That's Just Beachy

Do ya ever have one of those projects that quite simply gives you fits at every turn?

I just finished one of those.  And in spite of all the things that seemed to keep going wrong, as I take a moment to reflect on the process, I can't help but appreciate the story this dresser could tell.

Which reminds me a lot of our lives.  Of that amazing moment when you look back at a particular challenge or heartbreak and gradually begin to understand God's allowing it in your life.  Not only does a small understanding of His ways fill you with gratitude for such an all-comprehending God, but it also helps reassure you that in the next hard stage you encounter, God will probably have a diving purpose there, too.

And oh, what a story you will tell.

This piece told a story from the moment its shape caught my eye during a garage sale drive-by.  After pulling in to have a look-see, I noticed bullet holes in two of the drawers, complete with exit wounds out the back.  Yikes.

An elderly gentleman slowly sauntered over and said, "It's a long story, those bullet holes.  I just need it gone."

Bullet holes??  One can only speculate.....
...or decide they'd rather not.

Here's a picture once I filled them in:

This piece sat in our garage for several months until I knew what I wanted to do.  As time went by, I kept seeing a very distressed, beachy, driftwood effect, and finally took the plunge last week.

I began by painting the body with silver spray paint:

Then I couldn't help playing around with the top drawer a little:

Oooh, nice.....but I knew I wanted more white, with the silvery driftwood coming up through, so I put a layer of SW Creamy over the silver, went to town with distressing, and ended up with this:

I really expected more silver to show through, but once I started sanding to distress, it was like the silver came right off with the white.  Still a powerful effect, but not quite what I pictured.

So very different from anything I've done.

But also pretty cool:

So as for the story it tells?  Hmmmm, how about the seeping of old wood stain through the Creamy as it dried?  Or my sanding block continuing to form Creamy paint lumps on its surface and leaving "holes" in the paint instead of authentic-looking distress wear? 

Or washing the original hardware with Mr. Metal cleaner only to have it cleanse unevenly, quite mottled even, and look worse than before?

Then trying to paint it all Krylon's Oil-Rubbed Bronze but not liking the black hardware against that beachy distressed wood?

Then heading out to three different hardware stores searching for new hardware that does the piece justice all the while wishing, wishing, wishing we had a Hobby Lobby in Fairbanks?

BUT, as most of these things do, it all worked out. 

And that's what I love about this process: You never quite know how a piece will work.  Every piece is a work in progress, an expression of creativity, and there is no right or wrong.

And the longer the process, the richer the story. 


So similar to our lives.


Here's to a delightful Wednesday ~

Jaimee