BIRD ON A WIRE

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I was watching this box in my local house clearance

shop for several weeks.  I liked it but could not think of a use for it.  There is a constant conversation going on in the back of my mind once I see something about how it could fit in and what I could do with it.

As you can see, it had potential. The top was unusual in that it rolls away under the bottom.  I then decided I needed more storage in the bathroom where bed and breakfast glasses, cups and saucers etc are stored in a cupboard, and the box flashed into my mind. I rushed off to Reeds and it was still there, and at a slightly reduced price too! 

Too plain in Noir Everlong paint! I decided stencilling was the answer and after an internet search, found this:

The birds are in Annie Sloan English Yellow.  I have also put them on the top, but because of the roll top, which is reeded, they are missing bits here and there, which is an effect I like. I have dry brushed the edges to give more definition to the shape of the legs and the top.

It is now finished, other than a coat of matt clear varnish to protect it in the bathroom.

l'amour Armoire

l'amour Armoire!

This armoire was bought for my French second home.  We had been looking for a long time for an armoire that was affordable at a time when they were very trendy and popular in the UK. Eventually a French man who had sold two to my daughter suggested that there was one for sale on la Bon Coin and because it was in Albi, it was too far for him to go.  It was 2 hours from us in France so off we went.  It had already been disassembled so we had to guess what it would be like.  However, it appeared to be exactly what we wanted.  Double size, mirrored doors, a lot of shelves inside but with the possibility of installing a hanging rail.  The woman we bought it from told us it had been made by her grandfather, but it was too tall for her modern house and so had been consigned to the cellar.  It cost 150 euros! Solid wood and like all armoires, no nails or screws. It is in three parts, top, middle and base and just slots together.  We have loved it, but because we want the house to be as light as possible, I was always going to paint it.  Here is the process and the result.

Although beautifully made and carved, the wood was semi matte and probably oak.  It was not easy to see the carving and detail.

One coat of Everlong Lady Grey chalk paint, but it needed two coats.  It was then dry brushed with Annie Sloan Louis Blue on the edges of the carvings and the locks.

The splendid and very traditional top decoration.

Decoration around the lock.

Here it is finished.  It now lights up the room.

Let There Be Light

This lamp base was £5 from a young woman in my village. She had bought it to paint, but had not got round to doing it.  Lucky for me! It is very heavy, possibly oak with lovely reeding on the stem. However, it was dark brown and all the detail could not be seen.
It is painted in Annie Sloan French Linen, one coat, and dry brushed with Old White before waxing with Annie Sloan clear wax.

An Art Nouveau Table

This table was about to be taken to the dump  by a friend.  It had been in their conservatory and had suffered greatly from too much sun, water damage etc.  The top had crumbled veneer around the edge and the underneath of the top had somehow moved, leaving a ledge. Part of the upstanding rim had come off too, just to add to the list of ailments.  However, in its favour were the beautiful art nouveau legs and sun ray pattern of the veneer on the top.  I tried to repair the veneer around the edge, but it was too difficult for my limited skills. Instead I scraped it all out, filled and sanded it.  The edge both on the top and underneath was overhanging the base about a quarter of an inch in some places, so copious amounts of filler were needed to build it up until it looked like it had always been like that!  I then glued on the missing upstand on the top, which I think once retained a glass insert, and then lots more sanding.  Finally I got to a point where there was no more that could be done, so I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Cream, then built up the wax with trial and error. Plain cream was too stark, and eventually a lot of dark wax and some distressing was the only answer.  I could not distress  too much on the edges, because of exposing the filler.  I think its 'done' but of course with Chalk Paint, you can always change things!

Look at those beautiful legs!  My friend is in her 80's and she told me the table had belonged to her mother, so it was well worth the effort.