an ebay bargain gets a makeover with Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan

I loved how my first Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan (TM) turned out (see the laundry basket make over here) and I was very excited to test the paint on a piece of furniture.  I needed clothes storage for the girls room at the cottage, on a budget of course, so I hunted down this lovely ebay bargain.  $57 for a cute dresser with ample drawer storage and a cute mirror as a bonus.  Now it's transformed into a gorgeous dresser which is one of the star's of the room.  With Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan (TM) it was easy.

It didn't start out lovely, it was a tired cream with gold handles and detailing on the mirror.  I was specifically looking for a piece with elaborate detailing to try and get the french provincial furniture look once the piece was finished.  

I chose to mix my own paint colour, equal portions of Old White and Paris Grey.  Paris Grey on its own was a little to dark.  The result is a perfect French grey, cool but not cold, slightly blue but still grey. This is the French grey I have been searching for for years, and wasted countless tester pots on.  I am thrilled with it.  

The paint went on like a dream.  The best thing about Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan (TM) is there is no prep, no sanding back or priming required.  You can get straight onto the fun stuff right away.  Two coats of paint was plenty and the whole piece was fully painted in an afternoon.  I used the Annie Sloan paint brush which is lovely and soft and really gets into the crevices of an old piece like this.  

Getting the distressed look on the drawer handles and mirror detail was also simple to do, see the lovely results below.  After I had painted each drawer I used a soft cloth to gently rub the paint on the handles away.  If I took off to much by mistake I just repainted and did the process again.  Honestly it was easy and the result is very professional.  I love the way the gold glints through the grey.

I finished the dresser with a few coats of clear wax to protect the paint and the furniture.  Don't skip the waxing, it doesn't take long and it definitely is the final step in lifting the project from home painted to professional finish.  I could not be more delighted with my $57 investment.

A word of warning, painting the drawers can make them stick as they pull in and out, it makes them just that little bit thicker than they were before.  To prevent this I sanded the drawer edges back a little before painting, it made them slide better anyway and was worth doing, won't take long with the electric sander.

I highly recommend you give these paints a try.  If you have a piece of furniture around the house that could use being reloved, pick up some Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan (TM) and give it a go.

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miss e's bedroom gets a tween make over

I can't believe one of my babies is heading for her teens.  In celebration of her recent birthday I surprised her with a mini makeover of her bedroom with the help of Trudy from HOME etcetera.  Its becoming an important place for her to listen to music and chat with friends, and it was time for more grown up doona covers and cushions.  

You can see in the before picture (below) we had already updated the old cast iron bed, chopping of the footer and making a soft and cuddly padded headboard.  There are lots of headboard diy's out there, its easy to do and inexpensive.  The cost of board, foam, padding and fabric for this bed was under $100, far cheaper than buying a new bed.

I wanted to keep the curtain, which Miss E chose when we first moved in, she still loves the fresh colours, but it did limit my options with doona covers and cushions.  The painting is by my mum.  In the end I chose the lovely soft grey Derwent flannelette set with small white cross detail, the grey is a soft contrast to the bright curtains and cushions.  Miss E would never hold with something to girly and this is look is pretty without being either to sweet or to grown up.

With the doona I chose several velvet cushions in shades of blue, a silver ikat style pillow, and the Cisco European pillow case with black crosses on white cotton.  The cushions toned in with a modern geometric pillow we already had.  I know there are to many cushions, the interior designers of this world would disapprove, but I knew Miss E would want tons to snuggle into, and plenty to share with her friends.

I also added a lot of extra storage with a new piece from Ikea, from the nordli range, its really sturdy and has lots of drawers for all the important things that my little collector likes to keep.  And it created a lovely place to make a small display and for her bedside lamp.

Miss E is delighted with it, she has been keeping her new room neat as a pin she is so pleased with it, an unexpected bonus for me.  And yes designers she really did need all of those pillows.

If you are thinking of an update pop into Trudy's lovely online store, with its lovely linen and gorgeous cushions you are sure to find those finishing touches for your own space.

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shared bedroom on a budget

We went to our little cottage in the country recently, and boy what a tired and dirty little house she is.  Every wall and ceiling was cracked, the painting prep took absolute ages and we went through tens of gap filler tubes.  But finally she is starting to look a little more loved.  The first room we finished was the girls room.  I love the idea of them sharing when we are away on holiday and I was inspired by gorgeous matching beds each with their own reading light.  

See the before below - in this picture the dirty green walls already have their first coat of paint, and that truly ugly pendant!

Everything in this little house is being done on a shoe string budget and this room is no exception.  The bedspreads are from Miss E's room (which is being updated to suit a teen), the curtains are from a long ago bedroom, the carpet was made by my Granny and has been with me for years.

The rest are strictly budget finds: 

• Ikea single beds bought on ebay and headboards upholstered.  With foam, plywood and fabric each bed makeover cost me around $50 and each bed cost only around $90.
• The dresser is a $57 ebay find which I repainted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paints (diy instructions still to come).  It is so pretty in its new soft grey colour and gives the girls plenty of space to pack away their clothes.
• The reading lights are Ikea Ranarp wall lamp at $30 each.  I love them above each bed and it means Miss E can read into the night without disturbing her smaller sister.
• The old velvet cushions I have had for years and updated with blanket stitch detail.

I love the finished product, pretty but not precious, with a lovely mixture of new and old, and best of all pretty easy on the pocket.

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make over delight...ugly to pretty with spray paint

This little beauty was discovered in the mark down bin at Freedom, but that was before it got a make-over.  The shape was really good and reminded me of the white Scandi style vessels that have been so popular this season, but the terracotta was ugly!  Popped into Bunnings on the way home, bought some white spray paint, and that very evening that ugly vase was reborn a swan.

TOP TIPS

• Use an old cardboard box as a spraying booth.
• Stand the vase on a small wood offcut so that the spray doesn't pool at the base.  (You can always spray the base separately.)

A lovely addition to a white on white display I am trying to build.
And that's why I can never pass up a quick look at the mark down table.

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