We have moved our TV around a lot in the last 2 years since we moved here, it was upstairs above the fireplace, then it went downstairs, and then it came back upstairs and has been sitting on top of the kids' toy box (an Ikea Expedit shelving unit). It has served it's purpose but was not anything eye catching (at least not in a good way). With our living room serving as a toy room too it gets cluttered often so when I read a blog post here about toy rotating, I thought I had to at least try...and it worked. I have wanted to move it all to what is now our office for quite some time now, but with so many toys I couldn't imagine it all staying in the room, now that there are fewer out it is becoming possible. There are still a few things that need to be moved around but 1 step at a time. I needed to find something for the TV to sit on. I was able to get into a thrift store that has a lot of furniture (that is usually over priced), and low and behold I find something that is perfect...and overpriced. I am Mennonite through and through so I will always try and get a great deal! Sadly they knew how badly I wanted it and wouldn't budge much on the price, but it is perfect so I'd say it was worth it.
At Fieldstone Vintage Market last September I was beside a booth for The Passionate Home (who have a beautiful shop in Old Langley). They had a display for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint....I didn't have a use for it until now. So I ran in there one day in a rush and picked out some colours. I painted a dresser for my daughters room in Old White and had bought this colour - Graphite, to paint our dining chairs (may or may not happen). The paint goes a long ways and so I decided to use it for this dresser as well. To be honest I wasn't a fan of this "Amazing" paint at all when I was doing my daughters dresser. I just jumped right in thinking it was going to be simple...well not so much. It is great that you don't have to sand or prime, you just paint. And it is very thick so one coat is often enough. For me it was too thick, when it comes to most things I am a perfectionist and like to take my time. This is a process that needs to be done quickly. So when I went back to The Passionate Home to pick up my dark wax I chatted with Carrie a bit and got a few tips.
By the time I went in there I had already painted this dresser, I thinned the paint out until it was the consistency of a latex that I was familiar working with. It went on thin so I did have to do a second coat but it turned out great, NO streaking or smudging. It dries so fast I was able to start a second coat right away. The wax is what you put on over the paint to seal it. You can get a clear or a dark, for this dresser I used the dark so that the colour would darken and look "dirty". I am so glad I used it on a dark colour before trying to antique a light colour. It was very forgiving, but I still had to work fast with this and that was a challenge. The longer you let it sit on your paint the darker it gets (the more absorbs into the paint) the process is smear it on, wipe it off and buff. I did all the drawers first hoping it would give me some practice before attempting the top which is a very large area. By the time I got to the top I thought I had it figured out....again not so much. I started and then realized I was in trouble. I made a few calls and sent a few emails and got it figured out. At the end of it I am happy to say that for my first time using it I couldn't be happier. Oh, and we spray painted the handles with Rust-Oleum's all surface metallic in Oil rubbed bronze. Here are a few more detailed photos.
Now I just need to find a few things to
