~old wooden drawers transformed~

i've been wanting to work with some old wooden drawers for a while

but you know how it is when you're actually looking for something!

~it took a while~

i found this one at an antique mall, very ugly but i love how deep it is

{the pull was even uglier, believe me you don't want to see it}

painted it up with Annie Sloan chalk paint (ASCP)

"provence" on the outside, "paris gray" on the inside

buffed it up with clear wax

love the yellow of the sunflower against the blue...

added a sweet sparkly knob

old drawers are a practical (lots of space) and pretty way of storing or displaying things

~yup, i have a thing for blue canning jars~

wouldn't a drawer be great at a wedding filled with wedding favors or mason jars full of lemonade...

before...

and after

this one was a curbside find, also very ugly

{by the way, i gave them a good scrubbing before painting started}

~i'm a bit picky that way~

anyway, this one i left with the decorative pull, sans the pull part

i think it adds a classy and interesting detail on the front of the drawer

this drawer is super wide and got the "old white" touch

repurposed drawers are great in a studio for storage, to display your linens, used to showcase goods for sale

~yup, i have a thing for vintage crystal doorknobs too~

and vintage linens...

 so before...

and after

i'd love to hear if any of you have transformed ugly old drawers

i'm still on the look out for old sewing machine drawers, they are the perfect size for desktop storage in a studio or workroom...

linking up to Take-a-look Tuesday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Tuesday's Treasures

Tracey

PS. These repurposed drawers will be coming with me to Fieldstone Vintage Market next week Saturday

~grandpa's chair~

i found this old, old chair at a garage sale, it had belonged to the seller's grandpa

i tried to convince her to keep it, really i did

{drat, can't find the before photo}

anyway, it was a very old, solid wood chair, and very heavy!

i couldn't decide whether to keep it natural or paint...

but the peeling varnish had me a little concerned

so paint it was

lightly sanded off the loose varnish, and gave it just one coat of old white chalk paint

the brown of the varnish kinda seeped through as the paint dried, but that's okay, makes it look more authentic

gave it a light sanding here and there and finished with a layer of clear wax

love how the seat is molded from years of use!

{you can see the brown from the varnish seeping through on the seat}

then I had to play around a little of course

white roses from my garden in a favorite white pitcher

{these roses smell divine}

~and a little more ~

that is a child's vintage nightgown laying on the chair

i wonder if grandpa would recognise his chair??

linking up to one project at a time tuesday
tuesday's treasures
take-a-look tuesday
nifty thrifty tuesday
white wednesday
primp your stuff wednesday

Tracey

~my two cents on chalk paint~

well peeps my long-awaited package of chalk paint arrived

let me tell you i was in that van so fast to pick them up, just couldn't wait to get started...

{by the way, did you know "fragile" actually means "turn me upside down and toss me around"

especially if it also says "this side up"!!}

now of course they arrived smack-bang in crazy week

but i did get to try them out just a little...

{who needs sleep after all}

i totally love the "provence" the color is so rich and just way nicer in real life than it looks in color swatches

i used it here on this tray

i found a foamie applied best on this surface, but foamies do absorb a lot of paint

so what do i think?

well, the jury is still out for me on chalk paint

i do love how it looks, but it took quite some coats to get good coverage

i look forward to seeing how it performs on a larger piece of furniture

but i totally love the look once the wax is on

i sanded this tray then waxed it and gave it a light buff

(you're supposed to wax, sand, wax again but this worked for me)

it sure showed up the color and detailing beautifully, and gives a little protective finish

i used "old white" to paint this chalkboard frame, which had been giving me trouble with the spray paint bubbling {first sanded off the bubbles}

i applied the paint with a brush this time

the chalk paint gives a great authenic vintage look

so i'll announce my final verdict once i've had a chance to try it out on a larger project

for now i'm really liking it, especially with the wax finish, but it's gonna have to wow me to warrant the price tag for future projects!

Tracey