A Never-ending Paint Job......

Ho Kay Kampers!!!!!

Let's continue with 

Betsy's Bodacious Behavior in the Bowels of her Basement!!!!!!

Last we met, I had noted that I would be showing off my new paint job on my niece Miriam's 

(and her hubby Ross's...) new/old chifferobe.

WELL.....

My bidness partner, Kris, corrected me, as she is wont to do.....

A chifferobe has an area for hanging and a place for drawers.

This here piece of furniture that I found on Craig's List, just has drawers,

sooooooo.....

It is a linen press.....

OK Kris????? Are you now happy???

(Jesh, everyone's an expert.....)

Well.....

Here she is!!!!

Tada!!!!!

This shot of it, is obviously still in my basement, so the styling and lighting are #$%, but it's too heavy to carry upstairs by myself, and my family is MIA.

And now....

As is my style...

I will show you in exhausting and mind numbingly boring detail how I did this!!!!

I started with it in it's original finish that had turned an unattractive greeny color that is hard to see in the picture.

Sooooo, I am sure some of you will be sharing how I ruined the piece....

Wellllll.....

It's going against a blue wall in a room with white slip-covered furniture, so this incarnation is better for the overall design of the space where it will be living.

So there.....

Here's the before, in the ad on Craig's List.

(remember, the camera lies, the finish sucked....)

Soooo.

I don't know what happened to the tassel!!!!

I think the seller kept it!!!!!

Anyway, 

first I did a test spot on the top to see if the tannins would bleed through the paint,

boy was I happy that they didn't!!!!

Sooooo....

I then painted a coat of old white chalk paint all over this sucka!!!

Then a second coat of Old White...

Then I stood back and scratched my head....

what to do...

what to do....

I saw a chest on a TV show that I liked, (the chest, not the show) so I paused the TV, and ran and got my camera, and took a picture of the picture on the TV!!!

But I didn't want to do all that criss crossing......

Miriam likes color and detail.

Soooooo.....

I whipped out my artist pad and did some doodles..

I tend to think with a pencil....

(OK wiseguys, I think with my brain box too.....)

I started seeing something I would like.

Only problem.....

how to draw a nice oval.

Oh yeah,

and how to do the monograms for Ross and Miriam....

Sooooo....

what do you do when you don't know what to do?????

GOOGLE!!!!!

I found a YouTube tutorial here.....

which showed me how to do what I wanted to do just when I wanted to do it!!!

I computed what I wanted in size for my ovals using a high tech gizmo called my brain, and this piece of paper.

And I cut me out an oval!!!!!

Then I had to figure out the fonts.....

Last Tuesday was our annual condominium association meeting.....

I took my ipad to it so I wouldn't get bored.....

as my eyes started to glaze over during the financial reports.....

I started surfing the web for a font I would like!!!!

I found this website....

http://www.fontspace.com/

and I found this font I liked....

http://www.fontspace.com/kimberly-geswein/janda-stylish-script

So, I copied the letters to a word document and resized them to make them  larger.

And then....printed them out.

But...first I had to finish painting the body of the linen press....

I didn't want it just old white, but I wanted it to be a light color because the room it's going in is dark, and this would take up a good chunk of wall.

So I used Chalk Paint color Cream for the second hue, and French Linen for the detail lines.

I painted the drawers, side panels and recessed door panels in the light yellow color.

Then I added some striping to the front legs, the circle at the bottom of the skirt, as well as the little gallery backsplash.

I need to tape things off, as my hands are not steady, and I am clumsy...

Now it was time to paint the ovals and monograms...

I was afeared!!!!!

I taped the ovals and letters to the doors, to see how it would look.....

I like it, so I forged ahead....

First I taped the ovals to the doors and used them to draw an outline around the outside of the thick paper stock.

Then I got out my striping tape, I got it years ago and it can be curved around curves that are curvy.....

It's from Finesse Pinstriping 

and I outlined the oval.....

(what a pain in the butt.....)

And started painting in the lines in French Linen....

Then I carefully pulled off the tape......

And danced around my basement crowing about how brilliant I is!!!!

Here's a closer shot.....

And closer!!!!!

BETSY PAINTED HER FIRST OVAL!!!!!

Then I taped off the drawers for the striping.

I used the smaller pinstriping tape for the outside because it was smaller and allowed for the stripe to be closer to the edge of the drawers.

I was pretty happy with the way the drawers looked after the stripe went on.

I was getting really sick of this piece by this time and didn't want to bother, but I knew it would be worth it.

Now it was time for the letters......

oy oy oy oy oy oy oy oy oy.......

gulp.

I wanted them to be a little darker than the grey of the French Linen, so I mixed some Graphite in with the French Linen and made a darker grey color.

I scribbled all over the backs of the paper with my

 special, super duper number two pencil!!!!!

taped the letters where I wanted them, and traced over the outline with a ballpoint pen.

(I darkened the shot below to show the pencil line, so it made the oval look black.....well it ain't....it be grey....)

Then I had to hand paint in between the lines.....

I am a crappy painter, and needed to use a wet paper towel to clean up my boo boos.

It took me forever!!!!!

Closer shot....

Then it was time for the distressing.....

the part where I have been known to go too far, and can't take it back.....

Still too much, but I'm getting better.

Then it was time for waxing.

(would this never end?????)

I added some mixed dark and natural wax in the corners and some edges, where dirt would naturally collect.....

I was happy with the distressing by the keyhole, I'm finally getting the hang of this thingy.

Here are some of the fabrics from Miriam's living room, so you can see why I painted this piece.

Soooooo.....

I am finished.

Now someone just has to get the damn thing out of my basement!!!!!

On that note.....

Latah, Gatah

Partying at:

  

Betsy's Musings

I've been thinking.....

(oy)

just random thoughts while I go about my homey chores around my abode....

Once again this has to do with laundry and underwear....

But this time it's underwear in general!!!!!

Not just mine....

why 

do women's

not come 

in 

Forest Green?????????

They come in all the pastel colors....

They come in most of the vibrant colors.

Red

Purple

Navy

Ochre

and lets not forget Black....(a dress up staple.....)

soooooooo.......

What's the deal with dark green???????

Maybe it's just me...

But I haven't seen it....

But then.....I am not a big underwear shopper, as I buy my

 Fruit of the Looms on line.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK...

Next thought....

This is really a helpful life style tip!!!!!

When grocery shopping,

and you've driven to the grocery store,

and you've parked your car,

and it's time to get out and go shop for food,

IT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO UNDO YOUR SEAT BELT!!!!!

The other day I left that step out, and for a second was a little confused about why I was having trouble leaving my car.

The reason I share this stuff with you guys, 

is to make your life easier, if you learn from my vast experience!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now..... I know I've gone over this with you,

but it's worth repeating.

YOU CAN'T MAKE A PHONE CALL WITH THE TV REMOTE!!!!!

I keep trying to dial out with the damn thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One thing I find very annoying.....

is when I'm watching TV, and the door bell rings,

so I haul my old bum out of the chair to go answer the door.....

AND THERE'S NO ONE THERE!!!!!

It was a door bell on the TV program.

Now admit it!!!!!

YOU'VE HAD THAT HAPPEN!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's it for today.....

I am really tired.....

I've been painting a chifferobe for my niece Miriam.

I will finish it tomorrow and show it off this weekend!!!!!

Here's a shot of the before.

Now, I know lots of you will like the original finish, but it looks better in the picture than in real life.

That's the way of a lot of things......

just check out Match.com!!!!!

On that note....

Latah, Gatah

Chalk Paint Step by Step......

O.K. kampers!!!!!

I've been spending lots of time down in my dungeon basement cellar

FABULOUS ARTIST'S STUDIO.

It must be the raw cinder block walls and unpainted dirty cement floor that inspire me.....

One of these years I will actually have it painted.

If the walls were white, it would be much brighter down there....

but then I would have to have men in my house to do the painting.....

and I would have to move all my stuff around down there.....

but I spend so much time in the dark dank hole of my workshop that you'd think I'd want to fix it up.

I MEAN....I AM a designer....

it IS  the last space that needs work in my home.....

But.....

the thought of dealing with it doesn't make me want to do it.

It makes me want to ignore it.

BUT.....

once it was done.....

I'D BE SOOOOOO HAPPY!!!!!

I KNOW!!!!!

I'll just put it on the back burner and think about doing it for...

a little while (ha) longer.....

anyway.....

let me show you my newest project....

I found this table for my niece Miriam's living room.

Last year I did her dining room, and this year I'm helping her and her hubby, Ross, with their living room.

Sooooooo.....

I found this table on Craig's List.....

It was listed for 50 smackers, but I got it for $35!!!!!

Here it is in my lovely studio.....

Miriam and I 

(well.....I informed her.....what I wanted to do.....and she said OK.....)

decided that I should paint this green, but she wanted the details highlighted.

So......

I fearlessly (and recklessly) painted it in 

Antibes Green chalk paint......

It came out screaming green.....

florescent!!!!!

Here it is with just one coat of green paint.....

Being somewhat delusional.....

I thought it had to look better with a second coat!!!!!

OY, OY, OY....

OY

Oy

oy

oy

oy

Sooooo....

I whipped out my trusty artists pad.....

and painted some of this here green on it.....

let it dry.....

and then I applied dark wax to see how it would look....

Ho Kay!!!!!

Me Likey!!!!

Every time I paint a piece of furniture it's an adventure.

I never know what's going to happen because I never do the same thing twice.

I mean.....

I wouldn't want to benefit from my own experience!!!!!

So,

this was dark wax directly over the paint.

I've never done that before.

It's VERY scary because once it's on, you can't take it back.

If you apply dark wax over clear wax, you can always remove it if you don't like it.

I like to live dangerously!!!!!

I like to live on the edge!!!!!

I run with scissors!!!!!

(No I don't, I'm too old to run.....)

Anyway.....

Now, I had to figure out how to do the detailing, so I started on the carvings at the top of the legs.

Well!!!!!

Isn't that special!!!!!

It shows how crappy the carving is!!!!

And it looks like a nursery school color scheme!!!!

No

No

No, No, No....

I hated it.

painted over it.

I know!!!!

Lets try Old White.

So I attacked the details on the top and the feet.

One coat of white.

(they look like socks....)

Added a second coat of white.....

Then I taped off where I wanted the blue stripes on the top.

The sides of the top had the carving that looked like a binding, so I continued the line across the top of the table....

Below before the lines.....

Then I taped it....

And painted it with Greek Blue chalk paint.

I felt it was a blue that had too much red in it, so I then dry brushed some Duck Egg Blue over it.....

Then I got a little insane and dry brushed some of the Duck Egg over the details I had painted in white.

It gave the white a more aged look.

Then it was time to stop screwing around and finish the damn table.....

So I got out my gritty sandpaper and distressed the finish.

Then I threw caution to the winds and applied the dark wax.

I like the way it came out.....

but I'll never do dark wax over raw paint again....

It's toooooo scary.

Sooooooo.....

then I went to Pic Monkey and made a bunch of side by sides to show you guys.....

Sooooooo.....

Miriam better like this.....

On that note.....

Latah, Gatah

Partying at: