Buffet in Basil w/ a Textured Linen Dry Brush

I usually start decorating for Christmas once Thanksgiving is over. 

This year is different. I want to decorate...TODAY.

Since I still have two weeks, I will use my decorations for staging this gorgeous buffet I painted. 

Here is a quick before and after with many, many pictures to follow. 

If you made it through all of those pictures, you're a trooper! 

Now for all the details. 

I used basil by General Finishes for the base and I dry brushed a thin coat of linen. 

I loved the dry brush because it showed so much texture on the wood. 

Plus the linen ties in with the white pulls. 

I sprayed the metal circles on each corner with thin coats of oil rubbed bronze, metallic gold and aged copper spray paint to have them blend with the gold on the pulls. 

I found the pulls at Home Goods.

I am so happy with how great this piece turned out! 

Vintage Buffet and Not Decorating for the Season

Hi friends! 

Fall is officially here and I can feel the change outside. 

Here's to cooler times waiting in the carpool line, long sleeves, and everything pumpkin spice. 

We'll all be sick of it soon and ready for spring again. 

Pumpkins, fall leaves and Harvest signs are everywhere in blog-land. You won't find any of that crap on this blog. 

At least, not until October. 

I try to make things pretty and I stage with things I think look pretty. Plus, I haven't dug out my fall decorations. 

Therefore, pink gladiolas and bright yellows it is. 

Okay, I've rambled enough...here's a pretty makeover that I am super in love with.

BEFORE

AFTER

How much do you love this makeover?! 

I really love it. 

I found this buffet at Goodwill and when I saw it I knew I had to get it! 

It is much bigger in person. Like HUGE, in person.

I knew I wanted a pretty dark bluish grey color but I wanted to use paint I already had on hand. I also wanted a more worn look since this piece has a vintage feel. 

I had some Old Fashioned Milk Paint colors so I mixed them until it was close to the color I wanted. 

I mixed sea green, light cream, and pitch black. I didn't measure, I just added colors until I liked the outcome. 

The color was a shade of denim once it dried. 

I used a brown glaze to make the color deeper and bring out the creases and imperfections. 

The milk paint didn't chip as much on it's own so I used a 220 sandpaper to make the paint chip. 

Love, Love, Love!

I hope you like this piece as much as I do....and my spring flowers : )

Helen 

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Coral Crush + Persimmon Buffet

This buffet was one of the first pieces I ever painted. 

I found it at Goodwill for $40, brought it home and painted the entire thing white. Last year, I stripped the top and painted the bottom a greenish/blue color. 

I've always said purple is my favorite color. Once I started painting furniture & my house, I realize my favorite color is any shade of blue. It's becoming a problem! 

I need a change. 

I need some color (besides blue or gray) in my home. 

General Finishes Milk Paint sent me some bright, bold colors to use. 

I loved the colors but they were a little too bright for my space. 

Solution.....

Make my own color!

I mixed 1 part coral crush and 1 part persimmon to get this rich color. 

If it looks crazy bright it's probably the screen settings (the first picture looks a little off on my screen).

This color is the perfect mix. It's not too pink and not too orange. 

The next three photos are very true to the actual color.

  I love the wood grain on the lip.

I went with a white washed wooden knob from Hobby Lobby. 

See the black and white photo? That is a picture of my husbands grandmother when she was in college. It's one of my favorite photos. 

 The chair is one of my extra kitchen chairs. It was also painted in GF milk paint. 

See the problem I have with blues and greens??! 

It's a serious issue!

What's the difference is between General Finishes (GF) milk paint and other milk paint brands?

GF is premixed and it is not a powder. 

It does not flake and get chippy. It is the consistency of paint.

It dries hard and sticks to almost anything.

Other brands are a powder that you mix with water. 

They will flake and get chippy (normally). You can add a bonding agent if you do not want chipping. 

The consistency is not like normal paint. It is a little more runny.

Both types of milk paint distress easily.

Hope this helps answer any questions readers might have!

My friend Reeves from The Weathered Door did a great post on various types of milk paint.
Click here to go straight to her post. 

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Custom Mustard Yellow Buffet

I spent the day running errands with my daughter, giving my hubby time to study for class tonight, and rushing home to take advantage of the sun poking its head out to take a few pictures. 

As I was getting ready to stage this buffet I got a text message from my client letting me know the sun was out and she was dying to see some more photos. This is for you Ashley!!

Ashley found a buffet and wanted to paint it mustard yellow. She gave me three shades of yellow to pick from and I picked Almond Puff by Valspar. I don't know if my eyes or going bad or the girl that was training in the paint department mixed it wrong but the color was off.  First, you get to see the color I mixed and at the end of this post you can see the huge mistake of a color I chose.

 BEFORE

One of our errands was Trader Joe's to get  flowers.

I don't have a color name since I mixed the color myself. 

I sprayed the pulls, waxed and very lightly distressed the edges. 

I sanded the top and used Kona stain to restain the top. 

Ashley has a farm table in her kitchen with a dark top and a coffee table with a dark wood plank top so we went dark with this piece too. 

Want to see what the Almond Puff looked like? 

It's the color on the right and the color on the left is the one I mixed. I took it with my phone at night so it's not too clear but you get the idea. 

I kept picturing yellow school buses, and those big bright smiley faces...maybe even a yield sign. 

I was going to use a black glaze to tone it down or maybe even add a little brown paint to help adjust the color. Both were a FAIL! 

Thankfully, I think I made the right call and came up with a great color that was very close to the three Ashley gave me.
 I can't leave you with this picture so here so one more good one!

Yellow is my grandma's favorite color and I never liked it. In the last two years, yellow (especially mustard yellow) has been added to my top 5 favorite colors. 

 Are you a fan of yellow?

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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!

 

 

 

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