Furniture Painting: Just Do It

On Sunday's post, I told you about a little paint job I did on a turn of the century chair that I picked up at the local thrift a couple of weeks ago for $15.00.  Unfortunately, I don't have any in between pictures because I was in such a rush to get it completed.  I literally started like 3 hours before our family photo shoot.  And you know what?  I am so glad I did!

Usually, I so over think things.  I'm like a teenage girl with a crush...  "Do you think he likes me?"  "Did he just look at me?"  "He said blah-blah-blah."  "What do you think that means?"  Seriously, I analyze every little thing I do and worry I'm doing the wrong thing or going to do the wrong thing or pick the wrong color, so there are several pieces around here that I haven't touched for that very reason.  I might come across very "Uh....  Like whatev-ah!  Let it all hang out type" on my posts, but when it comes to doing something in the house or making a decision to do something in the house, I paralyze myself with doubt and it either doesn't get done or takes forever to get done..  Does anyone else do this???

So, it was the morning of the pictures and a few days earlier I had picked up a sample of BH&G "Peacock Blue" paint from Wally World on a whim because it was the exact same shade we were using for our "pop" color.  Then once I got home, I started overanalyzing it...

"Do I really want to paint this chair this color?" 

"What if it looks horrible?"

"Am I really going to want to have to re-sand and 

repaint it just for a few pictures?"

"What if it just looks tacky?"

"What if it ruins the whole feel of the chair?"

"What if I just plain hate it and 

we won't have a prop for the pictures?"

"I should just leave it like it is and use it."

I tell you what, if I took inner dialogue to the next level, I might really be dealing with some mental illness issues.  I literally have done nothing with a few pieces I've picked up because I don't want to ruin them - even though logically I know that anything would be better than how they are now.  Are you paralyzed with indecision when it comes to a few of your pieces too?

Well, Saturday morning, I had a staring contest with one of the chairs.  I mean, it would have been a staring contest if the chair had eyes...  Nevermind.  Anyway, I thought and thought and thought and did a few things around the house, only to come back and look at it some more.  Indecision, indecision, indecision.  Make up your mind already!

So, about three hours before the shoot, I googled dry brushing techniques and grabbed the sander.  I wiped it down, sanded it lightly all over and not very well,  and then I just went to town.  Snagged the blue paint and a brush.  Didn't think about it.  Didn't analyze every single stroke.  Just did it.  That's going to be my new motto...

Furniture Painting:  Just do it.

And because I didn't like how the dry brushing was looking on the piece, I started using a technique similar to glazing, but I didn't slop it on.  I still went light on the application, but then I went right behind it and rubbed the paint into the wood to "stain" it.  There was no rhyme or reason.   No thought.  Heavier in some areas, lighter in others.  And because the feeling of our pictures was going to be a little funky, I threw the thought of a seat cushion out the window and left the pressboard bottom with the huge nail heads.  And painted that too.  And then sanded the rust off tops of the nails, so they were silver.  Then I lightly sanded it all over with a sanding sponge before calling it good.

To save you from scrolling back up, here's before:

And the after of one of them...

I am totally loving it!  And plan to do the other one the exact same way.  Who would have ever thought???

Another lesson learned:  Don't think about it so hard.  Trust your instinct and just do it.  You might just be surprised.

Now just to figure out where its going to go!

Have a great day, y'all!

Take care,