Painted Furniture – Page 2 – the spoon and the thimble

Red Barn Milk Paint Table

Published on July 13, 2014July 14, 2014 by recoveringkristinLeave a comment

I recently acquired this table and sent my sister a picture.

I asked her what color I should paint it and she sent me this picture back as inspiration.

Sister has crazy good taste. I will have her post some pictures of her house soon:-) I chose to use Milk Paint from the Real Milk Paint Co. I love their paint because when used without the bonding agent you get this naturally “chippy” look. Because these types of towels are antique towels from the 1930’s I knew I wanted the table to have a vintage feel. I cleaned the table first and then applied a coat of Parchment Milk Paint to the top. The wood was bleeding through after the first coat so I applied a second coat.

I didn’t really like the table and sent Kim a picture. She agreed and said the whole table had to be painted. So, I went ahead and put two coats of Parchment on the rest of the piece. After the paint had dried I taped the piece off and decided to do red stripes on both sides of the table. I used The Real Milk Paint Co.’s Red Barn. I applied two coats of the red as well. Once the paint had dried I carefully pulled the tape off. The paint began to chip upon drying and I love how it nearly took the stripe off on one side. It’s like this paint has a mind of its own and knows what will look best. I LOVE smart paint! Once all the paint had dried I applied a dark wax glaze to the whole piece giving it an even older feel. Finally I applied a clear wax protective coat to the whole table. I just love the way it turned out.

It is pretty and looks so sweet I don’t want to sell it but my house is turning into a furniture store. If you know anyone in search of an adorable end table, let me know!

Farm house shabby chic headboard

Published on July 11, 2014 by recoveringkristinLeave a comment

My sweet sister always brings me something special when she comes to visit me in St. Louis. The last time she made the trip, she unloaded this beautiful head-board. I just love it. and was inspired to paint it red based on the gorgeous red barns I see on the drive to visit her in Arkansas. There is nothing more beautiful than an old barn nestled in rolling hills of green backed by the most amazing blue sky you will ever see. I always look so forward to driving down to visit and checking out all the great antique stores in the area. Sister takes me to the best places to shop! I knew this little gem would look fabulous with a coat or two or Barn Red Milk Paint from The Real Milk Paint Co.

I applied two coats of this beautiful red paint that is naturally “chippy”. I did not add any sealer as I wanted the paint to chip in certain areas. After I let it dry over night, I sanded the edges allowing some of the original yellow color to peek through. I applied Annie Sloan Dark Wax to finish the piece.

I only wish I were hanging with my sister right now. It pains me to sell this headboard because I just love it so much. Sure wish it would go in one of my kids rooms. I can’t wait to get my hands on my next headboard now. I will be spending the day searching for another great headboard to paint…..unless of course my sister would like to bring me another one?

Maison Blanche French Blue

Published on July 9, 2014July 10, 2014 by recoveringkristinLeave a comment

I was asked to try out a new paint for a local shop here in St. Charles MO. To read more about how these two pieces were transformed, follow this link to my guest blog!

http://redposie.com/blog/guest/maison-blanche-french-blue/

A friend’s cabinet makeover

Published on July 6, 2014July 10, 2014 by recoveringkristinLeave a comment

Hi there friends! Recently we ran a little contest on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thespoonandthethimble

I asked for furniture submissions to transform for a guest blog I was asked to do. Well, we selected one, and it is up and posted. To check out what we did go to http://redposie.com/blog/milk-paint/shabby-cabinet-makeover/

Also “like” us on Facebook for more contest opportunities!

Thanks for reading!

Orange, White and not so Gold

Published on May 28, 2014July 30, 2014 by recoveringkristin4 Comments

I am a wee bit obsessed with a white and gold color scheme lately! I just can’t get my hands on enough gold accessories. I recently found a great gold mirror on Craigslist that I thought would be perfect above Grace’s new white, orange and gold dresser I just finished painting. She didn’t think it was so great. In fact her exact words were. . . “I don’t like that. I hope you are planning on painting. If not, you can have it back.” CRUSHED! 😦 I suppose she will not like the brass chandelier I have my eye on, either. Oh, well. I couldn’t let the mirror go to waste, so out to the garage to paint my beautiful gold mirror….boo!

New dresser for Grace. It was my favorite “find” yet. 20 dollars for this beauty!

Some things I have learned.

1. Enjoy decorating your children’s rooms BEFORE they start to have an opinion. I loved my gold accessories idea for Grace’s room and am just so bummed that she doesn’t love it as much as I do. Actually she hates it.

2. Always match your manicure to the color of the piece you are currently painting! This is a big one. Inevitably I will get a fresh manicure only to have splatters of some crazy paint color all over it. I am learning and this is a great tip, I tell ya!

3. Never EVER spill paint in the garage! The Hubs hates this. I thought the garage was for spilling paint, but apparently the concrete in the garage is as valuable as expensive hardwood floors to a man. My husband gripes at me everytime he walks into the garage. He can’t let it go.

4. Don’t be in such a hurry that you knock over the most expensive paint on the planet. I HATE THIS! It doesn’t go back in the can very easily, either.

5. Purchase white bedding for your children’s bedrooms and accent in colors they love. My kids really know how to trash their bedding. I can never get the marker, clay, hair dye, etc out. I am done with colored bedding. All bedding will be white from now on and I will always have a bottle of bleach on hand!

And finally a mirror Grace and I can both agree on. A little bit of white and a little bit of gold.

“Hope”ing to make this old chest new again

Published on October 22, 2013July 30, 2014 by recoveringkristinLeave a comment

When I was 18 years old my Mom took me out and bought me a “hope chest.” At the time I picked it out I just loved it and thought, “Well, this will never go out of style.”

Fast forward 22 years later. It sits at the end of my bed looking so 80’s to me. However, it still serves a purpose. We store our warm blankets in there and sit on it to tie our shoes, so I wasn’t ready to get rid of it. But I did think it could use a little sprucing up or down as the case may be. I first decided to try and “white wash” it. It didn’t turn out exactly the way I had hoped.

I needed to fix my mistake fast. So I slapped some Milk paint on that bad boy and watched it begin to distress itself. I love the way that the Milk paint naturally bubbles up and peels off. Here you can see what I mean.

I was much happier with this finished product. I do have to admit I have a bit of hesitation putting this post up in fear my poor mother will have a heart attack. I love it, though! Makes me feel like I have a new piece of furniture and my kids can’t do a thing to it to jack it up!

See what I mean? Can’t even get the kids out of my pictures much less my room.

She needed a face lift….

Published on October 1, 2013July 30, 2014 by recoveringkristin1 Comment

I am loving this beautiful fall weather we are having in St. Louis this year but not enjoying it on my patio too much these days. My table is a wreck and it makes me cringe every time I walk out onto our deck. For some reason the legs held up nicely but the top is all worn and rough. I couldn’t stand it any longer. Today I had to take action. I ran down to my basement and dug through my paint. I decided on Annie Sloan’s Duck Egg Blue. Then I gathered my supplies and really didn’t put a whole lot of thought into it. This is a picture of my ugly table before