Ooh La La - The French Gray China Cabinet

Posting to the blog has taken a backseat lately while I was getting ready for the greatest outdoor market ever, The Lucketts Holiday Open House and Winter Outdoor Market! Almost every waking hour for the last two weeks (which there were many as I had serious sleep deprivation) was spent painting, sewing and crafting. More on the Market tomorrow!

 

One of the pieces that I had for the show was this really sweet china cabinet.  Before anyone gets upset...it was actually painted to look like dark wood (not original, I'm pretty sure).  A very nice and heavy piece made by Berkey and Gay, it appeared to be a blonde wood on the outside originally.  I actually got the hubby's blessing to paint it, so that in itself should prove that it needed some love with color. :)

 

The quality of this before picture is bad.  Once again, I was so anxious to get started that I didn't take a before shot....this is from the auctioneer's website...but hopefully you get the idea of what it looked like in the beginning.

 

So anyway, as always, I went back and forth about color.  I had used the Real Milk Paint Company French Gray milk paint on other pieces and decided that this would be another good candidate. 

 

So, it began...

 

 

Ohhhhh.....I love this color!!

 

After letting it sit overnight for the chipping to finish (and after having to re-do the side fluting due to too much chipping), I trimmed out the details in white acrylic paint.  That was the icing on the cake!

 

 

I added a little more white on the drawer trim and the dots above the legs - then lightly sanded the entire piece to smooth out the chipping and tone down the white a bit.

 

 

I had originally planned to paint the inside a white....but wow...I actually loved how the dark wood pops against this color!  I couldn't do it.

 

I gave it a few of coats of clear wax....and voila!

 

It sold on the first day of the market and the new owner, Jennifer, sent me this picture after it was settled into it's new home.  Simply GORGEOUS!!

 

 

I loved it before, but it's absolutely stunning in it's new home.  Seeing it all dressed up almost makes me wish that I had kept it.  Heavy sigh...  :)  Oh well....I can't keep 'em all!

 

'Til next time!

An Old World French Look with Milk Paint

The moment I saw this sweet coffee table, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with her.

 

As I've stated many times before, I LOVE working with milk paint!  This project was done almost totally with Real Milk Paint Company's Milk Paint.

 

I'm not much of a "color layerer"....but this was one project that I needed to go outside of my comfort zone.  To create the look I wanted, it was a necessity. 

 

I started with a layer of pure white (with the bonding agent added).  I just gave it a good wash over.

 

 

There was a little bit of bleed through, but I decided to just go with it. 

 

After letting it dry overnight, I added a second layer of French Grey being very careful NOT to be perfect in covering it all (I'm typically a clean line painter).

 

 

The details are really starting to come alive!  I know it looks a mess at this point...but just wait!

 

 

The last paint layer was a custom mix of white and black milk paints, creating a very light grey.  I thinned the paint a little more this time because I wanted to make sure the French Grey showed through.  I actually put a second coat of the top color on the top, creating a lighter inset.

 

 

I used a white acrylic paint to bring out the details.

 

 

When the paint was good and dry, I lightly sanded it all over and waxed her with a clear wax.  Over that, I added a custom mix dark wax, getting it into the nooks and crannies ensuring that old world look. 

 

 

The gorgeous details just pop now!  Pure beautimus!  Molly's not bad, either. :)

 

 Look at those feet!

 

She'll be available in our tent at the Lucketts Outdoor Winter Market Nov 8 - 10!

A special thank you to my assistants for the day...

 

Miss Molly

 

Master Tiger

 

 

 

Update on Molly:  She had an appointment with the doctor today, and to date, she is still doing well.  The cancer is still there, but she's still her wild and spunky self...which is good in itself considering she is a very old kitty.  I still don't know how long she will be with us, but I am so thankful for the extra time Dr. Grissom has given us. :)

 



Ms. Peacock, Please Stand Up!

Dean and I have been really busy working on a lot of things for the markets and shows that we'll be participating in over the next few months.  Although I'm trying to focus more on holiday related items, I can't help but include some furniture in the mix.

 

We picked up this table at an auction this past weekend.  I loved the curves and the carvings...making it the perfect subject for me to try out a gorgeous color by Real Milk Paint Company in Peacock Blue.  It's a stronger color than what I am used to....but it is soooo pretty!  No question, I LOVE using milk paint - probably more than any other kind. 

 The above is actually the auctioneer's picture....guess who forgot to take a "before" pic..... 
I don't think their camera has the right date. :)

 

I gave it a couple of coats of the paint...

 

...then highlighted the details in Navajo White along with some distressing.

One thing I love about this milk paint is the variation of colors you get!

 

 

Look at those knees!  It's hard to get this authentic chippy look with regular paints.  After giving her a nice light sanding and a couple of coats of wax, she stands proud once again. 

 

 

The girl's got curves!

 

 

I love how it turned out. 

 

She'll be available in our tent at Deep Creek Vintage's Grand Opening and Vintage Therapy Market this weekend!

 

'til next time!