Reimagined Monday: DIY Bench Makeover

Tausha at Sassy Style Design has been afflicted with the same condition that we have at Apple Box Boutique.  ASCP-itis!  We have BIG love for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, and today's Reimagined Monday post is another fabulous example of why we adore it.

Check out Tausha's blog for an upbeat look at home decor, design and furniture make-overs or catch Tausha on Utah's Studio 5 television for lots of fun crafts and more.

But first... here is an excerpt from Tausha's entryway 'shabby chic' bench makeover:

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

DIY Bench Makeover

"If you have ever visited my blog before, you know that I LOVE Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!

We are talking, pretty sure it’s not healthy to love paint as much as I love this paint.

Why do I love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint so much?

The versatility, hands down. You can paint anything with this paint. Anything! You can read more about my past Annie Sloan Chalk paint projects here. I give a lot of tips and ideas to help you love the paint as well. 
 

The reason I am talking about my love affair with the chalk paint is because of my Entryway Makeover.

  

I painted a sad, forgotten bench and now it takes the center stage it so deserves.

(Yes, I totally realize that I am talking about my bench like it is a person…)
 

 

The bench is the perfect fit for my entryway. I don’t have a huge space and this bench measures 11” deep, so it fits perfectly. Plus, I love the cute curves.

My bench left a lot to be desired before...

I am totally over the whole honey oak look. It was great in the 90’s, but not so much now.  It had been a while since I had used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I knew that it would be perfect for my bench DIY. 

I didn’t have enough of one color, so I mixed my own. That is one of the many reasons why I love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I can mix colors  to my hearts desire. I wasn’t too worried about brush strokes, so I quickly slapped the paint on."

"After the first coat was dry, I dry brushed some old white in some corners. I wanted the curves of the piece to really stand out, so I made sure that I gave the curves some extra attention..."

"After I dry brushed the white, I added the clear wax. I waxed the entire piece with the clear wax. I wiped the clear wax on and the buffed it off with the same rag. 

I then added some dark wax in some corners and on the edges of her fabulous curves.

Don’t worry if you get to much of the dark wax in one spot. Just put some clear wax over the spot and wipe it off. It acts like an eraser..sort of.

Then she was finished.  Sort of.

Yep, I didn’t paint the back of the bench. My arm was ready to fall off and I figured that nobody would see the back anyway. So, yes, I totally left it unpainted and I am totally ok with it.

Did I mention that I am little on the lazy painter side? When one paints for 3 days solid and has pins and needles in her wrist, she becomes a lazy painter.

And to keep it really real, what my entryway usually looks like...

Well, almost. I did throw some papers away and some of my 12 yr. olds shoes earrings down the stairs. ( I choose to not go in her room, it just makes me swear).

I love my little bench & her fabulous curves!

PS-If you noticed that picture has a different pillow, you will also learn that I am a bit of changing pillows for the season freak.  Just keeping it real."

That's exactly why we love Tausha's blog.  She is REAL and more than happy to share project successes and challenges (we all have them!) as she makes her way to her lovely creations.

Happy Monday... Happy Painting!

♥,

Apple Box Boutique

Here is how to share your reimagined paint project at On the Apple Box:

Send us a description of how you used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to get from your vision to the reimagined piece, before and after pictures, pictures of your project in progress or a couple of it in its finished state, and you may be highlighted on our blog!

_______________________________________

We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

Reimagined Monday: Distressing... But In A Good Way!

Anyone who knows the folks at Apple Box Boutique also knows we LUV us a good laugh... even a cheap, slapstick, falling down on the job chortle will suffice but rest assured, laughing is a priority.  If you feel that way too, then you will love reading Dream Home DIY, a blog written by Michelle about her and her husband Justin's home reno trials and tribulations.

They are wacky and fun, and manage to make do-overs feel okay as they DIY their way to their vision for their newish abode.  Following is Michelle's first attempt at painting with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, and Justin's reaction to said project.  Enjoy!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Transformations

"Annie Sloan chalk paint is literally EVERYWHERE right now;

So naturally Ive been dying to try my hand at it.

No priming, no prep sanding, limitless color mixing options, amazing distressing ability, low VOCs, easy cleanup...

And it can be used on furniture, floors, cabinets, walls...
Applied both indoors and outdoors...
On metal, wood, brick, concrete...

Are you serious?  Where have you been all my life?? 

Just stop for a second and imagine the possibilities.

Well, a few weeks ago we spoke with Miss Patty Seaman from Classic Wall Finishes to get a bit more info on the product and after chatting with her, we knew it was a perfect fit for our home.
She is a HUGE wealth of knowledge and was oh so excited to talk about the paint.  I really loved that.  Not to mention she used to live in Virgina, so of course I immediately felt a bond with her.
Paris Gray, Louis Blue and Old White seemed like wonderful colors for us to start with so that's what we got.


Now Ive had an idea for a display piece on our new stenciled walls swirling around in my head for a bit.
Enter our $6.75 Goodwill find
(and some rough cut lumber.  But more on that later)

Because the look we were striving for was a layered, weathered over time vibe
I painted a first coat of Paris Gray right over the dark stained mirror.

Next, a coat of Old White was applied directly on top.
I was able to do this within 20 minutes as the first coat had already dried.
Uh.Mazing.

A thin application of the Annie Sloan wax (allow to completely dry) and a bit of distressing with fine grit sandpaper...
We're in love.
In fact, Justin walked through the door and Mr. I Never Get Excited stated:
"Holy beep.  That paint is the beep"
Yeah.  It's that good

When distressing traditional latex paints, they tend to roll off.
Chalk paint wears off.
And that makes a huge difference.

Now to flank either side of the mirror, we wanted a distressed piece of white washed old lumber and I thought this would be the perfect time to try out another technique.
White washing

Note- This was "new" rough cut lumber when we received it. 
We set them out in the driveway for about 3-4 months.
Mother Nature did the rest.

Dilute a bit of paint with a small amount of water and lightly drag your brush along the grain of your lumber.

Next, with a bit of patience, we hung everything in place on our pretty stenciled wall...

Voila!"

Update - The fork and spoon were purchased from Pier 1

We think it turned out (as Michelle puts it) Uh.Mazing.  Thanks for sharing your ASCP projects, Michelle!

♥,

Apple Box Boutique

Here is how to share your reimagined paint project at On the Apple Box:

Send us a description of how you used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to get from your vision to the reimagined piece, before and after pictures, pictures of your project in progress or a couple of it in its finished state, and you may be highlighted on our blog!

_______________________________________

We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

Reimagined Monday: Antibes Green is hot, hot, HOT

Good morning and welcome to Reimagined Monday!

DIY takes a certain patience, a good amount of energy and can quickly become costly if one doesn't stay focused on creating for less.  Mary of At Home on the Bay and her husband live in Maine and do their best to DIY on a budget.  Updating their retirement home on Blue Hill Bay has become a highlight of Mary's blog, in which she also shares her tips and upcycle projects.

Since Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ in Antibes Green is hot, hot, HOT these days, we wanted to feature Mary's lovely reimagined cupboard... a great DIY project and a perfect example of what all the Antibes Green excitement is about!

ASCP Antibes Green Cupboard

 "I made some progress on the dining room this week.  One of the projects I worked on was painting this built in cupboard.  

I'm loving all of the green painted furniture pieces in magazines and on Pinterest that I've been seeing lately, so I thought I'd try it on this piece.  I made color swatches on a piece of leftover plywood (from the chalkboard project).

From top to bottom:

A. Antibes Green followed with a Aubusson Blue wash and clear and dark wax

B. Antibes Green with clear and dark wax

C. Antibes Green with a French Linen undercoat followed by sanding, clear and dark wax

D. Antibes Green with an Arles undercoat followed by sanding, clear and dark wax

E. Antibes Green followed by a Aubusson Blue wash and clear wax

I went with the top color swatch, but added some sanding.

Here are the detail steps:

1. Two coats of Antibes Green (allowing drying time in between).  I painted the inside with one coat of Old White.

2.  I lightly waxed the cupboard with clear wax and followed with some sanding to distress it in some areas.

3. I then mixed Aubusson Blue with water and brushed streaks of the blue and then wiped them off with a rag.

4. Followed by another coat of clear wax

5. Followed by a coat of dark wax

 I lightly brushed the wax on using a different brush for each wax and wiping any extra off with a cloth allowing it to dry between coats.  The wax adds a nice sheen.

I added a toile print fabric to the back of the shelves.

I added some dishes that I inherited from my Mother-in Law.  

I placed a few ironstone pitchers on top...

and called it a day.  Well, it actually took two days.

What do you think?"

Well, we think it is stunning!  Antibes Green has quickly become one of our favourites and mixed with Aubusson Blue it makes a gorgeous teal that we always look forward to working with at the Apple Box Boutique studio.

Thanks, Mary, for your inspiration!

♥,

Apple Box Boutique
  

Here is how to share your reimagined paint project at On the Apple Box:

Send us a description of how you used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ to get from your vision to the reimagined piece, before and after pictures, pictures of your project in progress or a couple of it in its finished state, and you may be highlighted on our blog!

_______________________________________

We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

Reimagined Monday: Painted Out`s Sweet Little Vanity

Welcome to Reimagined Monday!  A day dedicated to Annie Sloan chalk paint projects meant to inspire.

If you are a thrifter, a junquer or just love antique furniture you have probably seen a waterfall vanity along your path.  They vary a little in design but generally look like this --  though often the mirror is missing:

It is one of those pieces that people love to look at but many just don`t know quite what to do with.  In today`s world, we have so much selection that our homes are often popuated with all of the latest designs and it is hard to imagine how to fit in some of those great old standards.

Grace at Painted Out has solved the dilemma with her creativity and artful hand.

Here is Grace`s oh-so-lovely take on a fantastic 40`s find:

Stenciled Waterfall Vanity

This poor little vanity needed alot of TLC which I didn't realize until it came home. Some vaneer was peeling off on the bottom, and the drawers were falling apart. I scraped away the cracking vaneer and refilled it and then glued the drawers back together. 

The drawers had the original brass hardware which were big and cluncky. I wanted to use pretty knobs so I filled in the original draw holes and drilled new holes for the knobs. Drawer fronts were sanded along with where the vaneer had to be fixed.  Once that was done It was ready to paint! 

I originally painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in colour Pure White. It sat finished for a few days but didn't seem complete.... it just looked kinda boring.

 

I then decided to paint it into a blue colour but I didn't feel that that I had the correct shade, so I mixed it. Mixed Annie Sloan Louis Blue (half), Pure White (half) and touch of Duck Egg Blue.

Took two coats and then I distressed it, the Pure White now shows through. The drawers have a simple stencil that I had at home from Michaels and added the knobs. Everything was finished off with a clear wax.

 It's now ready for some little girls room!  

I love how Grace tied in the little bench seat and the sweet glass knobs are the perfect finishing touch!

A very big thank you to Grace for sharing this pretty little vanity.  To see more of her finished pieces visit the Painted Out Facebook Page.

For purchases: Painted Out is located in St. George, Ontario... a quaint little village where the surrounding rolling hills and boutiques filled with antiques and handmade crafts is well worth a visit.  Contact Painted Out via FB for more information!

♥,

Apple Box Boutique   

_______________________________________

We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog: