Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint- My Turn To Jump On The Bandwagon


I know by now that all of you have heard of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I first heard about it from Miss Mustard Seed a while back. I had been dying to try it ever since I read her post. Then many other blogs started writing about it as well. I just knew I had to try it but I didn't want to order online. I wanted to see the colors in person, but I didn't have a retailer in my area....or so I thought.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered a store in my area that sold Annie Sloan Chalk Paint while I was at Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta. Color Me French is Georgia's only stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. They are located in Twist On Main in Senoia, Georgia. They offer workshops where you can learn about all the beautiful things you can create with this paint.

So the first thing I needed to do was decide what I was going to paint. I decided I would paint the little nook in our kitchen. As you can see, it is not very attractive. The formica table top totally clashed with our granite and the pew that was repurposed into bench seating was not that attractive. However, the boys love eating here because they feel like they are eating at McDonald's. This is not quite the look I wanted in the kitchen.

Please ignore the dog food bag in the background.

 


Now that I decided on what to paint, I hopped in my car and headed to Twist on Main. The ladies where very helpful and knowledgeable when answering my questions about the application of the paint. There were also different pieces painted throughout the store that I used as a reference when deciding which colors to purchase. I absolutely loved all the color choices and had a difficult time deciding what colors to go with. I finally decided to use Cream as my table top and Duck Egg Blue for the benches. Then I used the dark wax to glaze the benches.

I started painting the table top first. On the first coat, I used a brush to apply the paint and I had visible brush marks. I knew I would have to do another coat and I wanted an even coverage. The second coat gave me 100% coverage and I was satisfied. I did sand lightly after the second coat dried before applying clear wax to the table top.





 
For the benches, I did use a brush and had to apply two coats. I knew I would be distressing the benches so I didn't mind brush strokes this time. Let me just tell you how easy it was to distress the benches using this paint. It is a dream!!! I remember all of the times I had to use tons of elbow grease and/or an electric sander to create a distressed look. This paint is an answer to my prayers. All I had to do was lightly sand where I wanted to wood to show through, and in no time at all I had a finished project. After I sanded the benches, I clear wax to them before applying the dark wax. The ladies recommended doing this step so it would be easier to apply the dark wax. If I had skipped this step, the paint would have soaked up the dark wax making it harder to work with.



 

 

 

 

 
I have already started another project using this paint and have three more on the to do list. If you have not tried chalk paint yet (and I am sure most of you have), you should try it. And if you are in the Senoia area go check out Color Me French in Twist On Main! They will take good care of you.

Also, check out the video from the blog, Perfectly Imperfect. She gives you some really great tips about how to apply the wax.

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Distressed Console Table

Have you  wanted something for your house, but you couldn't find it in the right size or didn't want to say the HUGE price tag?  Well, that was my dilemma until recently.  I needed a console table for my hallway that had storage for STUFF.  (In case you haven't noticed, we live in an older house and storage is scarce.) Ana's blog, Knock Off Wood, is the place to go to find a solution. 

I found the plans for this console table on her blog, and my husband built it for me.  In the original plans, the console had drawers instead of the open spaces.  It was also 34" tall and we decided to make it taller.  I decided ditch the drawers and put use some baskets I found at Target.  The smaller baskets hold some of the boys toys, books and games.  One of the larger baskets on the floor  is now the home for Mac's larger toys and the other is meant for every one's shoes. We don't have a mudroom so this is our solution.


I couldn't decide how to paint the table, but I knew I wanted add some color in the hallway.  I also wanted it to look old or like it was built with reclaimed wood.  I started out with two paint colors, Peacock Blue by Benjamin Moore  and Lucky Bamboo by Berh.  (These paint colors were left over from previous projects.)  I painted the table in random spots and covered about 90% of the table.  Then I added Pacer White by Sherwin Williams and  lightly sanded it to rough it up a bit.


Next, I add a crackle medium in certain spots and then painted the console Pacer White (Sherwin Williams).  After the paint dried I sanded it again trying to expose the wood in certain areas.  A little note about the crackle medium.  I will be the first to admit that I did not follow the directions correctly, but I was not impressed with this product.  I wanted really large cracks so I used long brush strokes and tried not to go back over it again.  What I got were very tiny cracks, if any at all.  If someone can recommend a product or tell me what I did wrong, I am open to suggestions. 


I still was not happy with the finish and decided to whitewash it with Pacer White.  I just mixed equal parts of water and paint and used light strokes to avoid as many brush marks as possible.  Once I had the coverage I wanted, I then used my tobacco glaze to finish it.  I will use a wipe-on poly to seal the table after it dries for a few days.





I sanded and painted many layers on this table because...1) that was the look I was after and 2) I was never quite happy with the results.  I tell you this because it is just paint.  If you don't like how something turned out just paint over it!  And if you don't like how that turned out just paint over it!  Do you see a pattern?

I printed the plans for this table from Ana's blog, Knock Off Wood.  If you have read any of my earlier post, you will already know that I am a fan of Ana's blog and you can also find her on Facebook.  Please go take a look at Ana's plans because I think you will say to yourself...."I can do that"!  However, don't go to her blog without leaving a comment about my console table first!  I am really interested to hear what you think!!!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.  The contest to win this MAGNETIC PICTURE FRAME will end Sunday, August 15th at midnight.

Please CLICK HERE to enter! 
All you need to do is leave a comment at the end of the Giveaway post.

Thanks,
Our Southern Nest

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Make Your Own Picture Frame

Earlier this summer I shared my magnetic picture frames with all of you.  I gave you the general instructions of how to make them yourselves.  I just completed three more frames and decided to share more detailed instructions with step-by-step pictures to go along with the instructions. 

First, I had the nice man at Home Depot cut 3/4" sanded plywood into 20" x 22" rectangles.  You can make your frames whatever size you want.  I wanted mine to be larger so I could display 8"x10" photos as well as the boys artwork from school.
 I then used  a high density foam roller to paint the board Kilim Beige by Sherwin Williams.  The foam roller gives a smooth finish. 
I applied two coats to the front and back of the frames and let it dry overnight.  Then I used a rotary sander to distress the frame and round the edges.  I sanded it more around the edges until I could see the wood coming through.


Next, I applied Rustoleum Magnetic Primer to 1/8" hard board or particle board.  Again, the man at Home Depot cut these to 16"x12".  This will be your "mat", and I wanted a 4" border around the mat.  Again, you can cut this to any size you wish.  The directions on the primer say to do 3 thin coats of the primer, but I did 5 coats.

I let this dry overnight and then painted it Carolina Gull by Benjamin Moore.  While the "mat" was drying, I made 2" stripes on the frame and dry brushed it with Nomadic Desert by Sherwin Williams.  After the stripes were dry, I then distressed the stripes by hand sanding them. 
I applied this glaze with an old t-shirt and then wiped it off.  I start out with very little glaze and add more as I needed it.  It is always easier to go back and add more glaze but much harder to take it off if you have too much. 




You can make your frame look more rustic by hitting it with a hammer to make dents in the wood.  The glaze will settle in the dents and it is a nice effect.

Here is the finished product. I used wood glue to apply the mat to the frame. You can also use a nail gun to secure the corners if you wish. I used Nailess Sawtooth Adjustable Picture Hangers on the back of the frame. I found these at Hobby Lobby, and you just hammer them into the back of your frame.







These frames are easy to make and the possibilities are endless.  The frames you see in this post are for sale if you decide not to make them yourself.  I do have another frame that is 16"x22" that is the same color without stripes that is also for sale.  If you are interested, just email me for pricing.

Thanks,
Our Southern Nest

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Painted Chest Redo

A few years ago we purchase a distressed red painted chest for our home in Alabama.  I loved the curves of the chest but thought the color was too dark for our current home.  I decided to repaint it, and I love how it turned out.  Here is what it looked like originally.
First, I removed the drawers and lightly sanded the chest.  I used a hammer and a screwdriver to distress it even more.  Then I painted it Peacock Blue by Benjamin Moore.

I then used a tobacco glaze to highlight the grooves and the distressing.  I think I may still go back and add more glaze to make it more rustic.  It is always better to go light with the glaze.  You can always go back and add more, but it is very difficult to remove it if you have too much.







Once I put the furniture inside I decided to add a few gold highlights to help the detailing stand out.  I had to replace the original knobs because one broke during our move.  The bronze knobs will do for now but I think it would be pretty with glass knobs. 








It was an easy projects, and it took two days to complete it.  The most time consuming part was the drying time between coats.  Please feel free to email me with any questions about the project!

Thanks,
Our Southern Nest

P.S.
I had a few questions about where to get the glaze and/or how to mix it.  Your local paint store (i.e. Ben Moore, Sherwin Williams, etc.) will have glazes in stock.  If they do not have the color you would prefer, ask them to mix a glaze for you.  I needed a light brown color to glaze cabinets and could not find a premixed glaze that was the right color.  I picked a color from a fan deck and asked to man behind to mix the colors in the glaze instead of the paint base.  You can also mix equals parts of paint (in your preferred color) and clear glaze and get great results.  I hope this helps!