French Provincial Chair Pair

I love French Provincial ANYTHING so I was quick to grab these chairs when I saw them listed on Craigslist.  I wasn't as quick to paint them, though, as they've been sitting in my room for close to a year now.  I will actually kind of miss them because they've become the perfect "catch-all" where I'd throw my clothes when I was too lazy to hang them up!

I finally found some time to paint them this weekend.  I painted them by hand and they were A LOT of work.  There are so many little crevices and the caning was difficult to paint with a brush.  It was worth the effort though; I'm happy with the result.  

I did the first coat in Duck Egg chalk paint...

I then did the second coat in a beige color called Old Ochre.  Next, I sanded both chairs so that the blue color showed through in the "distressed" parts.  

Here are the chairs after their makeover:

Keeping with the French theme, I re-did the seats in toile.

I'm hoping someone will want to take them home!

See "For Sale" section for details.  

Another Beachy Nightstand

I found another one of these bi-level side tables (what are these called?  And what era are they from?) at a thrift store.  This style is pretty outdated--they look like they belong in a grandmother's house-- but I think they are really cute once they are updated.


























I went beach-themed again because I had to cover the leather tops and I had more of this awesome, nautical tissue paper.

I used this tissue paper in this past on the drawer of this nightstand.
I used Mod Podge to decoupage the tissue paper onto the leather, then painted, sanded and waxed the whole piece.  The color is Pure White by Annie Sloan.

Beachy Nightstand

I picked up this wood nightstand at an estate sale a few months back.  It was very plain and boring and had no knobs.  I liked it because it was a blank slate--and it was cheap!

I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg--an awesome blue color.  The starfish knobs instantly transformed it into the perfect nightstand for a beach house.  It sold within hours of putting it on Craigslist.

This is why I love painting furniture--it's so easy to take an old, boring piece and make it something special with a little paint and some elbow grease.

A New Look for a Side Table Set

I found these side tables at the Salvation Army recently.  In addition to being outdated, they were in rough condition.  They don't really have anything in common besides their leather tops, but I decided to  make them a coordination pair by "mod-podging" (decoupaging) them with the same paper.

I probably could have painted over the leather tops (chalk paint covers pretty much any surface) but it was the perfect opportunity to use this vintage postcard wrapping paper.

After decoupaging the paper onto the leather tops, I painted the tables a taupe shade of Chalk Paint, sanded them, and applied a furniture wax.  I really like the look of them.  They are very unique...definitely one-of-a-kind!

 

Bedroom Set Makeover

I recently painted this bedroom set for Sarah, a friend of a friend, and her husband Tom--awesome people!  Sarah found the set on Craigslist and realized its potential.  I love this French provincial style.  The set is nice as is, but looked a little outdated.  I've realized that my mantra in life is "everything looks better with a little paint."  I know there are a lot of natural wood lovers out there, but I must admit, I do love the painted look!

Here is the bedroom set after being painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old Ochre, sanded, and waxed.

I kept the original hardware but painted them using gold-leaf mixed with water to thin it out and make the finish look more "antiqued."
Here is the difference...

I love the shape and style of French provincial hardware, it's so elegant.

Thanks, Sarah and Tom!

A Navy Bureau

I painted a bureau for my friend Ellie this past weekend.  She wanted a very dark navy color to match the color scheme in her room.  I chose the color Graphite which is a really dark charcoal/navy.
I think the outcome is a much more sophisticated version of an old bureau.

The knobs that Ellie found are very cool--they kind of have a tortoise shell look to them.  I had never seen anything like them.

Thanks Ellie, I had fun!