Rustic Spice Cupboard via Chalk Paint

Every time I finish a chalk-painted piece, 

I always say it's my new favorite, and this time is no exception.

I never paint the same way twice either. 

Something in the process is always different.

The better the bones of a piece, the more inspired I am to create a paint design.

This hanging spice cupboard had so many design possibilities,

but rather than section out the colors,

I ultimately chose to layer 6 colors over the entire exterior.

Yes, I said 6 layers......

The first thing that intrigued me about this piece

was the faux apothecary drawer appearance.

We vintage fanatics seem to just have a thing for cubbies,

even when they're not real.

After drooling over a slew of antique spice and

apothecary cupboards, I felt it would look more

rustic if I left the inside unpainted.

It didn't hurt that the finish inside looked good.

I especially liked the grain in the doors,

and I just didn't have the heart to paint them.

As I said, I never paint the same way twice.

What I did differently was how I painted each layer.

While I normally paint each layer perfect and even,

this time I dry-brushed each color, leaving open space

between the brush strokes.

I also painted each coat haphazardly in different directions.

Once the sanding began, what resulted was a really

cool, flaky, and worn appearance. Much more than

I've accomplished before. The imperfect painting allowed

my sanding to reveal each layer much quicker and easier,

and the random directions look awesome.

The layer order was Red, soft Marigold, crisp Yellow,

a leafy green, dark Turquoise, then a mossy green.

And of course, clear and dark wax.

I am thrilled with the colors and distressing

on this project, but it can't be said enough.....

Save yourself a lot of time on color-mixing, 

and just buy Annie Sloan's chalk paint.

The only reason I didn't this time is that

my budget wouldn't allow it. Otherwise,

I'd probably own the majority of her colors.

Emperor Silk, Antibes Green, Florence, Arles, and English Yellow 

would have been very useful on this project. 

Not identical, but the same feel.

This colorful cupboard is more than welcome in my world,

but it's probably too intense for those with color phobia .....