Provence

I am officially obsessed with chalk paint.

 Before...

Enter this amazing product in Provence, a gorgeous deep & rich blue.

 These pictures are after the first coat ~ as you can see, they needed another coat for sure.  But the coverage without any primer is extraordinary.

 After only two coats.

The thing about it is this… It dries so fast that you're ready to do your second coat by the time you finish with the first.  So before you know it, you're done with paint.  And the finish is flawless.

I originally worked with the brushes that they sell with the paint.  I didn't love them, so I switched to a foam brush & a roller, which were perfect for me personally.  But you have to know that this stuff really dries fast, so working on a small area at a time is preferable.

This is an iphone picture so the colors aren't as true.  The skateboard is a nice touch isn't it?  I did a sort-of-wash of minwax paste wax (still waiting on the good stuff to arrive) mixed with a jacobean stain.  I ended up putting the wax in the microwave (removed from the can first, obviously) and it mixed/applied much better after some serious softening up.

And, all finished up…

I love it.  It was so fun, so fast & the result is so great.  Sam (the kitten) tried to scratch on the top but was unsuccessful.  That wax finish is tough!

I've done two more pieces now with the chalk paint & am very happy.  What has your experience with chalk paint been?  I'd love to hear!

thanks for stopping by!
kathie

linking to these great parties:
Centsational Girl's Paint Projects
Redoux's Friday Redoux

Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

My repurposed Life's Catch as Catch Can

Hooking Up with House of Hepworths

Blue Cricket Design's Show & Tell Wednesday

Domestically Speaking's Power of Paint Party

Primitive & Proper's Piece of Work Wednesdays

The Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursday
Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays

Mama Hen's WOW Wednesdays
Remodelaholic's Anonymous 

a classic

This one is like an oldie but a goodie.  Very classic.

It didn't start that way, though.  You may remember the story from last fall.  I don't watch TV, but from what I hear, the seller of this dresser would be a perfect fit for the show Hoarders.  It was un.believe.able.  I've really never seen anything like it.  We had to move pieces of furniture, clothing, and just *junk* just to get a look at the piece we had come to see.  

I literally got out the shop vac before I even brought this thing into the garage.  I had serious reservations about putting it in my car, but for the $15, I couldn't let it go.  This thing is over 74" wide… HUGE.

Here it is...

I used it as a paint stand for a while, and it got all junky.  Then I broke my arm.  So it's been quite neglected.

But it finally got a nice fresh coat of color-matched Heirloom White in Behr premium paint.  Like I said, an oldie but a goodie.

My sweet husband added some of my favorite rustic iron pulls (from Lowe's) and knobs from HL.

And there you have it!

I never got a staged picture because I listed it… and it sold that day.  Oh well!

I'll go on the record as saying… this may be my very last post ever in which I don't talk about Chalk Paint.  Oh my word, I'm in love.  I'm on my third piece with it already & can't wait to share, but I'm waiting on the waxes to come (don't think I haven't been tracking their progress via UPS!)

thanks for visiting!

kathie

ps… someone help.  my kitten will only drink water from a fresh running source.  I thought it was cute at first.  now ~ not so much.  anytime you turn on a faucet, he comes galloping through the house for a sip. ???

funky desk

I rescued this desk from the goodwill the other day.  She had good bones and was a great price, so I couldn't pass her up!

The hardware was permanently attached & very odd.  My husband finally got it all off.  It appears that someone attempted to strip it at some point, but they weren't really successful.  Luckily for me, though, all it needed was a light sand before I painted.

Primed & ready to go.

And, done!

 I left the underside white for contrast ~ it was an accident at first, but I loved the way it looked, so I kept it :)

 The knobs are from Cost Plus World Market.  Did you even know they sell hardware?  Well, they do, and they have some really fun stuff!

 Gorgeous legs.

I painted with a gray oops paint but the color is showing up more blue in the pictures.  I lightly glazed it, then made the decision to go with chalkboard paint on the top.  I think that adds to the fun ~ factor.

I wish I had some better pictures of the finished piece, but it sold before I realized they were all close-ups.  Oh well, that is a good problem to have!

Thanks for coming by!
Kathie

back in the game

WOW, it has been a while!  As I got ready to write this post, I noticed something that I found significant.  This is my 100th post here at A Few Good Pieces!  Good timing for my re-entry into normal life with both of my arms functioning.

Soooo… I got my cast off about 3 weeks ago and am slowly but surely getting back my strength & full range of motion.  I was in the cast for 14 weeks.  Felt like an eternity.

But this past weekend, something clicked on the furniture side of my brain, and I got hopping :)

You may remember this piece.  Actually, you probably don't, since you last saw it in NOVEMBER.  Yes, Doug built this for me in November, right before that fateful slip in the shower that put me out of commission.  As you can imagine, it was practically taunting me as it sat in the basement unpainted all this time.

So I've searched my files for a 'before' shot because I know I have one.  But all I can find are about 9 billion pictures of our kitten & another 7 gazillion or so of our spring break trip to disney.

So, you'll have to trust me that this was once a headboard.  And now, it is a bench.

I love it very much and am very happy that it is my first piece with my newly renovated arm!  (or should I say 'updated' arm, since nothing was replaced??)

I'm currently working on this:

And I also got a box in the mail today full of CHALK PAINT.  Oh my.  If you're a furniture nut like me, you know what I'm talking about.  And if not, we are not talking about chalk BOARD paint.  Oh, no.  This is a whole new phenomenon.  So I'll let you know how it goes.

Our Disney trip was perfection ~ we were randomly chosen as the 'opening family' at the Magic Kindgom and got a fabulous tour of the park before it opened, got to help the mayor count down to opening with Mickey & the gang, etc.  My boys were enchanted.  We loved all 4 parks and will certainly go back one day.

Our tour guide made us take a billion pictures, she kept saying "you will never see this park without any people in it, ever, again".  She is probably right!

Happy Boys!

We ate at the Whispering Canyon a couple of times ~ as my husband said, FINALLY a place that gets how much diet coke I need to start my day :)  This jar probably held 40 oz.

We rode Expedition Everest about 7 times.  I thought we'd never get the kids out of there.

Finally, I'll leave you with this.

Spring has sprung here in Atlanta, and the proof is in a bush in our front yard.  Four eggs!!  We are so excited.  Aren't they gorgeous?  I took these with my iphone, which I stuck in the bush.  We're keeping tabs on the nest but mamma bird sure isn't happy about it!

And our kitten?

Not so much a kitten anymore :(  He is 5 months old.

I've missed the creative outlet of A Few Good Pieces and am so glad to be back!!  If you've got a furniture blog, rest assured I've been stalking it.  I've not been commenting, as it was very difficult to type one-handed with my non-dominant hand (trust me on this one.  it's not fun!)  But I love what I've seen and have missed you all!

happy spring!

love kathie

linking to:
Primitive & Proper's Piece of Work Wednesday
Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

My repurposed Life's Catch as Catch Can

Hooking Up with House of Hepworths

Blue Cricket Design's Show & Tell Wednesday

Domestically Speaking's Power of Paint Party