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

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