Monday, April 22, 2013

Bookshelf/Media Center

 Before


 After

This piece was originally the hutch that sat on top of an entertainment center.  At first, I thought it might be neat with some baskets below and books above.  My husband thought you could also use it to store assorted balls that often collect on the floor of a little boy's room.  Since it does have the holes for wires, I see this piece as being very versatile to suit a variety of furniture needs.  The color is Valspar's Filoli Morning Glory.  It is a wonderfully vibrant blue.  For the finish, I decided to try something new.  Normally with a paint this bright, I like the contrast of using a black glaze.  I decided to try a tobacco glaze for this piece.  I quickly changed my mind again when I thought about dealing with the oil based walnut stain that I usually mix with the glaze to  create tobacco.  So, I decided to mix up a new glaze just for kicks.  I took some light brown paint that I had lying around and added that with my glaze mix.  The result is what I call "nude glaze".  It reminds me very much of those nude panty hose that were popular when I was growing up!  As you can see, I think it was really perfect for this piece.  I hope that it finds a home soon!

 

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Bench & Night Stand

These are a couple of my latest treasures.  I found the old bench in my grandmother's garage.  It was missing the top and needed a few minor repairs.  I just had my husband put a top on it and make the needed repairs.  The night stand came out of my grandfather's house.  I believe it may have belonged to my great grandmother.  I am thinking that I will paint both white and distress.  I have decided to try a new paint mixture on  the bench.  Chalk paint is all the rage now, but I refuse to spend the money on the paint when I can mix it myself.  I am going to try mixing baking soda in with my paint to get the texture of chalk paint.  I am really anxious to see how it works.