Now that we all know, I want to share some of my treasures that I have been looking at to "find" potential in. Everything has a story, even tables.
I have been looking to furnish my "new-to-me" house with personal items, and what better way than to make it something YOU love. . . . or potentially hate. Either way, I am ready to learn!!
Pinterest, as any woman can attest, is a gem. You can discover inspiration at the click of your mouse pad. Seriously, its a glorious thing. For those who know me, they know that I love making a place homey. I love warmth, color, comfort, peace, and the whole nine yards, that you can find in a "home". I believe that I inherited this from my sweet mother and older sister, and I should probably give some credit to HGTV. So, without further chatting from me, I would like to share my new "find".
Yard sales and craigslist has offered a great outlet for my creative side.Getting things dirt cheap, or better yet, FREE, has been friendly to the Huss' pocketbook. I like that word, FREE!
This particular project was found at a yard sale for $8.00. A beautiful, solid wood coffee table, with character. Couldn't ask for a better canvas!
I knew that I wanted to try some new painting techniques that I have been researching, and I decided that I wanted to achieve an chic antique look, with some gorgeous distressing.
This was my inspiration:
Gorgeous, right?
Both of these were found on the wonderful blog of salvagedinspirations.com. This woman has some amazing pieces, and obviously does an incredible job.
As I read further into tips that she offers on DIY projects, I notice the same term "chalk paint" used over and over again. Continuing on, I realize this is a technique that is used for shabby pieces of furniture, the texture of flat and aged.
I then begin to look for this chalk paint, and holy schmoly. . . . they are not budget friendly. I mean we are talking like $30-$40 on average for a half quart. I mean, I was looking at designer paints, but nothing that was looking affordable. . .
NOT HAPPENING!!
As my freak out subsides, I realize this lovely blog provides recipes for homemade chalk paint. PRAISE THE LORD! This is something I can do. . .
This lovely lady provides the best recipes for chalk paint. http://salvagedinspirations.com/best-homemade-chalk-paint-recipes/ What a God send!! And I made a decision to try the calcium carbonate recipe for quality.
Shopping for the ingredients was virtually easy. I found a pound of high quality calcium carbonate on Amazon, and found some incredible paint at Lowes in the discount section. Let me give DIY-ers a little tip, go to the paint section of your store of choice, ask and find the "screw ups". These are paints that were either colors that mixed wrong or paints that people were disappointed with after mixing in stores. Being willing to look could potentially save you big money. And I can say that I found a steal of a deal! Found a gorgeous flat latex paint that I will be happy using more than once: Paint-$5.00 for a quart. SCORE!
I followed that purchase up with a nice sand to the coffee table. Got to use my new palm sander, courtesy of my handsome husband
I sanded until the finish on the table was complete removed, I then stained it a dark walnut color.
I wanted a darker brown to seep through the distressing. I did two coats. . .
Drying this stain took ages. . .
Gave it a rough sand so that the paint would stick well, and did my first coat with a two inch paint brush.
One coat didn't suffice, so I proceeded on to the second coat. After it dried for what seemed like days, I was ready to distress and wax the table. I used Minwax Paste Finishing wax, applied with doubled over cheesecloth. One application polished it up really nice. . .
Look at this beaut. . .
I loved seeing it all age before my eyes!
Awww, the corners turned out great!
With bad lighting and a smartphone camera, it did not turn out too bad!
Through the process, I really learned PATIENCE. What a concept huh? If the paint is not mixed well enough you will have chalky clumps. . . . and I found a few. Allowing dry time is so critical in getting a well finished piece.
I am happy that this is the first project I have done, and I can see a potential future in re purposing some other items in my home. I love that I found this abandoned piece of wood, and made it apart of my home. :)
Hope this brings some inspiration to your home as it has mine. :)
Have some more projects on the way, stay tuned. . .
Blessings,
Taylor
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