A few months ago, our neighbor needed to clean out their garage and basement so they had a dumpster delivered to their driveway. Every now and then, I would peek out my window that overlooks their driveway to see if they were tossing out any "treasures". I noticed quite a few things that I thought deserved a "second chance" so I ran next door to see if I could rescue them. I found a chair, a bookcase, a treadle sewing machine cabinet (no machine) and this adorable little shelf. It looks like something someone might have made back in the 50's in a high school shop class. I didn't know quite what I was going to do with it but I knew I could give it a new life.
I recently found out my sister, Sue and her friend, Mary took a couple of classes learning how to use CeCe Caldwell's Chalk Paint at Bungalow 47 in Williamston, MI. Both Sue and Mary posted some great pictures on Facebook showing some of the techniques they learned. At the same time, I found out my "bestie", PattiP., had started painting furniture using Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint. Patti's sister is opening a new shop this fall where Patti will be selling some of her furniture that she's painting. You can see some of Patti's current projects on her blog, "Cranberries and Calico". After seeing what could be done with these products I knew what I was going to do with my shelf.
We recently took a "road trip" to Kentucky for a family reunion and then on to Michigan to visit my sister and her family as well as touch base with some friends. I was able to make a trip to Bungalow 47 with Sue and Mary and picked up some CeCe Caldwell chalk paint of my own. Of the colors I purchased, I knew I had to use "Traverse City Cherry" on my little shelf. The cool thing about these paints is that you don't have to strip, prime, or do any special prep work on your project before painting. The cool thing about both of these paints is that you don't have to strip, prime, or do any special prep work on your project, other than a simple cleaning, before painting. So, I pulled my shelf out of the garage and with a rag and a little water I cleaned off a few cobwebs and surface dirt.
The paint went on smoothly and it only required one coat. The color dried to a pinky red but I knew once I applied my wax coat the color would deepen. Oh look, it almost matches the pink geraniums in the pot on my deck.
Once the shelf was dry, I did a little "distressing" with some fine sandpaper and a wet cloth. I applied the clear wax with a brush and rubbed it in with a soft cloth. I went over the clear wax with a light brown aging wax and rubbed that in as well. After an hour or so, I went back over the shelf with an old sock and buffed the wax a little. I may go back and buff it a little more tomorrow.
So here's my finished shelf. I just need to add a couple of hangers to the back so I can hang it on the wall. I'm thinking this will be a great addition to my kitchen!
So, what can I paint next.........
Hope you have a great day,
Patti
