I have a couple - make that lots - of different pieces of furniture that have been given to me over the years. One piece I've been wanting to paint for a long time was a secretary I received from my mother-in-law. I talked to my husband about it and he said he would love for me to paint it because he had been looking at it all of his life.
So I took the plunge.
It was scary.
I'm not sure why...but for this piece it just was.
And now.... I just love it. It's something I enjoy looking at now, instead of cringing when I see it. My hubby even comments on it quite often.
I used a homemade chalk paint. At this point I hadn't bought the real stuff yet. I thought about changing out the hardware, but ended up just using rub-n-buff to freshen it up.
I have lots of pictures of this old lady and it was a major process to paint since I changed my mind a few times. :)
I had a hard time getting pictures from the floor because someone thought all of my attention should be focused on him.
It's not like he's cute or a snuggler or anything. :)
In a separate post I'll go into detail on all of the paint changes, but for now, I wanted to go ahead and post a few pics.
**Update** You can find that post here. :)
I'll catch up with you soon - take care,
I sometimes join the following parties -
Monday
betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/
http://www.getouttamyheadplease.com/
http://www.askannamoseley.com/
itssoverycheri.com/
thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/ 1st & 3rd
Tuesday
betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/
http://www.getouttamyheadplease.com/
http://www.askannamoseley.com/
itssoverycheri.com/
thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/ 1st & 3rd
Tuesday
http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/
www.houseofhepworths.com/
http://kristenscreationsonline.blogspot.com/
http://restoreinteriors.blogspot.com/
www.houseofhepworths.com/
http://kristenscreationsonline.blogspot.com/
http://restoreinteriors.blogspot.com/
Thursday
Looks great. I love the new look.
ReplyDeleteYou saved that piece, it looks so good now !
ReplyDeleteThanks for using AMACO's Rub 'n Buff on your project. The piece looks great, especially the handles!
ReplyDeleteThanks! ;) I love that stuff! I'm getting ready to buy a few more colors.
DeleteI think you gave it a new life painting it black, Misti! It looks great now. I'm sure your hubby can't believe, especially since he has looked at it most of his life.
ReplyDeleteI have so much respect for people who paint. I have some projects just sitting there. Maybe someday I will tackle them. The secretary turned out wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog. The secretary looks so much better painted and the cat is real cute too.
ReplyDeleteAnne
Love the new paint job! What a difference it makes! The piece looks lovely...something to enjoy for years to come. Your kitty is pretty cute, too. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh what a wonderful transformation! It turned out so pretty!
ReplyDeleteYour secretary turned out great - love the new color. I've painted some old things, too, and I'm always pleased. Way to go! Linda
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love homemade chalk paint. Your secretary has been giving a sweet update.
ReplyDeleteDee
I love how the hardware turned out! It really makes the piece. Is is painted purple or navy or green or grey? The color looks different in every picture. I'm happy for you that your husband likes it and let you paint his mother's piece.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually painted black, but with the way I mixed up the homemade chalk paint, it looks blue or grey in places. I actually love the look!
DeleteI played in pic monkey so some of the pictures have different tones to them. :) Sorry to confuse you.
Beautiful! Thanks for linking up at my party :) http://www.doodlesandstitches.com/ I just pinned this too!!
ReplyDeletenice work :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful redo! Great color choice too. Thanks for sharing with the newbie party.
ReplyDeleteHow does one MAKE homemade chalk paint. The Annie Sloan stuff is mighty pricey!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie! I used about 2/3 cup of latex paint with 1/3 cup of calcium carbonate. I just eyeballed it though. There are several other recipes out there. I know one uses plaster of paris and one uses grout. I got my recipe a while back from Sherry at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/2011/09/make-your-own-chalk-paint-for-400.html I have used the Annie Sloan (just on a small chair) and CeCe Caldwell on a frame and they were alot smoother because I wasn't patient enough to stir it as well as I should have. However, I loved the way it gave it the bluish gray cast and that's from rubbing out some small chunks of powder that was still left. So depending upon what you're doing and/or what color you're using, you might kinda like that! Or you might actually just stir better than me. :)
DeleteAlso, did you know you're set to no-reply? I hope you're reading this since I can't email you. :)
Thank you so much. I'm all set to give it a try. And No, I didn't know I was set to no-reply. I'm not great at computers. I'll try to adjust it.
DeleteThank you again. This was very helpful info.
A fellow blogger informed me in the beginning that I was set to no-reply because I didn't realize it either. I goofed around in some of my settings and evidently fixed it because I started to finally get emails - which is my easier to know when someone responds to me! :)
Deletegreat transformation on your secretary.
ReplyDeleteI have two kittos... always think they should be the star of the show!
gail
Way to go!! Aren't you glad you decided to go ahead and paint this piece? It looks wonderful. You did a great job--I'd say all those layers were worth the work!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for joining Grace at Home!
Your blog has a refreshingly good design and pleasing to the eyes.
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