Annie Sloan Chalk Paint table makeover

OK, so I didn’t get my little chair finished this weekend after all – but that’s because I got so into doing another furniture makeover, I ran out of time. And mojo. Once I decided to break open my new Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I just couldn’t stop till I was done. I have to say, it’s just a little bit addictive.

This side table used to be my grandma’s. It’s well made, solid wood, and I probably shouldn’t have painted it.

But I did.

What sealed the deal for me was that the top had some damage to it.

Damage all gone :-) I used a white Sharpie paint pen to highlight the line.

To make this a totally free project, I decided to keep the existing hardware.

A little pewter Rub N’ Buff, and it looks like new.

And then I thought, why not Rub N’ Buff the feet too?

The chalk paint is easy to work with and goes on really nicely. I started off by applying two coats of Paris Grey.

And then I applied one coat of Old White. I decided to leave the top of the table grey for contrast. And I like how the grey shows through the white a bit.

When the paint was dry, I used a big brush to apply a coat of clear wax. I used a rag to wipe off the excess, and then I used 220 grit sandpaper to distress the edges and smooth the paint finish. I went down to the original wood colour in some places.

After the sanding, I applied another coat of clear wax. Some rubbing and buffing, and voila – brand new side table! The lustre on the top is just gorgeous.

It’s hard not to get dogs in the pictures when you’re doing a photo shoot in the backyard with three of them wandering around ;-)

I promise I’ll be posting my chair makeover next Monday, and I’ll show you the winning tile layout for our master bathroom on Wednesday. Thank you to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for sending the paint and wax (and they sent a book too!)

And on another note… Thanks so much for all the happy anniversary wishes :-) Hubby and I kept things low-key – we did some tile shopping, and a little camera shopping too – WOOT! A yummy dinner at Le Kim Chi topped off a great day :-)

Linking up to…

     

Weekend project plans & our anniversary

Last weekend was my first weekend home since June, and I was seriously at a loss for what to do with myself. I’m so used to being at the cottage for the weekend, it was weird adjusting to NOT being at the cottage. Have I mentioned that I hate this time of the year? Anyway, I have some projects lined up for this weekend that will keep me busy. Do you remember this little chair my cousin’s wife gave me?

It’s been sanded and painted, and after a few little finishing touches this weekend, it’ll be ready for its debut :-) Finally, my first PARA Paints Blog Crew project will be done! I also found out some interesting info about this little chair that I’ll share with you at its reveal.

Then there’s this little somethin’-somethin’ that arrived earlier this week…

When I had the opportunity to get some free samples of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I wasn’t going to say no! I chose Paris Grey and Old White to use on the vanity that hubby is going to make for our master bathroom. But I can’t wait that long to try out the paint, so I’m going to pull an old piece of furniture out of our stash in the basement and try out the paint this weekend. I kinda like the look of this frame painted Paris Grey & Old White and antiqued…

Image via The Decorated House

The urge to do a painting hit me big-time last Monday, so I pulled out a canvas and some paints and tried my hand at a little ocean-inspired piece. I’ve already got one request from a friend to create a similar painting for her :-)

And speaking of ocean-inspired, I recently won a glass float on Ebay, which led to me buying a second glass float from the same seller. And when I opened the box on Tuesday, SURPRISE, there was a third glass float tossed in!

I’ll also be out looking for tiles this weekend. When I called to order the accent tiles for the bathroom floor, I found out that they’re out of stock and won’t be back in stock for at least three months. What is up with the tile supply in Ottawa?! I’m hoping to find the same tiles somewhere else, because I REALLY don’t want to have to re-think the floor AGAIN! By the way, layout #6 seems to be the most popular choice…

And to wrap things up for the week, hubby and I were married 11 years ago today. It was such a surreal day, being three days after the tragedy of 9/11. I was actually sitting in our living room making centrepieces for the reception when hubby came downstairs and told me that a plane had slammed into the World Trade Center. Thankfully nobody we know was hurt or killed, but we were still touched by the after-effects of that day. I remember waking up on the morning of our wedding day and hearing on the radio that Prime Minister Jean Chretien had proclaimed September 14, 2001 a National Day of Mourning. Would have much preferred being married on a National Day of Fun & Happy Stuff, but what can you do?! A few years ago, we went to Nova Scotia to celebrate our anniversary and we stopped at the memorial to the victims of Swiss Air Flight 111 – it just happened to be on September 11th, which was a goosebump-inducing experience. I snapped this picture while we were there – I love how the clouds seem to be emanating out from the memorial…

So paint projects and anniversary celebrations are my plans for the weekend. Oh, and I’ll also be tracking down and killing this damn housefly that won’t leave me alone. Fingers crossed I’ll have some “afters” to post on Monday. But not an “after” of the dead housefly. That would be gross.

Happy weekend!

This or That x 6: Floor tile layout

I’m still getting comments in my pendant light vs. wall sconce debate. And I’ve gotta tell ya, it’s not going to be an easy decision! Just when I think I’ve decided sconce, I read a new comment and change my mind to pendant. And then back to sconce. And then back to pendant. The final decision may come down to which is easier to install. Whichever way we go, new electrical & junction boxes will have to be wired, and it’ll probably be easier to do that in a wall than in the ceiling. So I have a feeling sconce is going to win out.

This week’s This or That is more like This or That or That or That or That or That. I’ve come up with six different tile layouts for the floor, and I can’t decide which one I like best. I have a few favourites, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on them all. I showed you the final tile section in this post – a dark bluey-grey porcelain 12” x 24” tile with an accent strip in a Bianca Carrara mosaic:

 

These are the six layouts, in no particular order…

#1 

#2 

#3

#4 

#5

#6

Let me know if you have a favourite. You can also let me know if you think they all suck, but I hope they don’t ALL suck!

DIY sea glass fail

I came across this DIY sea glass project that looks so fantastic, I had to try it out.

Image via Lovelyish

And it was so easy to do – mix Mod Podge (or white glue) with a bit of water, food colouring, and a couple of drops of dish soap and apply with brush. There was no way I could screw it up.

Image via A Gathering Place

Well, I screwed it up. Three times. I just cannot get this to work. See:

Ick. Mine are streaky and bumpy and look nothing at all like sea glass. These pink ones are a bit streaky, but they still look smooth and pretty.

Mine aren’t beachy, they’re blechy.

Sorry about the crappy pictures – my Nikon is in the repair shop and I’m using my old Canon point & shoot. But I’m pretty sure they’d look just as bad with my Nikon.

OK, so I admittedly, I didn’t use a foam brush, which may have helped minimize the streaks. But there’s definitely none of the pretty frosted effect that the inspiration pieces have.

Image via A Gathering Place

Poop. Oh well, on the positive side, it’s easy to wash the Mod Podge off the vases and start over again. I’m going to get this right eventually!

If you’ve created DIY sea glass successfully, please let me know how you did it!

Even though this project was a fail, I’m linking it up to Metamorphosis Monday – not every makeover can be a success!

This or That: Bathroom vanity lighting

Thanks for all the great input on last week’s inaugural This or That feature. I loved reading all your comments about shower benches. There were lots of good points brought up about the pros and cons of a free standing teak bench versus a built in tiled bench. It’s a tough choice, but it looks like hubby is going to build a teak bench.

This week’s installment of This or That is vanity lighting.

Images via Style At Home and Sarah’s House Season 1

 Images via Pinterest and Houzz {I can’t find the original sources}

Do you prefer pendant lights or wall sconces above a bathroom vanity?

Happy Labour Day!

The good news is that it’s a holiday for us here in North America. YAY! The bad news is that it’s the unofficial end of summer. BOO! I really hate this time of the year – the end of cottage season is tough. I’m already counting down the months till next year’s cottage season starts (nine!) Till then, these are some of my memories from this past summer…

 

What are your favourite memories from the summer of 2012?