Painting Projects, Vintage Treasures, and a Giveaway Announcement

Hello dear friends!  First of all, I must say thank you to all of you who were kind enough to leave such lovely, encouraging comments on my last post "Ten Projects, One Can of Chalk Paint"!  I was really not expecting such an overwhelming repsonse, and it made my day (my week even!) to hear from you all!  As I said before, I wrote the post as much for myself as I did for you!  I really needed to see the value in a quart of paint, from a business perspective.  After looking over the many projects I completed with my first chalk paint purchase, considering how enjoyable and easy the products are to use, and what wonderful finishes I have been able to achieve, I am now, more than ever a "chalkaholic" as one enthusiastic new friend called it! 

I did a little painting over the weekend, and enjoyed using our kitchen island as my workspace...something I would never have attempted with latex paint because I am so sensitive to the smell, and am not comfortable subjecting my family or home to the fumes.  It was lovely to be able to paint in the comfort and warmth of my kitchen, with no offensive odors...near my busy little guys, but up high enough to avoid pet hair from entering my paint can!

I am not quite ready to share this makeover project with you, however I did take my camera along with me to the shop last night because I wanted to show you a couple of beautiful pieces that a dear friend of mine recently painted.  She isn't a blogger (yet!) but is a new chalk paint enthusiast, and I must say, she has got the whole distressing/waxing process down pat!  Her shop space is called "Shabby-tique" and is currently located in the annex at Camas Antiques.  Just look at this gorgeous little dresser she painted in Old Ochre and Pure White...

Here is a full shot of her beautiful booth space. 

And another sweet little cabinet she made over in Old Ochre...

I added some more fun Easter pieces to my space last night, along with my most recent Estate Sale finds... 

Friends are always asking me how I can part with the treasures I find.  Sometimes it's really hard, but reminding myself that selling these items allows me to keep shopping for more makes it a little bit easier!  Oh how I love to shop!

I did find one little treasure last week that will be painted (pink!) and that will take up permanent residence in our home.  I hope to get to it today or tomorrow and will share as soon as it's completed!

Now, about that giveaway...  My dear friend Phyllis at The Purple Pear has 2 tickets to Annie Sloan's workshop in San Francisco on March 19th that she will be giving away this Friday!  All you have to do is visit her blog here, and leave her a comment saying that you'd like to be entered in the drawing!  Can you imagine learning painting and waxing techniques from Annie Sloan herself?  What a wonderful opportunity!  Now head on over to visit Phyllis...  Good luck... 

And wish me luck, too!

(source)

*Wink*

I hope your week is going fabulously well! 

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

I will be joining these lovely weekly blog parities:
White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Ten Projects...One Can of Chalk Paint®!

Just over a month ago I purchased my first quart of Chalk Paint® Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan.  As much as I wanted to jump in with both feet and order a quart of each of the colors I had been admiring, I just didn't have the funds in my paint budget to allow it!  After a whole lot of perusing Chalk Paint® related blog posts and scouring photos on Pinterest, I decided to start with a quart of Old White, 2 sample pots, one of Duck Egg Blue and one of Paris Grey and a can of both the clear and dark waxes. 

Every Chalk Paint® "review" I had read stated that this one quart of paint would cover a whole slew of projects, but exactly how many projects constitutes a whole slew?  That's what I wanted to know!  Now, having scraped the bottom of my quart of Old White, each of the sample pots and the clear wax, I am prepared to show you just how many projects my first can of chalk paint made over!

This lovely frame received 2 coats of a mixture of Duck Egg and Old White followed by clear and dark waxes.

A 24" x 36" antique mirror was made over with two coats of Old White and waxed with both clear and dark waxes.

The dark red bottom half of this vintage style milking stool was completely covered with just two coats of Duck Egg Blue.  I honestly think that it would have taken 4 coats of latex paint to do away with that red.  I painted the seat with Old White, distressed it and waxed the whole piece with clear wax only.

My antique vanity/cabinet was first painted with one coat of Old White, followed by a Duck Egg Blue/Old White mixture and sealed with both clear and dark waxes.

Prior to purchasing my chalk paint, I had applied a coat of creamy white latex paint to this end table.  Just one coat of my Old White/Paris Grey mix completed the job.  I then applied both clear and dark waxes.

My over sized oak dresser (now mantle!) mirror was complete after 2 coats of Paris Grey, followed by clear and dark waxes.

Both chair and table shown here were previously painted white and therefore only needed the one coat of Paris Grey mixed with a bit of Old White and followed with clear and dark wax.

This is another little piece that was given a coat of creamy white latex paint before it's makeover in Duck Egg Blue with clear and dark wax.

And this is where I started scraping the bottom of those cans!  The desk portion was completed.  It had received two coats of Old White, clear and dark wax all over and multiple coats of clear wax on the desk top.  I had just about finished the first coat of paint on the hutch top when the well ran dry!  I have a whole lot of the dark wax left, even though I've used it on almost all of these projects, plus several more!

I have written this post for myself just as much as I've written it for you.  I really wanted a visual of how far my initial Chalk Paint® investment had taken me.  Honestly, I feel it was well worth the money.  If you've used Annie Sloan's products, you know how wonderful they are to work with, regardless of how far the paint goes.  I am happy with the number of projects I completed with my first can of paint, but I am thrilled with the quality of finishes I was able to achieve.  If you've been on the fence about whether or not to try Annie Sloan's products, I hope I've encouraged you to go for it! 

Thank you so much for your sweet visit!  I had a fabulous time out junking with Denise of Pink Postcard today and can't wait to share my finds with you all very soon! 

Have a wonderful weekend, my Friends!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda   

Linking up to these fun blog parties!

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Furniture Feature Friday with Miss Mustard Seed

Mini Makeovers!

Garage sale season is upon us!  Can you feel it, my treasure hungry, bargain hunting friends?  Recently, I headed out the door to run a few errands on a Saturday morning and was quite surprised to see a few "Yard Sale" signs up and about!  Now, you know I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick up a few treasures!  I could hardly wait to take my finds home and point the Annie Sloan magic wand in their direction!  Here are my "mini makeovers," as I like to call them!

My favorite piece by far was this vintage wood bread box.  The chalk paint color, an experiment gone right (in my humble opinion)...is approximately 4 parts Old White to 1 part Scandinavian Pink, followed by clear and dark waxes.

I am anxious to see how this soft peachy pink compares to Antoinette, the newest pale pink in Annie's collection!

Inside, I lined the back panel with an antique ledger motif scrapbook paper.  I love how the colors work together and the scrolly handwriting shows through the glass front. 

 The peachy pink breadbox found a new home within 24 hours of being delivered to my booth space!

Anything with a bow on it catches my attention.  It must be the girly girl in me!  This little bow adorned frame was a good candidate for that peachy pink paint mix, and the bow detail really stands out in Old White.  The darling crowned bird was found flying around Pinterest.  I've captured and caged it on my Ephemera Board!

A handmade wooden toolbox was made over in Old White, clear waxed all over, but dark waxed only on the outside.  I filled it with rolls of vintage sheet music tied up with ribbon and a hang tag made from a beautiful image borrowed from The Graphics Fairy.

That's it for now, but don't worry... there is much more to come!

I am so looking forward to meeting up with my Bloggy Buddy, Denise of Pink Postcard tomorrow morning!  Point our GPS in the direction of a few Estate Sales and Thrift Stores... and who knows what kind of trouble we might stir up! 

(source)

Wink!

Thank you so very much for your sweet visit!

Until next time!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda 

Happy to be joining in these fun parties!

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage

Sew-Crafty Tuesday at Ruby Jean's

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

On the Mantle - Antique Vanity Mirror Transformed & a Whimsical Butterfly Tree!

Remember that oak mirror that came along with the sweet vanity/cabinet that I painted in Duck Egg Blue...my first chalk paint makeover?  It clearly didn't belong with the vanity, but I was happy to bring it home with me.  It didn't take long to decide what I wanted to do with it!

After a makeover in Paris Grey with Old White on the detailed flourishes, and a treatment of clear and dark waxes, it has a new home on our living room mantle!

I am still working on the mantle accessories but I love our new mirror!

Our living room is transforming, little by little! It's a slow process but I am liking where things are headed! I will be sharing more updates to the mantle, the curtain situation and craft supply storage soon! 

I took a close up of the details on the mirror before and after waxing to show you just how dramatically the dark wax alters the look of the chalk paint.

Just before distressing and waxing...

And after...

I love ASCP but I truly believe that the real magic happens when the wax is applied!

I recently purchased this clay pot for $2 and while the finish on it wasn't horrible, it wasn't right for the project I wanted to use it for.

A couple coats of paint later and the wax treatment, and it was transformed into just the container I was hoping for to hold my butterfly tree...a crafty idea I'd been scheming over for some time.

I just love how fun and whimsical this "tree" turned out.  I made up a couple for the shop as well!  See that cute little angel there?  He got waxed too! 

And those jars I showed you in yesterday's post...filled with paper butterflies for people who feel like gathering sticks and creating their own butterfly trees!

Thank you so very much for your sweet visit today!  I hope your week is going well and that you've found some time to be creative!  As a sweet friend of mine often says..."busy hands = happy heart!"

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Joining these fun parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

The Craigslist Posting that Sent us All the Way Around the Block!

When I spotted this desk with hutch top on Craigslist, I crossed my fingers in hopes that no one else had seen the potential in it that I did, and made the call.  Yes, it was still available and the woman said to come on over and pick it up!  The directions she was giving me to her house were sounding awfully familiar.  A moment later I realized that the Craigslist poster was my neighbor!  We could have completed the transaction over the fence!  But we didn't...my husband was kind enough to make the trip around the block in our truck.

This is the project that I was in the middle of when I emptied out my first can of Old White!  Each piece received 2 coats, followed by clear and dark wax.  Old white takes on a completely different look when the dark wax is applied generously.  I wasn't sure if I was going to like it when I was in the middle of the waxing process, but when I stood back to look at the completed piece, I was loving it! 

See the scrolly details at the top of the cupboard doors?  Let me remind you of what they looked like before...

I was a little apprehensive about painting the metal, but the ASCP sealed with the waxes really worked well! 

 I am pretty much convinced that there isn't any out-dated or funky furniture detail that ASCP can't make beautiful!

I had been saving this old Woodstock typewriter to bring in for sale when I had a great piece to display it on.  I think I finally have that piece!

I hope that someone comes along who will cherish these treasures just as I have!

An overall view of my shop space with the new hutch top desk all moved in! 

Did you notice these little jars sitting next to the typewriter on the desk?  I will share more about what's inside tomorrow, along with a thrifted flower pot, a mirror makeover and how all these things came together to create a new look for our living room mantle!

Until then...

Thank you for your sweet visit!

Have a wonderful day!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Sharing with these fun parties today:

Sew-Crafty Tuesday at Ruby Jean's

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Furniture Feature Friday with Miss Mustard Seed

Funky Junk Sisters Flea Market

My mom and I had so much fun shopping the Funky Junk Sisters Flea Market last Friday night!  A special Thank You goes out to all of the lovely dealers for letting me photograph their beautiful displays to share here with everyone!  I tried to get signage in photos, so we know who is who, but I was so overwhelmed with all there was to see, that I failed to get the names of many of the businesses.  If you recognize a booth and can tell me who it belongs to so that I can give them credit for their lovely work, please do!  Hope you enjoy the photo show!  Do check out the Funky Junk Sisters on Facebook to learn more about their shows and to see if they will be in your area!

Maison Douce

A Thing for Roses

Thank you so much for your sweet visit!  I will be back very soon with some fun decor projects and chalk paint makeovers!  Stay tuned!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda