Time for another Coffee Table

This coffee table is HUGE! it's 3ft square and really heavy the wood on the top is nearly 2 inches thick!
I had to sand down the top which was no problem and didn't take long at all - but there were marks and a lot of wax on there, which soon disappeared once I got cracking with the sander!

I removed the top from the base as I find this much easier for painting and for Laura to work on the graphics. - a good tip is to always number parts when you take out screws - I use chalk to mark the numbers - it's easy to see and can be rubbed off easily when you have finished your piece.

As this table had so much wax on it I decided to use Autentico Chalk Paint again - I had plenty left after my last project Autnentico Chalk Paint to the Rescue  and I knew it would soak up and cover over the old wax residue.

Laura has done a fabulous job on the graphic - yet again! she is so clever and has such a steady hand - it looks amazing! We used The Graphics Fairy as usual.
I have projects stacking up now and will post as soon as they are done.
CJ

Potty with Pots - Milk Paint Workshop - 20 May, 10am - 1pm

Come along to the Potty with Pots workshop at Lovingly Made, near East Grinstead, and learn how to turn these...

Into these...

There are lots of different looks you can achieve with Milk Paint, and a few other magical products, to achieve crackled effects, naturally aged & distressed or a flat opaque finish to name but a few!  I'll show you how you can transform those old pots in no time at all!

Hope to see you there.
CJ

Quick Coffee Table Makeover with 'Kitchen Scale' Milk Paint

I have had this little coffee table hanging around for ages - I knew it would be a very quick job to turn around once the wobbly leg was fixed - and in  fact once I actually got around to it fixing the leg was easy and I managed to do it in-between other jobs one Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago.

So with lovely new strong legs - I set to work with my favorite Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint colout - 'Kitchen Scale' it's such a great colour - not too bright and has that lovely vintage muted tone, I would describe the colour as a soft 'Teal'  shade.

Kitchen Scale really looks great against dark wood when it has that great 'chippy' affect - it really does  look like its been around for years and has chipped and faded over time.

When painting anything with legs - tables or chairs - I always turn them upside down for the first  coat - by doing this  - once you turn it back upright you can easily see if you have missed any bits - and cover those with your next coat.

I have found these amazing sanding pads on eBay - they are 'super' fine, and great for rounded surfaces like legs - so much better than a stiff sheet of sand paper as they gently fold around the surface giving a really even finish - using them leaves the paint so smooth.  

and for my next little tip!... - I then dust off the sanded paint dust using these 'micro fibre' cloths - they are 'cheap as chips' and really clean away all the dust so quickly - leaving it beautifully clear ready for the Hemp Oil! 

Lots more Milk Paint projects in the pipeline!
CJ

Brilliance in Blogging Shortlist!!!

I have just found out that I have been shortlisted for the BiB awards - Brilliance in Blogging, in the 'Style' category! I am gobsmacked, shocked and honored to say the least!
I have been writing my blog for 3 years now and sharing my vintage inspired furniture make overs and up cycling projects has been, and still is something I really love.  I hope I have inspired my readers to 'have a go' themselves - it is so rewarding to see something evolve from an ugly drab piece of furniture into a piece of furniture you love, and to give it a new lease of life, and I hope my detailed descriptions and photos of before, during and after show what can be achieved with a little imagination, elbow grease & paint!
If you would like to vote for me please follow the link here - Juniper & Roses is shortlisted in the 'Style' category which is No.12 - only one vote each!
Thank you so much to everyone who has already voted, I really appreciate your support.
CJ

Autentico Chalk Paint to the Rescue!

For the last 2 years the only paint I have used for my furniture re-cycling projects has been Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint - which I absolutely adore - I love the versatility of milk paint, and although I have had the odd issue, all the results have always turned out well in the end.  However this 'baby' caused me some problems - I used filler where the veneer was missing and that worked fine with the Milk Paint, but the overall finish on the veneer was so rough despite sanding and using hemp oil I just wasn't getting the finish I wanted. 

There was no other option than to go for a lovely thick chalk paint to cover the bad finish on this chest of drawers, so I went to see my friend Elaine at  Vintage Attic Living  in Sevenoaks (I must do a post about her gorgeous shop sometime!) she is a new Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Retailer, and also stocks Autentico Chalk Paint, I have only ever used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and I wanted to try the Autentico so I could compare the 2 chalk paints - Conclusion: I prefer Autentico! It was fun to use chalk paint again and although I did need 3 coats in the end to get the finish I wanted, I didn't find it so 'gloopy' as ASCP.  The shade I chose was 'Stone' which is a lovely beigey/grey.  after a gentle sand with fine  sand paper, I finished it with hemp oil, which gave it a lovely satin finish, and is so much easier to use than furniture wax!

Whilst visiting Vintage Attic Living, I bought some lovely napkins to make some decoupaged knobs for this chest of drawers, it's years since I tried decoupage and I was pleased with the results, I turned these ordinary pine knobs into something interesting and a little 'different' First of all I painted them with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in the shade 'Linen' as I wanted to match the background coulour of the paper napkin and it also made a great contrast with the main colour of the chest of drawers.  I then used Modge Podge to stick the cut out sections of the napkin to the top of the knobs, and finished the whole knob with a couple of coats of Polyvine Decorators Varnish with a 'Dead Flat' finish.

Going back to using Chalk Paint has not affected my love of Milk Paint, it's just made me realise I have many options and each re-cycling project is totally different, assessing the existing finish that you are about to paint over before starting is very important.  This will definitely NOT be a one off, I will be using Atentico Chalk Paint again!

CJ

Bamboo Chairs Makeover

I picked up these bamboo chairs a couple of weeks ago - and thought to myself  'a nice quick makeover job' - plus I haven't done any upholstery for a few years now and have quite a few projects waiting to be upholstered and it will get me back into 'the groove'!

Of course I should have remembered - when you think it's going to be a nice quick job - it never is!

I can't believe I looked at all those dark 'criss-crossy' bits and thought I was going get them painted in next to no time!

I used Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint - Shutter Gray with bonding agent - and I think I did 4 coats in the end - to be honest I lost count and it was difficult to see where I was in the process on each coat - I tried to be methodical but there were just too many pieces which looked the same, and slanted in the same direction!  I finished with 2 coats of Polyvine Decorators Varnish - with a 'dead flat' finish - this will give the paint plenty of protection especially if they are going to be used in a conservatory where temperatures get pretty hot.  The dead flat finish gives no sheen at all and so retains the integrity of the paint finish - I use this product a lot - its great for protecting from water splashes as well.

 

In my rush to get back into upholstery I clean forgot to take any photos of the process! - I took off the old fabric and the foam underneath was turning to powder so I replaced the foam as well. I covered both chairs in a piece of Vintage French Linen - and I was so lucky I just managed to eek it out to cover both chairs. I use a Stanley electric staple gun - which is great for this kind of project.

I love the new fresh look - and I really enjoyed upholstering them - so there will be more upholstery projects coming your way from this blog!

Do you like my twisted topiary bay tree? - I treated myself - I have been meaning to get one for ages now - I just love the look of them!
CJ

Milk Paint Dining Table - featuring 'Milk Paint as a Stain'

 My experience with Milk Paint just seems to get better and better!  I was given this table, from a colleague of my husband Mike - it was going to be taken to the dump! I love the big chunky barley twist legs.  This is a really solid well made piece of furniture, and I couldn't wait to get started on her.

The top was quite worn and the original lacquer needed to be sanded off - the wood - solid oak, was in good condition so I knew it would be fine to sand there was no sign of veneer of any sort.

 Here she is before - lovely detail and legs.

I always sand - 3 times - going up from course to medium and then fine to finish off and get a really lovely smooth finish.  It sanded beautifully, as the wood was so good, I tried applying hemp oil on a small inconspicuous spot to see what the colour would look like if I applied the Hemp Oil straight onto the sanded oak.  It was a little on the orangey/yellow shade which I don't like, so I decided to use the Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint shade called Curio - which makes a fabulous walnut shade.

I gave the base 3 coats of MMSMP - Grainsack - which is one of the white shades - it's a lovely soft greyish white - I added bonding agent to the first coat, although I would have been very happy to have some chipping, as the table is quite old - approximately 1930's and has  had a lot of use sometimes, especially on a dining table there could be grease, which will resist the paint and I wanted to have more control of whether I had a 'chippy' look or not.

The table has 2 extending leaves which tuck underneath the main top - when fully extended using both leaves the table is 185cms long! It's gorgeous!

 To finish and seal the paint I used Hemp Oil, and the finish is really smooth, and the colours of the stained top and greyish white base compliment each other perfectly.

 This label shows the table was bought in Arding & Hobbs which was a well know reputable chain of  Furniture Stores across London established in 1862, I do love a piece with some history!

 I love the scalloped detail - and of course those barley twist legs are fabulous!

Now that I have used the Curio Milk Paint as a stain with such tremendous results I will certainly be using it as my first choice for a stain for some other projects which I have lined up!

Lots more Milk Paint projects on the way!
Bye for now
CJ, Juniper & Roses