Two loves: Louis Blue and Old White

Louis Blue and Old White - what a purr-fect combination! I wanted to share another transformation using Chalk Paint (TM) Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan. I purchased this cherry wood-ish display cabinet and the local GW for $4.99 plus tax. Yes, $4.99 plus tax!

If you look closely you will see the mirrored backing along the shelves. I had already pulled off the drawer when I took this photo. The piece was in need of some lovin as you can see it had been neglected and was dirty, dusty and a little beat up. A good cleaning was all she needed and she was ready for some Chalk Paint (TM)!

Here she is after two coats of one of my favorites - Louis Blue. I knew when I saw her what colors I would use. I painted the entire piece Louis Blue. I couldn't wait to paint the accented areas with Old White. With Chalk Paint (TM) I didn't have to wait long at all to do so. The multi-tasker that I am, I was painting another piece while the Louis Blue piece was drying. By the time I freshened up my drink, added some more mosquito spray and "powdered my nose," I was ready.

I likey! I probably could have only applied one coat of Old White but added a second anyway. The paint drys so fast it was not a big deal to do so. I could hardly wait to get to the next step - distressing. First, I applied one coat of clear wax over the entire piece. I used my new Wax Brush by Annie Sloan (TM). Love, love, love these brushes. It is worth every penny I paid. I can't say enough about the ease of using the brush with the Soft Wax - goes on like butta! (You're worth it! Invest in one and you'll be hooked.) With a 60 grit sandpaper, I lightly distressed the areas that would naturally wear.

A second coat of Clear Wax went on. When applying the second coat, sometimes if you apply only to the distressed areas that is all that is needed. In this case I wanted to be sure the shelves (which will be used for collectibles and such) had a second coat. I knew I wasn't quite finished. Using an old white sheet to buff has really worked for me. No lint or mystery fuzzies to be seen anywhere. On to the final step - Dark Wax. 

I lightly applied Dark Wax to the Old White accented areas using another Brush by Annie Sloan. You want to be sure to use separate brushes for the Clear and Dark Waxes to avoid mixing the two. I got a little heavy handed for my taste and went back with a little Clear Wax to easily remove the excess.

See the beauty of Dark Wax? It aged the piece in a natural way. Here she is at our booth, The Shabby Chicas located at Homestead Handcrafts on Thousand Oaks.

Tell us about your Louis Blue and Old White love story! We'd love to share your photos!

--The Shabby Chicas




 

Chest of Drawers Transformation with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I took out this chest of drawers from my garage of countless projects waiting to be tackled. The blue and white color on this piece was too hard-edged and 70's for me. My goal was to soften the look of the piece so it would be more contemporary looking. I chose the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint decorative paint color Duck Egg for this soon to be beauty. The first thing I needed to do was to remove the shelf paper that the drawers were lined with. Okay the paper was on there good, as in, hurricane-strength-proof. I needed to surgically remove paper with exacto knife in hand to catch the edges of the paper and then tear this stuff off little by little. This can be doubly frustrating when you are outside in 98 degree Texas humid weather. I then removed the wooden knobs from the drawers because I wanted to replace them with nice glass knobs to the give the piece an added touch. I applied 2  coats of Annie Sloan paint to the entire piece. Drying time is fast with Annie Sloan paint so I was able to apply the clear wax after 1 1/2 hours. After clear waxing was done I then added touches of dark wax to the entire piece. I used the new medium size Annie Sloan brush that I just got. I used gentle light strokes to the surface to just give a hint of aging. I like to wait at least 24 hrs. for waxes to thoroughly dry. In the meantime, I went out to buy the piece de resistance glass knobs. There is something about adding cool knobs to furniture that really puts your piece over the top. Unfortunately, the knobs did not work out as well as I thought. For some reason, the screws for the knobs were too long, therefore they fit very loosely. I was so disappointed that I wanted to cry. Besides, I had spent a small fortune on the knobs. Lucky for me that I have a wonderful brother-in-law that came to the rescue. He suggested that I add #8 flat size washers to the screws. Wow, what a difference...the knobs fit nice and tight after that. I think she turned pretty good dressed in her glass knobs!!!