Thursday, January 17, 2013

GREAT OLD FRAME









I just wanted to share this great old frame with you.  It was actually given to me by a friend.  THANKS BO.  It was the typical gold, tired and dull.  And, I just wanted to give it an updated look.  After several coats of gesso, it was just a little too WHITE for my taste.  And, all that wonderful pattern didn't show up at all.  So, I decided I'd brush Minwax stain on it.  Then, I quickly wiped it away, leaving the stain in the crevices.  That's it.  I thought it turned out nicely.  Oh, I did have a piece of Masonite cut to fit and painted that with a matching brown chalk paint.
Actually I think it's prettier in person than it looks here.
 
 
I think it'd be perfect for one of those INSTANT ANCESTOR photographs.
 
Sharing with these parties:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Putting Chalk Paint to the TEST

Since the weather here in Tennessee has been so rainy and dreary, I've not wanted to start a large project. Soooo, I thought I'd just gather several small projects and tackle them all at once. I mixed up a batch of my homemade chalk paint (RECIPE HERE), and then just tried it on all these different surfaces.


We already know how wonderful chalk paint works on wood.
 
 
But, what about this piece above?  The cherub candle stand is made of resin.
 
 
And these cherub wall plaques are made of some type of plastic.
 
 
The frame of this vanity mirror is metal.
 
 
Yes, it worked great on metal!!!
 
 
 I love the soft finish the chalk paint left on this little ceramic cherub box above.
 
 
To keep the finished product from looking so SOLID white, I used the end of the brush and stippled the paint on.
 
This gives the piece more of a marble or stone look.
 
 
And, here's the resin piece.  Yelp.  It worked like a charm.
I also did a china piece and several picture frames, but I'll save pictures of those pieces for another day.
 
Maybe thinking about Valentine's Day caused me to drag out all of these cherubs/cupids.  Anyway, I think I had a fairly productive day.  And, now I know that chalk paint WILL WORK on all these surfaces.  One resin candle stand, two plastic wall hangers, one mini ceramic box, a metal vanity mirror frame, and a sweet shabby white plant stand.
 
Have you tried chalk paint on a surface that I've not talked about here?
 
 
 
Sharing at these parties:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, January 4, 2013

A NEW CHAPTER

2012 was a busy year holding many changes for me.  One of those changes was my decision (with a little help) to close my shop.  My landlord decided that he wanted his building back (ain't that just precious?).  So, I had to find another location and move my business AGAIN, or CLOSE.  Things seemed to just fall into place.  The owner of a local antique mall asked me just a few days earlier if I might like to take a booth.  And, then there was a new shop opening soon in the same area.  So, I decided I'd take a booth in both shops, leave the business end of things to them, and maybe I'd have more time to paint and go antiquin'.  Guess what?  I'm lovin' it.
 
These pictures are from the booth at the new shop, Waterloo Merchantile, on the Downtown Square in Larenceburg, TN.
 

 

 
 


 



 
Click below to see pictures from my OTHER new booth.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

MY 2012 MOST POPULAR POSTS

Since we're entering a new year, I just thought I'd look back at how far I've come since starting this blog in February, 2012.  While looking through my posts, of course I noticed which ones were most popular.  That's when I decided I'd list my 5 top posts.  Click on the title to view the post.

 
After making and using my own chalk paint, I don't think I've used regular paint since.
 
.
 
 
So, far, I've only tried the Plaster of Paris recipe.  Maybe this year I'll try some of the others.
 
 
 
And, here are some of the first projects that I finished using this homemade chalk paint.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Okay, that's my Top 5........most viewed posts.  I just hope you continue to visit and check out my projects in 2013.