31 Days of Spray Paint - Day 2

Another re-post of a spray paint project:

I found this candle holder at a yard sale this weekend. I paid $2 for it including 5 globes.

Looks better with just a coat of primer.


The finished product waiting for the rest of the Halloween things for the table.

31 Days of Spray Paint - Day 1 (a day late)

I am resurrecting  this post for the DIY Club 31 days of spray paint. I think it is one of my favorites of all my spray paint projects.

I bought this lamp at HomeGoods several months ago. I loved the champagne silk shade, but couldn't wrap my head around what I didn't like about the lamp. Enter a can of Oiled Rubbed Bronze spray paint. Now I love the look of this lamp.

Better, don't you think?

Another Homemade Chalk Paint Project

Today has been catch-up day on my painting. The weather is nice and I can get outside under the carport and paint. Of course, when I got out the spray paint, the wind started blowing so that was put on hold. I am trying to salvage a Pottery Barn mirror that I unfortunately decided to paint. I am hoping that some silver metallic paint will restore it. Also I am working on a chalk board for my granddaughter.

A friend of my niece's had this little table for sale at a yard sale; we swapped some items and I ended up with the table. It has been in my craft room/guest bedroom waiting for a new paint job. It had been stained and varnished numerous times; generally in pretty bad shape.

I had an sample size Valspar oops paint from Lowes. It was my first time trying Valspar paint and I am quite impressed with it.

I added ¼ cup of plaster of paris to the entire jar of paint. It seems that the addition of the plaster of paris gives the paint better adhesion. On a previous project, I used a 50/50 mix of paint and plaster of paris. It was definitely too thick; after adding water it was still just OK. I saw Sherry's "recipe" and changed my ratio to more of a 75/25 mix. Sherry uses calcium carbonate rather than the plaster of paris, but since I have a 4 lb container I will stick with the plaster of paris for a while.

I did not do any sanding; just gave the piece 2 coats of paint and a light sanding after the paint dried.

Here it is drying on the carport after a coat of polyurethane. I usually don't use brush-on poly, but I wanted this to have better protection from water rings since it is being used as a bedside table. I am going to lightly sand the top again and use another coat of poly.

I  have been quite happy with my projects using the plaster of paris added to paint.

I will be joining some blog parties this week.


    

Homemade Chalk Paint

I absolutely love chalk paint. I was wandering around bloggyville and stumbled across a recipe for chalk paint. I was excited to find it since I wanted to paint some smallish projects.

I mixed up a batch using the recipe; it came out pretty thick so I added water (too much). I left it sitting uncovered on the carport overnight and it was just right the next day. I will have to say that it is not as smooth as Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, but it does the job. After sanding, it leaves a perfect finish.

I saw this on Pinterest (where else?) and decided that my knife block would be the trial project for the homemade chalk paint. I put 2 coats of the too watered down paint on and left it overnight. The next morning, I sanded the block and put the thickened paint on it. Perfect. After waxing,  sanding and distressing, I am pleased with the results.

Chalkboard paint project: Oatmeal Bar

We eat oatmeal often, year round. I fixed up a little "oatmeal bar" for the fixin's. I am in direct competition with McDonald's.

I painted a spot on the little Ikea jars with chalkboard paint and wrote the jar contents in white paint pen. These won't be used for anything else, so I decided not to use chalk. The wire basket is a drawer organizer from Target that the jars fit perfectly.

My recipe per serving:

½ cup of old fashioned oats
1 cup of water
Pinch of salt
Microware for 3 minutes. Use a large bowl as this tends to boil over.

Add to cooked oatmeal:
1 tbsp Brummel & Brown margarine
1 tsp brown sugar (I use ½ brown sugar and ½ Splenda®)
1 tbsp Craisins®
1 tbsp Golden Raisins

Sprinkle with cinnamon; add a few drops of maple flavoring.

This is so easy and much cheaper than the instant packets. Eat your heart out, McDonald's.

Dining Table and Chairs Make-over

I have been working on my dining furniture for several weeks. I am still not finished, but it is too windy and damp to paint under the carport today. I have finished 3 of the chairs and the table.

It is a reproduction set we bought over 20 years ago and was nicked up. The top had raised  places where liquid had gotten into the grain of the wood. I don't have a before of the top but you can get the idea from this photo of the base of the table.

I had Home Depot color match my pineapple color craft paint. I distressed it and glazed it with Valspar mocha.

I painted the apron of the table with Chalk Paint in Old White. The top was sanded to get rid of the raised spots, stained with walnut and finished with the hand rubbed poly. I am loving the dark wood with the white on the table and chairs.

I used Behr satin color matched to Heirloom White on the chairs. After the paint on the chairs ages, I will distress them and seal them with hand rubbed poly.

I am second-guessing my choice on the table base. It may get a coat of Old White yet. This little Cheerios pitcher has been moved to my counter and holds my spatulas now and was my inspiration for the yellow color. I also have several coffee mugs in the same color that friends have given me over the years.

 The arm chair is another project and is not staying in the dining area.

I think the patten in the chair backs will show up nicely when I finish with the distressing.

I will be joining several blog par-tays this week.

Chalk Painted Vanity

This poor vanity had languished in the barn for about 2 years and had become home to some creatures that left some nesting material and other things for me. Yuck....

I got the drawers out of the barn several weeks ago and got them painted and waxed, but had to wait for some muscle to get the big piece out for me. Thank you, Evan and Andrew.

Grossness warning!! Here is the before:

After some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White:

and some distressing...... and glass knobs.....

I worked on arranging the bedroom today, hanging photos and finding things to put on the vanity...some of the crystal pieces from my mother's curio cabinet and her vintage jewelery box. Can you see the reflection in the top of the dresser from the amazing clear wax from Annie Sloan?

The paint-by-number paintings done by Rusty's grandmother.....

The matching chest of drawers that I painted black several years ago....These two pieces were given to us by Aunt Nida when we bought her house. Shortly after that, she rented an unfurnished apartment and we let her use them. When she moved into an assisted living facility, they came back to us. At the time, I did not have room for the vanity so it went into the barn. I am so glad to have this sweet vanity back where she belongs.

I will be linking to some linky parties next week.


Also linking to Shades of Amber chalk paint Tuesday