sections and sand it down so the white is consistent on the whole piece.

I did this process about 3 times to finally get the colour I wanted.  No one said painting furniture is quick and easy my friends....

If you have any questions, just send me a quick note! 

Too Much Honey Oak

Sorry I haven't blogged in so long Peeps.  I've been quite sick with the flu which put all my work behind 2 weeks.  Plus, I have been finishing up a few small pieces that aren't worth blogging about.

Now, that I am feeling like my self again, I can get back in my workshop ans start painting.  I was out of commission for a good two week, and it's amazing how empty I feel when I'm not painting.  This whole painting furniture thing, really is my passion and keeps me sane!!  

Here's a piece that I recently completed for a goof friend of mine.  Years ago, she purchased a ton of beautiful Amish made furniture.  Unfortunately, it's all in that honey oak colour, that was chic and beautiful back in it's day, but is nothing but dated now.  I finished painting 6 of her dining room chairs, and then moved on to this clunker... oh my, it weighs a ton!

**Yes, I am fully aware that my pictures suck.

The top is restained in  Jacobean, and the bottom legs are painted Annie Sloan Coco.  The Coco is a much more beige/brown than shown in the pics.  Gorgeous colour.  I have a side table that I will finish soon, so I'll post those pics and you can see the colour more clear.

(Marley's tail ;)

Of course I didn't take a 'before' picture because I'm stupid.  But, I found a similar one on google images...

This just goes to show that there are options... rather than selling or chucking your dated furniture.  With some elbow grease, your old honey oak pieces can be new and current.  Quality furniture never goes out style!

A Quick Before & After!

I took visual merchandising way back in my college days and my teachers used to piss me off all the time saying "don't forget to take pictures of EVERYTHING you do"...  they would harass us during every single project.  It was annoying up until I went to put together my portfolio after 2 years and realized I hadn't taken pictures of some of my best work... They were right.  Why didn't I listen to them? I don't know.  I was too busy thinking about getting out of class as fast as I could and grabbing a pint.  

But, 12 years later, I remember my embarrassing portfolio, and tend to take pictures of most of my work.  Perhaps another 2 years in college would have taught me to take quality pictures.  

Here's an example of some of my great work, but crappy photos!!! haha

I recently did this piece for a client of mine.  She loves burlap as much as I do :)

Before:

After:  

Bringing An Old Buffet Back to Life!

My absolute favourite past time in the whole world, is shopping in thrift stores, antique markets and second hand shops.  I love bringing home old, forgotten furniture, and bringing it back to life.  Only problem is that my house is beginning to look like a horders house.  I am seriously banned from bringing home any more furniture or knick knacks.  You should see me garage and basement.  Eesh.

To solve this obsession/problem, I like to shop for other people now!!!  Recently a new client/friend of mine asked me to find her a piece that looked like a piece she found at a shop, that had unfortunately sold.  A mission?!?!?  I'm on it.

After going back and forth on at least a dozen pieces, I came across this piece at a local antique shop.

I know, doesn't look like much, but luckily my new client/friend has VISION!!!  And immediately, we both knew this was "the one".  I picked it up the next day, and here it is today.

Here it is in her home! Perfect :)

Working with a new colour - ARLES!!

As most of you know, I only use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  It's my favourite paint to work with and comes in some of the most vibrant, beautiful colours.  I generally only work with neutrals, like white, black, and beige, but sometimes, I get to experiment with bold colours... like Emperor's Silk seen here on a hall tree and my office desk (excuse the mess)...

Recently, I purchased this beauty at my favourite store in Hamilton, The Painted Bench.  

They were kind enough to throw in a can of paint, so I thought I would be bold and choose a colour that I have always wanted to work with, but have never had a chance - Annie Sloan ARLES.

Source

Source

Dare I do a whole buffet in golden yellow?  Errrrrr, I thought I had the balls to do it, but now I am second guessing myself.  So, I did a little test piece to see if I liked it.  

Here is the 'before' pic...

And the 'after'

So what do you think?  Should I do the whole buffet in yellow??  eeeeee, I'm scared!!!