green chippy stool

I managed to get this stool finished just in time for the MLV fair on Saturday. It didn't sell, but this at least gives me the chance to photograph & blog about it! 

The pictures below show it in its original state - old yellowed pine with faded varnish and paint splatters on it. I found it in a charity shop,  hidden away at the back out of shame.

 First I applied a layer of Annie Sloan's "Florence" chalk paint - a rich emerald green also used here, once dry this was painted over with a layer of "Provence" - also here.

I did not have to prepare the stool at all - just wiped it with a dry cloth quickly to ged rid of any dust. 

Once the coat of Provence was dry, I applied a layer of clear wax. I then used different grades of sandpaper to distress the stool, revealing the "Florence" undercoat in parts and stripping right back to the wood in some places.  I also worked some dark wax into some areas and into the grooves on the legs. 

Clear wax was applied for a final durable coat and the whole piece was buffed with a clean cloth to bring out a smooth, shiny surface. It has just the right "chippy" paint effect - as if the paint has been added and worn away over the years. 

This stool is available to buy for £20. Please see my Facebook page, message, comment or email me for more info, thank you! 

painted patina

So my first (successful) painting project of 2014! I did paint a candelabra before attempting this project, but I'm not happy with it, so it's in the work-in-progress pile. I can't seem to stop buying brass at the moment. I hated it growing up, now there's something about it I really like. Having said that, I decided to paint all over this particular piece! Its a vintage brass candle sconce (is this a "sconce"?). I'm calling it a sconce. I wanted to paint it in a turquoise shade and distress, to look something like patina. It was also an excuse to buy a tin of Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in "Provence", a lovely light turquoise just right for the look I wanted to achieve. 

It was lovely at it was, but very yellowy and not very exciting. I started by rubbing over the surface lightly with wire wool, just enough to help the paint "grab" a bit better. I painted over the entire brass surface with the Provence Chalk Paint. Once dry, I lightly sanded back some areas of the paint to reveal the brass underneath, but not so much that the brass gets scratched.  

I rubbed Annie Sloan's Clear Wax all over the sconce. Using a small brush (one of my daughter's cheap craft brushes), I brushed Annie Sloan's Dark Wax into the detailing, working a small area at a time. The excess was rubbed away with a clean cloth and the whole thing had a final coat of clear wax for a bit of added protection.

I could have distressed it more than this, but I wanted the paint colour to dominate, not the brass. I'm really pleased with it and it is available to buy on my Facebook page here!

By the way, I buy my paint from My Little Vintage shop in Earls Barton, Northamptonshire. A lovely shop with FANTASTIC customer service and lots of lovely things to covet. 

Thank you!