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

Before and After : Depression Era Chest of Drawers in General Finishes Milk Paint

This is one of the biggest furniture transformations (and they're all big to me!) so far! This sweet chest of drawers was an estate sale leftover with broken trim and handles, but the son saved it and knew it would find just the right home with a refinisher. I'm so blown away by the Before and After on this piece, and so grateful to be able to help it find a second life!  We did some patching and sanding, with an allover sand to follow to help the Milk Paint adhere.

For this dresser, I used General Finishes Milk Paint in Basil, a soft sage green with some gray tones. I put on two coats of paint, then distressed along high points and edges, and almost left it with the more uniform paint, but I'm glad I didn't! A friend had given me some Winter White glaze to try, so I painted it on and wiped it off for a color wash, let it dry a bit, and then came back to dry brush on a bit more of the glaze for a chic and antique look. We replaced the trim with a resin flower, which I painted in a blend of Basil and Snow White, and found some chic crystal style knobs to replace the hardware.

What a huge facelift! This highboy had a great structure, but was definitely a diamond in the rough. I can't wait to see it find a new home and be loved by another family!

 Here's one more - look at those legs!! Do you have a piece that's in need of some love? If you're in the Austin area, I'd be honored to see if there's some magic we can work with it!

Before and After : Dixie Dresser in General Finishes Milk Paint

This lovely was my first experiment with milk paints! The dresser has gorgeous knotted pine exterior facings and a subtle nautical vibe with a carved seashell detail and curved side edges along the drawers. I wanted to highlight these without being too literal and thought I would try the chippy texture of a milk paint! I selected General Finishes Basil and Persian Blue - then realized quickly that this was nothing like the milk paint I had anticipated. It instead was a beautifully saturated, smooth and gorgeous color with all-over adhesion (We had also lightly sanded the entire surface). I probably would have done two to three coats to see the full expression of the color, but Basil was a little more of a light sage than I had expected, so I switched to layer it with Persian Blue. This brought out a gorgeous almost sea foam or sea glass color that started to speak to me.

I wanted to also embrace the beautiful vintage texture and knotted pine on this piece, so I did a light all-over distressing, as well as a focused distressing at the natural wear points on edges, drawer sides, feet, etc. The texture was exceptionally smooth and I LOVED the driftwood-inspired finish.

Here's one more photo of it from the shop. Again, these colors have subtle nuances that pick up on different qualities of lighting and the rest of your decor and design. I adore the way this piece turned out, and am sure I'll experiment with these colors again! Next time I want to try a chippy paint, though, I'll try Miss Mustard Seed! Maybe Santa will bring me some :)