Updated Vintage Cupboard Has New Purpose

I love vintage cupboards of all types, and I LOVE finding a bargain on one!

When I saw this cupboard, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it and for $40 I was not walking away without it!

Below is the before cupboard.  It had minor issues and just needed to be updated to fit into my "European Beach Cottage" style.

With the help of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and one of my favorite techniques...it transformed into something my entire family loves.

Old books, coral and shells have a perfect place for display.

A small bundle of dried roses left over from Valentine's Day has also found purpose in the cupboard.  I save everything!

I've also placed a small collection of Antique French Demijohns on top of the cupboard.  I can't seem to buy enough of them!

Have a great Monday!

Trash To Treasure Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I was so excited to come across this wonderful old wooden Rocking Horse at the Goodwill.  The only problem was the rocker was broken in 3 places, and the colors were not in my theme.  But, it was marked down to an amazing $12.00 and I love a good bargain...so that here we are!

I took the rocker part off and removed the black tail, then the chalking began!

I used a base coat of French Linen which is a wonderful warm grey color and allowed paint to dry.

I then brushed the entire horse with a coat of Elmer's Glue and let the glue rest about 15 minutes.

I then applied a nice coat of Annie Sloan Pure White over the damp glue and allowed the paint to dry thoroughly.  

When the paint started to dry, the glue underneath started to pull and made the white "crackle".  This allowed the grey to show through once the paint was totally dry.

A little bit of sanding, some dry brushing with more French Linen and a new tail out of jute and this horse now has a totally new look.

I love it and so easy to do!

European Sideboard Make Over Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I've been working on a new piece that I have recently found in my search for European style furniture.  This piece had the most amazing wood detail that it was a no brainer when I saw it posted I had to go check it out.  I am ecstatic with the results and hope that you will find this post inspiring for your next chalk paint piece! 

Before! 

This is the original post.  I was really not sure what to expect when I arrived.  However I was pleasantly surprised to see that the piece was structurally in amazing condition for the age so I my boys loaded my SUV and I couldn't get the piece home fast enough to start chalking! 

I started by cleaning the entire piece both inside and out with Mineral Spirits.  I used a toothbrush for all of the detail areas.  I usually don't do this, however this piece had a musty smell from sitting in a storage room and after the cleaning....the smell was gone!

I have a certain look I always do and the majority of my clients love.  So we are going to start off by painting the entire piece both inside and out with Annie Sloan French Linen.  French Linen is my absolute favorite to use when doing European style furniture.  It has a wonderful warm grey tone that I love using as a base coat when painting furniture that have a lot of detail to the wood.

Next we are going to paint over the French Linen with Annie Sloan Pure White, allowing the French Linen to show through on all the areas we have detail.

After the piece is dry, I use a damp cloth to go over all areas I would normally sand.  I like the French Linen to show through on areas that would normally show "ware" with age...so using a damp rag to rub these areas works best for me.

Next it was just sealing with Clear Wax, and repainting all of the hardware.

You can see how the French Linen shows through on the above picture.

This piece was an amazing find and now available for sale.

Have a great Saturday...I'm off to get another piece!

Get Inspired! Before & After Dresser Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!

Chalk Paint is so easy to use!  Anyone can do it!  

If have an old dresser that needs some updating, this post

will inspire you to get started!

I am a Craigslist Junkie!  I find most of my pieces there or Goodwill.
If using Craigslist, just be careful when going to view the piece.  Make sure someone is with you.  

This was the "BEFORE" dresser.

It was in very good condition, a little outdated though and had lots of problems on the top!

As you can see below!  I think finger nail polish remover was the cause of the large spots on top!  I stripped the top and sanded it down.  Then, I painted the top with a nice coffee color stain and finished off with a coat of poly.

What a difference on the top!

I applied 2 coats of Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint.

Sanded edges to distress a bit.

Gave it a clear coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax.

Then heavily distressed with Annie Sloan Dark Wax.

I repainted all of the hardware and VOILA.

I think it turned out pretty good!

Another Chalk Paint Project Coming Soon!

This piece sold to a lovely gal.  Hope to see her back!

I'm working on several more pieces and will post soon!