Inspiration...transformation...pt 2

Okay...the next inspiring blog I found my way to was the beautiful Maria's at Dreamywhites - fabulous french inspired white furnishings, furniture...distressed to a gorgeous state...ah be still my shabby-chic heart!! lol...anyway..I practically drooled over her home and all her other pics...and thought...why haven't I actually painted all the furniture I've bought over the years SPECIFICALLY to distress to french white...but when it came down to it, I chickened out and left them as is!!...my queen anne bedroom furniture, a dark (maybe oak) sideboard in the living room, old chairs around my dining table (sadly mixed with the modern nasty others...till I find more chairs...hard to get bargains in NZ like you gals do in the USofA!!)...SO..I DETERMINED...TODAY WAS THE DAY....
So here begins my zillion pics of my coffee table/chest...nearly forgot the 'befores' ...remembered just after I started...so off I ran for Beths' camera...and here we go...sorry, i'm TOTALLY enthused with it...too many pics...but if you scroll thru quickly, you'll hardly notice how many there are!!....
BEFORES...well, almost befores! ;)...

And AFTERS...not quite in the right order!...

The paint I bought turned out to be a very matt finish which I neither wanted nor expected, however I remembered I had a jar of French furniture polish (which I MADE years ago!!) in the cupboard...and although intended for natural wood, I felt sure it would polish a nice sheen onto my finished chest...which as you can see, it did - it looks very glossy in this pic, which it is not...just a lovely subtle 'glow' about it...and the polish with linseed oil in it is a slightly amber colour and this, rubbed in and buffed to a sheen actually softened my 'little-too-bright-white' paint to a lovely tone...

Back in the lounge with Molly Wisenbergs delightful book back on its place...and some of my lovely stone coasters...

You can see the very cool little metal hinges that I managed to NOT get white paint on!! Love these hinges...gives it such an old-worlde feel...which it certainly is not...made of pine and MDF...amazing what a coat or three of paint can TRANSFORM, isn't it? ;)

And with my lovely cast iron crown and distressed wooden seashell....

Well, thanks for looking...love to hear your comments if you have any :)

off to bed now...before I get up and finish the chair!! lol...want to start on my bedroom furniture (can't start on the sideboard as it still has all my Christmas decorations on it...garlands, cone trees etc...too much to take off and put back and not ready to put away)...but tomorrow, I am off to have a 'ladies' lunch" with my mother-in-law in the country and a lovely place called Monterey House - a special treat.

So..more Thursday, perhaps!!

ciao bellas...happy blogging, creating, transorming!!

luv jessie xx