ASCP Fun... And a coffee table makeover.

For the rockin' peeps that follow moi on Facebook, you know that on Friday I posted this picture:

I received my very first delivery of ASCP product.  I can't tell you how long I have hemmed and hawed over spending that kind of money, but finally I just did it.  And I am sooooo glad I did.  :)

At first, I was super scared to use it.  I stared at it for a couple of hours and googled the heck out of ASCP technique.  I should have just bought Mrs. Sloan's book.  Its one thing to waste cheap paint on a screw up.  Its a completely different thing to mess up with really expensive paint.  Know what I'm sayin'?

So, after spending lots of time on the wide world web, I decided I better get to it, so I painted a chandy.  I'm saving that reveal for later.  Gotta hang it.  ;)  (I'm such a TEASE.)

Its beautiful, beautiful paint even if it does make a GINORMOUS mess (Think: You need to wear a mask) when you sand it, but my, oh my...  It feels like silk.  Butter.  Cashmere.  Oh, so very soft.  And I also noticed my hands weren't as dried out as they are when I use latex paint.  I'm not sure I can ever go back to homemade, unless I simply can't afford the ASCP.

Next, I decided to tackle a coffee table that I've had for about 6 months.

Back in October, I found this barn wood coffee table on Craigslist. Initially, the lady had it listed for thirty dollars, but I kept watch and after a couple of weeks, she dropped it to $15.00.  SOLD!

Now granted, when I saw it online I thought the bottom was black. Nope.  Purple.  Maroon.  Whatever.  It was fugly.  Nothing that paint couldn't fix though.  The barn wood on top was fantastic and the legs, not matching, look like either old table legs or porch posts.  I love that they don't match, although I would have put the matching ones on the diagonal from each other, instead of on the same side.  Scott and I tried to take it apart.  Yeah.  I can say this for the person who made it:  Bomb proof.


I stripped and sanded away at her for a couple of days and finally gave up trying to get that hideous maroon off.  It had pretty much dyed the wood and was in all the crevices.  So, I just left her in the living room and promised she would be the first thing I tackled if I ever bought ASCP.

At Christmas.

So she was.


Anyway...  Blah, blah, blah.


Here she is after.

The top is done with Old White - which for people that have never ordered it, is a little more Cream than I would have liked.  I should have ordered the Pure White.  The bottom is actually Calypso Sky and is an acrylic, that I mixed with the Old White.  It worked beautifully.  All the hype about ASCP lasting forever is true.  I painted the entire base, plus the underneath of the base that you can't see, using about a cup.  No kidding.

No staging for pictures.
The dining room is in progress and all my dining room crap is in the living room  :(

Unfortunately, my little stinker ran his trucks over it (be sure to let the wax cure for twenty four hours MINIMUM), so it scratched up the top a little.  GAH!  I guess it being tucked in the corner of the dining room wasn't a hint.  Oh well, it does make a good road, I guess.  Even if I'm going to have to re-do it.  ARGH.

I pretty much did no distressing on the legs and waxed it (as directed by my beautiful bloggy friends on Facebook) with the light wax first, then the dark, then again with the light.  Worked like a charm.  And that dark wax is going to last me FOR-EVAH.

See, even Lucy Kitty likes it.  :)

Not too shabby for my first use of it.  And with a fifteen dolla (HOLLA!) piece of furniture, it was a great piece to try it out on.  Now, for the big boy...  The china cabinet.  Fingers y'all crossed y'all!


XOXO,

Reveal: Washstand

Back in November, Scott bought me this beautiful washstand from our local thrift for $125.00.  You can read about that HERE.  Although I swore I would never paint her, I did.  I gave in.  I am on a mission to purge the house of any its dark depressing-ness.  And she needed a paint job.

Yesterday, I decided to stop procrastinating and just do it already.  I fixed a few spots where her top was chipped on the edges with some wood filler and lightly sanded her down before I got to work with some homemade chalk paint...

I hemmed and hawed forever over whether to do a color or stick with white.  I usually decide to play it safe with white or some other neutral and then drool over blogger peeps that throw caution to wind and go with bright, vivid color.  Take Amy for example, from The Salvage Collection.  She's always doing awesome furniture makeovers with vibrant color, like this:

Droolin' on the "kuh-nobs".
(Ya gotta read Amy to get that.)

So, I decided to go out on a limb.  

And jump.

There's one thing about it, you're either going to love it or hate it.  I love it.  And the knobs...  Yeah.  I {heart} Hobby Lobby.  And better yet, 50% off.  I am so glad I drove 45 minutes into W'loo yesterday on a whim.  The knobs make it.

And the detailing that I love totally "pops" now.

I'm actually surprised how much I like it.  

Adore it, actually.

Super bright.  Super cheerful.

And get this...

This morning as I was groggily sitting up in bed trying to shake off the last dregs of sleep, I looked over at the rocking chair that I bought off Craigslist last summer for $30.00.  Amazingly enought, I think it was built by Square Brand too.  The detailing is almost exact.

What are the odds of that?

Pretty slim, I betcha. 

Now, some of you are probably ranting at your computer right now because I painted an antique.  You probably liked the dark heaviness of the original:

But I think she's gorgeous.

And totally me.

And when you throw in some perky spring goodness...

Does it get any better?

I don't think so.

What about you?

XO,

Linking up to:

The 36th Avenue
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
52 Mantels
Have A Daily Cup From Mrs. Olsen
House of Hepworths
Lil Luna
Restore Interiors
The Shabby Nest
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Redoux
Embracing Change
Days of Chalk and Chocolate
From My Front Porch To Yours
Too Much Time On My Hands
Decorating Insanity
Kammy's Korner
Dumpster Diva
Debbie Do's Newbie Party

Gettin' There...

How long has it been since I started on this bear of a dining room?

Six weeks?

At least?

Well, it seems like everything is conspiring against me getting this darn thing finished.

One, $$$$$.

Two, life stuff.

Three, I lost my oomph because one and two weren't cooperating.

I mean, I have worked on some stuff.

Like, my dining room table:

And all those lovely little frames sitting on the shelves of the partially finished book shelf - and a few on the floor that are larger that you can't see.

And half of the chairs are done:

Kind of.

Four need second coats and two of them need to be started on.

HOWEVER...

That's what happens when three of your three cars all wind up in the repair shop in the SAME week.  Lovely.

But, yesterday I had a wonderful surprise.

After discussing it back and forth for WEEKS with Scott (and driving him crazy with asking his opinion), I changed my mind about doing board and batten in the dining room.  Although I always swoon at rooms done in neutrals, primarily white, I know that I need color.  And I was so afraid that doing board and batten on three-quarters of the walls would be too much white for me - not to mention the fact that living on a dusty gravel road, I would be spending a huge amount of time cleaning, which is definitely NOT my favorite way to spend my time - unless, of course, I'm working a mad off.  You know, cleaning as therapy?  ;)  So, I went back to doing wainscoting, as I originally planned.

Scott and I went to Menard's to check out just how much the wainscoting, base trim, and chair rail will cost.  Keep in mind, we just went in to look.

And guess what???

The wainscoting was HALF OFF.  Yippee :)

So, we came home with 9 packs and the base trim.

Now granted, its not oak because they were sold out, but its like I told Scott, "I'm going to paint it.  If I was going to stain it that would be one thing, but I'm not." (When inside I was thinking:  "Just get the wainscoting now because if I don't get it at this price I'm NEVER going to get it."  LOL)  Although, he did get the oak base trim, since our other base trim that we bought is oak too.

It probably took us an hour and a half to put it in the cart, as we debated doing paneling sheets cut to size, using pre-primed MDF, or going with pine or oak.  Scott was quick to point out that the MDF is what we have in the downstairs bathroom and it has not held up well to moisture, at all.  And with the wear and tear of five kiddos (especially the BOYS - Wrestling in the house, anyone?) , he felt that wood was a better option.

Finally, he put it in the cart and all I wanted to do was get out of there before he decided he wanted to think on it for a little while.  LOL  I know my husband well and he really likes to THINK about stuff A LOT.  So much, in fact, that sometimes he never gets around to buying it OR has done so much thinking and talking about doing something that by the time it comes time to do it, he's lost his motivation to do it.  But, I suppose in that way we balance each other out because I'm a look before I leap kind of person.  He really helps keep me in line and I help make sure he does stuff and doesn't over-think it, so it works for us.  :)

And he got a new Dewalt drill, since ours took a poop on us when we were doing the book shelves AND a new air compressor, which he needs to run the nail gun because THAT took a poop on us, so we both were happy when we left the store.

And to think we just went to LOOK.  Yep.  That's how it works.  I've just got to GET him there.  LOL  ;)

So, needless to say I'm super excited and ready to kick some booty today.  But, like with all things that require Scott to help me, I'm going to have to wait until he has spare time to do it.  But, if I get everything done where all I'm doing is waiting on him, I'll have good reason to give him the evil fish eye.  HA HA HA

So today, I'm going to finish up the chairs and transform my wash stand with a bit o' paint.

Yes, I know I said that I wasn't going to touch it with paint, but I've decided that to fit the vision I have for the dining room, its gotta have some paint love.  I really want to go out on a limb and paint it a color, but I think I'm going to play it safe with white and then give it some funky knobs courtesy of HL.  Know what I mean?

And given that the kiddos only have two days of school this week thanks to Easter Break, I know if I'm going to do anything I better get 'er done today and tomorrow because nothing much ever gets accomplished with Rugrats one, two, three, four, and five at home - except cleaning up the trail of mess and chaos they leave in their wake.

And maybe, if I'm lucky...

Scott can do a little each night and that will make me EXTREMELY happy.  And as everyone knows, if Momma's happy, EVERYONE is happy.  Right?  Right.  ;)

Mirror, mirror...

Not on the wall yet, but it will be...  eventually.  ;)

Some of you might remember this really gold mirror that I picked up from the "Mart of Doom" back in December:

Although it is plastic, it was a steal at thirty-five dollars.

But it needed a little work.

So, I took some homemade chalk paint to her:

I liked her just plain white, but I really wanted to make those details pop.  So, I broke out the technique glaze.

When I first started upcycling and making over furniture, I would read all these bloggers talking about glazing.  Kind of like how they talk about ASCP -  It took me FOREVER to put Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and ASCP together.  Hey, I'm blond.  What can I say?

Anyhoo...  I had no clue who, what, when, where, why, or how to glaze.  So, for those of you who are newbies, here's a few quick instructions on how to glaze.  I'm not sure if its the "right" way or not, but its "my" way and I've never had any issues with it.  So, here goes...

For those of you who have never used technique glaze, its a great alternative to age furniture, or in this case - a mirror.  Or, it can really make detailing stand out.  Sometimes I use wax, but I wasn't liking the idea of having to dig chunks of wax out of all the crevices.  I really need to get one of those nifty brushes.  Sorry, ADD moment...  So, that's why I went with the glaze.

Its pretty simple.  Trust me.  If it wasn't, I wouldn't do it.  ;)  I basically mix about a cup of technique glaze to an ounce of colored paint.  You can glaze with any color your little heart desires, so its a fun alternative to plain light or dark wax.

I really wanted to go with a gray glaze, but it was too light.  So, I mixed in some brown paint with the gray paint and glaze.  Its always good to do a small area first, just to make sure you like how it's looking.

The first thing you're going to do is put it on with a brush.  There's no special way, just slap it on there.  I used a craft brush, just because I really wanted to control the size of the space I was glazing.

The big thing with glaze is, you don't want to do too big of an area at once on a piece that has as much detail as this mirror does.  You will run the risk of the glaze partially drying before you have a chance to wipe it off.

Now, you're not going to wipe all of it off.  You need to just wipe it gently.  Technically, I usually use a cotton t-shirt, but I was too lazy to find one to cut up (and Scott is running out of old shirts and is going to start to notice), so I just used a dish cloth.  Some people recommend dampening the cloth you're using, but personally I don't feel like it gives me as much control over how much I'm removing.  That's my personal preference though.

Gently wipe in the direction of the pattern, being sure to leave some residue behind.

Next, because of all the different grooves and crevices, I took a Q-tip to it.  Are there never ending uses to a Q-tip or what?  LOL

I just cleaned around inside of all the crevices where the glaze had really pooled.  Tedious?  Yes.  Monotonous?  Yes.  But necessary. You don't want it to look all gunked up.  In my world, "gunked" is a word.  ;)

Here, you can see the difference between glazed and unglazed:

Left Side:  Glazed
Right Side:  Unglazed

And the final result is a piece that has been freshly painted, but looks ages old.  And the detailing is so much more defined than it would have been if I had left it pure white.  And sooooo much better than that gaudy gold. (No offense to peeps that might like gaudy gold.  :P )

A quick before:

Gaudy Gold

Antiqued White

And so much more fun than painting on the furniture or walls.

I'm such an instant gratification lush.  ;)

And I cannot wait to hang this on the wall in the dining room...  whenever that may be.  HA.

But, at least I did get something done that was worth blogging about.  LOL

And just so you know I'm actually working on some stuff, here's a sneak peek of the dining room table:

She's finally done, but I'm still working on the chairs.  I'm not sure what's up with the wonky colors of the blue in this photo, but I can assure you that she's a gorgeous distressed one tone blue.  ;)

So, now you know what I'm working on tomorrow...  The chairs.

Until then y'all...

Wainscoting Woes

It seems like with every project in this house that we attempt, there's always some kind of woe involved.

"Woe is me!"

LOL!

Yesterday, I got so super excited when Scott walked in the door at 4:30 p.m. (which is waaaaay early in the day for him to be home) with a caulk gun in his hand and asked, "Are you ready to get to work?"

"YES!"

He didn't have to ask twice, I was off the couch in a jiffy...  House Hunters was ridiculous anyway.  Who in their right mind would pay $500,000 for a 10 week time share???  (Obviously someone with A LOT more money than me!)

So, we got to work...

Love the smell of fresh cut wood!

After getting the first piece of floor trim cut and in place, Scott wanted to check out how the wainscoting would work.

Yeah.  It didn't.

He didn't like the flat side.

And I didn't like the work involved with the bead board side.

Conundrum.

And why is it that we're still married after nearly 14 years?

C-O-M-P-R-O-M-I-S-E.

Well, that and with 5 children, the business, and the house, divorce is simply too much of a headache.  Its just easier to meet in the middle somewhere.  ;) (That's Laura humor right there.  HA!)

So, I dragged him over to the computer and sat him down in the chair and showed him this...

Sawdust and Embryos

and this...

Thrifty Decor Chick

and this.

Hooked on Houses

And that wall color is the almost exact color of our dining room, so that was a GREAT one to show him.

So, that's what we've decided on doing:  Board and Batten

Great compromise.

And I think, will look much better especially with the wood work beside the stairs.

Notice anything different?
Yep.  I primered part of the stairwell.  :)

And for all you white lovers out there, 

that's going to be a WHOLE lotta white!

Unfortunately, doing that means I have to wait.  You know, for Scott to do some jobs and start getting some money rolling in.  Its been a loooooong winter around here.  The temps have been so mild that we haven't sold a quarter as much firewood, as we normally do.  And with only three pushable snows, we haven't had any income from snow removals either.  The only thing that has kept us going this summer is selling hay.  It has NOT been a fun winter!  And then there's those pesky bills that have to be paid...  Business loans and a house payment and telephone and cell phone and electricity and cable...  Did I mention its been a looooong winter?  So wait, I must.  He says two weeks at the most, since he already has work lined up.  I can work with that.

Sooooooo...

In the meantime, I'm going to work on the furniture that's going in the dining room.  Its time to break some paint out.  And with the lovely 70 degree temperatures forecasted for the next week, I can really get the ball rolling.

Goal:  Have all the furniture completed, so that by the time we get the board and batten up and painted, I can just move everything straight in.  And then, it will be D-O-N-E.  Finally.

Oh the joys of doing nothing on credit, 

but only when we can afford it.

And then I can start on the living room.

YAY!

Here's hoping y'all all have a fantastic day...  And if you live in Iowa, open up those windows peeps!  Its going to be gorgeous day, dah-ling.

Progress: Wainscoting

This morning when I woke up, I wasn't feeling very motivated concerning the dining room.  I spent all day yesterday playing catch up on laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and trying to get all the other rooms "manageable".  This is what happens when you have five children and do nothing but paint.  Today I just wanted to veg out.  I dozed on and off on the couch until about noon while having an HGTV marathon.  How I was able to do that for four hours and not get motivated is beyond me.  Usually, that really gets my butt in gear.  Finally, I decided to tackle the pile on wainscoting that's been laying in the dining room floor for 3 weeks or better.

It was a process to say the least - and my arms feel it.

Each piece had 2-4 nails.  Large nails.  That have been there for over a hundred years.

I had to beat them each out with a hammer.

Then pull them out the top side.

Sometimes they were so bent that I had to do this:

What?  You don't wear dress socks when you're doing home improvement?  ;)  And, yes...  I knocked myself in the chin a few times doing this, but they came out!

I've never really given you a good close up of the peeling paint I'm going to be dealing with...

and the lovely nail holes that those ginormous nails left behind.

Here's where your advice comes in.  Again.  I like asking everyone what they think even though I usually have the direction I'm going in my head.  Hearing someone else's opinion sometimes reaffirms what I'm thinking and sometimes even changes my mind.

I have three directions I can go with this stuff.

1)  The obvious:  Strip all the paint and repaint them to match the trim.  The right way.  Will look new and more professional.

2)  Flake off all the chipping paint and go for the really, really distressed look.  Authentic.  Adds texture and character.  A lot less work.  But will it be too much of the chippy look I love?

All of the darker beige paint like is on the center one and part of the right one will be gone, leaving the glossy white, bits of green and wood peeking out. (Obviously I haven't painted the trim yet.  I'm going to do it all at once and depending on what I decide.)  I haven't touched it, except to take the nails out.  They need to be washed and all the flaking paint chipped off.  Fun times!  :P

3)  Flip the boards over, go with the wider, flatter plank, and then paint them the same white as the trim will be.  It achieves the same fresh, new look with less than half the work.  It also gives it more of a farmhouse look.  They'll have be sanded, but that's a heck of a lot better than stripping.

Keep in mind that there will be a wide base trim at the bottom and then it will be topped with a chair rail.

So, what do you think?  1, 2, or 3?

I'm pretty pleased with the progress I made today.  All the wainscoting is neatly stacked in the corner...

And now I have a somewhat organized space to work in.

Not too bad for an afternoon's work.  And the best part of all?  Finding the treasures of history that someone over a hundred years ago left behind...

The name of the very first owner and builder of the house, plus the location to which the boards were being shipped.  Way cool.  I think I'll be setting two of these aside and doing something with them in the dining room.  I love finding stuff like this in this house!

Next up:

Deciding what color to paint the risers of the stairs.  I'm really leaning toward a lighter green than what is on the walls, but I'm questioning whether or not I should go with a more classic white.  I'm afraid I'm getting caught up in the bright colors of spring fever and might regret it through the other months.  Any thoughts on that?

Soooooooooo...

Please let me hear your thoughts on the wainscoting and the riser color.  I always love to hear what you're thinking!!!

Have a great weekend, y'all!