Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
I recently finished chalk-painting a couple pieces, so I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to……
This sweet little mini curio cabinet had good bones, but really needed help.
Before:
After:
It’s always remarkable what paint can do.
This was not built very well, so I strengthened many of the joins with wood glue.
The door hinges were about as chintzy as they come, and it kept the door from closing flush. So I removed the door altogether, and filled in the screw holes.
Four layers of paint later, along with clear and dark wax and lots of distressing, she’s a little beauty now!
This corner shelf also had great bones……
Before:
After:
I used the same colors as the mini curio, painting the layers in exactly the same order.
The turned spindles and curved shelves gave me many opportunities for artistic distressing.
The middle shelf has a slight warp on one of its back sides, but since it would be flush with the wall, it was still quite redeemable. You would have to be displaying marbles for it to be a problem...:)
The base coat is a deep rosy Pink, followed by a light Spring/Celery Green, then Aqua, and finally a medium Leaf Green.
And as always, clear and dark wax.
I have 3 jewelry chests waiting for their turn with the chalk paint, so I’d better get going.
Hope you all take some time to spread Valentine Love today!
Linking To:
Snow, Baby, Snow!
While the other coast has been having their share of snow storms,
we Oregonians,
specifically Portland Metro area,
have been feeling neglected
…..specifically Me. :)
So happy that changed this weekend! Nothing cooler, no pun intended, than taking a walk in all the sparkly white goodness, especially at night.
Had to take a pic of this funny little snow creation on my neighborhood walk last night.
Snowman?...or Jabba the Hutt….
So glad the temperature is staying low long enough to preserve my snow for more than a day, since this is probably the only snow fest we’ll get in my neck of the woods this Winter.
Oregon Crème Brulee, Baby!
The freezing rain added its crunchy layer over the soft snow last night.
It also stopped the Max light rail system in its tracks.
You know it’s hazardous when Max is shut down, since that practically Never happens.
Everyone just stay home, enjoy looking at the snow, and watch the Olympics.
It’s a much safer thing to do right now!
Oh my word! Has it really been a month since my last post? Oy….
Any other year, I would say it’s due to Christmas crafting overload and the fact that January is usually a slow month for my Etsy shop, as well as my birthday month. All those reasons are true, but this time the added reason is that I’ve been painting the interior of my clients’ new home. (Pictures coming soon!)
I’ve just been too busy to do much treasure-hunting, and when I do, by the time I get home from painting, the daylight is gone to take pictures. I’ve just now come up for air long enough to get a few small items chalk-painted for the shop.
So today, I finally have one finished to blog about.
Before:
Burwood metallic gold, resin sconces…..
After:
Hello Gouhgeous!
I’ve painted resin plastic sconces before, and love what chalk paint and wax can do for them. While I could have left them gold for the opulent Hollywood Regency look, I saw way too much potential in the fleur de lis shapes to not enhance them.
I used a few colors, with the base coat being Annie Sloan Emperor Red. Red is traditionally the primer color for gold leaf, so I followed it with a high-pigment metallic gold, which I used sparingly in random areas to mimic gold leaf that has worn off over time. I then haphazardly dry-brushed a homemade Tiffany blue chalk paint to mimic verdigris. The final color added was homemade crisp Moss green, also dry-brushed, to look as if it developed over the verdigris.
I sealed these with a very subtle clear wax. I wanted the wax to appear almost non-existent, because verdigris and moss aren’t shiny. And while I could’ve stopped there, I felt the contours weren’t being accentuated enough, so I painstakingly brushed dark wax only in the deepest crevices. It is remarkable what a difference that made. They look so much richer now.
These resin pieces often show the mold seam marks, so I made a point of scraping and sanding them off, to remove all traces of them being plastic. It was especially noticeable on the front of the candle cups. I really wanted these to look like anything but plastic, and I believe I got my wish.
These are soon to be listed in my Etsy shop. Next post, I’ll have more completed chalk- painted pieces to share with you.
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