Finally Finished- Children's Chair!!

Yeah! I'm 100% sure this has been my favorite project thus far. It was easy, but it actually took a lot more time than you'd expect!

 

After some finishing touches I waxed this baby with the Annie Sloan Clear Wax. I love the matte finish the wax produces, but let me tell you- it does take longer than using the polycrylic. You really have to take the time to use small amounts of wax at a time, start out spreading it over a large area, and then REALLY buff it in.

 

I made the mistake on my Old White end table by using large amounts of wax without buffing it in well enough.

 

When you're done waxing you want it to feel like a thin layer on the piece. And with this one it really did. I feel like the research I've done and the experience I've had with painting/waxing has really made this piece reach its full potential.

Now, time to sell it! Hate to see this one go! My husband keeps staring at it saying "It's perfect..."

I think I'm going to help him get started on his first project... I think he has an artsy side that he doesn't know about yet...

 

Good luck everyone! Let me know if you have any questions!

 

The "Earth" without "art" is just "eh"

Children's Chair

I think this may be my favorite project thus far! I bought this chair (note, it's solid wood and in excellent condition) for $7 from Savers. The only thing wrong with it was the paint job and some scratches in the wood.  Make sure that whenever you buy furniture pieces from discount stores or garage sales, that it is in good to excellent condition if you're not wanting to do a lot of work on it.

Let me just tell you that it's best to do the sanding when you're angry. You're much more productive. Which was the case in this situation.

 

I sanded this baby's trouble spots (not many) and then cleaned it with soap and water and a rag.

 

I chose to use Duck Egg Blue from Annie Sloan. And I love the way it turned out! Remember to paint in a well lit area! I did two coats and then touched up areas I missed.

After all of the coats dried I used my Martha Stewart stencil (you can use any brand, obviously) and a sponge brush and stenciled this design in to the center of the seat. Make sure you take the time to get a ruler out and center the image.

 

It's best to kind of blot the paint onto the piece through the stencil.

I used Renaissance "Snow" colored paint.

So cute! I love it. My husband helped me pick out the stencil and he keeps saying "I can't believe how good it looks!"

We had a busy day yesterday so I didn't get the chance to sand off the drips and wax it. I will do that later tonight.

I WAS going to seal it with a polycrylic, since a children's chair will undoubtedly get some beatings. However, I'm thinking the owner of this chair may want to use this for decorative purposes. And as you all know, I love the matte finish look that the clear wax provides! I also decided to not distress or dark wax this at all. I just wanted a really clean, classic look for this one.

I will make sure I post the final product! Good luck, ladies and gents!

FYI, my friend Rebecca (I mentioned her in an earlier post) is having me paint her bar stools. So those are my next project and I'll keep you updated on those!

"Adults are just outdated children."- Dr. Seuss

Annie Sloan vs. Renaissance

The children's bed was my first project done with Renaissance chalk paint. It's a couple bucks (yes, only a couple bucks) cheaper than Annie Sloan paint and you can buy it on Amazon. I read really good reviews on Amazon, saying it was very much comparable to Annie Sloan paint.

But when I tried mixing it with water (as I do with Annie Sloan paint), it didn't mix very well. It seemed that no matter how much water I put in it and no matter how much I mixed it, I could never get it to have a regular consistency throughout.

So, the application process was more difficult, and it didn't look as good.

I started painting the children's chair (my next project I will share with you all, soon. I'm almost done!) yesterday with the Annie Sloan paint, and it felt so good to go back to the Annie Sloan pain! It mixes well with the water and goes on the piece so easily and smoothly.

In short, Annie Sloan paint wins!

Let me know what you guys think! Keep in mind, that I've only tried one can (not the whole can, of course) of the Renaissance paint. It could be that I got a bad batch.... But since it's only a couple bucks less than Annie Sloan, I think I will stick to Annie Sloan. But I still want to try out the home made paint chalk! I will do that and then report back to you!

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths" -Walt Disney

Bed Finished!

I had a blast making this bed! I ended up doing 4 coats because the underlying stain was so dark. I think it turned out great, and best of all my niece says that she loves it. It really brightens up her room and I love the contrast of the bright white against her girly purple accent wall.

After the 4 coats of paint, I let it dry. And then I applied Minwax Polycrylic (I chose to not do clear wax because I knew that this bed will most likely get a beating over the years).  It doesn't provide as much of a matte finish look as the wax does, but It still looks really good!

I don't know how dark wax would look with this bright white.... But my niece didn't want it dark at all, anyway.

It's so fun doing projects for kids, because there is no pressure to make it perfect, at all. I doubt she sees any of my mistakes. And most of all, she senses the love I put into the project more than any adult could.

Next project I'm working on: A small children's chair!!

"Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children."-Sitting Bull