FURNITURE MERRY-GO-ROUND

Having replaced the two yellow pine chests of drawers in a guest room with the two sewing boxes already on this blog, I then had to find a home for them.  The chests of drawers were good quality, dovetail joints and all, but too yellow and too pine. My own bedside chests of drawers were, however, needing either a big makeover or replacing. Painting the pine seemed the easier option because of course chalk paint means no prep!

The knobs were definitely going. Two coats of Sarah Jane Cricket Pitch, which is a pale green with greyish tones covered perfectly.

After the paint, one coat of Polyvine Clear Matt Wax Finish varnish, but two coats on the top. Next the new handles, courtesy of eBay.

I am now left with a pair of bedside chests of drawers that need to be re-homed! 

AND SEW IT GOES

AND SEW IT GOES

I have had a sewing box for some years that never really had a home. It has beautiful, if slightly faded, lilac satin lining and inside the lid is beautiful embroidery commemorating the coronation in 1937. The outside was very battered! Then I bought another one! Well, it was equally pretty inside, with dusky pink lining and padded areas inside the lid for needles etc. However, it too was  shabby outside and crying out for a chalk paint rescue. I could also see that now I had two, they could be a pair of slightly different bedside tables.

So, never one to hold back with the chalk paint, I got to work. After one coat of Grand Illusions Vintage paint in Stockholm, which is a pale blue, I realised I should have done a first coat of Polyvine Dead Flat Wax Finish varnish.  Without this, the original varnish on the piece is likely to bleed through and turn it yellow!  I then coated both with the Polyvine, and then two more coats of chalk paint, followed by a final coat of Polyvine. Here are the results:

After one coat, not covering very well and starting to leak the old varnish.

 These are going into a bedroom in my B&B, and although I have coasters beside the bed, guests prefer to bypass them and make their mark with wet glasses, so the coat of varnish is essential.  The inside of both sewing boxes was so pretty, if a bit faded, I decided to leave them as they were.  Inside the lid of one is the beautiful embroidery commemorating George lV's coronation. 

Random Renovations

I have so many projects around the house and hiding in the cellar, waiting to be transformed.  Sometimes I forget to do the 'before' pictures. but I promise the before was worth turning into the 'after'. 

The desk was free from a Facebook site. It was filthy orange pine, but really good quality all wood with dovetailed drawers. It is now a dressing table with a matching mirror. I painted it in Vintage Paints chalk paint in Nordic Blue, with silver dry brushing.

Lamp Stand

This lamp/plant stand was originally brown wood. It then transformed into a dark pink/terracotta colour, but having recently redecorated the hall in palest grey, the pink was horrible. I painted it in Everlong Chalk Paint in Noir and waxed it in Annie Sloan Dark Wax. 

At the Side of the Road

There I was driving through Thaxted, and there they were at the side of the road. Two slightly battered Windsor carver chairs with a scrap of paper attached. I skidded to a halt, reversed at speed and jumped from the car. The scrap of paper said £5 each. Well, it would have been rude to have left them there exposed to the elements.  One had a rather bad burn on the seat, but they were sound. I paid the money and put them in the car.  This is how they looked.

A quick wipe down with white spirit, and then on with the Everlong Vintage White.  Two coats and a quick buff up and they were done.

Now they look like this:

EMMAUS COMES UP WITH THE GOODS AGAIN!
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We love to go to all the Emmaus branches when in France. There are always treasures to be found.  This time we needed a dresser for our house in France and found this treasure.  It had to be treated for woodworm, although it was not live. Better safe than sorry.  Then it was allowed into the house.  We painted it with Annie Sloan Old White, but due to the age, it eventually turned yellow because the varnish melts and bleeds through.  However, over time, the yellow turned orange so it has been re-painted in Artichoke chalk paint from Vintage Paints, which is a sort of Duck Egg Blue.  The colour is a much better contrast against the walls and tones with the Duck Egg blue kitchen units. The old escutchions and the edges of the carvings on the top were dry brushed in Old White.

Voila!

Emperor's Silk and English Yellow
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Two chairs that have a new lease of life.  The red one was bought for a song just because I loved the wood grain on the seat.  It has been in the cellar for years, waiting for me to find inspiration and a home for it. It will now be my fifth chair in the kitchen when Lucy and family visit. Painted with three coats of Annie Sloan Emperor's Silk, finished with clear wax. Two coats of wax to the seat have brought out the lovely grain.

The next chair was in my large bathroom, which is going to have a grey makeover. Paint is Annie Sloan English Yellow. The accessories will be yellow and grey. The chair will have a new cushion in yellow and grey when the right fabric comes along.

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.