Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Using CeCe Caldwell paint for the first time

I was so excited to try the new-paint-on-the-block! 


I don't know what I expected but it was less expensive than Chalk Paint so I was crossing my fingers that it worked as well. I loved the Vintage White color, but the Smokey Mountain was too much like Annie Sloane's Duck Egg Blue. I was hoping for a blue-gray. So this is my experience with the new paint - but let me say this, since it was the first time I used it, I didn't know what the consistency should be or the best way to apply it. The website doesn't offer any tips, so I proceeded as if it were regular chalk paint. (The only difference I know of between the two paints is the CeCe Caldwell paint has clay in it, along with chalk.)

Here are the projects I did last week using the two colors:

Vintage White and the Seven Days of Painting

I love this sweet little Craigslist dresser! I want to keep it. But I can't - unless I sell my Union Jack dresser. sigh. It was missing one pull, wouldn't you just know. I found the exact pulls on ebay - 2 for $25, shipping included. I also found them on a restoration site - $17 for ONE, shipping included. No dang way. I dug around in my stash and found two pulls that compliment the originals and I was good to go.

I added a couple pieces of trim to the bottom of the sides to hide peeling veneer. I think it looks better with the added trim, it is the perfect finishing touch.


I normally don't do the "Shabby" look but this dresser was perfect for it. The white paint highlighted the details so nicely .... I really want to keep this dresser ....

 


Can you see the pink creeping through? It's the same problem I've had before with mahogany, so the new paint didn't out-do chalk paint as far as bleed through goes. I had to use a lot of paint - it took 3/4 of a can to paint this one dresser because the coverage was poor. Again, since it was my first time out of the gate, so to speak, I'm reserving judgment until I've painted a few more pieces. And there seemed nothing I could do to avoid brush strokes. I hesitated to thin with water because it would make the coverage even worse. In the end I decided the pink tinge added to the character of this dresser and I didn't have to use dark wax!


The Caldwell paint didn't sand as easily as chalk paint (can you tell I L-O-V-E chalk paint?) It also seemed to absorb a lot of wax but after buffing it had the most wonderful sheen.
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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Living on the dark side

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted! I've been feverishly working on 4 pieces using the new kid on the block - CeCe Caldwell Paint. I'll try to get pictures today and tomorrow will tell you about my experience with the new paint.

Meanwhile, I've also been re-taking photos of older projects. 

I live on the dark side; the north side of a mountain. Behind the house is steep forested terrain for 100s of miles. It's life in the shadows, especially in winter, which makes taking good photos with natural light a real challenge. Inside the house there are two spots where I can put furniture to take pictures, but that means moving what is already there. That is why so many of my etsy photos are taken on the front lawn - that's where the sun is!

I have a really pretty table that I've been unable to adequately capture digitally. It's tall and leggy but soooo does not photograph like a super model. I've been retaking pictures of this gal for months. Finally, I got some sun!

Here's a history of trying to capture the beauty of this table. When I first started on etsy I thought putting furniture up against a wall was enough. HA!



Another then and now:



The straight-on approach:




And finally:



Still not as good as I want, but it's come a long way baby!

Tomorrow - CeCe Caldwell Paint!

Linking up to these creative sites:
finding fabulous
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Monday, February 6, 2012

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.
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Saturday, January 28, 2012

It's a girl thing

These vanities must have been popular here in the west. I see them from time to time, in various states of disrepair. Usually the drawer is missing, or the arms or both. Legs barely keeping upright.

This is the first I've seen with all its parts. The strange black stripes made me think of the burned edge furniture so popular in the 70s.



I dove into painting with my handy chalk paint but the stripes bled through. I did a couple coats then got out the primer. Now, this is the same primer that didn't keep the 'pink' from bleeding through my empire desk. I thought it could do this.

Really? Again? Can this primer cover anything?


See the lines coming through? They also felt "spongy" for lack of a better term, like they would never dry. I really want to tell you what brand this primer is so you can avoid it but I'm afraid some big corporation will swoop down on me with nefarious intent.

A Northwest paint company, Rodda, has a primer they promised would cover and seal anything. They were right! One more coat and I was good to go. 

It's a sweet little vanity. I don't know why someone burned scars into it.

Here it is now, the cute little thing. I considered adding lace curtains to the arms, but after seeing a few pictures on the internet, I decided the fabric would make my little vanity look dumpy.

It is heading to my booth this morning.




And then, just for fun - someday I'll get a camera with the sketch function. Meanwhile I'll go Old School with Photoshop.


Have a great weekend!
 Linking up to these creative folks
funky junk interiors
redoux
miss mustard seed
finding fabulous
my repurposed life
my 1929 charmer
restore interiors
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Monday, January 23, 2012

Crabby? Who, me? Why would I be crabby?

Or, The Ugly Truth About Cancer.

I've spent the last month getting transfusions, infusions and those Really Fun Shots in the Belly. For this I've had to drive to town almost everyday, about a 46 mile round trip. The Really Fun Belly Shots cause bone pain and flu-like symptoms resulting in my projects dragging out. By the time I get home from treatment, I'm too pooped to paint.
And I'm bummed.

I mentioned that I was really feeling blue to the P.A. I saw when my doctor was on vacation. He looked at my chart and said there was nothing there that would cause depression.
Really? Dude, I have CANCER! 

Cripes.

That's when I realized that I had become cross and irritable. I gave myself a good talking to, then to cheer myself up I sat down to cruise Craigslist. I found the discontinued Ikea rug DIYers love to paint right there in Medford. I called the girl, said I was on my way, but before I got there she called to say she'd just sold it. I went right back to cross and irritable. To top it off, I continued into town for another Belly Shot after that. On a Sunday!

After my shot I followed up on another ad and bought a dresser, which displaced my new dog, forcing him into the passenger seat. (He's not comfortable there.) He growled at me. Growled. At. Me. Then he huddled up to the passenger door and sulked. Cross and irritable again. 

This is the naughty growling boy.
That is the ugly truth about cancer, people. It can make one grumpy! Impatient even. Crabby! 

But, today I can spend all day painting. That's all I really need. Give me a can of paint and a thing made of wood and I am a happy camper. A day with no needles stuck in me. Ahhhhhhh, perfect. Life is good.
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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Painting against type

A couple summers ago we happened upon an estate sale that hadn't been completely organized and we were told to look around and let them know if we had questions. Oh my, the stuff in the barn and outbuildings was overwhelming. We were opening boxes and climbing up on stuff. We were channeling American Pickers!

We filled my car - no small task, the thing is huge inside. (Doctor Who fans? My car is the Tardis.) We went home, got Honey's truck and went back to get more stuff. This dresser was my favorite find. It was in the back of a barn/shop, hidden behind and under boxes of who-knows-what. We walked by it several times without seeing it.

 I thought of it as being art deco and kept trying to come up with a Roaring 20's style design. I got nowhere. Nothing appealed. I apparently can't channel The Great Gatsby, not to mention Scott or (yikes) Zelda.


Then suddenly the dresser looked Asian to me, not art deco at all.
(Have you ever seen anything like those pulls? Awesome.)
I'd been wanting to do something masculine for a while and it all just came together.

It's not my usual style and that has opened my mind up to more possibilities. Oh boy!

Here is what I did. My Honey loves it - it's his favorite out of everything I've done so I've passed the Man Test.


So, there it is, my first 'male project!' I used Annie Sloan Graphite, General Finishes Milk Paint in Red Pepper and white craft paint. The trim and pulls are black gloss latex. The front is waxed but I put polyurethane on the top and sides for more protection.

It will go to my booth this weekend. Sheesh, it'll take up most of the space. I'm crossing my fingers that someone will walk by who really wants a red Chinese Dragon dresser. :-)
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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Have you ever had one of those pieces....

I've noticed over the years of being a graphic designer that when a project goes of the track, it generally stays that way. My empire style desk is one of those pieces. It was one thing after another, from start to finish.

Here it is when i first dragged it home. I found it at a bizarre yard sale. I almost passed up the sale because it was down an alley and I couldn't see the end. The alley opened up to a field full of furniture. Since it was the 3rd day of the sale there wasn't much of any value left. But I spied this desk, then saw an old dresser with awesome hardware. $11 later I was heading home with both pieces feeling quite proud of myself.
Such a frugal junker!




There was a lot of veneer damage but other than that it was a nice solid desk. I fixed the veneer and brought it into the house to paint. While I was fixing some little holes the desk saved me from serious harm. A solid wood door that was leaning against the wall came crashing down. The desk took most of the hit - I'm so glad it wasn't my head. Yikes.


I rebuilt the corner and painted it with Old White Milk Paint. And did another coat because pink was bleeding through. And another coat followed by another coat. Still the pink bled through. (Notice the repaired corner? I felt pretty good about it, considering it was my first time performing
reconstructive surgery.)



I googled and found that it might be old stain bleeding through. So I put on a coat of oil-based primer. Then I got down to the business of taping out my pattern and painting. When I pulled off the tape the paint came with it. I couldn't get paint to stick to the primer. I was using blue tape so I tried the turquoise tape. The paint still pulled off.

Finally I got out the Frog Tape that I was 'saving' because it is so expensive. Saving for what for Pete's sake? The Frog Tape was perfect. It gave me perfect lines and didn't pull off any paint. I was impressed.

Good thing it worked as I was about to huck the desk out a window. Finally the desk is done, in all its harlequin glory! 

I love you, Frog Tape!





Done, done, done. I was so ready to be working on the next project. What is it? Here's a sneak peak.

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