New #AnnieSloanChalkPaint Project!!!!!!! Empire Chest!

I have a wish list of things I've always wanted.  On this list?  Rolltop desk, highboy, dining table which seats 12+ and...DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!!!  An Empire Chest!

Give me a minute while I hit a cabbage patch move right quick!  GO ME!  IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

I found an Empire Chest and I couldn't be more ecstatic.  It is in pristine condition.  Early 1900's. HEAVY.AS.HELL!!!!!  Clearly on days when my favorite consignment store lady calls...I need to rent a man and a Uhaul cuz I couldn't even move that sucker 3 inches.  IT.IS.SOLID!  It is so perfect I don't have to do a thing to it but well...there is this color that I adore and this piece is SCREAMING for it.  The color you ask?  ENGLISH YELLOW.  With a shiny black top (I think.  Might just keep the top as is but I just think black would be sooooooooo sleek.).

I know you can't "see" it but it's gonna be gorg.  I just know it.  You're going to have to trust me here.  LOL!  Oh...and I'm going to have a piece of beveled glass cut to put on the top because I'm thinking it will house a "bar" in my upcoming Monnie Retreat.  LOL!  Okay...okay...so it's a living/sitting room.  No television.  No electronics.  It will be for reading and relaxing.  It will be shiny and gorgeous with a white sofa and FABULOUS window treatments. with super fluffy blankies and lots o' lots of BOOKS!  Yup.  There will be a covered box at the entrance for your cellphone.  NO ELECTRONICS!  It will be a thing of beauty.  (In my mind so far mind you!  LOL!

Okay...so...the way my ADHD is set up, Robby will only let me get one piece at a time so that I don't have a lot of projects stacked up because I've gotten bored.  Cuz we all know that can happen.  In the words of one of the besties:

"Is there ANYTHING you can't do?????"

Answer?  Yes...stick with anything for a lifetime.  Hey...I get bored.

HAPPY WEEKEND!  How is your weekend stacking up?  What's the temp out by you?  It was almost 80 degrees here today.  Throwed the hell off.

China Cabinet Upcycle - COMPLETE - #AnnieSloanChalkPaint

To start...I had to take off that old school gold leaf stuff.  I added about 20 drops of tea tree oil to some hot water, saturated a washcloth with it and then rubbed it all over the gold stuff squeezing as I went so there was water left sitting on top.  Then...I let it sit for about five minutes and, using the blade from a utility knife...scraped it off.  Easy.  SUPER easy.

Next, I painted the interior with two coats of Country Grey (followed by clear wax) and the exterior with two coats of Coco.  Since I was looking to coordinate with a painted chest we already have...I was trying to get a certain color so I followed the exterior with dark wax.

I plan on stenciling the interior back but probably not before Christmas.  I put some stuff in it to take a picture because I didn't want to pull out my china.  Then...I was like...well...I like my china where I keep my china (in the painted cabinet) and I feel like it's safer in there.  Now...safer from what I don't know.  This is how my brain works.  I have issues and I'm not working on them.

Still.

Before.  During. After.  

I like it.  It makes me happy.

And truly...that's all I want in life.  To do whatever makes me happy.

GO ME!

Sooooooooooo...have you decided to try a piece yet?  I'm thinking of painting our family room coffee table.  You know...since a little super cute puppy yall know teethed on it when we first got her.  LOL!

On Keeping Pot Secrets #Calphalon

If you haven't bought new pots in a while, you're going to be as astonished as I was recently while out shopping for new pots.  I hadn't purchased a new complete set of pots in about twenty years and rounded a corner recently to note that there are pots now with spouts and lids which work to help you pour off water/liquid without the use of a colander or burning your hand with steam.

And dude!  They also have measurements inside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  HOW AWESOME IS THAT?????

Why didn't yall tell me about this?  I know some of yall knew!  I KNOW yall did!  This is sooooooooooooooo awesome sauce!

China Cabinet Upcycle - STEP 1 - #AnnieSloanChalkPaint

Whew...I just used a blanket to drag that thing out to the foyer because it has the best light in the house.  Don't tell Robby cuz that sucker AIN'T light.  LOL!  

I have been waiting on some stuff to arrive that I ordered to start getting this done right.  First thing is to remove that gold harlequin design from the glass.  I have a scraper and I'm going to use a mixture of tea tree oil and warm water to remove it.  I'm told it will take patience...Okay.

Next I'm going to paint the interior with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Country Grey.  Then...I'm going to either stencil a design in the back or figure out a way to add paper or vinyl to the back for a pop of contrast.  I don't want anything to fight with what I put in it...but I do want it to be interesting enough to draw the eye.

After that...I'm going to paint the exterior in Annie Sloan's Coco.  

I've removed one of the bail pulls from the drawer at the bottom so that I can find one like it online.  I haven't found one yet but hope to do so before I finish the painting.  I'm also thinking of painting the bottom two inches of the front legs a gold color.  

THIS will take a minute.  LOL!

HAPPY HUMP DAY!  Yall decorated for Christmas yet?????

HELP! Twin Beds with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Country Grey

I have two of these beds and am using Annie Sloan chalk paint in Country Grey.  I'm doing one at a time so I can figure out exactly what I want to do to them.  I figure if I do one at a time it will be much easier and quicker to do the second one once I know exactly how I want it to look.

That one has two coats of paint on it and I'm about to play around with dark and clear wax.  The dark wax will give it a weathered look and I guess that would be a good thing in order to hide future knicks but I'm not sure how to go about it just yet.  I like the way it looks on some things but sometimes...the shabby chic look can be a bit too shabby to me you know?  So...that's my dilemma.

I'd like to highlight the details on the beds.

What do YOU think?  Distress the details only or try and lightly distress the entire bed?  Do you like the color I picked?  Remember...they are going in a navy blue bedroom that I want to make gender neutral.  

I've been buying old flag decor and keeping it all together with the receipts in case I change my mind because I saw something recently that REALLY caught my eye that incorporated the color orange in the decor of a navy room.  Nice right?

What would YOU do?  Holla atcha girl.