Annie Sloan – the spoon and the thimble

Armoire makeover for outdoor patio using Annie Sloan chalk paint

Published on September 8, 2014September 8, 2014 by recoveringkristin2 Comments

My sweet friend Katie H. asked me if I would transform a beautiful armoire belonging to her mother, Gail. Gail was looking for a piece that she could place outdoors under her covered patio where she could store things, such as candles, pool supplies, etc. Katie and Gail found this piece and wanted it to be painted in a rustic way and chose Flow Blue by Miss Mustard Seed.

Miss Mustard Seed makes a great milk paint that peels in certain places giving it a really natural old feel to the piece. If you use a bonding agent in combination with the paint you will not get any of the peeling. I mixed the paint and knew I would have to add the bonding agent because this piece was so shiny. I applied the first coat and then waited for it to dry. Upon returning I found this…..

Insert SCREAM here!

Some things milk paint will just not adhere too. I made an executive decision and scraped off all the paint. Then I slightly sanded the piece. I had to go with my old standby, which I know will stick to ANY surface….Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I chose a similar color to the Flow Blue called Aubusson Blue. It is a gorgeous color. I applied two coats allowing for dry time in between. Next I added a dark wax to age the piece and sanded off certain areas. When finished I wiped the whole piece down and added two coats of Shabby Paints Vax! This stuff is AWESOME. No buffing required.

Katie and her husband Ron came and picked it up today. I was dying to know what Gail thought. Katie sent me a picture of the armoir in its new home and Gail texted me, “It’s beautiful. I absolutely love it!! Thanks so much!!!” Whew, another happy customer and another lesson learned…..not all paints are created equal!

Annie Sloan updated settee

Published on August 21, 2014August 21, 2014 by recoveringkristinLeave a comment

I found this awesome settee on craigslist and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I have to say it wasn’t much to look at when I saw it. I knew with some Annie Sloan chalk paint, she could beautiful once again.

I applied two coats of Annie Sloan Pure White to the entire settee. Once dried I sanded to distress and then applied my favorite wax mixture. I used 1 part Annie Sloan Dark Wax to 2 parts Mineral spirits. This “waters” down the wax and allows you to brush on the entire piece rather than rubbing the wax on. I find that it gives it a more realistic aged effect. Afterwards you simple take a lint free cloth and wipe the wax glaze off. This leaves the finish super smooth. You will still need to add a protective coat of wax.

Now to reupholster this piece….All I have to say is thank God my Dad was staying with me while he is in transition of moving to Florida. He sat and removed every single staple from the old upholstery. THANK YOU DAD! That was probably the hardest part of this makeover. Once he removed the old fabric we realized that none of the foam or wood could be reused. It was completely shot. My dad took the plywood to Lowe’s and they custom cut two new pieces for us. He then went to Hobby Lobby to pick up new foam. We quickly got to work replacing the entire seat. It is so much more comfortable and sturdy now. I added a decorative trim around the fabric to hide the nails and give it a little more pizazz. I just love the way it turned out. What a difference some paint and new fabric can make. My oldest daughter is trying to hijack this piece for her room. I need to sell it while she is at school:-) I think it would be great as a bench in a living room or entry way. It would be perfect in a mud room as well. Just adorable. Right now it is sitting at the end of my daughters bed and it does look like it belongs there. 🙂 If it doesn’t sell I know it was meant to be right where it sits now.

Hope Chest Makeover

Published on August 15, 2014August 15, 2014 by recoveringkristin2 Comments

We all have them. . . the old hope chest we either inherited from a family relative or that were gifted to us in our teens. A friend (Deana), I met online asked me if there was anything we could do to update an old hope chest of hers. She referred to another I had sold about a month earlier.

Deana really liked the chevron pattern on top and asked if I could do the same to her chest. Unfortunately her hope chest was a little different. It had a fabric top. I was pretty certain that the wood underneath would be “unfinished” but thought we could just recover with a cheveron fabric.

I got to work on this chest by cleaning it and detaching the fabric top. It was screwed in to the top of the chest with 8 screws.

I started painting the chest keeping the other grey and white one in mind. I used the same colors (Annie Sloan Pure White and Paris Grey) and asked Deana if she wanted it aged and distressed just like the one she liked. She said yes so I got to work on the fun part…..beating up the furniture a bit. 🙂

Next I went upholstery shopping. I sent Deana several samples but in the end we knew we wanted the grey and white chevron.

Once the staples were removed, I measured the fabric and used the original fabric as my template. I was able to use the original foam as well. It was still in great shape. Using a heavy duty staple gun, I attached the fabric to the original board.

Finally I waxed the chest using Shabby Paints Vax and using Annie Sloan dark wax for aging.

I have to say the best part was delivering this chest back to Deana. I am always nervous when a person entrusts a piece of furntiture to me. The look on Deana’s face and her reaction made my day. Most excited about my new friendship with Deana….she is so sweet and shares my passion for all things repurposed. We were “texting buddies” for sure during this process. Deana kept sending other pieces around her house asking if we could make those over as well. And let me just say, she has GREAT ideas and fabulous taste! How gorgeous is Deana??

A before and after of this chest back home!

What do you think? Do you have an old hope chest like this? If so please share your makeovers.

A little french country

Published on July 17, 2014 by recoveringkristinLeave a comment

Recently, I decided my daughters each needed their own rooms. My two oldest had been sharing a room for the last 5 years and it just wasn’t working anymore. That’s what happens when one is clean and organized and the other can’t help her clothes find the dresser. I decided I wanted to paint their rooms white. I was finished with the crazy colors that once graced their walls. I knew I could add color in other ways and then change it up as their tastes change over the coming years.

My oldest daughter wanted teal and orange and my youngest was requesting blue and yellow. So we started by painting all the walls white! I wanted a clean place to start. I was over the neon colors that had covered their walls. I was so happy to find this cute dresser on craigslist for my oldest daughter. I bought it for 20 dollars! I couldn’t believe it. The woman had already stripped and sanded this piece. So I got to work on it right away. Here is a little before and after of this makeover.

10358676_10202548336443521_72672413_o — Dresser before

Cool book clock from Aunt Kim….

Next I had a bookshelf in my basement that had been given to me as well as this antique dresser that I had purchased off of craigslist, well over a year ago. I decided to do my middle daughters room with a French Country flair. So I got out my Yellow Rose Milk Paint from The Real Milk Paint Co. and started to paint. When the piece was covered completely I just thought it needed a little depth so I painted the trim in a white color, giving it some dimension. I finished the whole thing by distressing a bit and applying a dark wax glaze. I then added a clear wax for protection (My daughter is HARD on furniture!) I finished it off by creating a cute book banner out of twine and an old copy of Charlotte’s Web I had (one of our favorites). Now the dresser in my basement that I had purchased off of Craigslist about a year ago. I decided to paint it using the exact same method. Here are a few pictures of it before and after.

I just love the way both of these turned out. I feel like I am at a country cottage in France when I walk into her room….well after I pick up the dirty laundry she has strewn about. 🙂

A Few Things I Love. . .

Published on October 28, 2013October 28, 2013 by teachermamaLeave a comment

1. Never, never going to the bank anymore. In fact, I can’t go to the bank bc my bank is in another state. All of my banking is done via Smartphone, even the deposits. I just endorse, photograph each side, and bing! Depo made! I love it.

2. Chalk paint. Not chalkboard paint. Paint with chalk in it. Annie Sloan or Cece Caldwell or Make Your Own; it’s amazing stuff because you don’t have to sand or prime. I am a very lazy painter.

3. Tea. I now understand why those European explorers just had to find a way to get tea. Sounded so strange to me in grade school. My preference is hot, green tea, but I’ll try anything. . . it never fails to cheer me up.

4. Modern art. I was sad to leave the St. Louis Art Museum’s modern art collection, but so lucky to find myself 10 minutes away from Alice Walton’s modern art collection! I think I’ll do a whole blog post on Crystal Bridges and my favorite pieces. Coming soon. .

5. Haribo Gummi Bears. Feels a little weird putting that gummy substance in your body, but yum! Tastes so good — and probably reminds me of my teen years in Germany.

I could go on and on, but these are the things I love today. More on another day when I am feeling reflective.

Kim

Still getting hand me downs…

Published on September 9, 2013September 9, 2013 by recoveringkristin4 Comments

My sister decided to get rid of an old end table in her living room. I asked her if I could have it to repaint. I had been dying to try out some Annie Sloan chalk paint and some stenciling techniques. I didn’t think too much about this piece since it was a freebie 🙂 I just slathered some AS Paris Grey on it. I decided it needed a little something more so I added some dark wax around the edges. I then added my stencil which I had picked up at a local antique shop. I used a pewter Martha Stewart craft paint and a small sponge brush to apply. After it had dried I added two coats of clear wax. I absolutely LOVE this table. I sit in my sun room, with a cup of coffee, and think about my sister every morning. Definitely better than the old corduroy pants she used to give me:-)

-the thimble

I liked this table so much I decided to “redo” some old rocking chairs from our childhood using the same techniques.

BEFORE….

AFTER….

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