Project Copycat.

Last year at the Antique Mall, one of

the vendors brought in this amazing old

radio. I loved it but declined to buy it

because we have an old radio in our

garage, just waiting to be copied and

painted up with chalk paint. Now that

we have dh's workshop all set up, it will

soon be time to do some sanding and

then painting and waxing to get our

old radio to look like this master piece.

Chalk Painting.

I've been collecting items to chalk paint.

Now that I've "perfected" my technique,

it's time to dive in to get all of these items

painted, waxed and prices for sale. Big job.

New Island Project.

There are so many things I love about our kitchen but 

the island is truly my favorite ~ I smile at it often. 

We've never had an island. Our kitchens have always

been so small in the past. Now that we have space, I

can't imagine how we survived trying to make meals

for a big family in such tiny spaces. We did it but it

makes me appreciate my new roominess even more.

Above is a shot of a kitchen island with two brackets.

We ended up overhanging out countertops but didn't

know what we wanted to do to trim it out, so we left

it until we could decide. I found a set of brackets, like

 the ones above that are perfect in style but are a bit 

fragile. Made out of a material that I was worried would 

break if our little guy was too rough with pushing his 

chair back in one day, so we squashed that idea. I may 

use them for a wall idea so have tucked them away. The

countertop is granite, so it's super heavy but it doesn't

need any extra support on the overhang as it's not really

a big piece on that side. What we want to do is add in

a decorative look and the picture above is our idea.

A few weeks ago while we were shopping, we stopped

in at our local "re use" shop and found two columns.

They're old and banged up but that's the look we're

going for. And if our little guy bangs them up more,

no one will be the wiser. We filled a few holes and

will sand them down. Then a few coats of creamy

ivory chalk paint and we'll be set to go. I'm looking

forward to adding this decorative touch to the island.

And happy that we can do it on a budget. Each column

was $10 (marked down from $20), we already had

the wood filler and the paint. A "not too hard" project

on a limited but wise budget. Pictures to follow soon.

Project Line Up.

And this is only the half of it. The rest

is all set up in the turret, waiting for

my paint brush and my attention. A

big task but one I love to tackle.  This

is a mix of old vintage pieces and very

brand new. In the end, they'll all have a

sweet look and I hope they sell well.

If not, they'll look great in our house.

Old Then New.

I've been so intrigued by the post of

many bloggers who use chalk paint.

We've gathered a number of pieces of

old furniture over the years, some of

which is not in the best shape. It's

time to give "new life" to these pieces.

But first I had to learn how to make

then use real chalk paint as a medium.

My first piece to tackle: our original

dining room hutch. We ended up getting

this for free as the company messed up

and instead of picking it up, they just

refunded us our money. We didn't

argue, so it was a win~win for all.

Glass doors taken off the hutch and doors

and drawers removed from the base.

I found many recipes and the first one I

tried mixed up very nicely, so smooth.

Now it's time to paint and now the anxiety

begins to build in my little body and my mind.

First coat goes on nice and smooth.

It's not so bad. I kinda like this.

One more coat and then we'll try our

hand at the waxing. This part is going

to be tricky but we might chalk paint

an old board just to practice the process.

Have you gathered old pieces over the years?

Have you ever used chalk paint to refinish furniture?

Painting Project.

 We bought this little cabinet, with

shelves inside, for $10 last spring.

I finally figured out where it would be

best used but knew it needed work.

Taking it apart was easy. Painting

it will take several coats and sanding.

I'm the same green as our kitchen

cabinets and chose chalk paint.

First coat has really gone on well

but was soaked up by the wood.

I'm guessing I'll need to do at least 2 

more coats to get it to the right shade.

Once completed, this cabinet will be

set up in our mudroom. It has 4 inner

shelves and there are 4 of us always

needing places to put keys and items

we've brought home but need to take

with us each day. Very functional.

Any projects you're working on now?

Have you used chalk paint before?