Mirror, Mirror, on the ..... floor?

Adventures with colored wax.

I had real reservations when I saw this mirror on Craigslist. Not only did it scream 70s but it is a whopping 50 inches tall. (When I was getting ready to photograph it I dragged the thing around the house looking for a spot ... it's too big for my house.) It's a heavy thing, too. I was huffing and puffing while wrestling it into my car.

Here it is in its disco colored glory:

YIKES

My first paint combination was way too blah. Instead of aged it just looked dirty. I used an eggshell milk paint which turned ugly beige when I waxed with the clear and dark waxes. I used Duck Egg Blue on the trim but it also seemed too dark.

So I white-washed the whole thing but the white-wash just slid off the wax.

Hmmmmm.

Time to experiment! This is something I've been wanting to try for a long time. I mixed powdered white pigment into clear wax and waxed the entire mirror. The white wax lightened the beige to a pretty antique white and softened the blue trim perfectly. It settled into crevices to highlight nicely. I ended up with a combination of highlights and lowlights.

The different paints I used reacted to each other and crackled naturally. I've had this happen before and I love it! it doesn't always work, however. These natural paints have a mind of their own to be sure!

Before and after.

I'm really happy with my colored wax experiment. Now that I have white wax mixed up I might try pickling. I'd like to try the white wax on black stain. I've seen some pictures on the net and like the look.

Example - not the best but I can't find the image that first got me excited about this technique.

And, speaking of trying new things, I am off to the post office to pick up my first order of CeCe Caldwell paint! I'll let you know how i like it.

Linking up:
my uncommon slice of suburbia
primp

funky junk interiors
miss mustard seed
shabby nest