A Vanity makeover !

Good morning everyone -

Well I finished it !  ( not waxed - but otherwise it's finished )

It's soooo difficult to get photos in a tiny space - I'm like an acrobat trying to do this !

I painted this piece in 3 layers.............( 4 if you count priming it ) but they were all very quick applications

Once I had primed it - I kind of liked that greyish color that comes from one coat of primer over wood
( those of you that paint furniture know exactly what I'm talking about ) those of you that don't paint furniture, it almost turns out drift wood ( ish ) looking.
Here's what I mean

So I gave it a coat of Paris Grey ( Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - all three steps ) and trimmed out all the edges with Pure White - sloppily actually - because I did NOT want a pristine look for this piece.

and then I made a " wash " using French Linen / water ( half - half or so )
I brushed the wash on - and then rubbed it all over with a paper towel - until it looked like this

and then I used a white wash right after - before it had dried -

Make sure your cloth is damp for this process so that the paint can soak into other layers................
And rub it all in until you're content with the results -
This is only paint - if you've used too much, you can simply add more of the darker color - not enough and you can add more of the white................

The end result was exactly what I was going for - aged layers of paint and washes.

I had this applique on hand and decided to add it to the middle drawer on top

Doesn't it look like it was meant to be there all along?

This didn't come with a bench - I have a couple in storage but for now I just grabbed a tiny one I have here after I painted it Paris Grey

and then I placed a faux sheep skin rug on it ( IKEA 14.99 )

and that's it !
transformation complete !

I can't wait for the little ones to see it - it's in " their " room after all

Have a wonderful day everyone !
I'm, once again, having computer problems - took me forever to upload the photos to this post -
Have to call my son-in-law over for supper LOL

Much love,
Me

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Too Much Time on my Hands                                            Glitter Glue &  Paint
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I can't get rid of it

Sometimes that happens - I buy a piece to do over and sell and then I
Just.  Can't.  Get.  Rid.  Of.  It.....................

This is probably the first time I've bought a piece that had the perfect wood top......................
I did nothing to it - not even wax - because it's that perfect - beautifully aged maple.

and it compliments the pure white ( Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Pure White )

I love that it's an understated piece - not fussy at all -
I only lightly distressed the drawers - I left the frame pristine

I didn't really have the space for it - at all - but once the slip covers arrived, I knew I had to find a place - so I tried different configurations - she ended up tucked into a corner - sorry dresser - this is NOT a time-out - I just have nowhere else to put you.

John says - well that's ridiculous - just sell it - what's the point of it being in the corner hidden away?

WHAT'S THE POINT???

The point IS that I like her ( her name's Mrs. Jones )
And we have a thing going on.....................we both know that it's wrong
but it's much too strong to let it go.................
And I need to keep her
And if the only place I can find for her is tucked into a corner - well - I know ( I know I know I know she'll be there )
And sometimes that's all that matters.

Until the next one comes around that I absolutely HAVE to keep - and then Mrs. Jones is out the door
I'm not very loyal to furniture
Just selfish.

And that's why she's staying exactly where she is ( for now )

Here she was before - seller's photo

She lived with one family since 1945 - so she isn't ready to be flying all over the place anyway - this was a huge adjustment for her as it is

I may not be loyal to furniture - but I certainly have a heart !!!

Have a wonderful day everyone !
Big hugs,
Me.

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I Should be Mopping the Floor

Adding Planks to a Kitchen Table

Good morning everyone -

It rained cats and dogs here yesterday - and when it does that - for some reason my brain starts getting a little creative...............( think of trying to entertain a child on a rainy day - ain't easy )

Smack in the middle of working on the plank wall - ( because I seem to have a huge problem with finishing anything lately ) another idea was born................what if I took my little farmhouse table ( which does in fact open up to double the size in the photo below - you can see that post HERE ) and added planks to the top to make it even bigger - a real " work station " type of top?

in our previous home

I quickly ran to get the left over planks - there were 5 left over - and would you believe it - 5 fit perfectly for what I wanted to do - ( if that's not a sign that it had to be done I don't know what is )  I'm not sure why it looks lower than the counter top in photos - they're almost the same height

Suzan says - OMG John - I just had such a fantastic idea
John says - Oh no............
Suzan says - I want to plank the antique farmhouse table in the kitchen
John says - ARE YOU INSANE?  THAT'S AN ANTIQUE - I'M NOT SCREWING ANYTHING INTO THE TOP OF THAT..................
Suzan says - But
John says - NO - N.O. - NO WAY - FORGET ABOUT IT

I have a thinking ( SHOWER ) cap that I keep in the linen closet - ( you can actually see me wearing it HERE ) I sometimes use it when I'm painting - seriously - especially if I'm painting a tall piece where paint may end up on my hair -  but it also works for thinking strangely enough - and within minutes I had a plan ( because I'm nothing - absolutely nothing - if not determined.

Suzan says - What if I had a way where the original top would not be affected at all?
John says - Well that's impossible - how are you going to stop the piece from sliding all over the place without screwing it into the wood?
Suzan says - LIKE THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First we put brackets underneath the planks to hold them all together

Next we flipped it over and ran a pencil along the underside where the " real " table ends

And put a piece of molding on either side to hold the plank top in place - like this

Ideally we would have put molding on all 4 sides - but I couldn't afford the space it would take to make the table larger in depth - only length - but a piece of anti slip rubber ( like you use under carpets ) will hold it perfectly.
This is how it looks underneath - locking it in

Next I painted the top with ASCP Pure White...............again imperfection is fine - this is only the first step

Once that was dry - I made a wash with French Linen ( I eyeball it at this point - but half water - half paint is usually a good rule of thumb )

This took very little paint - maybe 3 tablespoons - this little bit was all I needed

After brushing it on

Next - ( and I don't have a photo of this step ) I took a damp cloth and wiped the entire surface.
I'm a very fast painter - if you aren't - this last step should be done in sections because a " wash " dries very quickly.

When you're done you should have a piece that looks like sun aged driftwood

This piece is now large enough for me to have a small prep area

I feel like I should have my own cooking show now !!!

Suzan says - can you take a couple of photos for me?
John says - of what?
Suzan says - of me, in the kitchen, in front of the new table
John says - Okay

I hurriedly pulled together some accessories

John says - Oh for God's sakes, I don't have time for this nonsense
Suzan says - c'mon - it'll be funny

Suzan says - Wow - I thought I was the world's lousiest photographer
John says - Is it bad?
Suzan says - Well it's very blurry which I don't mind at all - but I don't look anything like Giada de Laurentiis
in this whatsover..................
John says - Who the hell is that?

Are you impressed with my planked table idea?
No?  How about if I told you I painted it and white washed it in my favorite  little black dress?
Yes I did - I most certainly did!  ( I like to live on the edge like that )  I used to go dancing till the wee hours when I felt like having fun.  Now I sometimes paint in " good " clothes instead.

John says - that's the last thing we're doing to that table, you understand?
Suzan says - yessir ( but only because I can't think of a single thing more I could do to it myself.

We added a shelf on the bottom HERE

and height to it HERE

and now we've added some " girth " lol
and it's removable if and when we choose to take it off
NOT A SINGLE DROP OF THE ORIGINAL WOOD WAS DAMAGED IN CREATING THIS POST...................

Have a wonderful day all !
I'm going to chop and dice up Corn Pops and have a bowl of cereal at the table now - and then I'm going to put polyurethane on it to protect it.  ( 4 coats - since it will be getting a lot of use )
In my little black dress.

If anyone from the Food Network wants to contact me please drop me a line here on the blog - we can discuss salary.
Have a wonderful day!
Much love,

Partying here !
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