La Vie en Aqua

That pretty much sums it up for me. 
You can't keep me away from the aqua paint for long.......

Here's another little fixer-upper I acquired recently.
A vintage mirrored curio shelf/shadowbox/cabinet.....

She's kinda cute already, but why settle for mediocrity, 
when fabulous is just hours away.

Many hours.......

Ain't she sweet?

I don't know what I spent more time on.....mixing the custom colors,

or the gilding, distressing, and waxing.......

I created a soft marigold orangey color for the base coat, 

then a top coat of aqua for the body and shelves,

and a warm cream for the inside body 
and accents on the outside.

Since I already knew I wasn't going to use the Rub-n-Buff,

this time I added gold pigment powder to a brilliant gold

patio paint I had on hand.

Since it's water-based, it allowed me to do all the gilding

before the distressing and waxing, as the wax would've 

smeared the Rub-n-Buff off.

Now, here's the fun surprise.

I didn't like how plain the boxy back looked as one color,

so I decided to get a little more creative.

I free-handed a simple design that mimicked the frame curves.

I wanted to enhance the sides, without out-doing the frame.

Now I realize the future owner could potentially 

insert it into a whole in the wall (not likely),

but it's a chance I was willing to take.


I've talked a lot about mixing my own "make do" chalk paint,
because it's so much more affordable. (Almost free, actually,
since I mix paints I already have on hand.)
But it needs to be said that while it's cheaper,
using Plaster of Paris makes the painted surface rougher
than Annie Sloan's chalk paint, and requires a light sanding, 
where Annie's does not. So besides having the added step
of waxing and buffing, sanding after painting (with the homemade) 
is also required. I haven't tried Calcium Carbonate yet though, 
so maybe it's smoother.

Of all the pieces I've painted, this may be one I could easily find a place for.


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