Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Cutting Board Made Anew!

     Honey and I were in Cajun Country recently and he spotted this old cutting board at the Lafayette Flea Market for only $2.00.  He plays "I Spy" so well because only a couple of days before I had mentioned that I wanted to find one.  We had been to an absolutely adorable shop in my home town of Crowley, La - called Serendipity - and had picked up a couple of drawer pulls for next to nothing.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them ~ and this cutting board was what was needed next!
     Once I got it painted with chalk paint, I headed over to www.thegraphicsfairy.com and found just the right graphic.  I used graphite paper to give it a quick trace, then filled it in with permanent marker.  After sanding it down, I gave it a heavy coat of my favorite home-made wax.
     I think that it's just perfect for laying out some cheese and peppered salami the next time that we have friends over!
Cheers!



My first attempt at "chalking"

     I've been wanting to try my hand at a chalk board for some time now.  I have seen these amazing ones all over the big P, but I have a terribly slanted handwriting, and for some reason my eyes also lead me astray - I always write crooked!  So I hesitated - until recently.  
     I had this great frame that I had already made into a chalkboard, but it didn't lend itself well to a calendar format which was what I needed....so, I decided to play around a bit, and this is what I came up with.  I don't think that it's too bad for a first time attempt!
     The frame was a $20 garage sale purchase - you know the kind!  Large, gold, ornate with a picture of a mother holding a baby?  The picture was destroyed, but the frame was inspirational!  I base coated it with Annie Sloan Versailles (my absolute favorite color) and topped it with AS Old White.  Then gave it a waxing with some homemade stuff - just paste wax with a smidgen of craft paint - antiquing.  
     I really like both the frame and the chalking.  I'll definitely try it again for the holidays! 

Cheers!  And Happy Crafting! 


Friday, July 25, 2014

Mirror, Mirror ~ Used to Be!

A few months ago the Honey Husband and I had a few days in New Orleans.  We visited one of my favorite "junque" shops - Conrad's - there is always a treasure or two or four to be found in this man's insane amount of clutter.
I fell in love with this piece - it was a dresser mirror - missing the mirror, of course!  I had to have it, and had a vision of exactly what I would do with it.
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to the rescue!
Of course, since it was chalk paint, I did absolutely nothing to it before painting it, except for wiping the layers of dust off of it.
I put the "Old White" directly onto the wood, and topped some areas with "Versailles" - I gave it a good sanding, scratched a bit of paint off in a couple of areas, and wiped it with a damp sponge in a few spots.  I then topped it off with my own mix of clear Johnson's Paste Wax, followed up a mix of Johnson's mixed with brown paint (no clue what kind or color) - I mixed it a while back and have used it several times - it's almost a sepia color, which works well in our home.
I can't wait to get the chalkboard insert put in sometime soon!
I'll post that when it's all done, but for now.........Cheers!