Farm Table Makeover with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

A few years ago, I found this farm table at an antique store in Georgia. Petite and primitive, the little table was the perfect size for the small dining room in our 1890s rowhouse. With a rough plank top, the table boasted legs and apron in a pale minty green. No doubt it was originally built as a work table for someone's kitchen or shop. I highly doubt it was intended to be used as a dining table, but hey who cares. Styles change, right?
For two years, the table stayed its original mint-green color. It worked with our original eclectic decor. But as our styles evolved, I grew bored with the green color. Especially once no one else in our house was green anymore.  So, I did what I always do when I'm ready for a change: I whipped out my paint brushes.
To coordinate with our kitchen color and with the upcoming living room makeover, I chose the color Paris Grey by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It's a soft pale grey, the same color actually as our recent dresser makeover. I decided to paint just the legs and apron, leaving the surface rough and unadorned. 

The whole project took about 20 minutes-- and I love the finished look! I only needed one coat of paint and chose to not wax. I felt that a chalky, matte finish was more in keeping with the table's style. . It was exactly the change our dining room needed. The table now blends with its surrounding decor, highlighting the grey shades in our birch tree mural. 
My next project? Reupholstering and painting those white metal chairs. I may go Paris Grey on them as well, with a blue-and-white fabric for the cushions. I just need to go pick out the fabric! 

Fall Crafts // Wooden Autumn Blessings Sign

Sunday I sat down to edit and schedule this week's blog posts... only to discover that I had lost my laptop charger! Ack! Thankfully, I finally found it--left behind when I left work last weekend. Poor innocent little charger, left abandoned to its own devices all weekend. (Pun intended.)  I'm so glad I found it! But hence the lack of posts this week so far. Thankfully, we're all plugged in and back on track now! 

Today I thought I'd share this little "Autumn Blessings" sign I made a few weeks ago. It's relatively simple and fun. If you ask me, SIMPLE and FUN are two major necessities of any craft or DIY. I can paint, but when it comes to power tools or complex procedures... I'm lost. If you fit into this category too, then this DIY is for you. 

Last month, I completed a commissioned art project for a local couple. They wanted some cutesy wooden signs for their Harpers Ferry cottage. When finished with their project, I had some left over scrap wood. Rather than let it go to waste, I thought "Why not make a cute fall sign?" I got out my chalkpaint, brushes, and sandpaper and got to work. 

What You'll Need:

- Scrap wood, sanded (mine measured 18x6, cut to size by the hubs)

- chalkpaint (I used FolkArt chalky paint)

- acrylic paint

- assorted brushes

- paint markers

- sand paper or sanding block

- paper towels

What You'll Do:

- Cut the wood to size. 

Because this was a scrap piece of wood, I went with the size it already was. It measures about 18 inches by 6 inches. Mark did the cutting for me since I have a silly fear of saws and blades!

- Prep the wood. 

I bought pre-sanded wood when I made the commissioned signs. It's easier to paint and saves you the trouble of sanding down the entire piece. However, I did have to sand the edges after Mark cut the wood to size. You don't have to do this step, but I think it makes the end result look a little nicer.

- Apply your background color. 

I used two FolkArt chalky home decor paints: Sage and Savannah. First, I applied the Savannah color, a dusky tan. I let it dry almost completely. Then, I applied a second coat of paint in the pale turquoise Sage color. I intentionally applied it when the base coat was still slightly tacky, resulting in a somewhat streaky, blended color. I just liked the shabby-chic look it gave the piece. 

Note: If you're using treated wood, you should only paint one side. Treated wood needs to "breathe." 

- Once the base coats are dry, use the paint markers to write your quotation. I chose the phrase "Autumn Blessings" because it seemed like it would continue to be applicable into the Thanksgiving holiday season. 

- Add decorative touches. I went with two shabby-chic style pumpkins. I drew the design with the paint markers and then filled them in with acrylic paint from my studio stash. 

These final two steps are optional. 

- Seal the sign using a spray lacquer or polyacrylic.

I prefer the spray kind because it doesn't streak like the other kind. Just follow the directions on the spray can. I bought mine from Home Depot. 

-Add hanging hardware to the back of the finished sign if you plan to display it somewhere. 

See? Simple and fun, just like I promised. The whole project took me about 30 minutes. I plan to display the little sign in our dining room until it sells from my Etsy shop. 

Happy painting! 

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Warm Industrial- Inspired Vintage Desk

Before getting married, I had a very eclectic approach to design. If I attempted to give the style a name, it would be some some hybridized concept like "eclectic-vintage-global-glam," a trail of adjectives that leave you blinking and thinking "Wait. What the what?" Then I married this blue-eyed Virginian who loved all things sleek and modern. Sheesh. How does that work?  Over time, however, we've come to realize that our mutual favorite style, while still eclectic, fits more into the category of New Traditional, with the occasional industrial twist.

This design style certainly inspired my most recent Furniture Makeover project. A vintage typewriter desk revitalized with a good scrubbing, a fresh coat of paint, and a new design. Here's what it looked like once we purchased it:

Good bones, am I right? My favorite feature (other than the hidden typewriter drawer) was the marble drawer pulls. They really set this piece apart. I couldn't wait to get at them with a scrub rag and some warm soapy water.

Here's what I used: 
-soapy water
-rags
- painter's tape
-sanding blocks (200-1000 grit)
-mineral spirits
-Annie Sloan Chalkpaint in Graphite and Paris Grey
-Annie Sloan Soft Clear Wax
-paint brushes
- paper towels

Voila! Like most of my Furniture Makeovers, the process of painting this behemoth desk was simple. I simply gave it a good cleaning and sanding in any damaged areas. Once the piece was wiped clean of any grit and grime, I taped off my desktop design. I decided to go for a feedsack stripe design, to augment this warm industrial theme.

The body is painted in two coats of Annie Sloan Graphite, while the stripe design is both Graphite and Paris Grey. After the paint dried, I heavily distressed the piece using sanding blocks, hammer and nails, and even a small chain. (Yes, I slapped a chain on the desk. Yes, it made me feel a little mean. But whatever-- it turned out pretty! Yes, I know it's an inanimate object.) Finally, I applied a topcoat of Soft Clear Wax and thoroughly buffed for a high sheen.

I am so pleased with how it turned out. The white marble drawer pulls cleaned up perfectly and truly set this piece over the top. While cleaning the piece, I found its manufacturer's label inside one of the drawers. Believe it or not, this desk is also a little piece of Maryland history. It was made in Baltimore by Lucas Brothers--once one of the nation's oldest office supply and furniture distributors. I like to imagine that this desk belonged to some mid-century teacher... but who knows.

The desk will be placed  for sale in Repurposed & Refined's downtown Frederick brick + mortar. So, if you're in totally in love with it, you're more than welcome to stop by their shop at see it in person. Or, if you can't wait, you can always message me here or on Instagram for more information.

Ahhh. I wish I could just keep it! But if I kept every project, I would definitely show up on that show Hoarders someday.  Want more furniture makeovers, here are a few more I've done recently! Also, if you're in the Frederick area this weekend, head over to Sweet Clover Barn. The ladies of Repurposed & Refined have a booth there, and Cassie of Primitive & Proper-- whose projects and home tours you know I love--has stocked the place full of vintage goodness.

Happy weekend!

Project shared at Nifty Thrifty Things link party.

Old World Style Dresser

Hello everyone. It's been a while since I've written for the blog. My days have been super  busy lately with painting, writing, and adventuring with the hubs and the pup. Unfortunately, this good-kind-of-busy left me with little time to sit down and actually jot down some blog posts. Rest assured though-- I'm still out there crafting and writing. If you ever wonder what's become of us, give us a follow on Instagram @ampnabi for proof that we're still alive.

A recent Craigslist find had me whipping out my paintbrushes and paint cans for a quick furniture makeover. Last week, I spotted this old dresser for sale. I immediately knew that I wanted it, so a quick email chat ensued and I headed to the owner's home to pick it up. She informed me that the rickety old (and I mean old) dresser actually had belonged to her great-grandfather. She hated to part with it, but just truly didn't have any use for it. So, home it came with me!

My favorite thing about it? It still had all its hardware. So often I find beautiful pieces with beautiful hardware... just not all of it. When I saw that this dresser still possessed its knobs, I was super excited. Already, a vision was unfolding of what it be with a little elbow grease and a lot of chalkpaint.

Here's a glimpse of the "before"...

Beautiful, am I right?

I knew I wanted this antique piece to have an Old-World style. The words dark wax, dark wax, dark wax kept repeating like a mantra in my mind. But what color?

I kept it simple and went with colors I already owned: Old Violet (from our kitchen renovation) and Paris Grey (from my bedroom dresser makeover). The end result was awesome--even better than I anticipated--and surprisingly not that difficult.

Materials used:
Annie Sloan Chalkpaint- Old Violet
Annie Sloan Chalkpaint- Paris Grey
Annie Sloan Soft Dark Wax
mineral spirits
paper towels
paint brushes
old rags (for buffing and waxing)

Because the dresser was pretty scratched up, I had to give it a pretty thorough sanding. Now, typically. with Annie Sloan products you don't have to sand or prep the piece. That general rule is still very true. The sanding step served only to create a smooth surface. Over the years, the dresser had sustained some dings, nicks, and scratches. I simply wanted a smooth surface on top.

After sanding the dresser top, I cleaned and dusted the entire piece. Now it was finally ready to begin layering my paint. First, a base coat of Old Violet and then a top coat of Paris Grey. To get the peek-through of dusky-blue, I utilized a wet-rag distressing technique, simply rubbing away the still damp grey chalkpaint. Then,  I distressed the entire dresser using a high-grit sandpaper. A final coat of Dark Wax served as the topcoat-- and gave the piece its "Old World" patina.

And viola!

I have to say-- I'm thrilled with the way it turned out. True to the power of chalkpaint, this dresser went from shabby and neglected to stylish and unique in just two days.

Have a chalkpaint or furniture DIY you want to share? Link in the comments below!

Console Table Makeover

Happy Monday, everyone!

How was your Fourth of July celebration? Did you come through the other side, retaining all your fingers and toes? I hope so! Mark and I kept it simple this year. We stayed in Frederick to enjoy a cookout with friends and fireworks in the Baker Park. Which, by the way, if you're a local Marylander, you should definitely make the trip to Frederick for our Fourth celebration. This little town can put on a lightshow. Complete with a rousing soundtrack of patriotic songs, the firework show dazzles you with light and color before concluding with the national anthem played on the park's belltower. I shared a few images on my Instagram which you can find here.

Of course, holiday weekends always end, and Monday inevitably returns. Today at the Frederick shop, I've been working on a console table makeover. This piece is not vintage, but even newer pieces can benefit from an Annie Sloan chalkpaint makeover.

Originally, the piece was a butternut yellow color. Not bad-- but again, not great. Slightly one-dimensional. Here's a look at what the piece looked like beforehand.

To give the piece a more French Country feel, we decided to paint it in Annie Sloan Chalkpaint Graphite, the closest shade to black that Annie Sloan carries. Graphite is a really lovely color: a dusky chalkboard black. However, painting and waxing with Graphite can be a little more difficult than with other Annie Sloan colors, solely because the dark shade sometimes betrays any lint or dust that becomes trapped in the wax topcoat. Recently, I found myself in a vicious circle of painting, sanding, waxing, buffing on a custom Graphite bedroom set. The seemingly unending task would definitely be my version of Dante's hell. The problem turned out to be the buffing rags: somehow this ragbag had unreasonable amounts of lint that kept ruining the wax topcoat. Ugh!

Anyway, the console table project turned out to be much easier. No lint escapade anyway!

Materials used:
-Annie Sloan Chalkpaint in Graphite
-Annie Sloan Soft Clear Wax
-brushes
-rags (waxing and buffing)
-paper towels


As with any Annie Sloan project, this was ridiculously simple. We simply painted a few coats of Graphite onto the console table, distressed, and then added a topcoat of Soft Clear Wax. After buffing the topcoat to a nice sheen, we were done!

The end result is a piece that certainly is no longer one-dimensional. The charcoal grey color gives the table a more dramatic flair, while the original pale wood stain still peeks through. It would work well as an entryway table or console table behind a sofa.

If you have any chalkpaint or furniture DIY questions,

please don't hesitate to ask in the comments below!

Repurposed & Refined

217 W Patrick Street

Frederick, MD 

Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored, nor did I received any compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are truly my own. I just really love Annie Sloan chalkpaint and think you should try it out too!