Stencilling an Armoire

Hey, Everyone! I am SO excited to show you my latest project! I wasn't sure what to do with this armoire, we've had it for a couple of years and were previously using to store my husband's barn clothes in our mudroom. But since he no longer needs to use it, I've decided to add some colour to it and try some stencilling! This armoire was built by my husband's grandpa, so we wanted to keep it in the family. :) The first few photos show how the bare wood was untouched- a refinisher's dream come true! Since it was like having a blank canvas, it was easy for me to visualize what to do with it. I decided to paint a black base coat, and then use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White on top. The results are fantastic! 

 Since I decided to try something new by adding some stencils to the armoire, I tried one on the back to make sure. I was really happy with how it turned out but I decided to use black paint instead of red.

After the initial coat of black acrylic paint, I let it dry for a day and then used my "brushed" technique with the Old White paint on top. Next came the challenge of stencilling!  

 I stencilled "HOME" on the two main cupboard doors. 

 After stencilling the doors, I decided to add some stencilled leaves on each drawer.

 Since the armoire was black and white, I spray painted the knobs and hinges in a chocolate brown colour to add some warmth to the look. It took two coats of spay paint and two coats of clear protective spray to get this look.

Thanks for taking a look at this post! I'm so thrilled with my latest skill learned and how well this armoire turned out! :) 

*The leaf stencils I used were various ones from Martha Stewart's collection. The lettering were basic ones I found at Michael's Crafts Store

Hey, Everyone! I've decided to take advantage of the great weather we've been having to do some more projects. I refinished an old bench the other day that needed a fresh look. This bench has been in the family for quite a few years and was definitely ready for an upgrade from retro blue to distressed grey. 

 This bench had a lot of dents and already was peeling in some areas, so the first thing I did was to sand over the rough spots with some 80 grit sand paper. After some debate, I decided to paint the bench black to go over the very bright blue paint.

 After two coats of black paint, the bench is almost unrecognizable! It looked great, but I wasn't completely happy with leaving it black. I used a flat grey paint over top using my painting technique to give it a "brushed" look. The grey paint gave the bench more of a vintage look.

 The bench only needed one coat of grey paint to achieve this look. I love how the lighter grey makes it look more inviting and vintage as opposed to old/worn out.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post! I hope you like it! :) 

The Wagon Wheel Chair (I Don't Know What To Call It!)

         Hey, Everyone! Since I've been on a roll by getting so many projects done lately, today I'll show you this lovely chair! As stated in the title, I actually don't know what to call this unique chair, so for now I will call it the Wagon Wheel Chair. Since it seems to be more of an outdoor piece of furniture, all of the products I used on it were made to withstand the weather. When I first got this chair, I had no idea what to do with it. I only knew that I really liked it! It was quite worn in some areas, especially on the seat, but I wanted to keep that concept going, while brightening it up a bit.

 The chair was held together by six bolts, which easily came apart with a ratchet for easier painting. 

 After days of brainstorming, I decided on a heritage blue shade by Benjamin Moore called Newburypoint Blue. I went with a matte finish. 

 As I started painting, I realized I liked staggering the boards with the stain and paint, but the stained boards were quite worn in. I ended up rubbing some Minwax Dark Walnut stain in some of the areas where the wood was bare. 

 After one coat of the paint and two coats of Outdoor Varathane, the chair is ready for any weather! 

 This photo shows how the wood stain filled in the bare wood that was worn a bit too far. 

Overall, this was quite a fun project, as I've never played around with outdoor paints and Varathane. I also enjoyed trying a new colour to help this unique chair stand out even more!