Living Room Changes = A Few Reveals

I have been busy working on the living room make over and of course that means there are a lot of mini makeovers.

The first being this area by the fireplace. I have always loved this little vintage dresser that The Nana found for me back when The Hubster and I bought our first home. It has sat in this exact same spot for four years now and I was ready to find it a new home.

In came this beat up water damaged secretary that only a gal like myself could love. If you missed my post on what it looked like before you can click here. 

Now this space by the fireplace is lighter and brighter. I used Old White and Old Ochre for this piece. I debated on doing a different color but after playing around with it I decided to stay neutral with the piece since it is right by our fauxed fireplace which I love and will not be painting. If I used another color I feel the fireplace and the secretary would have been competing for attention. I just wanted them to co-mingle!;)

 Of course I had to distress the secretary in areas to give it that time worn feel.

The drawers which were in horrible shape came out surprisingly well I think. I was able to get most of the bubbles out of the veneer. The rest we will just say adds character!;)

I left the inside of the desk in its original glory. I always like to try and save some part of the original piece if at all possible. That and I wanted to tie the wood into the rest of the living room.

Pictures of the boys great grandmas! That is my Nanny holding my mama. The other picture is The Hubster's Grandma Lillian on the left. Sure do miss these ladies!

At the beginning of this year I had shared with y'all my frenchy chandy and sconces score from the local yard sale site. The chandy went up in the dining room back in February but it has taken till now for me to decide where to put the sconces. 

Since I was not able to hard wire them where I originally wanted them I asked The Papa to help me make them plug ins. It was a fairly simple project and only cost about $10 for the supplies.

Now one of the sconces hangs by the fireplace. We changed the light bulbs out to night lite light bulbs because other bulbs were glaringly bright. This way they look more like candles.

Next up I just need to finish accessorizing the living room and I will be ready to share its full reveal.

Thanx for stopping by today!:)

Linking up to the following linky parties:
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AN Annie Sloan, chalk paint, french sconce, living room makeover, Old Ochre, old white, secretary makeover, vintage secretary

How I Created My Kitchen Cabinet Finish

***Since doing this tutorial I have finally completed our kitchen reno!:) To see the completed kitchen with the cabinet doors back on click here and here.***

I have had many requests asking me about our kitchen cabinets from "What color are you using?" to "How are you creating the finish?". I decided I would go ahead and share step by step the process I used. Keep in mind I have NOT been to any classes. This is just the method I have come up with.

Here is what I had to work with. Dark cabinets in a small space. I wanted to lighten and brighten our kitchen up.

I decided to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old Ochre.I used chalk paint because it requires little to no prepping. All I did was wipe down the cabinets and dry them then started painting. 

It takes me three coats to achieve full coverage since my cabinets are so dark. To help keep the brush strokes to a minimum I dip the tip of my paint brush in some water and then in the paint. It helps the paint to go on more smoothly.

After all three coats dry I get down to sanding the surface.  My preferred method of sanding is to use a Medium grade sanding block that is wet. I prefer this method because it keeps the mess at bay. I do not have to worry about chalk dust everywhere which is a major plus since I am painting the cabinets inside the house. 

The only mess is on the sanding block and my hands. Every so often I rinse the sanding block off and ring it out. You want it wet but not too wet. Sanding with a moist sanding block makes for the smoothest finish ever! 

I distress my edges by lightly sanding in a circular motion. 

After I was done sanding I pulled out my Country Grey Chalk Paint.

I used this color to highlight the inside of the panels on the front of the cabinet doors.

To speed up the painting process I use a hair dryer to dry the paint in between coats. I actually use a hair dryer to dry every coat of paint. I wait about 5 to 10 minutes on larger areas to allow time for the paint to somewhat dry on its own and then I blow dry it the rest of the way. I have found that it makes the paint harder to come off. I allow some dry time on its own so when I take the hair dryer to it the paint won't start to crack. Always be sure not to hold the hair dryer too close because cracking may appear where you do not want it to.

After the Country Grey I went back over the edges of the panels with a light brushing of Versailles. 

Once completed with highlighting the panels with contrasting paint colors I pulled out my clear wax and dark wax.

I always use Clear Wax first on my pieces. If you plan on using a dark wax this is a must otherwise the dark wax will soak into your paint and you will not be able to get it out.To apply the wax I used an old white clean t-shirt that I have cut up. You can use wax brushes or even cheese cloth to apply wax but I just prefer using an old t-shirt.

Adding the clear wax will change the color of your paint slightly. Keep this in mind when you are choosing a color.

After rubbing the clear wax in I then used a dark wax for antiquing. To get into the nook and crannies I applied the dark wax with a thin paint brush. I like using a smaller brush because it saves on wax. You do not need to cake on the wax. I found out over the past few years of perfecting my technique that the thicker you put the wax on the harder it is to work with. 

Here are all the areas covered in dark wax that I wanted to highlight/age. After the dark wax is applied all you need to do is work the dark wax back off with a small amount of clear wax on your cloth. If you rubbed too much of the dark wax off no worries you can always apply more. I used the same cloth thru the entire waxing process which enabled me to have just the right amount of dark wax on my cloth to rub lightly over the entire cabinet door.

Once I was done working the wax into the cabinet door I then used a paper towel scrunched up to buff a shine on the door. It works like a dream. Doing this does take a lot of arm power and maybe one day I will try using an actual buffer but for now this works just fine for me. 

Here is the completed finish!

I know this finish is not for everybody but I just love the rustic charm it adds to our kitchen.

I debated on wether or not to use wax in the kitchen. I originally was going to use a sealer but since I had the wax on hand already I just went with it. We have a bathroom vanity that I waxed almost a year and half ago and the finish has held up beautifully so I figured it was worth a shot in the kitchen as well. As with any waxed piece we have to be gentle with the cabinet doors to give the wax time to cure. It can takes up to 30 days sometimes a little longer depending on the humidity in your home for wax to cure/harden. Average work time for each cabinet door is about an hour to an hour and half. The time includes taking the hardware off and putting it back. It is quite time consuming but well worth it in the end.
I still have several doors left to do and to work on the desk area but I am getting excited for a full reveal.
Treasure Hunt Thursday will be up at 6:00 p.m.!:) Hope to see you at the party.

DISCLOSURE: This is just how I painted our kitchen cabinets. I am NOT an expert/professional. Paint at your own risk!;) Please take all things into consideration when you decide to paint your cabinets. Make sure you are well informed of any process you choose to do. 

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AN Annie Sloan, Antiqued kitchen, chalk paint, Cottage Grey, DIY Reno, French Country Kitchen, Kitchen Makeover, kitchen reno, Old Ochre, painting tutorial, Versallies, waxed cabinets

How I Created a Grain Sack Table

Today I spent the afternoon making a grain sack table. 

Yesterday I met up with Linsey from The Farmhouse Porch and Anita from Cedar Hill Ranch for lunch and some shopping at Old Town Spring. I had promised myself before we went that I was going to be good and not spend any money.

Well, I broke that promise when I spotted this adorable little farmhouse table. I HAD to bring it home with me because it was a great price which made me not feel too bad about breaking my promise!;)

I knew when I bought it I would be making it over. The orange red color just was not working for me and as you can see it had been loved big time. It even had a crack down the center but that was fine with me. It added to its charm.

After painting the entire table Country Grey I decided it needed something more. Since it had the crack down the center I knew I had to make this little table into a grain sack table. I could not find any painters tape so I just found a straight edge and drew the outer lines of the grain sack stripe.

I hand painted the stripes in black.

I actually liked that I didn't have perfectly straight lines. 

Next up I white washed the top.

White washing the top though left paint in the cracks of the table. I did not like that so out came the tooth floss!:)

Next I decided to use my AS Craqueleur to add some more age to the piece.

My hair dryer is always by my side when I am using Craqueleur. I am just too impatient to wait for it to dry on its own.

The top of table has only been clear waxed. The bottom portion has been clear waxed and then I added a little dark wax to bring out all the cracks.

Here is what I ended up with. I was quite pleased with the results. It looks like it was painted years ago.

I even took the grain stack stripe side down the sides.

I am so glad I found this little table yesterday and so glad I got to hang out with some fabulous ladies! I can't wait till our next outing.

Linking up to the following parties:

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AN Annie Sloan, cedar hill ranch, chalk paint, craqueleur, farmhouse, grain sack stripe, rain sack stripe table, rustic, shabby, the farmhouse porch, vintage table