::Marcie and My DIY Chalk Paint Review::

PSSSST...I'm no longer blogging here!

You can now find me at

www.acottagegirl.com

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I'm learning fast that most pieces I pick up to flip are gonna take more time than I expect.

When you're working with old, character-filled, vintage furniture they are just about always gonna need some TLC.  Those that don't are the exception.

Case in point: I picked up this beauty for $5 at a yard sale (had already begun filling holes, and hubs had re-glued the bottom....notice the redneck bungee cord clamps?)

Unfortunately, after all the hard work he put in repairing the broken parts, when it dried we realized our lack of measuring meant the bottom drawer would not go back in....you can see it sticking out a bit in the pic above.

Which meant this:

A big, fat do-over. (sad face)

Hubs was a trooper, though, and I was finally able to finish her up for the sale this past weekend.  In my hurry to finish her, she didn't get a proper photo shoot, and I only got the one pic at the top of the post. Thankfully one of my Maven's snapped this pic from that day.  This is Marcie:

I used DIY chalk paint in a creamy white and a pale blue gray, and distressed her.  Sprayed the original handles white.  She sold to a gal who came back 3 different times :)

So, speaking of DIY chalk paint....I've fiddled with several recipes from Pinterest.  They all work fine, as I mentioned in THIS POST, but my favorite is simple calcium carbonate with a bit of water mixed into a quart of Sherwin Williams Color to Go.  I had been adding equal parts primer and sample paint as the samples don't have all the bonding stuff that regular paint does....but it dilutes the color a bit....for instance the grey drawers on Marcie is 'Comfort Gray', but diluted with the primer.

I just redid a desk using just calcium carb and the sample, and it worked just as well.  So I think I'll skip the primer, at least with SW sample quarts.

I use Diane's recipe from In My Own Style, and honestly that post can tell you anything I can but better. :)  She did a great job.

If I had unlimited funds for painting furniture, I would only use CeCe Caldwell and American Paint Co. products (and maybe milk paint too).  I'm finding that working with latex almost everyday leaves me worried about the toxins.  I'm susceptible to migraines, and in the heat, I've had to be careful.  I also worry about all the latex going down my drains when I clean my brushes......and DIY chalk paint doesn't distress or take wax quite as well as a the boutique brands.  Not enough for most to notice, but I do since I work with it so often.

Since I don't have unlimited funds, I'll continue to make my own, and purchase the boutique brands when I have some extra greenbacks floating around.  My hope is that I'll begin seeing enough profit from selling pieces (and using up the DIY and other products I'm not crazy about) to begin to use CeCe and APC exclusively.

What fun all this playing with paint is for me!  I'll have a review of Shabby Paints up later this week.

Marcie parties at: Mod Vintage Life, The DIY Show Off, Artsy Chicks Rule, Knick of Time, Farmhouse Porch, A Stroll Thru Life, Cozy Little House, Coastal Charm, Three Mango Seeds, The Charm of Home, Fluster Buster, Elizabeth & Co., Green Willow Pond, Domestically Speaking, City Farmhouse, Lilyfield Life, No Minimalist Here, Stone Gable, Start At Home, The Vintage Farmhouse, The Koenigs, Common Ground, The Charm of Home, French Country Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Jennifer Rizzo, Redoux Interiors, Mustard Seed Interiors, Craftberry Bush, Liz Marie Blog, My Repurposed Life, The Cottage Market, DIY Vintage Chic, Funky Junk Interiors

::van Gogh Paint/Product Review::

It's been super awesome fun to get to try all these boutique paints.  Super awesome fun.
Meet Tonya.....

Tonya was my latest victim project to get a makeover.
I used products I received from van Gogh Chalk Paint Collection.
In this post, I showed you how it arrived.....

One of the jars of their Moon Glaze had gotten jostled open and covered everything in the box.
I wonder if the box had been dropped and/or opened as you'll notice even the paint cans were dented and looked messed with.
It also took a good while to arrive....so long, in fact, I thought perhaps they'd forgotten to ship it.

Anyway, undeterred, I dove in and started painting.  They were kind enough to enclose 2 full quarts of their paint (colors: Chalk and Van Gogh), a brush, the unfortunate Moon Glaze which I was unable to use, and a tub each of her clear beeswax and her French Caffeine beeswax.

Here's the before....a typical 80's laminate side table left in our temporary home by the previous owners.  Weighs a friggen ton.  Just sayin'.

(like my hi tech tuna cans?  That's how I roll....)

I used the Van Gogh color...a very vibrant turquoise!

Did I mention it was vibrant?

REVIEW: Coverage was excellent.  Needed only one coat, but I had to do a few touch-ups as I was whipping that paint on fast.  It reminded me very much of the consistency of Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint, a bit thicker than CeCe Caldwell and American Paint Co. There was no smell.  Finish was matte and fairly smooth.  Very 'chalk paint' typical, with some brush marks.  I've since learned if you don't like those marks, you can either go over it with a brush lightly dipped in water, or mist it with water and go over it with a clean brush.  You're welcome.

Next I used my Waxine waxing brush and did a coat of her clear beeswax as per the instructions.  I put on a light coat, rubbed it in and then wiped over it all with a blue shop towel to be sure there was no excess, let it dry (maybe 30 minutes) and lightly buffed it with another clean shop towel.  Very smooth, matte finish.  No real shine.

Then I held my breath and dipped into the dark wax, using another of those blue shop paper towels.  It went on pretty smoothly, but I definitely need some more practice.  At this point, I still like glazing better, but that's prolly because I'm more familiar with that technique. It was easy to remove any excess, and while not as 'mobile' as glazing medium, it stuck nicely into the corners and niches and brush strokes.

It took over 24 hours for that last coat of wax to dry....it was humid here.  Like stupid humid.

Afters!  The dark French Caffeine Beeswax brought out more of the moody green, and toned the turquoise down nicely.  It's still a rich shade, but more subtle.

Had the knob (from Hobby Lobby) in my stash.  As it had antique brass detail, I just used the original hinges.

Thanks to Van Gogh Chalk Paint Collection for supplying me with your products!

Tonya will be available to locals at The Serendipity House.
She will also be carted to the Maven's Vintage Driveway Sale this Sunday.
If you're around Fort Wayne IN, come see us!  There will be 4 other flippers besides myself peddling their wares. :)
Revived, Cottage in the Woods, Restyled Vintage Designs, Emiley's Haute Cottage.
Would love to see you!

Tonya's a party girl like her sisters, so she'll be flaunting her knob around blogland.  Links go live when she arrives....
Tutorials & Tips, The DIY ShowOff, Stylish Once Again, A Stroll Thru Life, Mod Vintage Life, The Farmhouse Porch, Cozy Little House, Coastal Charm, Knick of Time, Artsy Chicks Rule, Home Stories from A to Z, Elizabeth & Co., Homework, City Farmhouse, Fluster Buster, Domestically Speaking, Lilyfield Life, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Green Willow Pond, My Repurposed Life, The Craftberry Bush, Jennifer Rizzo, Redoux Interiors, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, The Charm of Home, Common Ground, Rooted in Thyme, Start at Home, Stone Gable, Blue Egg Brown Nest, Liz Marie Blog, The Cottage Market, Mustard Seed Interiors, Party Junk