Finished Chalk Paint Project

Can you believe it?  It's Wednesday already!  Where do the days go?

Back in January I told you about a project I had started.  And it went bad.  Fast. The
whole ugly saga is here: www.patscollectibles.blogspot.com/2014/01/oopsie.html. 
And then I cried and whined and gave you an update here.  And then I finished it so
I'll show you the end.  And by the way, I finished it quite a while ago, I've just
neglected to put it on the blog--didn't want you to think I was a slacker, even though
I sometimes am.  And now--I know you are anxious for my comments :).

If you read the previous posts about the project and saw the pictures, you can see quite
a difference.
 

 I'm happy with the results because I like old pieces painted--sometimes.  And then
sometimes I like the original, but this time I'm liking the paint.

In my younger days, I thought painted wood needed to be perfect.  Now, I like and appreciate
distressed pieces.  In reality nothing can stay perfect so distressing gives it that look that it
is going to have eventually--it just keeps us from getting upset when "life" distresses our pieces.

It was fun to decorate this piece, and I just "shopped" my house like I shared with you a
few posts back.

The reading glasses on the books belonged to my mom :).  The book they are resting on was
my husband's grandfather's and it is titled: Home Rules-Practical Talks On the Amenities
of Home.  It was published in 1896!  The best thing about the things in this cabinet:  because
they are behind glass I don't have to dust them!  How good is that?

So, I know you're curious...would I do another project like this with chalk paint?
Definitely not!  For me, it has it's place with smaller projects (much smaller) but for these
major projects...chalk paint is forever dead to me.  I know it claims no sanding necessary
but I think this needed a little.  For the cost (too much), the frustration, and the time I'm
pretty sure some really good paint would have done just as well if not better.  Benjamin
Moore has a  good line for things like this or for cabinets.  It is a little pricey but
compared to $38 for a quart of chalk paint, the Benjamin Moore paint is much more
reasonable and I understand the coverage is just as good.  Also, I'm not a fan of the
chalky-ness of chalk paint.  It's just way too flat and requires wax or finish.  Anyway,
that's my opinion, you may love it.    Thanks for suffering with me through this re-do.
With the warm weather, I'm sure I will have some more and next time we'll try the Moore
paint and I suspect, I'll be much happier.  I'll keep you posted :).                 

Getting there...gonna change the color!

Happy Friday!  The weekend is here.  I'm looking forward to a normal week next week.  With
holidays in the middle of the week it seems to confuse my simple mind.  It feels like we just had
a weekend with New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and now it's Friday...again.  I like routine--how about you? 

The desk is coming along, in case there were one or two of you who were wondering.  I figured out this morning what it was that I wasn't pleased with--it's not the bright white I had envisioned in my mind.  When my sweet husband went to buy the paint, they were out of "Pure White" and they told him
NOBODY buys Pure White, so I probably really wanted "Old White".  Which is what he got after asking me.  This morning I called and they have received 8 quarts of Pure White, so apparently
SOMEBODY buys it or they wouldn't have ordered it.  I'm thinking they probably just wanted a sale since they were out of my preferred color.  Anyway, their little ploy worked because I'm going to get a quart of Pure White (when my budget allows) and finish my project.  No work on it today because my girls and I spent lunchtime and the afternoon out shopping and having fun. 

 

So obviously, the Old White will be the primer--expensive primer :(.

Here is another display from the store.  The stack boxes on the left were featured
here.  If you want a closer look, just click on 'here'.  They're decorative and make good storage if you're like me and sometimes need somewhere to store,  hmm....junk. :)

Next week, I'll have a couple of tutorials on fun things to make.
And just to end our visits this week, I'll leave you with some birdie happiness.  Have a great weekend, and visit with you on Monday.

Oopsie...!

Well.   Have you ever taken on a project and then realized maybe it was just a little more
than your ability to do?  Or am I the only one?  Please tell me you have, too. 

I was feeling like today was the day to tackle the redo on the secretary desk I had planned to transform.  My dear husband bought me a quart of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and I had dreams.
Which became a nightmare.  I have previously redone a piece using another color of chalk paint so
I supposed that made me a chalk paint expert.  Nope. 

 The project,

 Annie Sloan paint claims to cover anything--without sanding.  We'll see.

Interesting cubbies to paint.  To say the least :).

I didn't think about the fact that the piece I had already done was a newer piece of furniture.  Old
furniture is thirsty and likes to soak up paint.  A lot of paint.  By the second coat I was thinking I had made a bad miscalculation.  And I was feeling pretty discouraged. 

 

 

We are now on our third coat and I am feeling somewhat hopeful that this may come out like I envisioned it.  Or maybe close.  These cubbies are still not what I want them to be.  And I may have
to live with it since the desk will stay closed.  I really don't want to go and buy a second quart--not at $38.  I'm going to let the desk rest for a while and rehydrate :).  I am hoping that the rest will be easier and faster.  But, as I said, I am feeling like maybe this just might work.  I'll let you know.

Let's close this visit with a picture from the store.  I love these blocks and think it's fun that it has a votive holder at the end.  Have a great Thursday and maybe my new, beautiful desk and I will see you tomorrow.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

For a while, I have been reading about and seeing furniture being redone with Annie Sloan
Chalk Paint.  I wanted to try it on some pieces and see if it really was as good as everyone
claimed it was.  I was impressed.  I have a storage bench that seemed like a good piece for
a makeover.


I picked 'Versailles' as my experimental color.  I thought maybe going
over red it would require two coats, but nope...one took care of it.



It may be hard to tell, but it is a soft green.  Not mint, more
of a green with some gray.  It looks like it fades into the
wall, so I think the wall color may change :).  It goes on
as a matte finish (kind of chalky) so you need to add a finish.
It goes on very nicely and if you felt like it was needed, you can
thin it a little.  If you want to thicken, just leave the lid off for a few hours.
I chose to put a paste wax on because I really like the finish wax
gives.  I also distressed it so a little red shows through.



These fun linens are called 'Picket Fence'.  It just sounds summery,
doesn't it?  Placemats are $5.75 and napkins are $3.75.  You can
leave a comment if you would like to order some or email us at
theclaypool7@yahoo.com




All finished and ready to go.  You can google Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to find a store
that carries it.  It is pricey but a little goes a long way.
What summer projects do you have planned for your house?