DIY THURSDAY: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE STRIPES.

A few weeks ago, I purchased my very first quart of CC Caldwell’s chalk/clay paint. I’ve been anxious to try it and compare it to Annie Sloan as I heard there were a few noticeable differences. So I picked up a beautiful shade of Green (Tundra Green) and waited for the perfect project to begin my experiment.

When I stumbled upon this adorable antique dresser while browsing Craigslist, I knew it had to be mine. I loved the original castors, the lines, and the engraved detail and immediately envisioned what I was going to do with it – it would look beautiful in a tundra shade of green!

Of course, in my excitement, I forgot to take before pics but the gal I purchased it from was kind enough to email me one of the pictures she had posted on Craigslist.

So on the first good weather day (what is going on with all this rain ya’ll?!), I went to work. As I began applying the CC Caldwell paint, the first thing I noticed was that it wasn’t quite as chalky as the Annie Sloan paint. CC’s is also a noticeably darker shade when wet (due to the clay in it) so you can easily see how quickly it is drying. This may initially freak you out as it did me – your masterpiece will look awful and quite blotchy until the paint is fully dry!

As I continued painting multiple coats, I also happily noticed the lack of odor in the CC paint. Don’t get me wrong, Annie Sloan paints have little odor but it seems to be non-existent in the CC paints! For a pregnant woman, this was a huge plus.

Once I painted on several coats of tundra green, I realized that the dresser needed just a little more oomph. So I pulled out my measuring tape and frog tape, and taped away. For the stripes, I fell back onto my beloved Old White (Annie Sloan). And what a difference the stripes made!

Not the best picture – taken with my phone….

Once the piece was fully dry, I lightly distressed with 180-grit sandpaper, and began waxing. Now, I have used multiple waxes, from Minwax to Miss Mustard Seed Beeswax, to Annie Sloan’s waxes. So I thought I’d give the CC Caldwell wax a try this time around and I must say, I wasn’t disappointed! The can could be a little wider in order to fit in a wax brush, but instead I just used a cloth and it went on nice and light – not streaky at all. And again, there was practically no odor! As you put on the wax, you’ll notice the paint become a darker shade, but again, once it is dry it will go right back to its original color so don’t freak out!

To be quite honest with you, I’m not the biggest fan of the Annie Sloan wax, although I use it often. It’s a little too gloppy and…waxy for me. It seems to streak just a little more than some others. Plus, there is most definitely an odor with the Annie Sloan wax. So far, my favorites have been the MMS wax and now, CC Caldwell’s. Both go on incredibly smooth, have very little odor, and leave a nice streak free sheen. But to each there own!

And voila, after a little buffing of the wax, the dresser was complete:

Yep, it’s definitely all about that stripes. This lovely dresser is now in the shop so stop on by 7572 Greenwood Station Rd. in Greenwood, VA (540-456-4681) if interested!

DIY THURSDAY: CHECKERS ANYONE?

Happy Thursday my dear friends! I just finished a fun little something this afternoon that I’m anxious to show off…

(Don’t worry – this is the before picture!)

I picked up this table months ago and as I tend to do, left it neglected in a far corner of the house until I felt the creative motivation to actually do something with it. I finally felt the motivation yesterday, and with a very vague idea in mind, went to work.

It’s difficult to tell the exact size of the table from the picture above, but it’s actually quite odd – too small to be an end table and too big and bulky to be a plant stand or miscellaneous corner table….what in the world was I to do with it?

The line detail on the top of the table gave me the idea to transform this awkward little thing into a checker board table. Without a color scheme in mind, I started off by painting the entire piece in white – my go-to color when I’m at a loss and without a strategy. I suppose it just gives me that blank canvas I need to get the creative juices (hopefully) flowing!

Once the piece was nice and white, I measured the top, calculated the measurements so my checker board would be evenly centered (3” from each edge), and then created a 12×12 square in the center, marking each individual square at 1.5”. I then taped away using Frog Tape – my first time using this particular brand and it really does work far better than the usual blue painter’s tape. I highly recommend!

Once the piece was taped to my liking, I decided to paint one set of squares in Annie Sloan’s “Louis Blue” while leaving the other set white, which also meant that I would have to repaint the current white border in a contrasting color…

So with a bit more taping, re-taping, and more than a few disgruntled moments, I finished painting all of the squares to my liking and created a custom light grey for the border, which I also used to paint the rest of the table.

After a bit of distressing and detailing, I’m actually happy with the finished product!

The perfect little game table. Now I just need to find (or make) complementing checker pieces! Any ideas?
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FEATURED PARTIES AND A HUNK OF JUNK TRANSFORMATION

Hello my friends! I’ve been a bit absent the last few days due to some recent travel, but I’m back with a couple of goodies up my sleeve!

First, I want to thank Kim from Made In A Day and Katie from Katie’s Nesting Spot for featuring my barn door to coat rack creation!

I would highly recommend checking out their blogs for some fun and quirky craft ideas – and if you have any fun and quirky crafts of your own, you should definitely link up to their weekly “linky parties.” Thanks Kim and Katie – I look forward to seeing many more amazing ideas and inspiration!

Next, since I missed last Thursday’s DIY post, I wanted to show you a little something I was working on while in DC…

Now, I definitely had a great time visiting with friends and family, but there was an underlying bittersweetness to the trip that was difficult to shake off – a dear friend of mine is moving to Boston in just a few days and I was specifically there to see her off with a few more good memories before she totes herself 400 miles uptown.

A few days prior to my arrival, this dear friend asked if I’d be willing to paint a small bookshelf that came her way via her grandfather – one of the few furniture pieces that will be moving with her – and of course, how could I possibly say no? So with hand sander and paint cans in tow, I drove up a couple of days early to get to work.

Let’s just quickly say, the piece wasn’t in the best of shape…

Eek!

…but it was small and compact and, thanks to the electric sander I brought with me, fairly easy to sand down. With a little bit of wood filler, a can of Annie Sloan Old White, a few strands of Frog Tape, a custom mixed pop of color, and A LOT of love, I transformed this hunk of junk into something with a little more personality:

Perfectly fitting for my friend, I think – a solid foundation with a punch of color and quirkiness. Hopefully she agrees!

Lastly, don’t forget to send in your “Pets on Furniture” pictures for a chance to win a care package courtesy of moi (that would be me), Simon (my cat), and Mattie (my pup). The winner will be featured in tomorrow’s post.

Cheers!