Soldier Blue Buffet

I have been itching to paint a buffet for a while and when I found this one I snagged it. Yes, it's a little busy and there are a lot of things going on with the front of this buffet but it had potential.

 

Did you know you can usually remove those wood appliques? Keep that in mind if you find a piece you love but don't like little details. Most details can be removed.

I took the two spindle pieces off and the half moon...but then later reapplied the half moon piece.

 

BEFORE

 

AFTER



 the lighting is off in this picture but it gives you a close up look of how the milk paint distresses.

 

The color I used was Soldier Blue by Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. and I used a black glaze to darken it a little and sealed with wax.

 

I wanted to keep the top natural but there were a few hiccups so I had to improvise. I painted it brown and then used black glaze to emulate a wood top look.

 

 

I kept the original hardware and sprayed it with oil rubbed bronze.

 

Here's a little close up of the vintage ornaments.



These ornaments belonged to my husbands grandmother....aren't they gorgeous?!

 

 

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa (whatever is special to you) and a Happy New Year.

 

See you guys in the New Year!

 

 

 

linking up to:

a bowl full of lemons

savvsy southern style

mms

shabby creek cottage

 embracing change

life of jennifer dawn

someday crafts

 southern lovely

my girlish whims

 

Custom China Cabinet

I have come to the conclusion that I need a china cabinet now. Nothing big and gaudy but something just like this cabinet I painted for my client. I have no clue where I would put a cabinet but I am sure I could find a spot!

 

BEFORE

There was wallpaper stuck to the inside. Instead of ripping it all out which may have been impossible we lined the inside with a thin fiber board and used caulk to fill any gaps. By we.... I mean my husband! I did caulk all of the gaps though.

 



 

 I also removed all of the thick black trim that someone added. It didn't go with the piece so it had to go!

 

AFTER

 

 My most favorite part of this cabinet is the fabric that was used to line the shelves. It just adds so much coolness and a funky factor to this piece.

 

 The cabinet doors and the bottom doors have the original locks.

 

 This cabinet is going to its owner this weekend and I am going to miss looking at it!

My client Sam and her hubby bought and old house from the late 1800's and it is gorgeous. They are slowly furnishing it with custom painted pieces.

I am hoping to take a few pictures of her place and share them with you guys.

 

Here are a few of the other pieces I have done for her. Her bedroom set, a side table for her living room, and I did this dresser to sell and she grabbed it to use as a buffet in her dinning room.

It  might look like a lot of green but it all works so well in their home. There is a brick wall in every room, the ceilings are 20 feet tall (well, maybe not that tall but they are tall), and the palette is neutral with pops of color in each room.

 

 

What's your favorite part of this cabinet?

 

 

linking up:
My Girlish Whims
From My Front Porch to Yours
Southern Lovely
Someday Crafts

 Sugar and Dots
Handy Man, Crafty Woman
A Little Bird Told Me
Shabby Creek Cottage
House of Hempworths
French Country Cottage
MMS
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Savvy Southern Style

White Dove Dresser & Buffet Color

 I have had a lot of clients wanting to use old furniture in their nurseries. I'm a little jealous of these babies and the one of a kind furniture they have in their rooms. Each piece is so unique and vintage and timeless. Lucky little babies. My poor daughter has store bought furniture that is dark and has no personality....maybe I will change that soon.

My newest client contacted me about updating an old worn dresser she had found for her baby that is on the way.

BEFORE

 The top had seen better days. There were dings and water rings...oh, and lots of dust.

I stripped the top to remove the layers of top coat and varnish and filled in a few holes with wood filler.

AFTER

My client isn't finding out the sex of the baby so she wanted to go neutral with the color of the dresser. She chose White Dove by Benjamin Moore and opted for a clean classic look with no distressing. We kept the original hardware and dressed it up with a little Oil Rubbed Bronze.

I sealed it with Johnson's Paste Wax to protect it from normal wear and tear.  It is going to its new home tomorrow morning.

I am itching for some color. I used milk paint last week and I really liked it. To be honest, I didn't want to like it, I didn't want to do what everyone else is doing. But I have been bitten by the milk paint bug. I painted this bench in Old Fashioned Milk Paint.

I bought this buffet last week and I want to paint it with milk paint. I haven't picked a color but I'm leaning towards Federal Blue....or maybe a yellow. I had a dream last night I was painting it mustard yellow.







What color would you paint it?

Do you think something like this would look good with a naturally chippy distressed finish?

I think I will be doing a poll on my Facebook page next week to get input.  

linking up:
MMS
Tatertots and Jello
Positively Splendid
Alderberry Hill
My Girlish Whims
Shabby Creek Cottage
House of Hempworths
French Country Cottage
savvy southern style

Milk Paint and a Little Gossip

Sorry to disappoint but I don't have any gossip for you but I do have a gossip bench painted with Old Fashioned Milk Paint.

BEFORE

 

 AFTER

The before really isn't that bad but I wanted to try milk paint out on something and this was it.

I used Sea Green by the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. I did not use the bonding agent because I wanted a naturally worn look.  I chose OFMP over MMS milk paint because of price and color choices.

 

 

This picture is the truest as far as color and clarity.

I'm hoping Santa gets my letter about the new camera I asked for....

 

 

 

 

I applied two coats of the milk paint and lightly sanded between coats to loosen any flakes that occurred. This is what it looked like after I sanded and before I waxed.

 You can see the color is a little dull and flat before I waxed.

After I sanded I think the paint really started to chip. Also the longer it sat the more it chipped.

If you don't want the natural chipping and peeling of milk paint add the bonding agent and you can control the amount of peeling.

 

I think it came out great.

 

I want to give credit to other furniture bloggers, pinterest, and crafty people all around for the garland idea. I have seen different homemade garlands and I wanted to make one. There is a garland with dyed doilies that I might try next.  

I used a circle punch and picked out scrapbook paper that I had and then taped them to fishing line.

 

 

 

Have more questions about milk paint?

 

Here some great links to check out:

Design Sponge: before and after basics

Kelly from A Swell Place to Dwell

 

 

What do you think? Are you wanting to try milk paint?

 

 

 

linking up to:

Alderberry Hill

Under the Table and Dreaming

Craft-O-Matic

My 1929 Charmer

A Blossoming Life

Thrifty Decor Chick

 liz marie Blog

Primitive & Proper

My Girlish Whims

 MMS

 Tator Tots and Jello

 



Custom ~ Vintage White Dresser

My client Megan was searching and searching for a dresser. We spent weeks emailing back and forth with Craigslist listings until she sent me this dresser. She got this dresser for a steal. It needed some work but it had potential.

 

BEFORE

 

The top had missing veneer and Megan wanted to work it with and use glaze to highlight it.

I was all for working with what we had but after priming and a coat of paint I said to myself, "This is not Picked and Painted quality, this top is coming off."

 





 

I spent the rest of the afternoon taking all the veneer off of the top.

This is more Picked and Painted quality!

The wood underneath had a few dings but it looked way better than the missing veneer.

 

AFTER

 

 

We decided to skip the glaze and keep the clean look of the white. Megan also wanted to go a little heavier with the distressing... which I think turned out awesome!

 

The paint color I used was Swiss Coffee and I sprayed the hardware with oil rubbed bronze.

I also used homemade chalk paint on this piece (1 cup latex paint mixed with 1/4 to 1/2 cup baking soda).

 

Isn't the original hardware gorgeous?!

 

I sealed it with two coats of Johnson's Paste Wax and the finish is smooth to the touch.

 

I have a little tip for the chalk paint. DO NOT use the fridge pack baking soda. I have used it before because it was all I had on hand but this time it was a complete mess. I was like I added sand to the paint. I don't know why the fridge pack didn't work like normal baking soda. I found plain baking soda, made another batch and it worked like a charm.

 

 

 

linking up to:

MMS

 Tip Junkie

Embracing Change

French Country Cottage

Primp