Before and After : Vintage Vanity in Florence and Cream

I saw an idea for a dresser in Annie Sloan Florence and Cream chalk paint, heavily distressed. That was the inspiration for this color combination.. but this vanity turned out precisely 0% like that dresser. But who cares? Not me! It's lovely, and totally mod-throwback with the bold color piping.

Besides, this vanity really, really needed some love :) .

Before and After : Aqua Blue Antique French Provincial Vanity

This stunning vanity was refinished in blend of 1 part Annie Sloan Florence Chalk Paint to 4 parts Pure White.

A great tip for custom colors is to get empty paint tins from Home Depot to blend your color in, write the recipe on the lid with a Sharpie and dab the top!

That way when you run out you remember how to re-create that gorgeousness. (Some days I'm doing well if I remember what I had for breakfast, so this is totally invaluable!)

Curious about my inspiration for this piece? I absolutely adore the light blue and teal colors in the sky, and in.. prickly pear cactus! So beautiful!!

What inspires you? Leave me a comment with your favorite plant, and if I can find a local inspiration, I'll do my best to capture it in a furniture piece!

Before and After : Pair of Antique Side Tables

Here are some great antique side / end tables with glass tops, redone in Annie Sloan Louis Blue! A word to the wise: handle the glass with latex or non-latex gloves.. also, it is less expensive to get a new piece of glass cut than to have an existing piece shaved down. And if you do have that new piece of glass cut, measure it to make sure it's right before you leave the store. All lessons that I've learned the hard way so you don't have to! ...but they're gorgeous, right?

Also, I found with the lighter blue colors, it is REALLY hard to wax without leaving areas of light and shadow. I know that a hand-finished item will have some natural variation, but this was more than I was anticipating. So I researched and found a trick to mix clear wax with a small amount of the paint color you're using. It worked!! These were definitely a labor of love, and I think they're just perfect!

Before and After : Antique Kidney Shaped Desk

Ummm can you say lucky? This French Provincial desk was a garage sale find that cleaned up beautifully and is now well loved in its new home! I had a lot of fun redoing this, and really love Primer Red with dark wax. It reminds me of leather bound books and rich mahogany.. but I digress. Loving this!

To get a real dimensionality of color on the top, I used a mix of Charcoal Grey, Aubusson Blue, and Primer Red that I sponged on. Don't worry! I didn't leave it like this :) I just wanted a little marbelization in the undertones so the color was rich, yet natural and cohesive.

Then, I painted over the whole thing with Primer Red so just a tiny hint of that color variation showed through. I finished the top with clear and dark waxes. Lovely!

 Curious about the Color Story behind the piece? I love the weathered, dark red look of this barn siding. It has a story to tell!

Before and After : 9 Drawer French Provincial Dresser with Mirror

This dresser and mirror was so gorgeous I must have forgotten to take a good "before" picture! I pinky swear to do better in the future. But I just had to share - I refinished the top with a dark stain and the body with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. Lovely!!

Have I mentioned how much i *adore* keeping original hardware intact when possible?