After the hustle and busy-ness of Christmas, it felt so good to bask in the quiet of painting again. I worked on the cutest little rolltop desk for a client this week and just finished it yesterday.
Someone had already attempted to paint this desk with spray paint but didn't do a full coverage job. There were also several drips from applying the paint too thick, so I had to sand it down to wood in several places.
Because I planned to paint the desk with cream as a base coat, I wasn't too worried about leaving paint residue behind, but I wanted to make sure my surfaces were smooth and ready to accept new paint evenly.
After a thorough sanding with my mouse sander and by hand, I mixed up a chalk paint using 1 1/2 cups latex paint (Sherwin Williams Creamy), 1/2 Calcium Carbonate, and 1/4 c water. I applied two coats. I let the first coat dry thoroughly, then sanded lightly with 200 grit sandpaper before applying a second coat. I then lightly sanded again for a velvety finish.
She was already looking so much prettier in Creamy, but my client had seen a piece in my house we were trying to replicate, so after some distressing on the edges, on went the stain. I used Minwax Dark Walnut to age and antique this piece, knowing full well going in I might completely kick myself rubbing and wiping dark stain in between all those slats.
And I nearly did. Thank goodness for Chip Ingram's radio program "Living on the Edge." His powerful sermons kept my mind occupied on eternal things while my fingers wiped and rubbed over and between every. Single. Slat.
And even in the midst of my labor, I was reminded how much I love doing stuff like this. Some may think it's crazy, but this kind of stuff fills my little cup to the top.
Although I do keep thinking I should give Annie Sloan's Dark Wax a try. Some day....
I painted the inside drawers and cubbies SW Mourning Dove, a beautiful tan/gray we almost chose for our master bedroom. I'm sorry these pictures have such a yellow cast. This time of year it's just plain difficult to get much natural light.
One thing I ended up loving the most about this piece is the aged brass pull I added to the front drawer. It's a little thing, but it makes a huge impact.
I also happened to have a couple aged brass knobs which matched the drawer pull beautifully.
It does feel good to be painting again.
Right before Christmas I also had a little fun in my daughter Amaya' bathroom, painting the shelf above her toilet green.
I painted it white several months ago but never loved it. I also didn't like the idea of using it for hanging hand towels.
Which, I know, is silly. After all, it's a shelf designed with hand towel storage in mind, right?
But then it hit me: Why do I feel like I need to hang hand towels on this shelf when I don't like how hand towels LOOK on that shelf?
Furthermore: Am I letting a crazy "should do" rule dictate my design choices in this bathroom?
So down they came. And then I added a little wire basket of extra toilet paper rolls in the space between the toilet and shelf instead. And you know what? It's really cute :) Some may think it's tacky to have all your spare rolls out there in front of God and everybody.
I, for one, think God understands.
Oh, and one more juicy tidbit: Guess what my hubby helped me hang in our sitting room last night??
Remember this $40 brass light fixture I found on craiglist over the summer? It's finally in place.....and it looks so nice! Hope to post pictures soon.
Blessings on your weekend ~
Jaimee
Labels: Bathroom, Furniture, Sitting Room
