French Inspired Bureau

I'm so excited to share this beautiful bureau/desk when I first saw it at Kempton Park Antiques market I instantly fell in love with it and knew what I wanted to do with it and how it would look.  I have had my eye on this particular graphic at the Graphics Fairy for ages and was just waiting for the perfect piece to complement it. I think it's my favourite project to date.

This is what it looked like before:

It took a while to choose which colour I was going to paint it, but I knew I would need to add a different colour to the beautiful detailed bits, so I ended up with ANCP Paris Grey and Old White I decided not to distress it purposely and just left any little bits of the brown wood that showed through after waxing.  Laura added the Old French Envelope graphic, she enjoyed the challenge of something a little different, I love how she has made the old postmark looked faded - and she captured the lovely handwriting effect beautifully.

 

 

We are busy working on our next peice - can't wait to share it very soon.
Bye for now.
CJ

 
http://www.powerofpaint.net/2012/02/20/chalk-painted-kitchen-and-desk/

Forgot to share this one...

Just realised I didn't ever share this coffee table, the 3rd one we did and our favorite to date, the table is huge and has gorgeous chunky barley twist legs, Laura's work on the graphic was amazing as usual, and I painted the legs and frame in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint 'French Linen' its the first time I have used this colour and I love it, it has a lovely warmth about it and is darker than Paris Grey.  I will definitely be using it again.

 Here's the gorgeous legs...

 

Almost finished our latest project which I will share later this week, I'm really excited about it - its a beautiful ornate desk!

Bye for now.

CJ

Louis Blue Sidetable

I posted this little side table back in October here and I was never really very happy with it, it was the first time I had used the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Louis Blue and it was just a bit too 'Blue' so I decided to tone it down a little by painting the legs and edges in 'Old White' I also changed the  handles, and I'm really pleased with how it looks now.

 

I can't beleive I found some daffodils for sale - I couldn't resist them, there's nothing like a touch of spring in January!

Just started working on a beautiful Bureau, can't wait to share it.

Bye for now

CJ

Vintage French Graphic Side Table

My daughter Laura hand painted this beautiful French graphic from the Graphics Fairy onto a little side table I have had for sometime.

 I painted the table with Annie Sloan Chalk paint in Old White and then Laura painted on the grahic, then I distressed and waxed it with clear Briwax, to give a lovely soft sheen.

 We are both pleased with the finished piece.  We are excited about our next project which I will share very soon.

Bye for now

CJ

French Mirror Makeover

I have had this mirror for a good few years now, I bought it in France and although I love the shape and the bevelled edge, I have always been uphappy with the finish of the surround, it was a funny sort of thin tin that had been stuck on and had lots of creases in it, and it was starting to come unstuck at the edges.

 So I pulled it all off!

I had a stack of old sheet music and thought I could Modge Podge it to the mirror, so I set to work cutting the sheet music to size and overlapping it to make it look just as I had imagined it, I was pleased with the layout:

So I set to work and started to stick the pieces on, but it ended up a big mess the surface was slightly rounded and I just couldn't get it to stick flat it was creased and just looked awful, so I had to work quickly and get it all off before the glue dried.
OK so now what do I do?  Then I had a flash of inspiration... I was itching to you use my latest Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colour - "Provence", a colour I was also dying to introduce into my lounge, so I painted 2 coats, gave it a little ageing by flicking some Raw Umber acrylic paint here and there and then gave it a coat of clear Briwax followed by a heavy coat of Brown Annie Sloan wax, and... I love it! now I have to decide which piece of furniture I am going to paint the same colour to match my "new" mirror!

Will share it with you when I have decided.

Bye for now

CJ

1st Commission

The very same day I sold my coffee table with the French Advertising Graphic, I had a call from a lovely lady who had seen it and wanted one just the same, I explained that the pieces I have are "one offs" but I would try and find another table similar and reproduce a similar piece for her.  After a few weeks of searching I found another coffee table almost identical, the dimensions were a more rectanglar rather than square but luckily it was virtually the same, so we set to work and completed our first commission.

 

I think I prefer the rectangle.  It was painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Old White and then waxed with brown Briwax and finished with clear Briwax, to give a distressed and Vintage look.

Today I went to my favorite place - Ardingly Antiques and Collectors Fair at the South of England Show Ground, I picked up a few things which I will share very soon.

Bye for now.

CJ

Pretty Louis Blue Side Table

After a very challenging couple of months I have managed to get another project finished, this little side table or bedside table has little drop down leaves each side, which makes it ideal if you need a little extra space to put things on.  Its a lovely little piece, and beautiful wood, I sanded the top and stained a slightly darker colour and then gave it a good wax with brown Briwax,  The rest I painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Louis Blue, which is such a pretty colour and really looks great against the dark wooden top.  I added a touch of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White just around the edge of the drawers just to add a touch of interest, before distressing and waxing it.

I am really pleased how it turned out and have added it to my For Sale page.

Before:

After:

I am off across the pond to San Francisco tomorrow to see my baby brother and family.
I have a couple of projects lined up for when I get back home.

Bye for now.

CJ