Trying Something New

Hi everyone, today I wanted to try a little experiment, to see if a few brushing techniques that I learned and practiced on some balsa wood boxes could actually work on a larger piece of furniture without looking tacky. This "brushed" look give a vintage, almost a beachy feel, and it so simple to do as long as you've got the right brush! I used a more natural bristled brush, as opposed to a synthetic brush. By using a smaller sized brush, I was able to control the strokes of paint easier without having big blotches. I first tried this out on a small trinket box to make sure it really could work.

As you can see, I first painted the box black and after it dried I used off-white paint. Without having to use and sandpaper in the process, I was able to give it a distressed look just by using a minimal amount of white paint and letting the brush strokes avoid covering the entire box, especially the edges. I loved this look so much that I decided to see how it would look on a large scale project.

I found this beautiful desk on the side of the road- for free! After we picked it up I felt like the lady in the Ikea commercials, "Start the car!!!!!!!!!!" While it was pretty banged up, I could just see the potential for this desk! 

After sanding it down it already looked so much better. :) 

I decided to try a new wood stain, Minwax's Dark Walnut. I love how it gives the wood a darker, weathered look. 

After staining the top, I put black acrylic paint on the bottom. I love acrylic paint because it's easily absorbed into wood. 

And finally, the part I was very nervous for! I decided to use off-white paint called "Linen," and started brushing it on with just a small amount so that the black would show through.

I was surprised by how easy this project was to do and how nice the brushing technique looked on a larger project. After buying some small handles to give it a more refined look, this project was a success. 

The last phase of this project will be to screw the top board down, I will post photos of it when I get the chance. :)  

Hello everyone! It has been way too long since my last post! I've recently worked on a few projects that I'm quite excited about! I found this hutch at a local thrift store. It was a big undertaking, but with a lot of work, I was able to refinish it and give it a completely new look. By updating the drawer pulls and handles, along with using some new techniques I learned, I think it turned out pretty great!

When I first bought this beauty, two things came to mind: 1) It's huge and 2) It's perfect!
I was drawn to the unique upper cabinets and all of the storage space this hutch provides. As you can see, the handles and knobs were very out dated. To get started, I decided to try something new that could help with the sanding process: wood stripping solution. I used Circa 1890 wood stripper and it worked excellently, getting right through the tough varnish and wood stain. This made the sanding process much quicker and way easier. It was well worth the $10!

 After sanding came staining. As you probably can tell from my previous posts, I have a lot of black paint. My decision to use the black paint gave me the idea to use a red wood stain that would look very defined when I distressed the paint over the top. I chose to used Minwax's Red Chestnut and was very happy with the results. 

       Here we have the doors and windows, which I taped off for protection from the stain.

 

 I loved using the black paint to give the hutch a more classic look that would fit with any home. The red chestnut wood stain show beautifully through the distressed paint!

 And after finding some knobs and handles, the hutch has a more updated, modern feel to it.

                     This was such a fun project and I am so happy with the results. :)

The Perfect Gift

My sister's birthday is in the begining of October and as I overheard her mentioning that she wanted a new jewellery box, I let the creative ideas start coming. I bought a basic wood jewellery box from Michael's crafts store and painted it black. After multiple coats of paint, some sanding (and a few dents from a hammer to give it that "lived in" look), I had to change a few things. Originally, the box came with a clear glass lid, which I had to remove for painting. Unfortunately (and oh- so typically), the glass shattered when I began to place it back for completion. With only one more day until my sister's birthday, I came up with an idea: why not use some chicken wire, burlap and cork board backing to replace the glass? Here's how it turned out:

 

That Little Black Box

If I ever run out of a paint colour first, it's usually black. I love to use basic black paint to give character to any project. Here's a small showcase of some of the jewellery boxes and house decorations I've made using some good old black paint:

This tiny box holds some of my favorite things:

 



 

 

This box isn't quite finished yet, but I love its simplicity. I will probably show this box completed in a future post: 

 

This next one makes a great peice for home decoration. I love how classic and charming black paint can be when used with a little creativity. :)

 

 



From Dark Stain to Light

 Today I'm going to post some photos of a dresser I recently refinished for some family. I got to sand it to the bone and restain it a light beige colour. After sanding this dresser down, I used some water-based woodstain to match their bedroom furniture. 

 

Before:

  

 

After sanding:

 

Staining:

 

And now a light beige stain to match their bedroom set:

Hello everyone,

Today I thought I would show you some of my smaller projects, perfect for gifts and little household decorations. Inspired by a rustic country design, I love to paint and distress small boxes, making them perfect for jewellery and little trinkets. Using small boxes also is a great way to practise new techniques and paint colours! Here's just a few small projects I've recently done:

 

 

Here's the box I used as a sample for the two night stands from one of my previous posts.

 

 

 

This is my first attempt at wood burning:

 

I decided to try a new shade of paint called Copenhagen Blue. It turned out a bit brighter than I had wanted, but still makes for a cute trinket box.