Pressing the Pause Button

So here's where I am. I am so grateful for all of the opportunities I've had to reach out via this blog. But to be totally honest, I don't have even the faintest idea as to whether I've written about some of these pieces, or even the time to double check and possibly consider writing about them in depth today. Have you seen this beauty before? If not, it was finished in General Finishes Coastal Blue Milk Paint and Antique Walnut Gel Stain, I absolutely adore it, and I totally meant to blog about it. Someday.

So I have started to see these accumulate in the folder that contains pieces I'd *like* to blog about, but haven't had the time.

And now I'm realizing, and accepting, that that "free time" I had before I had kids, and a small business, and sometimes even my own life (insert rolling on the floor laughing and winky face emojis here, as well as laughing while crying and sometimes just straight up crying emojis - no judgement :) ) So today I am pressing the pause button. 

I am giving myself permission to do less, so that I can do more. I wrote about this on FB and Instagram, if you'd like the full read, but the TL;DR version is that I'm going to focus on the things that my heart truly desires. My faith, my family, my yoga practice, my friendships, teaching, loving, and being still. Noticing. Experiencing. Painting. 

If you'd like to be along for the journey, I would love to have you. Please follow me on Facebook and Instagram. In the meantime, if you'd like to look at some furniture eye candy, there is more after the jump! 

With Gratitude,

Becky

Tutorial : Vintage Drexel Desk / Vanity with World Map Detail

Do you ever have ideas that pop into your head and then just can't be quieted until you *finally* give them a try? Meet my Drexel desk. Funny story - this one was the very first piece I ever purchased from my now friend / furniture picker.... about two years ago. For two years it has quietly called to me, offering ideas, transforming in my mind into just about every shade of gray and blue possible, and asking for a map. A map? What am I thinking?? But y'all. With General Finishes Queenstown Gray Milk Paint and Modern Masters Matte Metallics in Gold Rush, this piece really came alive. 

 

Talk about fabulous! I am so beyond excited about the final look on this beauty, and because I love y'all, I even broke it down step by step for a full tutorial. Click below to keep reading!

Before and After : 9 Drawer Bassett French Provincial Dresser in Louis Blue

This one is definitely one of my favorites!! When I first tried Annie Sloan's Louis Blue Chalk Paint, I had a hard time waxing it without leaving a smudgy appearance, and eventually solved that by mixing some of the paint into the wax to create a tinted wax. For this piece, I sealed with General Finishes High Performance Top Coat, and it was a breeze! We sanded the top of this one all the way back to the raw wood, stained the top with General Finishes Antique Walnut gel stain, and painted the body Louis Blue. A little light distressing and this one was an absolute showstopper!!

I may be a little biased because I adore color, but I totally think blue is a neutral. Look how it even goes with this deep, bright red! *Swoon* . What is your favorite unexpected color combination? I'd love to give it a try!

Before and After : Layered Blue Farmhouse Style Dresser - with Tutorial

I realized I have a TON of Before and Afters ahead of me, so I will keep these next few posts a little more brief! For this layered look shabby chic or modern farmhouse style dresser, I knew that I wanted to try out blending, layering, and distressing several different colors, especially ones I hadn't used in a while! I ended up selecting Annie Sloan Chalk Paints in Olive, Country Grey, Cream, Old Ochre, and Provence. I knew that I wanted to have an overall impact of a fairly solid overall color, so Provence was the main body color.

Read on to see how we got this look!

Before and After : Ornate Vintage Jacobean Style Chest of Drawers

Full disclosure : I realize I am *super* far behind on sharing my projects! But, here's a Before and After of an absolutely fabulous piece that I can't wait to share with y'all! This set was so beautiful in the original oak, but just check out how the chest of drawers looks in Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint!!It gave an utterly fabulous shabby chic / distressed look!

The details are rich and vibrant, and a little distressing adds the perfect amount of character to the beautiful texture of the oak. The ornate hardware is oh-so-stunning, and paired gorgeously with the carvings! More eye candy with close ups after the jump!

It's 2017, Y'all! Adventures Await!

It has been an amazing year. And I'm not one of those people that set New Year's Resolutions, because the truth is that a new year can start any day, any moment. Each breath is the opportunity to begin again. But I will set a new intention - to live more fully in the present, and to appreciate each moment a little more. Reflecting on last year, I started to dig into photos and review some of the projects I'd worked on. I was blown away!!

 

My husband always tells me I'm doing plenty, even when I feel like I'm two steps behind schedule. And I sometimes believe him ;) . But looking back, I can't even believe the number of pieces I had the opportunity to work on, and the amazing clients that I was able to collaborate with! I am so honored and humbled. The pieces above aren't even all the refinishes we did last year - they wouldn't all fit in the picture! Plus, we are finally starting to make updates to our own home - hip, hip, hooray!

So this year I *might* get caught up on my Before and Afters. I *might* get to that amazing lift-top vintage desk I've been planning to paint gray with a gold map silhouette. I *might* even teach a few classes! But I *will* appreciate each moment, treasure every memory, build tiny clay dragons for my son, go to Girl Scout camp with my daughter, and laugh with my husband. 2017 is here, y'all! Adventures await!

Lots of love,

Becky

Before and After : Rustic Whitewashed Chest of Drawers *With Tutorial*

I'm a little behind on my website, so you'll see a lot of "Before and Afters" popping up here in the next few days (well, fingers crossed!). This beauty was a stunning vintage oak dresser that had small dings, dents, and character marks in the surface that I absolutely adored and hated to patch and cover up. So instead, I used a transparent white wash with a custom Off White Gel Stain made by Pure Earth Paint that I was able to purchase from one of my friends - you may remember the custom rustic china cabinet refinish that we did with this same color. It was the perfect accent to all that fabulous vintage texture and character!!

 

 I also sanded the top to promote adhesion and used General Finishes gel stains in first Java and then Antique Walnut to update the 70's color finish. You can use various top coats on this - I ended up using a wipe-on satin polyurethane to minimize bubbling / brush strokes; the GF Arm R Seal is a great, super durable choice as well.

More tips after the break!

Before and After : French Provincial End Table in General Finishes Coral Crush

I have been absolutely obsessed with the idea of painting something in coral! It is super chic and totally on trend, and I *love* gorgeous, vibrant colors! For this piece I used General Finishes Milk Paint in Coral Crush. The Before and After is such a HUGE change, it almost doesn't look like the same piece! 

 

 Isn't that transformation dramatic?? It always had clean, classic lines, but they have been given a revamp for the 21st century, and I couldn't be more pleased! Read on for more on how we got this look!

Before and After : Vintage Drexel 4 Drawer Lowboy Dresser / Chest in Onyx

I will be the first to admit that I had a hard time getting started with black furniture, because I always seemed to gravitate toward bold, bright colors. I have had several requests and done custom work with black paint over the last year or two and have grown to really embrace this gorgeous, chic and always classic. It's like a little black dress for furniture! Lately I have been using Pure Earth Paint in Onyx as my go-to black.

I am pretty much beside myself with happiness on this transformation!! It is amazing what a few coats of paint, a small amount of distressing, and some gilding wax on the hardware can do to turn a (not so ugly) duckling into a swan!

Are there colors you shy away from, but would love to give a try? Or techniques that seem daunting? Let me know about it! I'd love to explore those also!

Before and After : 5 Drawer Farmhouse Style Pine Dresser in Louis Blue

One of the first chalk paints I tried when I was first starting out was Annie Sloan Louis Blue, and I confess I had a lot of difficulty with it! I would always end up with darkish blotches in my wax application, whether I used a rag or a brush to apply, whether I used straight strokes or small circles, and whether I applied a tiny amount or a moderate amount at a time. (This is before I realized there were options other than wax!!) Finally I managed to find a technique that worked for me, which was to mix a small amount of paint into the wax to tint it, and I came out with a much smoother, more refined look.

Fast forward to this week, and this sweet classic pine 5-drawer dresser. It is the perfect size for any space, but needed an update from the 60's / 70's wood color. I adore a good textured wood surface, with little grain, nicks, dings, whorls, and generally just a lot of personality!

How did we get there? Read on for the techniques!

Before and After : Mid Century Modern Style Vintage Chest of Drawers

This gorgeous chest of drawers / dresser is a find that was sent to me by one of my fantastic furniture picker friends, and we fell in love with the shape immediately - especially the geometric legs! We decided to keep the color super simple and straightforward to showcase the classic MCM lines. For that we chose General Finishes Milk Paint in Coastal Blue, a dark rich navy.

The Coastal Blue finish paired with brightened gold hardware is effortlessly chic and oh-so-fabulously versatile. I love that it's out of the 60's, and into the timeless! What do you think?

Antique Chest of Drawers / Dresser in Annie Sloan Primer Red

This gorgeous girl was a find by one of my friends, but it needed some TLC! I somehow managed to not get a "Before", but the after is a gorgeous Cinderella Story! I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Primer Red, sealed it, and accented with dark wax. The hardware is absolutely stunning, but the dark bronze color faded into the background, so I made it pop with a little gilding wax. I think it's absolutely drool-worthy now!!

To make the antique drawers glide a little better, we rubbed both sides of the wood rails with beeswax, and also sanded down the bottoms of the drawer faces a bit. These quick steps made a lot of improvement to the functionality!

And just check out the before and after on this hardware! It takes practice to get used to using a light hand, but I think it's simply beautiful with a hint of gold! Rub N Buff takes just seconds but makes an enormous impact.

Do you have a favorite method of updating hardware you'd like to share? I'd love to give them a whirl and report back!

Before and After : Vintage Serpentine Front Chest of Drawers / Dresser

I am excited to share this beauty! I was contacted by this client in regards to another piece, but it was gray and she had her heart set on white. I just so happened to have this gorgeous serpentine front dresser in my Available Inventory - check it out if you've been considering having a piece custom crafted for your space! This client's room involved reclaimed wood and some rustic accents, so a bright white with just a hint of distressing was a gorgeous addition. For this piece I selected General Finishes Snow White Milk Paint and High Performance Top Coat.

Read more for tips on achieving the look!

Before and After : Console Table Makeover in Emperor's Silk

This console table was a hand-me-down gift from my in-laws, and we were super thankful for the new piece! It had some surface damage from a wayward Roomba, as well as from a little dog scrabbling to get under it to chase a ball, so we knew we could give it a whole new lease on life with a little TLC! It actually ended up being my Mother's Day project, and I absolutely love how it turned out! I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Emperor's Silk, which is one of the first chalk paints I ever purchased :) .

My home needs more color, so we even added to it with a teal geometric fabric on the door panel insets, and upholstered plywood to replace the missing back. We replaced the wooden knobs with smaller bronze ones (that I ended up turning gold with a little Rub N Buff since the bronze was too dark) and styling with gold, black, and white to add to the modern feel. I LOVE the end result!! Don't worry - it was still cat-approved!

Before and After : Vintage Bowed Front Dixie Dresser in Provence

This is definitely one of my favorite recent projects! I know you will love this sweet Dixie dresser just as much as I do! It had an absolutely lovely bowed front, and bail-style drawer pulls in great condition, but just really needed a little TLC to truly shine. I painted this beautiful lady in Annie Sloan Provence Chalk Paint, layered slightly, then lightly distressed. When it was sealed, the color became absolutely radiant!

 
The gold update to the hardware makes it just perfectly chic. I used a gold leaf colored Rub n Buff for a quick but impactful addition! Can you believe this is the same piece? I loved it so much I can't sell it! It has been moved into our guest bedroom that is slowly but surely (mostly slowly!) being updated. Can't wait to share more of our DIY home updates!

Before and After : Vintage Bassett Console Table Cabinet and Mirror Set

This lovely piece has been in the back of my head for what seems like forever! I bought the cabinet and mirror many months ago, and just haven't had an idea as to what color it wanted to be. Finally I stopped second guessing when I realized I had *just* the right amount of Paris Grey left! Those of you that use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint know that a little goes a long way :) so this was the perfect project.

And here's a close up so you can see the trim detail. Isn't it lovely? I have been totally obsessed with gray and gold lately!! It's very current, but also classic.

What are your favorite color pairings? I'd love to see them and maybe give them a whirl!

Before and After : Ornate Vintage Headboard in Annie Sloan Paloma, Paris Grey, and Pure White

One of my most recent projects is a super cool distressed / cottage / shabby chic look with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint blended and layered in Paloma, Paris Grey, and Pure White! I love that it's a little bit of a departure from what I 'usually' do, but that it's still classic and gorgeously elegant - while still being a little down to earth and approachable!

This gorgeous headboard came from a bedroom set that included a beautiful small chest / nightstand that I painted in Antibes a few months ago.  Remember this adorable green piece on the left? One of my favorites! Well, this next project is a testament to the versatility of the Annie Sloan color line - these chalk paints can be bold and beautiful, or soft and sophisticated. And no, they don't pay me to say that.. I just really dig the vintage-inspired colors!

Anyway, I absolutely ADORE this carved oak bedroom set! I will probably paint the large chest of drawers in a beautiful neutral, but I would realllly love to see it in a fabulous jewel tone! In the meantime, I decided to play with some leftover custom blended paint and incorporate it into this project. Isn't it amazing how different this looks from the green chest now?

Read on to see how we achieved this awesomely shabby chic look!

Before and After : Custom Vanity Refinish in Onyx

This client reached out because she had seen this gooorgeous 1920's vanity I picked up and posted on Facebook! If you're not already following my page, please Like it at www.facebook.com/forloveofthepaint ! It's a great way to snag new inventory and call dibs on pieces for custom orders! She has a furniture set from Restoration Hardware, and wanted the vanity in a rich black matte paint to coordinate. I selected Pure Earth Paint in Onyx, which is currently my go-to black due to its fantastic coverage!


































Seriously, look at how it brings out those gorgeous carved details! Black gets overlooked as a classic neutral (by me also!) but it is just super chic and timeless. I very gently distressed the high points and edges before sealing, and updated the bronze rings around the mother-of-pearl inlay to a silver to coordinate with the client's crystal knobs.

Custom Refinish - Vintage Pedestal Table in Antique Walnut and French Linen

Let me open with sharing how very honored I am to be referred by designers to their clients, and also to be able to reincorporate a beloved family piece into a new space!! We updated the top of this one with General Finishes Antique Walnut gel stain, and the base with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen - this is pretty much the perfect 'greige'!

This client's table was passed down from his grandmother, and due to heavily abrasive cleaning products, the surface had become tacky/sticky to the touch over time. Thankfully the top was a thick solid wood, because we had to sand it back pretty far to regain a smooth touch. But you could tell, even with the bare wood, that the grain was going to be stunning! Read more to see how I achieved the stain!

Before and After : Ornate Vintage Chest in Antibes with Gilding

I will have to preface this : I *might* be a little obsessed with Annie Sloan's Antibes Chalk Paint. But can you really blame me??? This gorgeous green is pretty much emerald perfection. I want to paint pretty much everything, including my front door with it!! But I digress. Take a look at the enormous change from Before to After!!

For more details on how I got this look, read on!